Ed Helms on What Makes Andy from 'The Office' Funny

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Ed Helms on What Makes Andy from 'The Office' Funny"

Good One: A Podcast About Jokes
Host: Jesse David Fox, Senior Editor at Vulture
Guest: Ed Helms
Release Date: July 3, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Good One: A Podcast About Jokes, host Jesse David Fox welcomes comedian and actor Ed Helms to delve into the comedic intricacies of one of television's most beloved characters—Andy Bernard from the American version of The Office. The conversation spans Helms's experiences on The Office, his role in The Hangover movie series, the creative processes behind iconic comedy scenes, and insights into his podcasting venture, Snafu. Additionally, Helms shares a fascinating historical anecdote about a time the U.S. Government contemplated blowing up the moon.

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The Evolution of Andy Bernard on The Office

Recruitment and Character Development

Ed Helms discusses his initial attraction to The Office, primarily due to his admiration for Steve Carell from their time together on The Daily Show. Helms shared his excitement upon learning that Carell would be portraying Michael Scott in the American adaptation.

Helms states, “[...] I was already enamored with the show before it even took to the airwaves.” [03:05]

During his initial audition process, Helms auditioned for other roles but ultimately was cast as Andy Bernard. The creation of Andy's character was a collaborative and organic process with show creators Greg Daniels and Paul Lieberstein. Helms contributed ideas that shaped Andy's "Connecticut yacht club kind of douchey" persona, including quirky fashion choices like pastel-colored pants with sailboat patterns.

Helms recounts, “He’s someone who makes you laugh from a distance, but, like, up close, like, you can’t kind of stand him.” [04:52]

Balancing Obnoxiousness with Relatability

Jesse David Fox probes how Helms managed to portray Andy's incessant annoyingness without alienating the audience. Helms emphasizes that his approach was never to make Andy outright annoying but to infuse the character with volatility and underlying emotional turmoil that made his outbursts both humorous and relatable.

Helms explains, “I think I'm grateful that I could see. I can see why some real person like, that would actually be horrifying and tragic. But in the context of the office, it is so funny.” [09:03-09:57]

Memorable Scenes and Interactions with Steve Carell

Helms shares anecdotes about working with Steve Carell, highlighting Carell's ability to convey profound emotions while delivering comedic lines. One standout moment was a scene where Michael Scott (Carell) reacts to Andy's antics, blending humor with genuine character depth.

Helms reminisces, “There were a lot of times when I couldn’t keep it together. I really would break just doing a one-on-one scene with Steve because there’s so much going on in his face.” [12:01]

Another memorable scene involves Kevin sitting on Michael's lap as Santa Claus, which Helms describes as both hilarious and challenging to perform due to the physical comedy involved.

Helms recounts, “I still couldn't keep it together. And it was the commitment like that. As one of the things I could just tell Steve was so present that all of that flailing around with a sleep leg was like, I don’t think that was in the script.” [14:34-15:03]

Reflecting on the End of The Office

When discussing the series finale, Helms reflects on the bittersweet emotions tied to leaving the show. He acknowledges that it took considerable time and personal growth to appreciate the significance of his time on The Office fully.

Helms shares, “It took some real distance and like grief, truly of like the end of that chapter of my life to then be like, oh no. It was so much more special than you ever realized.” [15:23-16:24]

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Behind the Scenes of The Hangover Movies

Navigating Fame and Physical Demands

Transitioning to his role in The Hangover series, Helms discusses the physical and logistical challenges of filming large-scale comedy movies. From enduring hot desert shoots to intricate stunt scenes, Helms highlights the grueling nature of movie production.

Helms describes, “We were fully in the car for car chases and, like, fighting, wrestling. Some of the fight scenes are, again, just take after take. It’s grueling.” [25:06]

Creative Process: Writing and Performing Songs

Helms elaborates on his involvement in writing and performing original songs for The Hangover movies. These musical interludes added a unique comedic layer that resonated with audiences.

Helms explains, “I would just sit at the piano, plink around, and I can place. I’m like an okay piano player. I’m not good. But I would just make up songs about crew members.” [27:22]

One notable example is the spontaneous creation of a silly song about tigers that evolved through collaboration with director Todd Phillips.

Helms recounts, “We together cracked this really fun and silly song.” [29:06]

Reflections on the Trilogy's Impact

Discussing the commercial success of the Hangover trilogy, Helms reflects on the overwhelming fame that accompanied it. He candidly shares that the rapid rise to stardom was something he wasn't fully prepared for emotionally, leading to a "fame hangover."

Helms states, “I just didn’t have the sort of tools for that. Ultimately, I have such a positive take on all of it.” [30:06-31:30]

He also touches upon how the trilogy influenced his subsequent career choices, highlighting a desire to remain authentic and connected to his comedic roots.

Helms notes, “I loved every minute of it, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” [29:59]

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The Story of Blowing Up the Moon

One of the most intriguing segments of the podcast revolves around a historical event where the U.S. Government contemplated detonating a nuclear missile on the moon during the 1950s. This story, part of Helms's book discussed in the podcast, sheds light on the absurdity of certain Cold War-era proposals.

Concept and Feasibility

Helms narrates the idea originated as a means to showcase American might visibly to the world, particularly to the Soviet Union. However, practical considerations, such as the moon's gravitational pull potentially redirecting the missile back to Earth, and the negligible visual impact of a lunar explosion, led to the project's abandonment.

Helms explains, “The moon just becomes this object of maybe we can use it to prove ourselves to the Soviets.” [51:13]

Involvement of Carl Sagan

Young Carl Sagan was part of the team evaluating the feasibility of the moon detonation plan. The realization of potential catastrophic outcomes contributed significantly to the project's termination.

Helms recounts, “We got to see that any minor miscalculation or rocket malfunction could very easily result in the missile slingshotting around the Moon's gravitational field and just hitting, flying right back to Earth.” [51:13-52:34]

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Creating and Hosting the Snafu Podcast

Conceptualization and Execution

Ed Helms introduces his podcast, Snafu, a departure from typical celebrity-centered podcasts. Instead, Snafu focuses on deeply researched historical events, blending humor with informative storytelling. Helms's collaboration with his college friend, Jad Abumrad of Radiolab, inspired the podcast's format.

Helms shares, “I just wanted to bring sort of that style of storytelling that Jad is so brilliant at into the history space. But I want it to be funny as a comedian.” [38:04]

Exploring Historical Snafus

The podcast delves into various historical mishaps and "snafus," emphasizing the humor in human folly. Each episode is designed to be accessible, allowing listeners to engage with intriguing historical narratives without requiring extensive prior knowledge.

Helms explains, “It's a survey. 31 different snafus. It's a very easy book to just pick up, thumb through, find a fun chapter, and read in 15 minutes.” [57:10]

Second Season Focus: Activism and Civil Courage

In the second season, Snafu explores the complexities of activism during the Vietnam War era. The podcast highlights the bravery and discipline of activists who infiltrated the FBI to expose governmental malfeasance, drawing parallels to contemporary issues surrounding institutional accountability.

