Handsome – “Pretty Little Episode #64”
Hosts: Mae Martin & Fortune Feimster
Date: November 7, 2025
(Tig Notaro is not present this episode)
Episode Overview
In this “Pretty Little Episode” of Handsome, co-hosts Mae Martin and Fortune Feimster keep things light and personal, answering listener questions in their trademark playful, self-deprecating style. Mae’s preparing for a whirlwind busy week, Fortune's just returned from performing in Atlanta, and they end up playing a nostalgic storytelling game and exploring the wild idea of “if you could start a harmless cult.” Along the way, they trade stories, laughter, and a few confessions about baths, birthdays, and the messiness of adulthood.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Opening Chit-chat (01:03–03:20)
- Martin Short & Jiminy Glick: Mae and Fortune reminisce about Martin Short’s character, Jiminy Glick, referencing his catchphrase “Ms. Yum Yum herself.”
- Catching Up: Fortune’s just back from Atlanta; Mae’s heading to NYC to promote her show (01:48).
- Performance Anxiety & Beta Blockers: Mae discusses using beta blockers for anxiety before TV appearances, noting, “I tried them once, and I felt real lethargic, so I don’t use them” (02:21).
Self-care Talk: Baths & Relaxation (03:20–05:09)
- Baths & Hot Tubs: Fortune reveals she loves a bath about once a week and uses the time to relax and memorize lines. Her new house has a much better tub—"It's where I'll like learn my lines and stuff" (04:33).
- Sleepy Bath Confessions: Both hosts share bath-related stories, including friends falling asleep in the tub (03:56–04:54).
Listener Question #1: “If you could start a harmless cult…” (05:51–12:37)
Caller: Allie from Chicago
Discussion:
- Hazards of Leadership: Fortune is emphatic: “I don’t want to be a cult leader. Let me just preface that” (07:00).
- Fortune’s Fantasy Cult: If pressed, Fortune proposes a cult around "happy stuff": “Like hanging out, getting massages, taking baths. Not together. I don’t need it to be sexual. Eating pad Thai” (07:51).
- Mae’s Fantasy Cult: Mae jokes about creating a "cult for billionaires and far right world leaders,” luring them in with exclusivity, only to gently “soften their little hearts and awaken their inner children” (08:28) and “brainwash them… Make them listen to Bette Midler ‘From a Distance’” (09:34).
- Memorable Scene: Mae sings a few lines of Bette Midler’s “From a Distance” at 09:43.
- Childhood Cult Leadership Credentials: Mae describes her 5th-grade birthday party where she forced classmates to listen to her sing Bette Midler songs: “Maybe I should be a cult leader because I was a boss boss” (10:07).
Allie’s Answer:
- Tap Dance Cult: Allie runs a “tap dance cult” in Chicago, recruiting friends old and new to join her class: “Tap dance brings joy and just… get in the tap community. And it’s pretty harmless there” (11:41).
Reactions:
- Mae: Admits tap can be “wildly frustrating” when you’re not good, and jokes about a future “tap dance cult” Netflix documentary—"writhing naked people, but they got their tap shoes on still" (12:19).
Listener Question #2: Story Sharing by Age (13:12–20:44)
Caller: Sarah from Washington, D.C.
Game Prompt:
- Sarah recounts her dad’s bedtime game: Pick an age between 7 and his current age, and share a story from that year. She invites the hosts to try it.
Fortune’s Story – Age 35 (16:11–18:44)
- Milestone Birthday: Fortune had just met her now ex-partner Jax, threw herself a 35th birthday at LA’s legendary gay country-western bar Oil Can Harry’s. Her friends’ burlesque troupe performed, it was “hot as balls” in the summer heat, everyone danced, and “That birthday felt kind of like my last... last time I felt young” (17:43).
- Quote: “I had my friends burlesque troupe do a fun dance... This bar did not have air conditioning... just pouring sweat” (16:41–17:18).
- Reflections on Transitions: She connects the event to feeling “in a very transitional year” after the end of her marriage and the challenges of reconnecting with friends (18:07).
Mae’s Story – Age 30 (18:53–20:13)
- Wild London Birthday: Mae threw a raucous party, got “too drunk,” tried to make everyone play “spin the bottle,” and “did give hand job in the bathroom... to my friend. Well... we’d been hooking up, but…” (19:11).
- Quote: “But I remember... there’s a whole lineup for the bathroom and he was kind of like, let’s not.” (19:41)
- Non-monogamy & Friendship: Later, Mae learns her friend slept with someone else after the party, but she laughs it off, “Just free love. Everybody gets some” (20:13).
Reflections on Memory, Milestones & Getting Older
- Decades Blur: Both hosts reflect that “the last decade has been a blur of non-events” (20:18).
- The Value of Journaling: They resolve, “Maybe fun things have happened and I’ve just gotten older and forgotten about them” (20:40).
A Final Anecdote: Fun in Atlanta (20:50–22:11)
- Backstage Parties: Fortune shares a recent happy memory—old friends coming backstage, making Old Fashioneds and eating cake after her Atlanta show. “It just ended up being really lovely” (21:18). She and Mae discuss the drag of moving groups between venues and the joy of impromptu parties.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
Mae, on her cult plan:
“I’d lure [billionaires] in with like, this is an exclusive elite cult... and then once they’re in there, I’d soften their little hearts and awaken their inner children and change their minds and their hearts.” (08:28–08:57) -
Fortune, on bath habits:
“It’s where I’ll like learn my lines and stuff.” (04:33) -
Mae, recalling her youthful ‘leadership’:
“Maybe I should be a cult leader because I was a boss boss.” (10:07) -
Fortune, on transitional birthdays:
“That birthday felt kind of like my last... last time I felt young.” (17:43) -
Mae, on 30th birthday debauchery:
“I did give hand job in the bathroom… to my friend.” (19:11) -
Fortune, reflecting on missed events:
“Maybe fun things have happened and I’ve just gotten older and forgot about them.” (20:40)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 01:48 – Mae discusses upcoming press appearances (& beta blockers)
- 03:31 – Fortune sings the praises of baths and her new house
- 05:51 – Listener Question 1: “What harmless cult would you start?”
- 07:51 – Fortune’s dream “happy cult” (massages, pad Thai, baths)
- 08:28 – Mae’s “elite cult for billionaires and far-right leaders” plan
- 10:07 – Mae’s childhood Bette Midler performance
- 11:41 – Allie’s “tap dance cult” in Chicago
- 13:12 – Listener Sarah’s age-by-age storytelling game prompt
- 16:11 – Fortune’s story: her 35th birthday at Oil Can Harry’s
- 18:53 – Mae’s story: wild 30th birthday party in London
- 20:50 – Fortune’s Atlanta show and backstage party
- 22:11 – Farewell and call for listener questions
Tone and Style
The conversation is loose, irreverent, and full of self-aware humor. The hosts riff openly about their quirks and flaws, creating a space that’s intimate and playfully confessional. Fans will appreciate the honesty, the willingness to “go there” with both jokes and real-life anecdotes, and the feeling of simply spending time with friends.
For Listeners: Participation Encouraged!
- Submit your own questions or invented games: speakpipe.com/handsomepod
Fans of Handsome will enjoy both the laughs and the moments of real talk—on nervousness, memory, friendship, and getting older—all wrapped up with lighthearted energy.