Handsome – Joel Kim Booster Asks About Failed Jokes
Podcast: Handsome (Headgum)
Hosts: Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, Mae Martin
Date: April 21, 2026
Episode Theme: Joel Kim Booster asks: “What’s a joke you loved but audiences hated, and do you know why?”
Episode Overview
In this irreverent and candid episode, comedians Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin welcome Joel Kim Booster’s question about comedic flops: those jokes that comedians love but that simply don’t land with audiences. The trio swap stories about personal joke failures, workshop the concept of “bad bit night,” and unpack the fine line between premise, audience connection, and comedic persistence. The episode is as silly as ever, blending personal anecdotes—leaky roofs, spa nights, and Tom Cruise impressions—with sharp insights into the pursuit (and pain) of standup comedy perfection.
Main Discussion Points and Highlights
1. Personal Catch-Ups, Silliness and Home Calamities
- New Hulu Video Launch: The “Handsome” podcast is now also available on Hulu, one day earlier than their usual YouTube release. (02:00)
- Tig’s Leaky Roof: Tig describes a mysterious case of missing shingles, joking about potential British “shingle thieves.” (02:13–04:55)
- Mae’s Hotel Note Tradition: Mae contemplates hiding a whimsical note in a hotel room—for fans to find—a tradition originally suggested by Tig (05:13–06:14).
- Quote: “Can you give me some credit for being a genius here?” — Tig (05:41)
2. Self-Care, Flirting With Yourself, and Odd Bath Habits
- Spa Night Stories: Mae describes a cozy solo night painting and taking a bath (06:44–08:07).
- Bathtub Dining Debate: Fortune advocates eating (and drinking coffee!) in the bathtub, while Tig and Mae disagree (08:18–09:37).
- Shower Coffee Confessions: Mae shares a habit of drinking coffee in the shower—“killing two birds with one stone” (09:09–09:33).
- Quote: “That’s kind of romantic if you’re putting the moves on yourself.” — Tig (09:37)
3. Debunking Creative Energy Myths and Gendered Spheres
- Mae’s Energy Conservation: Mae discusses abstaining from self-pleasure to preserve creative energy (10:13–10:33).
- Quote: “I want to let it build up. And also I have a lady friend coming to visit me for a couple days…” — Mae (10:25)
- Manosphere, Girl- and Themisphere? The group jokes about male self-help spaces and dreams of more inclusive kin—“the themisphere” (11:04–11:18).
4. Kinks, Viral Stories, and Pop Culture Tangents
- Kristi Noem’s Husband Photo Scandal: The trio speculate on the context of leaked cross-dressing photos, kink, and public reaction (11:19–12:36).
- LeAnn Rimes’ “Jaw Release” Therapy: Mae recounts her own emotional (and gastrointestinal) experience with somatic therapy, triggered by a viral LeAnn Rimes video (13:04–14:47).
- Quote: “She saw a Gollum.” — Fortune, on Mae’s partner witnessing her post-therapy illness (14:36)
5. Sleep Patterns, Wearables, and Dream Analysis
- Tig’s Sleep Journey: After struggling with severe insomnia (2–3 hours nightly for years), Tig celebrates improvements thanks to routine, reduced gummies, and her Apple Watch sleep tracker (15:15–16:36).
- Quote: “I am down to two and a half milligrams, which is really tiny…and now I have an Apple Watch.” — Tig (15:52)
- REM and R.E.M.: The crew riffs on the band and their songs, with Mae breaking into “That’s me in the corner…” (17:19–17:30).
6. Tom Cruise Impressions, Pop Culture, and Peculiar Memes
- Mae’s Tom Cruise Dream: Mae had a dream that Tom Cruise was competing on “Survivor” in a ski mask (21:12–21:42).
- Tom Cruise Behavioral Analysis: Plenty of riffing on strange celebrity interviews, memes, and public antics (23:44–25:30).
- Quote: “‘Why would you do that?’” — Fortune, imitating Tom Cruise after a red carpet water prank (23:56)
- Stunt Skill Jealousy: Kate Winslet’s world-record breath-holding (for “Avatar”) is cheered as a win over Cruise’s physical feats (26:10–27:30).
[Key Segment] Joel Kim Booster’s Failed Jokes Question
[27:39] Official Segment Begins
[28:01] Joel Kim Booster:
“What is a joke that you can remember that you absolutely loved but the audience hated? And do you know why the audience hated it?”
The Hosts’ Responses
Tig’s Blob Joke
- Premise: If “the camera adds 10 pounds,” then 10 pounds should add to nothing as well.
- Flop: “All right, next.” Audiences just didn’t get it—Tig calls it her “worst bit” but still finds it amusing (29:01–29:40).
- “If the camera adds 10 pounds…and you're filming nothing, just 10 pounds of something should appear. All right, next.” — Tig (29:22)
Tig’s Baby Shower Joke
- Premise: The visual of an actual baby, just old enough to wobble, emerging from the shower trying to clean itself.
- Persistence Works: This eventually became a successful joke through years of iteration (30:50–31:23).