Helms states, “These activists in season two of Snafu really make a compelling case for civil disobedience in the face of catastrophic breakdown of our institutions.” [45:43]

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Advice and Anecdotes

Advice for Aspiring Comedians

Helms offers heartfelt advice to those pursuing careers in acting, writing, or comedy. He emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with like-minded, passionate individuals who inspire and support each other.

Helms advises, “Surround yourself with like-minded people, people that love comedy, and they will inspire you and you will inspire them.” [59:03]

Memorable Interactions with Comedians

Reflecting on his journey, Helms shares a touching encounter with George Carlin, showcasing his admiration for legendary comedians.

Helms recounts, “George Carlin... just peeks his head in. I was so stunned, and I just said, Mr. Carlin, it's such an honor to have you here.” [60:50]

Stand-Up Failures and Lessons

Helms narrates a challenging experience during his early stand-up career, where a poorly received performance at Mohegan Sun taught him the importance of focusing on one's strengths and commitments.

Helms shares, “I just have a terrible night, and I’m like, okay, I still have three nights or whatever. Three more shows. I’ll get it back.” [63:12]

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Final Segments: Laughing Round and Personal Favorites

Favorite Jokes

In the light-hearted concluding segment, Helms shares jokes that resonate with his comedic sensibilities, showcasing his enduring love for classic humor.

Helms jokes, “Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide.” [58:20]

He also explores a deeper twist on the traditional "chicken crossing the road" joke, pondering its underlying meaning.

Helms muses, “What if the chicken is crossing the road to deliberately get hit by a car and get to the other side?” [58:38]

Favorite The Office Moments

Helms expresses his fondness for the elaborate choreography scenes in The Office, highlighting their comedic brilliance and visual creativity.

Helms shares, “And that was glorious.” [59:18]

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Conclusion

This episode of Good One: A Podcast About Jokes offers a comprehensive exploration of Ed Helms's contributions to modern comedy through his roles in The Office and The Hangover series, as well as his endeavors in podcasting. Helms's insights into character development, comedic timing, and the blending of humor with historical storytelling provide valuable lessons for aspiring comedians and entertainers. The episode is enriched with personal anecdotes, memorable quotes, and a deep appreciation for the craft of comedy.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ed Helms: “I was already enamored with the show before it even took to the airwaves.” [03:05]
• Ed Helms: “I only thought of it as, like, what makes me laugh about Andy.” [05:14]
• Ed Helms: “Andy always wants to be a good guy, but he has so many demons.” [10:19]
• Ed Helms: “It was the first time we saw a script for an episode was at the table read.” [08:23]
• Ed Helms: “These guys never broke, which is incredible.” [47:34]
• Ed Helms: “The craft of like trying to make something as funny as possible is still like one of the greatest thrills of my life.” [35:00]
• Ed Helms: “Surround yourself with like-minded people, people that love comedy.” [59:03]

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Disclaimer: This summary is based on the provided transcript and may not cover every detail discussed in the actual podcast episode.

Transcript

[Ed Helms]

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[Jesse David Fox]

This is good one. I am your host, Jesse David Fox, senior writer at Vulture and author of Comedy Book. My guest today is Ed Helm. We talk about the Office, the Hangover movies, and the processes and stories behind some funniest, most well known comedy scenes of the 21st century. Ed also shares the story of the one time the US Government considered blowing up the moon, which is true, and you'll have to wait to see what that means. So here is Ed Helms. I am here with Ed Helms. Thank you for joining me.

[Ed Helms]

I'm so glad to be here.

[Jesse David Fox]

So this show is really interested in the comedic process and I'm specifically interested in how someone creates and involves a comedic character, which you've done throughout your career. But I want to focus first on sort of the two most iconic versions of doing this. So let's start with the Office. You were a fan of the British version and then the American version before you ever were on the show. What were you seeing in the American version that you thought was exciting to you?

[Ed Helms]

Well, first and foremost was Steve Carell, who I knew from the Daily Show. I had been a fan of Steve's on the Daily show, and then I was fortunate enough to become a cast member on the Daily Show. And I overlapped with Steve for not long, like a couple of months really. But I knew him and I knew his work well. And when I heard that the British Office was coming to the United States and that Steve was going to be the David Brint character. I was like, that's a home run. That is gonna be so good. So I was already. I was enamored with the show before it. Even before it even, you know, took to the airwaves. And. And I was in that first audition round. I think I auditioned for Jim or Dwight. Didn't get it. Whatever.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Helms]

Show takes off. It's fantastic.

[Jesse David Fox]

So what did Greg Daniels, the creator of the American version, tell you initially about Andy, and how did it evolve through your conversations before you even shot anything?

[Ed Helms]

I was invited out to just sort of have a conversation with Greg at a certain point. And I remember I went up to the writer's offices, and I really didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if it was just a general meeting, if maybe Greg had another show in the works. So I'm not reading too much into it, but I get up there and Paul Lieberstein, who was kind of a lieutenant. I don't know what his title was, but he was one of the top writers. He and Greg sort of sit me down in one of the offices and just start kind of. They're so just transparent and candid. They're like, hey, we were thinking about this storyline that involves a character who's, like, a Connecticut yacht club kind of douchey. And I started kind of riffing like, oh, yeah, maybe he's also this. And. And wouldn't it be funny if this. And yeah, he wears pants with, like, little. Like those J. Crew pants with lobsters on them or little sailboats or the belts with sailboats on them. And he kind of, like, dresses in pastels, and he's someone who makes you laugh from a distance, but, like, up close, like, you can't kind of stand him. I don't know. All that stuff was emerging in a very sort of fun, pitchy, organic chat. And then they're like, all right, cool. We'll let you know if anything happens.

[Jesse David Fox]

So at first, you start off in season three in the episodes where Jim goes to the Stanford office, and primarily, the sort of joke engine for your character is the sort of incessant annoyingness. And I'm curious, how do you play someone who's obnoxious without them actually being too annoying, that the audience is annoyed at the person?

[Ed Helms]

Well, that's. I think that's a trap. Like, I would never think of it that way. Yeah, I would. I only thought of it as, like, what. What makes me laugh about Andy. And. And it was like the temper, like his volatility that always made me laugh. And like, kicking the trash can in one of those first episodes was a. Was like a very character defining moment. And then the outburst we had over Call of Duty where he starts screaming like saboteur at Jim. There's that amazing miscarry that the writers worked in where Chip calls us into the conference room and he's, like, pissed off. And you think it's because we've been playing too much Call of Duty, and it's because we're not performing at Call of Duty, which was such a brilliant just misdirect scene.

[Jesse David Fox]

Andy, Jim, can I see you in the conference room for a minute? Now?

[Ed Helms]

Yes.

[Jesse David Fox]

Put the game on hold, everyone.

[Ed Helms]

This is not working, okay?

