Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

Episode: RE-RELEASE – Nikki Glaser
Release Date: September 1, 2025
Podcast Host: Audacy
Guests: Nikki Glaser

Episode Overview

In this special re-release, Dana Carvey and David Spade sit down with stand-up comic and roast master Nikki Glaser. The conversation takes listeners deep inside Nikki’s comedy journey, the pressures and behind-the-scenes drama of high-profile roasts (specifically the Tom Brady Roast), the mental game of competing in comedy, and the emotional costs of fame. The episode is rich in personal anecdotes, insight into modern comedy craft, stories from the road, and lots of candid, hilarious banter among real friends.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nikki’s Stand-Up Origins and Relationship With Fame

• Nikki’s Living Arrangements & Lifestyle

  • Talks about living in Missouri, not owning a car, renting her home, and spending big on experiences (notably Taylor Swift tickets), showing a surprisingly traditional and frugal side.
    • “I bought my mom a car and then I took her car, and so I’m driving my mom’s car.” (04:31, Nikki)

• Parental Support & Comedy as Only Option

  • Nikki’s father is a musician who took a safe job in cable; he supported her unconditionally as she broke into comedy. It took “eight years to the day” before she was independent. (06:04, Nikki)
  • There was no backup plan: “My plan B was kill myself someday…I had just no chance that it wasn’t going to happen. I never let in a thought that it wouldn’t happen.” (06:18, Nikki)

• Initial Gigs & Comedy Spark

  • First set was while she struggled with an eating disorder in college; comedy became both an outlet and a means of social survival.
  • “Because I looked so scary and no one wanted to be my friend, I just became loud and funny…that was when I started hearing, you should be a comedian.” (11:24, Nikki)

2. Motivations: Fame, Competition, and Survival

• Dana and David’s Early Career Mindset

  • Both hosts reminisce about low-paying gigs and how even minimal success meant “this is my job now.”
    • “If this is what I do to make money on planet Earth this would be a good way to go.” (07:55, Dana)

• The Drive for Fame, Acceptance, and Love

  • Nikki is candid about her need for external validation and acceptance.
    • “For me, being famous is just being loved…it’s a survival instinct.” (14:54, Nikki)
  • Dana shares he never chased “rich and famous”—he just aimed for advancement in the club scene.

• The Evolution of Public Opinion

  • David notes the benefit of being a familiar face (“mostly a positive opinion,” 15:41, David), while Nikki analyzes how evolutionary psychology feeds the need to be known and loved by others.

3. The Competitive Comedy Mindset & Roast Preparation

• Roasts as Competition

  • Nikki describes the drive to “win” at roasts as an acceptable outlet for stand-up competitiveness.
    • “That’s why I like roasts: I finally found a way in comedy to compete...who’s the best? That brings out that nature.” (16:04, Nikki)

• The Tom Brady Roast: Preparation, Pressure, and Glitches

  • Nikki offers a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at the Tom Brady Roast, highlighting:
    • Nerve-wracking overlaps (e.g., Kevin Hart + Nikki having nearly the same joke and the scramble to recover live on-stage; 19:23–20:56).
    • The “standing ovation” moment and Kevin’s generosity, which amplified her set’s success.
    • The unwritten etiquette among comics preparing for roasts—not poaching or overhearing each others’ material.
      • “When they're practicing roast jokes...the other comics that are on the roast step aside on their own—they go we’re not allowed to see each other.” (36:49, David)

• Crafting the Perfect Roast Set

  • Nikki describes maniacal preparation (“I worked for a month on perfecting every word…” 18:15), trial runs in clubs, and dealing with teleprompter snafus.
  • The psychological calculus of joke overlap, live adjustments, and taking risks for the biggest impact.

4. Vulnerability, Jealousy, and Supporting Other Comics

• Jealousy in Comedy & Lifting Other Women

  • Nikki confesses her “viciously competitive” streak and how she actively fights it by publicly supporting other up-and-coming female comics.
    • “Instead of when I feel like ‘go away bitch’ I post it on my Instagram story and say ‘this girl's hilarious’...” (32:17, Nikki)

• Rumors, Bullying, and Club Politics

  • Nikki recounts being on the receiving end of malicious rumors (being accused of sleeping for stage time, joke stealing) which drove her to move clubs and cities, and the lasting sting and industry-wide prevalence of “schadenfreude.” (34:02–35:37)

5. The Emotional Aftermath of Roasts

• How Roasts Hit Differently Depending on Who’s Roasting

  • Nikki distinguishes between being roasted by strangers (easy to take) versus by friends (those jokes “sting more and stay with you”; 49:28–50:13).

