Fitzdog Radio: Rob Corddry – Episode 1120 (December 17, 2025)
Host: Greg Fitzsimmons
Guest: Rob Corddry
Main Theme & Purpose
This episode is a classic, freewheeling Fitzdog Radio chat between host Greg Fitzsimmons and frequent guest Rob Corddry, celebrated for his roles in comedic films, TV, and as creator of "Children's Hospital." The conversation is rooted in their longtime friendship, their mutual backgrounds in comedy, storytelling, and the quirks of life as aging, married, bald men. They tackle everything from the inside baseball of stand-up and TV writing to ADHD, marriage dynamics, and the joys and awkwardness of neighbor relationships—all with Fitz’s signature blend of irreverence, honesty, and self-deprecation.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Fitz Alone & Reflections on Family, Comedy & Parties (01:39 – 07:00)
- Fitzsimmons finds himself alone during the holidays—family off to South Africa, he’s caring for his mother-in-law’s boyfriend, and reflecting on missing his wife.
- Comic riff on his wife being “not funny” but wonderful, exploring how honesty about a spouse’s lack of humor is taboo, especially for men.
- Quote: “Trying to be funny is very, very different than being funny people. You know, like Hitler...” (04:00)
- Discusses his aversion to industry holiday parties; finds joy in hearing they sucked after skipping them.
- Praises San Francisco Punchline as his true favorite club, defends it as “not woke” despite city reputation.
- Anecdote of eating sushi with Louis CK, exploiting Louis’ wealth and then getting called out for ordering too much.
- Quote: “I looked at him and he looked at me, and I’m like, do you want some money for that? And he’s like, no, I got it. I go, well, why’d you take so long? He goes, cause you ordered a lot of fucking sushi.” (08:32)
On Aging, Baldness, Marriage, and Self-Acceptance (13:02 – 18:00)
- Both men swap stories about hats, sun damage, and skin woes of baldness in LA.
- Rob jokes about getting work done, while Fitz admits to the actor’s insecurity that drives small physical tweaks.
- Corddry humorously discusses his wife’s Invisalign obsession, questioning if her improvements mean she’s “on the market” (16:08).
- Corddry reveals: “She thinks she’s a great storyteller...she does have good stories, but there’s a lot of fat in there...she’ll repeat some detail three or four times. So by the time you get to the end of the story, I have ADHD—I’ve forgotten the beginning.” (16:49)
The Art (and Spouse-Related Pain) of Storytelling (17:10 – 23:00)
- Fitz and Corddry bemoan spouses as relentless “fact checkers” who derail embellished stories for accuracy.
- Quote: “And not only is she cockblocking the flow of the story. You look like a liar. Yes.” (20:39) – Fitzsimmons
- Rob: “Now the more we talk about it, the more I would not change that about her. It’s kind of charming.” (21:31)
- Warm analysis of their wives’ strengths as connectors and inclusive hosts.
Twins, Old Friends, and Comedy Life (22:52 – 26:13)
- Corddry recounts the challenge of telling Sklar Brothers (identical twin comedians) apart and the existential dilemma of which one is truly which after a diaper mix-up as babies.
- Quote: “So Randy might be Jason and Jason might be Randy.” (26:11)
- Both admire the Sklars’ grace at being mistaken, touring, working as twins.
Nicotine, Stimulant Use, and ADHD (26:36 – 35:16)
- Corddry shares his ongoing nicotine addiction (“fairly benign drug”), oral fixations, and how both he and Fitz rely on stimulants (nicotine, coffee, ADHD meds).
- Corddry’s wild stories about “Cokies,” a Brooklyn bar run by retired cops, serving cocaine through a glory hole while old folks drank outside.
- Quote: “You’d give them 20 and they’d give you a little bag of coke. Like a glory hole for coke?” (30:17)
- Allusions to being misdiagnosed or undiagnosed with ADHD for years; relishing how stimulants calm, not hype them:
- “It was like putting glasses on. I know that’s sort of a cliche, but I’m newly diagnosed too.” (34:07 – Corddry)
- Fitz on childhood and the missed ADHD diagnosis: “I wrote a book called Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons about all the letters that were sent home...he's either acting up and causing a scene, or he's asleep at his desk...that's ADHD." (35:43)
Comedy Culture: Kindness, Ball-Busting & Political Correctness (39:18 – 45:22)
- Fitz shares how his Irish ball-busting in comedy green rooms often confuses West Coast comics: “I always go, thanks, faggot...I can always tell immediately, like, if a guy laughs, I can see him laughing on his way off stage, or I can see him furrowing his brow.” (40:03)
- Corddry and Fitz unpack the shifting taboos in comedy, safe spaces, and the (possibly temporary) return of “edgy” language.
- Discussion transitions to broader political climate; both express hope that culture is moving away from fringe outrage and “cause of the day” activism.
Wikipedia Fact Checks, Awards, and Meaningful Achievements (45:32 – 50:06)
- Fitz tries to fact-check Corddry’s Wikipedia (incorrectly listed as Political Science major), which Corddry finds amusing and baffling.
- Discuss which life milestone meant more: Emmys or Eagle Scout—Corddry surprisingly chooses Eagle Scout, as award ceremonies stir anxiety.
- “I’ve sworn off speeches. I hope I don’t win another thing in my life, really, until my kids get married.” (46:26)
- Fitz on his reputation as a great eulogist and the paradox of being asked to speak at funerals even for acquaintances, because humor is so desperately needed.
The Craft of Stand-Up and Performance (49:05 – 54:07)
- Series of keen observations contrasting different comic personas: needy vs. relaxed; stool guys (Marin, Cosby), white comics’ “power moves” (foot on monitor), and black comics’ mic slaps.