[Jesse David Fox]

We are getting slaughtered out there.

[Ed Helms]

It's the new guy.

[Jesse David Fox]

Oh, I'm sorry.

[Ed Helms]

I don't know what we're talking about. See what I mean? We just need a strategy.

[Jesse David Fox]

Okay?

[Ed Helms]

We're gonna set up a trap in the gun room.

[Jesse David Fox]

All right? Jim, are you using the MP40 or the 44 sniper rifle?

[Ed Helms]

Sniper. What? Jim, are you playing with the other team? You don't snipe in Carrington.

[Jesse David Fox]

Okay, Saboteur, I want to watch a clip with you. So to set it up, Andy's initial arc builds to the 14th episode of season three. The return, for those who haven't seen it in a while or don't remember the episode is the first two acts of the episode. You are annoying Steve Carell's Michael Scott by sucking up too much, essentially. And you're annoying everybody else by singing constantly and just sort of being Andy. The other thing, to set up this clip, which I'm sure you know which clip I'm gonna play at the start of the episode, you show John Krasinski's Jim that you created your own cell phone ring, which is a four part harmony of Rock and Robin, which I.

[Ed Helms]

Recorded on my laptop for the show as a prank.

[Jesse David Fox]

Jim hides your phone in the ceiling and keeps calling it. So this builds to. Michael flat out rejects your friendship. And the moment where you all explode and punch the wall. Excuse me.

[Ed Helms]

And I'm also sorry that a lot of people here for some reason think it's funny to steal someone's personal property and hide it from them. Here's a little news flash. It's not funny. In fact, it's pretty freaking unfunny. That was an overreaction. Gonna hit the break room. Does anybody want anything? Ma', am? You good?

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

Sure. Okay.

[Jesse David Fox]

You get the script for this episode. Do you remember what you thought of the scene and how you decided you wanted to approach this moment?

[Ed Helms]

Well, the first time that we, as a cast would see a script for an episode was at the table read. So everybody's sort of reading a script cold at a table read. And honestly, at that time, I was just so psyched to have scenes. I was so psyched anytime I'd get to have a standoff with Michael Scott or some funny little whatever, it was just such a thrill. So I'm sure seeing that was just totally exciting.

[Jesse David Fox]

So then how did you then think to approach that moment where you have to play the sort of building up of rage that explodes?

[Ed Helms]

Part of Andy's game was the. You said anger. I think it's volatility. Sort of like the tinderbox and the need to kind of, like, try to keep things calm. So there's like a boiling underneath and the denial, the repression, the inability to, like, actually acknowledge the truth of a moment.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

Which is kind of something I think I grew up with in my home, like. Like punching the wall and then immediately just being like, y' all good. You need me from the break room. That, to me, that's such a. I understood that.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

I knew that. And I. I think I'm grateful that I could see. I could. I can see why some. A real person like, that would actually be horrifying and tragic. But in the context of the office, it is so funny.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. I mean, you could see you're able to carry him where at all times, you could feel, like, a heaviness in his face behind his eyes, which I think is the signature of that performance, where it's like, at any moment, there's this sort of thing that he's battling with.

[Ed Helms]

Yeah.

[Jesse David Fox]

And you're. So. You can tell that all of his conversations are performance of him, like, not actually saying whatever he's thinking.

[Ed Helms]

Absolutely. Andy always wants to be a good guy, but he has so many demons. And he doesn't have the sort of, like, self awareness or all the sort of editing mechanisms that keep us socially acceptable to other people. And he is constantly battling those things.

[Jesse David Fox]

What's it like to see it? There's just things that you notice in the. Cause in the moment, you're probably just acting it, but even watching it, do you pick up on certain things about what you did in the moment?

[Ed Helms]

You know what I'm seeing when I watch that, I get chills because I'm like. I'm just remembering how fun it was. What A thrill. What a unbelievable opportunity that was to just have that much fun with those incredible people. I really was clocking. And as you played at that time, I was like, I'm having fun.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

And it made me nostalgic, and it made me kind of like when I see this, I don't watch the Office hardly ever, but when I do see it, I get really. I miss it. I miss the set of the Office.

[Jesse David Fox]

Steve's performance in the scene is so interesting because he fully denies Andy. In a way, it's a. You know, it's a breakthrough scene for even his character because we never see him do something like that. And you see how he sort of maintains and carries the tone of the show. Can you remember a story from working on the show or a moment that really captures how great Steve was at playing Michael and how he. It helped you understand what to do on the show?

[Ed Helms]

Well, I think some of the. The things that are most memorable with Steve, there were a lot of times when I couldn't keep it together. Like, I really would break just doing a one on one scene with Steve because there's so much. There's so much going on in his face. Like there's pain sometimes there's real agony, or there's like, pathos, sadness. And yet he's saying the silliest thing in the world. And he's saying it so earnestly. Like when Michael Scott was earnest, it was the funniest, saddest thing. And so, so often I remember, and I had to apologize to Steve for this on numerous occasions. But I couldn't look at his eyes. So I would look at his ear or sometimes his chin or whatever I could. The DP would tell me, like, it's fine if you look, you know, at his right ear. Like, it'll look. Yeah, but I couldn't do the scene looking in his eyes because there's so much going on in those eyes. And then, you know, one of the hardest times I've ever laughed in my life was the scene where Kevin sits on his lap as Santa Claus, when Steve is Santa Claus and Kevin sits on his lap. There we go. Oh, my God.

[Jesse David Fox]

That's really comfortable.

[Ed Helms]

What would you like for Christmas, little boy?

[Jesse David Fox]

I don't know. I didn't know you were gonna ask me that.

[Ed Helms]

What did you think was going to happen?

[Jesse David Fox]

I didn't know.

[Ed Helms]

Nobody's ever let me sit on their lap before.

[Jesse David Fox]

All right, just say some toys, please.

[Ed Helms]

Can you give me some choices?

[Jesse David Fox]

Cause I really. I really don't want to mess up on this list. Damn it, Kevin. Come on. What about if I tell you the things I don't want?

[Ed Helms]

Okay, get off.

[Jesse David Fox]

Get off.

[Hiro]

Oh, God.

[Ed Helms]

I didn't even get to tell you what I wanted. Okay, you know what you get? You get a thousand helium balloons attached to you so Santa doesn't have to go through this again. Like, it's funny. The scene's funny with Kevin on his lap. On his. But then when Kevin gets up, Steve starts, like, moving around the space because his leg is asleep. And he's, like, hammering his leg against the desk and then the chair. And I think you can see in the shot that I disappear. I duck behind a wall because I can't. And that was probably take 12.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

Yeah. And I still couldn't keep it together. And it was the commitment like that. As one of the things I could just tell Steve was so present that all of that flailing around with a sleep leg was like. I don't think that was in the script. Like, it's just. You feel like you're watching. You really were immersed in Michael's world. Yeah. And then you're just reduced to, like, a fan and you're laughing. It's. Yeah.