• Tom Brady’s Real-Time Reactions

  • Nikki reads his facial expressions during the roast as genuine discomfort. Surprised that, despite being an executive producer, Tom hadn't seen all the jokes in advance and felt some material cut too close. (41:01–42:18)
    • “He looks really tight smile tight…he looks devastated…” (41:01, Nikki)

• What the Roasting Revealed

  • Consensus: The event made Brady seem more human and vulnerable, forever associating his brand with this new public scrutiny (43:16–44:35).

6. Craft, Discipline, and New Standards in Comedy

• Modern Comic Discipline

  • Nikki, Dana, and David reflect on how contemporary comics are more methodical—treating sets like “a college essay,” frequently taping and revising, with shows often prepared alongside personal assistants or writers for maximum polish.
    • “Why am I not treating my specials like if I was a feature film?” (62:06, Nikki)

• Social Media’s Impact

  • The new Netflix-catalyzed, social-media-fueled exposure gives roasts and specials longer afterlives than broadcast replays ever could.
    • “Now you get the benefit of TikTok, Instagram…old roast clips are just so sticky online.” (64:05, Nikki)

• Touring, Vegas Residencies, and Reusing Material

  • The practical matter of bringing material from specials into live sets—are you “allowed” to, and does anyone notice or care?
    • “I work so hard on it... and who saw it?” (66:23, David)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Not Having a Plan B:
  • “My plan B was kill myself someday…I guess I’ll just—I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t find an ‘in’ some way.” — Nikki Glaser (06:18)
• On Competition in Comedy:
  • “That’s why I like roasts…I finally found a way in comedy to compete, and in a way that I feel comfortable…” — Nikki Glaser (16:04)
• On Kevin Hart’s Generosity at the Roast:
  • “Kevin…went up and was like quoting people’s jokes…he literally goes, I want everyone to know, in case you didn’t see it at home, Nikki got a standing ovation…” — Nikki Glaser (22:46)
• On Supporting Other Female Comics:
  • “Instead of when I feel like ‘go away bitch,’ I post it on my Instagram story and say, ‘this girl’s hilarious’…it’s my rule for myself to fight that.” — Nikki Glaser (32:18)
• On the Sting of Rumors in Comedy Clubs:
  • “People did that to me early on in my career…[said] I was sleeping with comedians to get stage time and I was a virgin.” — Nikki Glaser (32:54)
• On Writing Comedy Like an Essay:
  • “It takes a month to get the success and that’s going to the club, recording, listening to it and changing.” — Nikki Glaser (61:46)
• On the Psychological Toll of Roasts:
  • “Some jokes about me got traded because... Ann Coulter…later I was told, ‘Oh, you dodged a few bullets because people switched.’” — David Spade (47:12)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• 03:47: Nikki’s self-effacing joke about peaking after the Tom Brady roast
• 04:13–06:04: Nikki on family, early years, and her unwavering sense of destiny in comedy
• 11:24–12:30: Nikki’s college experience, eating disorder, and finding her comedic voice
• 13:30–14:54: Fame as love, and why she chases both
• 16:04–17:15: Roasts as the ultimate comic competition
• 18:15–20:56: Behind the scenes at the Tom Brady Roast; joke overlaps and live improvising
• 22:12–22:46: Kevin Hart’s stand-out generosity helping Nikki post-roast
• 32:17–34:02: Nikki’s battle with jealousy and public support of other women comics
• 41:01–42:18: Tom Brady’s visible discomfort at the roast and what targets were off-limits
• 49:28–50:13: Emotional impact of being roasted by strangers vs. friends
• 61:46–62:07: Crafting a tight hour: “It takes a month to get the success and that’s going to the club, recording, listening to it and changing.”
• 64:05–65:17: The persistence of roast footage and the reach of modern streaming/social media

Tone and Language

The tone is warm, candid, and often self-deprecating, with all three comics willing to open up about insecurities, the ugly side of showbiz, and the highs and lows of public life. There’s mutual respect and plenty of real friendship on display, alongside razor-sharp comedic timing. The episode is filled with humor, brutal honesty, and behind-the-scenes industry realities.

Standout Podcast Moment

“The super bowl of comedy—the day after the roast, there’s nothing I can do…that’s the only amount of texts I will get. This is unprecedented for a comedian. My special won’t even get this many texts. It won’t ever happen again like this.”
— Nikki Glaser (54:19)

Summary Takeaway

This episode is both a masterclass in modern stand-up craft and a refreshingly honest discussion of the joys and traumas that come from “making it” in comedy’s unforgiving arenas. Nikki’s willingness to be vulnerable about competition, jealousy, and the anxieties of public performance are balanced by the hosts’ own stories and admiration, delivering an inside perspective on what it takes to last and thrive in show business today.