- “If they see you needy or, or sweaty, they just pull back. And [Kevin Nealon] is the opposite of that...just in the pocket.” (49:13–49:17)
- Discussion on storytelling impulse and how, for comics like Cosby (noting the open secret of his misconduct in Hollywood), the “backstage” green room is a protected, profane space.
Storytellers, Shakespeare, and Acting Technique (55:19 – 71:12)
- Corddry shares experience on Ari Shaffir’s "This is Not Happening," telling a story where his wife accidentally called their elderly neighbor a c*nt in an email and tried to break in to delete it.
- “And my wife sent an email to me—forwarded it to me and said, ‘This proves that it was that know it all cnt who turned us in for the fence’ and hit send right back to the woman.”* (56:29)
- Bond over the appeal (and pain) of neighbor relationships.
- In-depth, nerdy discussion on Shakespeare (“says things five or six times...playing to the rabble”), their love of New York’s Shakespeare in the Park, and the challenge of “cracking” the language as performers.
- Both reflect proudly on their English major backgrounds, strong influence of professor role models.
Fastballs with Fitz (Quick-fire Questions) (72:02 – 81:21)
- Corddry’s brushes with the law: recounts essentially getting arrested on purpose to “have the experience” in college, delighting his theater friends with unlikely Irish Boston behavior.
- Best Asian friend: Edith Sue Chen, top NYC city planner.
- Literary hero: Robert Moses (discussed via infamous Caro biography).
- Who would play Rob Corddry in his biopic? Dave Koechner—jokes about roles and similarities, despite barely resembling each other physically.
- Meaningful tattoos and family traditions: shares he has a tattoo with his late sister’s ashes in the ink (poignantly, "my sister’s in me").
- Secretly wishes he’d played Hamlet; describes “aging out” of such classic dramatic roles.
Final Reflections & Memorable Quotes
- Rob credits drama roles as easier, now that comedy has built his chops:
- "You don’t realize till you’re in a drama how you’ve been swinging three bats in the batter's box for years and you're stepping up to the plate with one." (68:12)
- Corddry opens up about family losses, marriage difficulties, and the importance of spousal understanding with ADHD:
- “Being married to an ADHD person is you really have to know their limitations and not judge them like they're a normal person.” (83:32 – Fitz)
- “There's such pressure to hear every word she says. And like I said at the very beginning, she gives a lot of information, man.” (84:23 – Corddry)
- Corddry’s new AMC series "The Audacity" drops in March, created by Jonathan Glatzer (Succession, Better Call Saul). Rob speaks highly of Glatzer:
- “Some of these guys have that sort of thing, like…Aaron Sorkin...they’re just good at story and dialogue.” (64:24)
Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps
- “Trying to be funny is very, very different than being funny people. You know, like Hitler. I bet Eva Braun said, ‘He’s got a great sense of humor. Oh, yeah. We laugh and we laugh. Und we laugh and we kill.”* – Fitz (04:00)
- “She thinks she’s a great storyteller...she does have good stories, but there’s a lot of fat in there...so by the time you get to the end of the story, I have ADHD—I’ve forgotten the beginning.” – Corddry (16:49)
- “And not only is she cockblocking the flow of the story. You look like a liar. Yes.” – Fitz (20:39)
- “So Randy might be Jason and Jason might be Randy.” – Corddry on the Sklars (26:11)
- “You’d give them 20 and they’d give you a little bag of coke. Like a glory hole for coke?” – Fitz (30:17)
- “It was like putting glasses on… I’m newly diagnosed too.” – Corddry on ADHD meds (34:07)
- “You always have to create a perimeter because there’s always four of them, them and their wives.” – Fitz on the Sklar twins (22:27)
- “If they see you needy or, or sweaty, they just pull back. And [Kevin Nealon] is the opposite of that...just in the pocket.” – Fitz (49:13)
- “You don’t realize till you’re in a drama how you’ve been swinging three bats in the batter’s box for years…” – Corddry (68:12)
- “My sister’s in me.” – Corddry on his tattoo with his sister’s ashes (78:59)
- “Being married to an ADHD person is you really have to know their limitations and not judge them like they're a normal person.” – Fitz (83:32)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Fitz’s Solo Holiday Reflections – 01:39–07:00
- San Francisco Punchline, Louis CK Anecdote – 07:00–11:00
- Aging, Baldness, Marriage Observations – 13:02–18:00
- Storytelling & Spousal Fact-Checking – 17:10–23:00
- Sklars, Twins, & Existentialism – 22:52–26:13
- ADHD, Nicotine, Comedy Stimulants – 26:36–35:16
- Comedy and Language Taboo Evolution – 39:18–45:22
- Wikipedia Errors, Achievements – 45:32–50:06
- Stand-Up Styles & Storytelling – 49:05–54:07
- Family Stories, Neighbors, Mistaken Emails – 55:19–59:22
- Shakespeare, Theatrical Training – 69:00–71:12
- Fastballs with Fitz (Personal Q&A) – 72:02–81:21
- Reflections on Marriage/ADHD/Parenthood/Tattoos – 81:46–83:41
- Plug for Upcoming Series ‘The Audacity’ – 84:28–84:41
Tone & Style
- Playful, honest, affectionate—a generous mix of ball-busting and deep-dive reflection that’s hallmark to Fitzdog Radio.
- Rob Corddry is self-effacing, witty, and candid, oscillating easily between making jokes about nicotine and touching on grief and marriage.
- Fitzsimmons brings out the best in Corddry by blending inside-comedy-shop talk with regular-guy vulnerability.
If you’ve never listened, this episode is a stellar example of two pros riffing on friendship, family, comedy, neuroses, and the meaning (and absurdity) of it all—anchored in warmth, candor, and a shared understanding of what it means to be a performer and a person.