[Jesse David Fox]

The last line you say in the show is, I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.

[Ed Helms]

I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.

[Jesse David Fox]

Did you feel that at the time, or did you feel like you did know you were in the good old days while shooting it?

[Ed Helms]

I knew when early on, as soon as I was invited in to become a series regular, I knew I had hit the jackpot and that I was in just an extraordinary situation. Like a dream job with dream people doing dream work. But even saying that, I didn't understand how amazing it was.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

So I did appreciate a lot, and I loved it, and I was so thrilled to be there. And I remember driving to work every morning just psyched. So psyched. Like, how much fun do I get to have today with people that I love? And then I think it took some real distance and, like, grief, truly of, like, the end of that chapter of my life to then be like, oh, no, no, no, no. It was so much more special than you ever realized.

[Jesse David Fox]

Often at the same time you were shooting the Office, you were shooting the Hangover movies, which is another side of a comedy of repression. You're just a different sort of repression that this character has. Do you remember first Talking to the director, Todd, about the role. What did he see in you for it? What did you see for yourself in it?

[Ed Helms]

Yes. I remember our first lunch talking about it, and I don't remember a whole lot of analysis. It was just sort of like, yeah, we're on the same page. We get. This script is so funny. And I couldn't wait to do it. And I was talking about this with someone recently how, you know, how I had had this vision. I had this, like, comedy moment in my head that I just really wanted to perform. And all it was. It was the simplest thing. It was just like me and some buddies in a car out of control, screaming with terror. Like that, to me, was such a funny. I just wanted to be in a show or a movie or something that manifested that scene.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

And here's a script where that happens like, eight times in the movie. And I was like, this is it. I have to do this movie. If you guys know if there's gonna be one. And just from the get go, it was like, yeah, we're on the same page.

[Jesse David Fox]

I want to play you another clip. I want to play a scene. It's a scene in which your character is introduced where you give a line reading on two things that I think the entire series hinges on. That if you read these lines differently, your character changes. And because your character is the arc you follow, especially for the first two movies, the whole movie falls apart. And you'll see it. Well, maybe you'll see it. It might be hard to see in yourself, but for those who haven't seen or don't remember, you placed du a dentist in a very restrictive relationship with Rachel Harris. You're explaining to her that a the bachelor party is actually in Napa instead of Las Vegas, which is, of course, a lie.

[Ed Helms]

What is the matter?

[Hiro]

I don't know. I just hope you're not gonna go to some strip club when you're up there.

[Ed Helms]

Melissa, we're going to Napa Valley. I don't even think they have strip.

[Jesse David Fox]

Clubs in wine country.

[Hiro]

Well, I'm sure if there is one, Phil will sniff it out.

[Ed Helms]

It's not gonna be like that. Besides, you know how I feel about that sort of thing.

[Hiro]

I know, I know. It's just boys and their bachelor parties. It's gross.

[Ed Helms]

You're right. It is gross.

[Hiro]

Not to mention it's pathetic.

[Ed Helms]

Mm.

[Hiro]

Those places are filthy.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Hiro]

And the worst part is that little girl grinding and dry humping the fucking stage up there, that's somebody's daughter up there.

[Ed Helms]

That's Daughter up there. I was just gonna say that.

[Hiro]

See, I just wish your friends were as mature as you.

[Ed Helms]

They are mature, actually. You just have to get to know them better.

[Jesse David Fox]

The way you. Your face on gross. The sort of way your character has to wrestle with saying that to me is the movie. And I watched it. I was like, anyways, what do you see when you see that scene?

[Ed Helms]

Well, it's. Again, I hate to be a broken record, but I'm just like, I just want to be back there having that fun with Rachel. Harris is so funny. She's such a great comedy actor. And I think we discovered that little moment that we kind of Where Stu is, like, matching her language. I think we discovered that together. It's repression. It's discomfort with. I think Stu doesn't like lying. I think he's not. Not someone who wants to be in a dishonest relationship, but he's kind of like Andy. He doesn't have the right tools to deal with that in an emotionally intelligent way. So that's what you get.

[Jesse David Fox]

Considering that that's where your character's starting from. I'm curious how you approach in the first two movies, the waking up and it's chaosing. The. The definitive hangover scene of, like, we're waking up and a million things are happening. What do you remember about shooting those moments? The moments of waking up and you have to, like, you put. Essentially, you're getting all the clues for what the movie's gonna be.

[Ed Helms]

Well, I do remember before that, before actually shooting it, walking onto the set of the hotel room and just being like, oh, my God, this. Our production designer, the props team, like, everybody has knocked it out of the park, like, before we're shooting. That whole hotel room was on a stage at Warner Brothers, and it was just, like, just exploring the set. I loved the little discoveries of random bachelor party evidence everywhere. It was so, so funny. And I was so thrilled that it looked so good. And as far as the wake up scene, the wake up moment goes, I knew that I had a big camera rig, like, attached to me that was pointing a camera right at my face. So when I first, like, stand up, you get that disorient. That weird, disorienting kind of, like, thing where I'm stumbling around and the camera's just on my face. That made me laugh. Like, just the idea that, oh, this is gonna be so weird and funny looking. I was like, I better have a good face. I better have the right face. And then I've had a lot of hangovers for real. In my life. And so I kind of knew what it feels like. And thankfully those days are behind me. But yeah, that was an easy thing to kind of tap into.

[Jesse David Fox]

The thing you mentioned earlier that you had desire to play out of control scenes. And I was thinking about. You've talked about. You were diagnosed later in life with adhd. And I've actually interviewed many comedians where that is the case where something about, especially people who start out in live performance, the like intense amount of stimuli that is involved in that is really calming to a sort of ADHD mind. And I was wondering if you think like that is an asset in playing chaotic scenes where it feels like you feel really oddly at peace in those moments.

[Ed Helms]

I've never thought about that quite in those terms. But I will say I do think that my particular manifestation of ADHD has been a kind of gift in many ways in my job, particularly in the sense of being hyper focused on a project. So I get to focus on something for two months and then it's gone and I get to focus on something else. I have total novelty. But also a film production itself is like novelty. Almost every day you're doing different scenes, you're in different places. And that definitely fuels whatever, however my brain works. Yeah. As far as the performance itself and the choice, it's hard to know. Maybe it's why I love it so much. I mean, that would be a very reasonable theory.

[Jesse David Fox]

You once described the role as physically demanding. I was curious what was the most physically demanding day on set?

[Ed Helms]

There were. Gosh, there were a lot of just hot, grueling days outside in basically the desert. Sometimes you're in the city of Vegas, but you're just out on hot days. There's a lot of running in that movie, which, you know, you see a scene that's running, but what you aren't seeing is the 10 or 20 or 10 takes in one camera setup. 10 takes in another camera setup. 10 takes in another camera setup. And then there was a day when we actually like that handoff scene that's kind of like looks like a casino scene.