Fortune’s Swim Team Story
- Premise: Fortune jokes about failing at swimming by “running across the pool doing the butterfly stroke."
- Evolution: A funny, off-the-cuff story took two years to refine and became a signature bit (32:02–32:43).
Fortune’s Failed Margarita Story
- Premise: Fortune tells a long story about buying expensive margarita supplies for a date whose child was present but never actually drinking them.
- Flop: The crowd was more distracted by details like the child and the premise never landed (36:54–40:38).
- Quote: “If you don’t care about the premise, the story is not going to work.” — Fortune (40:08)
Mae’s Gummy Bear Massacre Joke
- Premise: On school trips, Mae would “save” a single gummy bear from being eaten—and then slowly mutilate it by eating limbs while imagining keeping it for life.
- Flop: “Even now, that's horrible to think of…but I swear there were good asides.” (43:53–44:30)
- Reflective Note: This segment turns into a workshop on why some ideas just don’t work live.
Idea for “Not My Best” Night:
- Show Concept: The hosts pitch a hypothetical show where comics have to perform their worst (or most failed) bits for each other and get feedback (44:37–44:54).
[48:00] Joel Kim Booster’s Own Example
- Joke Premise: Rather than go back in time and kill baby Hitler, Joel jokes about returning to Hitler’s adolescence to encourage his art dreams so he never becomes a dictator.
- Why It Fails:
- Many audiences bristle at “rehabbing Hitler” jokes—“not super welcome in this climate.”
- Most people don’t realize Hitler originally wanted to be an artist, so the premise is lost on them.
- Quote: “A lot of people do not know that Hitler wanted to become an artist. And so without knowing that context, it really doesn't make much sense.” — Joel (48:21)
Hosts’ Analysis:
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Sometimes, as soon as you say “Hitler,” people just tighten up—“their buttholes tighten” (48:31–48:40).
- Memorable Moment: “As soon as you say Hitler, their buttholes tighten.” — Tig (48:31)
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Discussion on Dark Tourist Sites: Anecdotes about Anne Frank’s house (which "isn't actually her house") and people’s odd behaviors at Auschwitz, including the “you’ve ruined Auschwitz” story (49:05–50:40).
7. Comedic Craft Reflections
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Persistence vs. Premise: The group agrees sometimes a bit just can’t be salvaged if audiences don’t care about the premise, no matter how much you want it to work (40:08–40:38).
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Comedian’s Process: Stories improve over time—but even joke “failures” can become room for creativity, camaraderie, and sometimes, great bits when re-imagined.
- Quote: “I think all of us…are slower to write, but we always get there.” — Fortune (51:57)
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Possible Live Show: “Not My Best” or "Bad Bit Night"—where comedians swap and attempt to fix each other’s failed jokes for fun (44:37–51:40).
Notable Quotes & Moments
- “I want to let it build up. And also I have a lady friend coming…” — Mae (10:25)
- “If you don’t care about the premise…story’s not going to work.” — Fortune (40:08)
- “As soon as you say Hitler, their buttholes tighten.” — Tig (48:31)
- “Well, you’ve ruined Auschwitz.” — Mae retelling her parents’ story (50:37)
- “I would do that. I would do that.” — Tig, about doing a "bad jokes" show (44:54)
- “You could do the tits out tub.” — Tig, pitching a silly interview show for Fortune (52:34)
Important Timestamps
- 02:00 – Handsome now on Hulu
- 04:09 – Mae’s whimsical hotel note
- 06:44 – Mae’s solo spa night and painting
- 08:18 – Bathtub food conversation
- 15:15–16:36 – Tig’s journey from sleep deprivation and sleep gummies to wearable obsession
- 27:39 – Begin Joel Kim Booster’s failed jokes question
- 29:01–31:23 – Tig shares failed material and slow joke evolution
- 32:02–32:43 – Fortune’s swim team story origin and journey
- 36:54–40:38 – Fortune’s failed margarita story and lessons learned
- 43:53–44:30 – Mae’s failed “gummy bear massacre” bit
- 44:37–44:54 – “Bad bit night”/“Not My Best” tour proposal
- 48:00 – Joel Kim Booster’s Hitler-as-artist joke and analysis
- 51:57 – Reflection on the slow process of writing effective stand-up
Tone and Takeaways
The episode is light, self-aware, playful, and zany, with plenty of self-deprecation. The comedians openly workshop their material and failures, offering rare behind-the-scenes insights for comedy fans. If you’ve ever wondered how a joke gets made (or unmade), this episode shows how much failure, stubbornness, and revision lies behind every successful bit—and how even pro comics love to roast themselves.
Listen for:
- Hilariously honest stories about joke flops
- The warmth and camaraderie of three top comedians
- Candid moments on creativity, process, and why even the best have their worst bits
- Ridiculous tangents on Tom Cruise, sleep trackers, and “tits out tubs"
For new listeners:
Expect plenty of riffing, a few strange mental images (“tits out tub”), and a celebration of comedy’s messier side.
[Summary Reviewer’s Note]
This summary skips all ad reads/outros and focuses on content. All timings refer to where main moments begin. For direct quotes, attribution uses MM:SS format for easy reference.