Handsome Podcast Episode Summary

Episode: John Early asks about parental traits
Hosts: Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, Mae Martin
Release Date: November 25, 2025
Guest/Question Asker: John Early
Main Theme: Which personality traits (especially the most unsettling) did the hosts inherit from their parents?

Episode Overview

This episode of Handsome delivers the show's signature charm and candor as hosts Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin respond to a question from comedian and actor John Early: “What’s the most obviously inherited quality or personality trait from your parents, especially the most upsetting one?” Along the way, the hosts riff on recent talk show appearances, family quirks, and gratitude, blending heartfelt reflection with relentless humor.

Key Discussions and Insights

1. Showbiz Adventures and Anecdotes

• Mae’s NYC Trip and Talk Shows

  • Mae details a whirlwind New York trip (02:20) including appearances on Drew Barrymore and Kelly Clarkson; she shares meeting past podcast guest Allison Williams on her flight.
  • On Drew Barrymore: “We held hands...I did leave her my phone number...not in a romantic way. I just was like, we got along.” (03:41–04:12)
  • Tig and Mae reflect on Drew’s warmth and sense of comfort, to the point of imagining crashing at her place if stranded in NYC (04:54).

• Talk Show Crossovers and Wardrobe Crisis

  • Tig did Colbert, Drew, and Good Morning America, and recounts leaving a note on set for Tig to find (06:11–07:19).
  • Tig describes a vulnerable Colbert moment promoting Andrea's documentary, where she tears up reading a poem on-air:

    “There’s kind of no sign that it’s coming. And then when it happens, I’m like, oh, no.” (09:02–09:42)

  • Mae jokes that Tig wore the jacket Mae planned for her own talk show appearance (12:02).

• Wayward’s Success

  • Mae’s show is in its fourth week in Netflix’s Top 10, leading to more public recognition and, humorously, unsolicited pitches for Season 2 from fans (23:34–24:50).

2. Self-Care and Pedicure Banter (13:30–16:11)

• The trio discuss the joys (and quirks) of pedicures and self-care habits, revealing new sides ("girliness") and more about their often-overlooked downtime.
• Fortune: “I have tiny little nails, though, so they’re always just, like, doing little blops of paint. I get color on my toes, but just buffed on my hands.” (14:32)
• Tig: “I actually don’t even get my nails done. I just nibble them off.” (14:48)

3. Kelly Clarkson, Embarrassment, and Girl Power

• Mae describes becoming tongue-tied and effusive about women in showbiz while meeting Kelly Clarkson, only to realize she’d gotten somewhat overzealous:

  “Can I just say, you are so talented...Why are there no female late night hosts?” (21:26–22:33)

  • Kelly’s response: “All right, whoa.” Mae: “Yeah, I blacked out." (22:35)

4. Mae Meeting Allison Williams and Fame-Awareness

• Mae recounts meeting Allison Williams again, feeling both starstruck and awkward since “on the pod I had been so giddy and she had maybe seen that, so I was like, hey, what’s up?” (26:47)
• On Wayward fans: “I always get, ‘Oh, yeah, I watched you in something’...Sometimes people don’t know that I wrote it...” (24:18, 24:50)

5. Food Tangents: Oysters and Family Lore

• Extended silliness about oyster safety ("only eat oysters in months with ‘R’") and food habits, including learning about cold water oyster risks (28:19–29:50).

Core Segment: John Early’s Question on Parental Traits

[31:03] John Early asks:

“What is the quality in you that is most, like, obviously inherited from one of your parents...the one that you’re most surprised at this point in your life that you have...the trait you inherited from your parents that's most upsetting?” ([31:18–32:03])

Host Responses

Tig Notaro

• Inherited Playfulness/Prankster Instinct (from her mother)

  • “I’m not a prankster...it’s more just kind of silly pranks...I can feel my mother in me.” (33:25)
  • Mother would send water shots to strangers in bars for laughs and dye mashed potatoes blue for Tig’s friends, just to see their reactions (34:45, 39:08).
  • “I always loved that side of my mother where she just...She would also call restaurants from the restaurant and check in on her waiter.” (38:36)

• From Stepfather: Rigidity/Strictness

  • “I feel like if I was just doing [parenting] by myself, I probably would have been a little more rigid about things, you know...You have to keep this particular schedule or routine.” (47:01–49:00)
  • Stephanie (Tig’s wife) balances this out, modeling a more flexible, nurturing parenting style.