[Jesse David Fox]

Throw it over. Then I give you Doug.

[Ed Helms]

I'm sorry. First of all, good morning. We didn't catch your name last night.

[Jesse David Fox]

Mr. Chow. Leslie Chow.

[Ed Helms]

Mr. Chow, it is a pleasure. My name is Stu. Out in. We were actually in the desert. That was punishing. Like the whole crew and the cast was like kind of having to wrap our heads in scarves and kind of get through a lot of windy dust. And the stunts, like some of the stunts were. We Were fully in the car for car chases and, like, fighting, wrestling. Some of the fight scenes are, again, just take after take. It's grueling.

[Jesse David Fox]

What was the single most fun day on set of any of the movies?

[Ed Helms]

Probably in Hangover 2, when we're on Chao's boat and we're just racing up the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok. And we're just on this giant, fast boat in Bangkok. Like, that was so cool. And there was a helicopter pilot. The helicopter. The camera was helicopter mounted. And we had this, like, French helicopter pilot who was legendary as being, like, unbelievably good. And so he was doing these insane sweeps around us. We're going, like, 50 miles an hour in this giant boat, and. And this helicopter is, like, swooping over us. Like, it felt like a military operation, and we're just, like, whooping it up on this boat. It was so, so cool. But the helicopter was, like, right over our heads, and it was terrifying. That night, Zach got a Snickers bar and mashed it into a pair of tighty whities and delivered it. Had it delivered to the Chopper Pilots hotel room as, like, a thank you for scaring the shit out of us. Yeah, that was awesome.

[Jesse David Fox]

What I think is really cool about this time is, like, you were able to write the songs in the movies. Like, it's not normal that a character will be like, oh, we should have singing, and you get to write it, and it's in your comedic voice, but also the voice of the character. Can you write about. Can you talk about writing those songs and performing those songs and how you approach them? Considering this is a type of authorship, that is rare for a comedian to get in a big movie like this.

[Ed Helms]

So we were in that hotel room set for days and days, and there's a big, beautiful, grand piano. So I would just sit at the piano, plink around, and I can place. I'm like an okay piano player. I'm not good. But I would just make up songs about crew members, you know, like, and just kind of roast people, like, sitting at the piano. And then Todd comes over at a certain point, and he's like, you know, we need a little breath in the movie while you guys are waiting for the tiger to get knocked out. So do one of those songs, because those are fun and funny, and that'll just be a really nice moment. And I'm like, great. All right, cool. So what should it be? And he's like, I don't know. Like, what do tigers dream of? Cause we're waiting for the tiger to fall asleep. What do tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras or Halle Berry in her Catwoman suit? And so I'm like, oh, great. And I. So that was the sort of seed of the idea. And I remember I ran over to another set in the same stage, which was the chapel where. Where we did all the wedding stuff with Heather Graham, that the little chapel had a tiny little upright piano in it. And that's where I sat and wrote this. Wrote that incredibly stupid, silly song. And I came back, I played it for Todd. He's like, well, try this. Maybe change this. These. These words. And we together, we just kind of cracked this really fun and silly song.

[Jesse David Fox]

Zach Alifanakis said in retrospect, he wishes. He maybe wishes that he only made the first movie. What do you make of that? How do you feel about that?

[Ed Helms]

Well, that is so Zach. That is such a Zach line. Ever the curmudgeon. I don't know. I think I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. My. My sort of analysis of that question is very different from a fan who might be like, oh, the trilogy lost its way, which maybe it did, but I loved every minute of it, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. And I love all three movies. I think what was so special about the first one is how joyful it was. And that was something that we were very consciously adding in. Like, for example, the we're the three best friends that anyone could have.

[Jesse David Fox]

And we're the three best friends that anybody could have. We're the three best friends that anyone could have.

[Ed Helms]

We're gonna do things all the time together. That song was a spontaneous thing while shooting. Cause it's like, how excited are we? How much have we bonded? Like, what's a silly manifestation of that? What do, like buddies do when they're just, like, joyful and being silly? Those moments bubbled up less and less in two and three, and I missed that. But they're different movies. They're, like, different. They kind of took a different tone. And that was a deliberate choice.

[Jesse David Fox]

All three of you, Zach, Bradley Cooper, and you all seem to have a sort of fame hangover after the third movie, which is just sort of. You all reckoned with the type of career you wanted to have after being in a phenomenon, a true phenomenon, that essential we have not seen, especially in comedy movies since. Can you talk about what it was like for you and how made you rethink how you wanted to have Your career.

[Ed Helms]

I think it was the scale. The sudden jump in the scale of fame. It just was massive. And I don't think I was fully emotionally prepared for that. I was totally prepared for the work. I was totally prepared for everything involved in making the movie. I don't think I was ready for being like a movie star. I just didn't have the sort of tools for that. Ultimately, I have such a positive take on all of it.

[Jesse David Fox]

But did it influence how you thought about how you approached your career afterwards?

[Ed Helms]

Yeah, so there was probably. I didn't quite understand the being right at this sort of like, nuclear hot center of that phenomenon. I don't think I appreciated its scale. I don't think I really understood my. The power that it gave me as a. As a figure in Hollywood. I still felt like somebody trying to prove myself, which in some ways is good, but in some ways was. Was a very inaccurate reading of the situation and I think held me back in some ways that I wish. I just wish I had kind of owned it a little bit more and had a better kind of sense of. But you know what? I did my best. I really tried. I tried my best. I worked with the tools I had at the time.

[Jesse David Fox]

What's amazing to think about the Hangover movies is how much money they made. Especially considering now that essentially no comedy movies get released in theaters, or very, very few.

[Ed Helms]

Sure.

[Jesse David Fox]

I was wondering, what do you take as a person who still makes comedy movies? What do you take of the state of film comedy?

[Ed Helms]

I mean, I think there are still amazing comedies being made, but I miss the kind of, like, high drama of big studio production on a comedy. And when I say high drama, I just mean the stakes are high, but also the investment is high. So. So, like, it's you. You get. You're getting all the whistles and bells on your production. You're getting the best gear, you're getting the best lighting packages, you're getting the best trailers for, you know, for downtime. All that stuff that just makes the whole thing. It's what, as a kid, if you fantasize about being in movies, like, it's. It delivered on those things. You know, these are big studio movies and they're. They're fun just because they're big studio movies. And then if the script is good and the cast is good, well, that's just like, more fun. That's kind of a shallow thing to, like, value or put value on. But I can say with honesty, like, that stuff was fun. It was fun to feel part of something that as a kid you fantasized about, or as like, I never, whenever I'm on a studio lot and I see the tourist trams drive by, I'm always struck every time. Still to this day, I see those trams drive by and I'm like, people think this is cool. Like, people want to, people want to ogle at this job that I get to do and like be in movies. And I used to be someone who only got to ogle, and now I get to be in it and in the middle of it and how cool is that? And, you know, the more things get scaled down and comedies get, you know, shrunk in the scale of the production and so forth, it's still an unbelievable gift to get to be a part of it. It's still fun as hell. Like, the craft of like trying to make something as funny as possible is still like one of the greatest thrills of my life. But just some of those extra little whistles and bells, those. You missed those. Yeah, you know. Fox Creative.

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[Ed Helms]

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[Jesse David Fox]

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[Jesse David Fox]

I want to talk about your podcast, Nafu, a podcast I really enjoy. And unlike basically any other movie star, television actor, celebrity in your situation looking to start a podcast, you did not do something built around your own celebrity. And with you talking every day with a friend or whatever, and instead you. You completely avoided that trope entirely and you landed on Snafu, which is a deeply researched podcast about events in history.

[Ed Helms]

Man, I loved the 80s. Arcade games, Fanny packs, acid washed jeans, Jane Fonda doing Jazzercise. I mean, what's not to like? Smiling and feeling so fine. Oh, yeah, the looming threat of nuclear war.

[Jesse David Fox]

Can you talk about when you made you avoid doing a podcast completely centered around sort of your fun friends and you or whatever? And how did you land on Snafu?

[Ed Helms]

There was a moment where podcasts were obviously exploding. They still are. And I think all of us in show business were kind of like, wondering, well, where do I fit into this? Do I fit into it? Is there some? And so I just started to kind of think about that, and I realized pretty quickly that I just didn't want to be another interview show. I just felt like it was a little bit of a crowded space. So then it's like, well, hey, what's. What could I. What can I do? Well, I went to college with this buddy of mine, Jad Abumrad, who had made Radiolab.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. Wow. Rainbows.

[Ed Helms]

Rainbows.

[Jesse David Fox]

Okay, so we're gonna start today with author James Glick. As I recall, you wanted to talk about Isaac Newton.

[Ed Helms]

That's right.

[Jesse David Fox]

We did call him to talk about Isaac Newton, but more specifically, colors. All right, Isaac Newton. He's 23 years old, 16 65, and he's. He's home for the holidays. No, there's no holiday.

[Ed Helms]

He's home for the plague.

[Jesse David Fox]

There was actually a plague. They sent everybody home from school. In any case, he's in his room, famously solving all these mysteries of the world.

[Ed Helms]

And one of the questions that he.

[Jesse David Fox]

Thinks about during this break is, what are colors? Where do they come from?

[Ed Helms]

I've always just thought Radiolab was an incredibly special thing. And I thought, is there something I can do in that space? Well, I've always been. I've always loved, like, learning crazy, specific things in history. And maybe there's we can bring sort of that style of storytelling that Jad is so brilliant at into the history space. But I want it to be funny as a comedian. So like, what are the funny things in history? Well, the screw ups, the big, the snafus. Those are like the train wrecks of history that you can't turn away from. And especially if there's some distance, you know, the tragedy plus time equals comedy. So that's how I was able to kind of mash up these things I loved.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, they're all great. But my favorite was the second season.

[Ed Helms]

Which is the least funny. I would say.

[Jesse David Fox]

It's definitely the one you're most passionate in. There's one episode where I'm like, you really are mad at the Vietnam War. Can you explain the plot of that season for those who haven't listened and how you approach the story?

[Ed Helms]

Okay, sure, yeah. So It's. So it's 1971. The Vietnam War is peaking. The anti war movement is peaking. Civil rights protests are bursting. It's a very volatile cultural moment. At the same time, a lot of activists, both in civil rights and anti war spaces are feeling the weight of harassment and surveillance and some just like flagrant abuse by the FBI. Now this is J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, which we now know was a catastrophe of malfeasance. But at the time, J. Edgar Hoover was still a national hero. And so if you're a person that feels like the FBI is breaking all kinds of laws and you want to do something about it, who do you turn to? Nowhere to turn. So this group of activists in Philadelphia decided to break into a FBI office in media, which is a suburb of Philadelphia. And they staged this elaborate heist at phenomenal personal risk to themselves and their families. And they managed to break into an FBI office, steal all the files. And then they start to leak these files to. And they pour through the files and they find evidence of malfeasance. And they package these up and they send them to a bunch of senators and journalists and thinking like, this is gonna blow up. Only one journalist had the courage to actually start to publish these things. And it was Betty Metzger, who was a young reporter at the Washington Post. This is before the Pentagon Papers, it's before Watergate. So there's really no, there's no blueprint for that. She starts to publish these files. It leads to this massive exposure of how corrupt J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI are. It leads to the exposure of cointelpro, which was this like horrifically illegal program of abuse and Surveillance and just an annihilation of civil liberties of US Citizens, none of whom had committed crimes or were even suspected of crimes. They just were political enemies of Nixon or J. Edgar Hoover or whoever. So this then leads to the Church hearings, the Frank Church hearings, who was a courageous senator from Idaho. And in the Church hearings, it leads to the. It's the only reason we now have any congressional oversight over all of these intelligence agencies, the nsa, the CIA, the FBI. It was a sea change.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

And an incredible thing. And they were never caught. The burglars were never caught. But they eventually were revealed. Once the FBI closed their investigation, some of them came forward, and more of them came forward. We got in touch with Betty Metzger and forged a relationship, and she trusted us. She introduced us to the burglars. And we tell their story, and they tell their story in the podcast. And they're not all still with us, but the ones that are agreed to talk with us. And it's incredibly moving for so many reasons. Their heroism, their courage, their sacrifice, and also what they accomplished. And it's something that's largely forgotten. I think it was very quickly overshadowed by the Pentagon Papers and then, of course, Watergate, which were massive. Also tectonic moments in American political history. But this was as consequential and needs more attention.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. I think in the second season, there's a moment where it's clear you do the interview and I don't. And I was shocked. I couldn't believe. Nothing against you. It just sort of. I would not think the celebrity host of the podcast would actually be reporting doing the interviews. And you were. And it's just, oh, it seems like a lot of work. And I don't put this. This is. Not that I thought you were lazy. I just. There's a certain perception of.

[Ed Helms]

In full candor, like it was a shared process. We have an amazing team on the SNAFU podcast, and lots of the interviews were done by some of those producers. I did a few.

[Jesse David Fox]

And, yeah, these stories are told with humor, but they're not necessarily commentary. You mostly sort of tell the stories as they are. That said, there is this theme of the second season I thought was really interesting, which is sort of, what does it really take to be an activist? Or what does activism mean? I was thinking about it especially in terms of as a person who works at the Daily show at a time where people were just starting to be like, the Daily Show. They're our number one journalists. They're our number one people at the front lines and blah, blah, Blah. And I want to know, from telling that story, what did you learn about activism? What did you want to communicate?