Fortune Feimster

• Positives: Book-smarts and Street-smarts

  • “My mom’s very book smart…I think I got some of that from her. And my dad’s more street smart, and I think I got a little of that from him.” (40:37–40:51)

• Resilience from her mother (especially through illness)

  • “I always wanted my mom to not go to that [self-pity] place...She has surprised even herself at the resilience she's shown in it.” (41:26)

• Defensiveness (from her dad)

  • “I get a little defensive...if I feel reprimanded...that defensive thing kicks in where I'm just like, I didn't do anything, yeah, what, what, what...” (42:13)
  • “It's interesting as an adult to see that quality in yourself where you're just like, ah, I want to work on that.” (43:08)

• Locking Doors Obsessively (from her mom)

  • “I do lock the doors all the time because of my mom...It was like Fort Knox.” (51:06)

Mae Martin

• Playful Pessimism and Anxiety

  • “I think like, a general sense of dread...like at any minute something could go wrong and there’s, like, a physical tension in my family...Like we forget to take a deep breath.” (44:41)
  • Family described as "a very thinky family and not very connected to our bodies sometimes." (45:20)

• Sensation of Relaxation Only During Specific Activities

  • “I kind of only feel relaxed during a massage and, or during sex sometimes...But in, in a massage I can go instantly to like a deep state of relaxation.” (45:55)

• Dad’s Humor and Quirkiness

  • Mentions her grandfather’s (dad’s dad) proclivity for theatrical phone complaints to the BBC, just to make others laugh (40:04).

John Early’s Own Answer ([53:30]):

“There’s almost a pathological hosting quality...a need to host and be friendly...But it’s kind of me potentially...turned me into a kind of hawkeyed, oppressive host that I almost, like, you know, out of love, almost kind of strangle my guest to death, like...of Mice and Men style.” (53:30–54:35)

“My dad’s one of the funniest people on earth...I've inherited...using funny to disarm people and make people feel good...but also as a way to avoid conflict. As I know everyone on this podcast knows.” (54:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Drew Barrymore’s Kindness:
  "That is the magic of Drew Barrymore, is that she is going to treat you exactly how she treats her PAs, the security guards, her audience, Robert De Niro, friends...”
  — Tig Notaro ([04:15])

• Tig on Emotional Vulnerability:
  “There’s kind of no sign that it’s coming. And then when it happens, I’m like, oh, no.”
  — Tig Notaro, describing her tears on Colbert ([09:02])

• Mae on Starstruck Fangirling:
  “Can I just say, you are so talented...Why are there no female late night hosts? Why do women have to be such multi-hyphenates to just get their foot in the door?”
  — Mae Martin to Kelly Clarkson ([21:26–22:33])

• John Early’s Self-Effacing Honesty:
  “I almost, like, out of love, almost kind of strangle my guest to death, like of Mice and Men style.”
  — John Early ([54:03])

• On Gratitude:
  “It seems so wishy washy and basic, but I think it’s kind of a game changer just to, before bed and in the morning, think about all the things you’re grateful for.”
  — Mae Martin ([58:19])

Key Timestamps

• 02:20 — Mae recounts meeting Allison Williams and prepping for talk shows
• 03:41–04:12 — Holding hands with Drew Barrymore and exchanging numbers
• 09:02 — Tig describes unexpectedly crying on Colbert
• 21:26–22:33 — Mae’s emotional fan speech to Kelly Clarkson
• 31:03 — John Early poses the main episode question on inherited parental traits
• 33:25 — Tig explains inheriting playful pranking from her mother
• 40:37–40:51 — Fortune explains book-smarts/street-smarts from her parents
• 42:13–43:08 — Fortune’s defensiveness, inherited from her father
• 44:41 — Mae on family tension and dread
• 53:30–54:35 — John Early answers his own question about hosting and humor habits

Episode Tone

Light, honest, and silly, but punctuated by genuine vulnerability and the warmth of friendships forged in both comedy and real-life experiences. The hosts’ trademark banter is balanced with surprisingly earnest self-reflection.

Takeaways

• The hosts are self-aware about what they carry from their parents—both the gifts and the baggage.
• John Early’s question unlocks a mix of funny, awkward, and poignant stories—showing how personality is shaped by both admiration and resistance.
• The show continues to blend showbiz snippets, roast-y camaraderie, and relatable confession, all while “keeping it handsome.”

Useful For

Anyone interested in personal growth, family legacies, or the modest joys (and anxieties) of getting through life with humor, support, and a little bit of inherited eccentricity.

[End of Summary]