[Ed Helms]

Well, I think that these activists in season two of SNAFU really make a compelling case for civil disobedience in the face of catastrophic breakdown of our institutions. And that's really hard, and that's really scary. Right. And we're in a moment right now where it would appear some of our institutions are losing independence. They're becoming political weapons. The doj, the FBI. Weirdly, it's kind of reassuring to know that the FBI was even worse than it is now and got better. And hopefully it won't get as bad as it was. I mean, I. It's scary. It's a weird moment, for sure. And it might be worse under the hood than. I mean, it probably is worse than we know. I just think it's a lesson in civil courage and also the power of a small group of committed people to make an incredible difference. Another aspect I love about the story of these burglars is that none of them were professional criminals. They were only passionate activists who wanted America to live up to its promise. And that was their motivation. Their motivation wasn't to, like, go get some diamonds and fence them for a million bucks. It was to do the right thing. So what set them apart from someone else that might be committing a heist is they had phenomenal discipline, and they never. They never spoke of their crime to anyone. No burglar does that.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Helms]

Like, criminals brag.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

These guys never broke, which is incredible.

[Jesse David Fox]

Had you gotten offers to write a book before the SNAFU book?

[Ed Helms]

I'd been approached a number of times. Yeah. About different kinds of books. You know, memoirs or just kind of essay collections. And I'd entertained a couple of them and thought about some different kind of essay ideas that I could put together. But I just also have been fortunate to be very busy in my showbiz career, and I just didn't get very far as the SNAFU podcast really found its voice, and the mechanism of making the show and creating the show and the sort of building of this phenomenal team of people began to crystallize. It just was like, oh, this is a book. Yeah, this is definitely a book. It's gonna be so fun to make. It's gonna be funny, and I can endow it with comedy top spin and hopefully some meaningful insight. And also just historical education about history, which is always good.

[Jesse David Fox]

There are a lot of wild stories in this book, but there's one that I've Told every single person I've met since I've read the book. They're like, what are you working on? It's like, I'm about to interview Ed Helms. He has this book. There's one story I need to tell you about, which is essentially the story where America considered blowing up the moon.

[Ed Helms]

Doesn't that sound like you just pitched a Looney Tunes cartoon?

[Jesse David Fox]

Even you can immediately imagine the image of a moon blowing up.

[Ed Helms]

But this is 100% true.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

Okay, so it's the 1950s, the Cold War is really heating up, and America wants to flex its nuclear muscles, and someone hatches the brilliant idea to detonate a nuclear missile on the moon. The thinking is that everyone can see the moon, so if we can blow up a bomb up there, everyone will see it. And they'll be like, oh my God, America is so badass. It's like fourth grade logic. There's no consideration for the moon itself. The moon just becomes this object of maybe we can use it to prove ourselves to the Soviets. And they get pretty far down the road trying to plan this thing. And Carl Sagan is in the loop. A young Carl Sagan, right out of grad school, is part of the team analyzing the feasibility of this. What they eventually realize, thank God, is that any minor miscalculation or rocket malfunction of any sort could very easily result in the missile slingshotting around the Moon's gravitational field and just hitting. Flying right back to Earth and hitting God knows where. The other realization was that even detonating, even if they hit the target and detonated and made a nuclear, Nuclear explosion on the surface of the moon, it wouldn't. It would probably just result in a big gray dust cloud. Would not be the sort of like fear, awe inspiring moment that they craved so, and let alone even necessarily be. Be observable by the naked eye. So it was scrapped, thank God. But a lot of resources went into it and a lot of time and.

[Jesse David Fox]

Energy reading that and there's a few other stories. There's a thing that. That story and a lot of stories of the book, and it's a thing I keep on thinking about with the podcast, which is the saying, never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. And in a time where, like, conspiracy theories are thrown around a lot, this book is filled with largely times where people were largely being stupid more than they were accurately trying to take over the world. And their stupidity also sometimes prevented them from being able to do those type of things. I was curious, what do you make of this divide of the maliciousness of those in power and the stupidity of those in powers that sort of might appear as full on evil or whatever.

[Ed Helms]

Do you mean in this current moment or in these stories?

[Jesse David Fox]

I think these stories apply to sort of. Because I guess it's a question of like what is your then takeaway of the people who think the government is constantly pulling strings to put down the common man or whatever. And so it definitely applies in this occurrent moment. But I think this book has a lot of examples where it's unclear the sort of moral goals of these people. But like a lot of things were happening, were just sort of them falling over themselves.

[Ed Helms]

Sure.

[Jesse David Fox]

Well.

[Ed Helms]

I think it's instructive that these things have happened before and that, you know, we were talking about J. Edgar Hoover. Like to me that is an incredibly powerful echo of the current moment or the current moment is an echo of that. It can be looked at as instructive. But yeah, these insane. It's a great lesson in group think, in sort of closed bubble thinking clearly. A lot of these things, a lot of people I've talked to have made the very astute point that there were clearly no women involved in these decisions. These were very male ideas, which I think is both funny and tragic. Question your institutions, right, and try to hold them accountable. Also question your sources for information that will hopefully sort of guide you away from conspiracy theories. But definitely question institutions. Hold them accountable.

[Jesse David Fox]

You said that when there were times when you're working at the daily show from 2002 to 2006, that you'd be interviewing people jokingly, but you wanted to do journalism. Like you had part of you that just wanted to do it. Can you think of an example?

[Ed Helms]

Here's a crazy one. I did a story called Guns for Tots. Guns for Tots is teaching kids about the joys of weaponry in a neighborhood that needs it most. Why Harlem?

[Jesse David Fox]

Why not Harlem? You know, sometimes, you know, you have to reach out to the people who.

[Ed Helms]

Could appreciate it a little more and who needs familiarity with firearms more than kids in Harlem. That was the name of a program that this really weird dude who was a staunch civil libertarian basically was saying, like it's. You're violating my civil rights by mandating that I can't have toy guns available for my children. And so he started a drive, Guns for Tots as a kind of like snarky protest. There was some movement, I think some school district was saying, like no more gun toys at school, at their school or something. So yeah, Guns for Tots became this protest that he was doing. We, of course jumped at that. And of course, the Daily show angle, you always, at the Daily show, the formula is you, like, you just take the side of the biggest idiot, and then you, like, sort of fiercely bias and skew your segment in their favor, resulting in satire. So in this case, of course, I take his side. Like Guns for Tots. What a brilliant idea, a brilliant form of protest to these unreasonable people that want to take gun toys away from children. And I'm sitting there interviewing this guy, and he's a civil libertarian, and he's actually very intelligent. And I'm thinking, like, I have to play this game where I'm just pretending to agree with you and I'm making jokes and I'm kind of snarking with you, and I'm actually also kind of trying to make you seem as foolish as you candidly are in a satirical, fun way. So there's a game to this entire interaction, and I can't break the game.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

But more, I'm also. There's a part of me that's like, you are a fascinating, weird person, and I want to. I actually really want to pick your brain. Why in the. Why in the hell could you possibly think Guns for Tots is like a reasonable endeavor or even a reasonable way to get your point across? There were so many moments like that where I'd be talking to someone who might have a really strange or insanely unreasonable point of view. And I just wanted to dig into that and understand it better, but I couldn't. It would break the satirical game.

[Jesse David Fox]

So what is it like now to make a show that is comedic, but you get to interview people as a journalist might, or just get to ask the questions you would like to ask them? Obviously you're not interviewing congressmen. Hard hitting, but it's still like you get to flex that part of you that had that instinct.

[Ed Helms]

Yes. And I would say that part of me was just genuine curiosity. And, yes, that's a really fun thing to chase sometimes.

[Jesse David Fox]

How do you then approach a book version? What is sort of the tonal way of trying to tell these stories in a way that is fun, but ultimately still truth forward?

[Ed Helms]

Sure. The podcast is a deep dive into things. This is a sort of a survey. 31 different snafus. It's a very easy book to just pick up, thumb through, find a fun chapter, and read in 15 minutes. It's a great sort of like Nightstand, beach, even, I dare say bathroom read. And in that way, it's very different from the podcast, which is so immersive and, you know, unless I guess you do the audiobook, in which case it sort of takes the shape of. Of a podcast.

[Jesse David Fox]

A lot of short episodes. Like mini episodes.

[Ed Helms]

Exactly. It's like mini snafu episodes. Yes. It's divided up into decades. Roughly five or six snafus per decade. And yeah.

[Jesse David Fox]

Now it's time for the final segment of the show. It's called the laughing round. It's like a lightning round, but it's laughing because it's a comedy podcast. Do you have a favorite joke? Joke? Like a street joke, dad joke, et cetera.

[Ed Helms]

I just heard a joke from my daughter that I love. Why did the chicken cross the playground?

[Jesse David Fox]

Why?

[Ed Helms]

To get to the other slide.

[Jesse David Fox]

Still iterating on that joke all these years later.

[Ed Helms]

I also heard a hot take on the original joke.

[Jesse David Fox]

Sure.

[Ed Helms]

Which kind of scares the hell out of me. Why did the chicken cross the road?

[Jesse David Fox]

Why?

[Ed Helms]

To get to the other side. What does that mean to you? What does that mean to you?

[Jesse David Fox]

The other side of the road. But what is the side they're on?

[Ed Helms]

The other side of the road. Which is. And why is that funny? Because it's so mundane and stupid and silly. What if the chicken is crossing the road to deliberately get hit by a car and get to the other side?

[Jesse David Fox]

That is good. Do you have advice for an aspiring actor, writer, comedian?

[Ed Helms]

Surround yourself with like minded people, people that love comedy, and they will inspire you and you will inspire them.

[Jesse David Fox]

What is your favorite Office Cold Open?

[Ed Helms]

Probably the. I forget what it's called. The one where we do the song. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And everybody, it's this grand choreography one like oner.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Ed Helms]

With a camera moving through the whole thing. And that was glorious.

[Jesse David Fox]

Do you have a story that you remember from your week hosting Saturday Night Live?

[Ed Helms]

Yeah. So my opening monologue was. This was. This was sort of pulled from a stand up, a story I used to tell in stand up. And we were sitting around, I remember just being hanging out with all the writers and just kind of spitballing different ideas for my opening monologue. And there were a lot of great ideas. But then John Mulaney was like, hey, I remember seeing you do stand up like 10 or 15 years ago, because it had been a while since I had even done stand up. And you told this story about being a, like being obsessed with baton twirling. And it was a really funny Story. Do you remember that? And I was like, yeah, I remember that. And so we kind of worked on it, and I dug it out of the recesses of my brain, and that became my opening monologue.

[Jesse David Fox]

Wow.

[Ed Helms]

Yeah.

[Jesse David Fox]

Do you have a short story of an interaction with a legendary comedian, living or dead, you're willing to share?

[Ed Helms]

Yes. So when I was first doing stand up here in New York City, I was a regular at this place, the Boston Comedy Club, which has been gone for a long time, but it was right on 3rd street in the Village, right below Washington Square Park. And it was a dive. Like, it was a dump of a comedy club. And it was not where the great comedy people frequented. Great comedians came in and out of there, but it wasn't like the Comedy Cellar, where, like, it had a high bar. I hosted a lot of shows at the Boston Comedy Club, and I worked the door there a lot. And one night, it's a regular night at the Boston Comedy Club, which means there's probably 20 people in the audience, you know, maybe 30 people. It's kind of quiet. And in walks George Carlin, just, like, nonchalantly kind of comes up the stairs and kind of peeks his head in. And I was so stunned, and I just said. I just said, Mr. Carlin, it's such an honor to have you here. Like, what can we. Can I put you up on stage? What can I do? He said, I just want to sit in the back. And I said, great. You know, and I showed him to a table, and he sat in the back, and he just watched. And I felt sort of touched by greatness somehow.

[Jesse David Fox]

What is the best time you ever bombed in your time during standup or doing improv or. There's a time you bombed and you'll never forget it, but kind of in a glorious way.

[Ed Helms]

Okay, so I was doing a ton of standup and improv, and then I got the Daily show job, and I was so psyched to have the Daily show job. What landing on a TV show gave me was a ton more standup opportunities. What it also did was monopolize my time so I couldn't stay in the standup trenches and keep doing standup. But suddenly I have these great standup opportunities.

[Jesse David Fox]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Ed Helms]

And it took me. I didn't quite understand that that's not compatible. So I accepted a couple of big standup gigs out of the gate. One was at Mohegan sun, the Casino in Connecticut, headlining. Like, I'd never gotten a headlining offer before, but now I'm like Ed Helms. From the Daily Show, I get a headlining spot at Mohegan Sun. I'd never. I don't think I'd ever even done an hour set before or the 45 minutes, whatever was required. So I go. I get up there. My friend is opening for me, and it's a huge, cavernous theater, and it's all banquette seating, so it doesn't, like, you can't hear the laughs. It's a dead room. And I think the turnout on opening night was good. Like, they publicized, like, people just go to the shows at casinos, you know, there was, like. There was a pretty good audience, but I couldn't hear them. I couldn't hear them laughing. I had no idea, like, what the dynamic was with the audience. I'm sort of like, 10 minutes in, I'm, like, panicking, and I'm stumbling over my material. I just have a terrible night, and I'm like, okay, I still have three nights or whatever. Three more shows. I'll get it back. The next morning, there's Mohegan sun had, like, a little newspaper that they put under all the guests doors, and somebody had written a review of my show and put it under every guest door. And it's like, Ed Helms for the Daily show had a rough night on stage. It just was. I was like, what are you doing?

[Jesse David Fox]

This is your.

[Ed Helms]

Like, you're the one selling tickets, and then you're condemning me to just doom. So, yeah, that was. That was not a good moment. And after that, I was like, I got to just focus on my job. I'm lucky to have this Daily show job that I'm all in on that.

[Jesse David Fox]

Thank you so much.

[Ed Helms]

Thanks for having me.

[Jesse David Fox]

We did it. We did it.

[Ed Helms]

The end. We did it.