172. Nick Kroll Returns: Neil Digression Tyson

Summary

Podcast Summary: Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out – Episode 172: Nick Kroll Returns: Neil Digression Tyson

Podcast Information:

• Title: Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out
• Host: Mike Birbiglia
• Guest: Nick Kroll
• Episode: 172. Nick Kroll Returns: Neil Digression Tyson
• Release Date: June 9, 2025
• Description: Comedian Mike Birbiglia welcomes a different comedian or creator each week and together they work out original, untested material and occasionally delve into uncomfortable topics.

---

1. Introduction and Reunion with Nick Kroll [00:00 – 02:20]

Mike Birbiglia opens the episode by welcoming returning guest Nick Kroll, highlighting their long-standing friendship and Kroll's latest projects, including his new film "I Don't Understand You", the final season (Season 8) of Big Mouth, and his new FX show Adult. Mike shares excitement about their upcoming joint shows supporting John Mulaney's new comedy hour.

Notable Quote:

Mike Birbiglia (00:37): "Nick and I have been friends for a long time. As a matter of fact, this summer we're doing five shows together."

---

2. Discussing Current Projects: Big Mouth and Adult [02:20 – 07:04]

The conversation shifts to Nick Kroll's involvement in Big Mouth. They discuss the challenges of pilot episodes, with Nick acknowledging that while he loves the pilot, subsequent episodes, particularly "Bayside Stabber", stand out as exceptionally funny. They delve into the authenticity of the show's cast interactions, emphasizing how genuine friendships enhance the comedic effect.

Notable Quotes:

Nick Kroll (04:22): "I think, like, my early 20s... felt like the pilot. There's some sort of hot button stuff in the pilot that really felt very different."

Mike Birbiglia (05:11): "It's so dying laughing."

---

3. The Art of the Writers' Room and Personal Stories [07:04 – 13:42]

Nick Kroll shares insights into the collaborative environment of a writers' room, particularly for Big Mouth. He touches on the importance of trust, the use of NDAs to protect personal stories, and the dynamics of sharing awkward or deeply personal anecdotes. Mike relates this to his own experiences, highlighting the delicate balance of integrating personal material into comedic content.

Notable Quotes:

Nick Kroll (12:10): "Early on and throughout, there were things that... like, a dear friend of mine from growing up... he fucked his pillows."

Mike Birbiglia (13:27): "Nick Kroll... undeating our conversations to awkward, personal stories."

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4. Balancing Personal Life with Professional Projects [13:42 – 21:45]

The dialogue moves to Nick Kroll's personal life, particularly his relationship with his partner, Andrew Rannells, and their collaborative ventures. They discuss Kroll's new film "I Don't Understand You", portraying a couple's tumultuous vacation in Italy that spirals into farcical chaos. Mike expresses admiration for how Nick juggles multiple projects while maintaining personal relationships.

Notable Quotes:

Nick Kroll (20:38): "I and Andrew Rannells, we're a couple, 10 years together... we start fucking killing people."

Mike Birbiglia (21:44): "Did you audition for that movie or were you asked to be in the movie?"

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5. The Creative Process: Writing vs. Riffing [21:45 – 38:28]

Mike and Nick delve into their distinct creative processes. Mike typically drafts jokes meticulously, refining them over time, whereas Nick prefers a more spontaneous approach, improvising on stage and later refining the material. This section highlights the diversity in comedic creation and how each method shapes their performances.

Notable Quotes:

Nick Kroll (36:59): "I'm playing a bit of the heel... it's a heel to you alone."

Mike Birbiglia (43:36): "You have an idea and you go on stage at Largo and you just riff on it and it crushes."

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6. Slow Round: Favorite and Least Favorite Things [25:52 – 36:35]

In the "Slow Round" segment, Mike asks Nick about people's favorite and least favorite things about him. Nick humorously equates himself to a politician, acknowledging the duality of being approachable yet somewhat insincere. They share anecdotes about their friendship, mutual support, and humorous exchanges.

Notable Quotes:

Nick Kroll (26:05): "People think I am a politician, which is both a skill and a fraud."

Mike Birbiglia (30:01): "Sexy talent."

---

7. Promotional Segment: I Don't Understand You Movie [19:14 – 23:27]

Nick Kroll promotes his new film "I Don't Understand You", co-starring Andrew Rannells. The movie is described as a comedic thriller set in Italy, where a couple's anniversary trip devolves into chaos and farce. They discuss the film's plot, production experiences, and the challenges faced during filming.

Notable Quotes:

Nick Kroll (20:33): "It's me and Andrew Rannells. We go on a couple's vacation to Italy... we start fucking killing people."

Mike Birbiglia (21:45): "Oh, wow."

---

8. Charity and Philanthropy: Comedy vs. Cancer [49:53 – 51:59]

The episode concludes with a segment on philanthropy, highlighting the podcast’s involvement with Memorial Sloan Kettering and the "Comedy vs. Cancer" benefit. Mike and Nick discuss the importance of supporting cancer research and share their experiences interacting with survivors and medical professionals.

Notable Quotes:

Nick Kroll (50:15): "Memorial Sloan Kettering is one of the foremost cancer hospitals and research centers in the world."

Mike Birbiglia (50:17): "It's really cool talking to the doctors every year and having people who survived."

---

Conclusion and Closing Remarks [52:00 – End]

Mike wraps up the episode by reiterating support for Nick Kroll’s projects and encouraging listeners to engage with the podcast’s content across various platforms. He also mentions special thanks to the production team, family members, and listeners for their ongoing support.

Notable Quote:

Mike Birbiglia (51:43): "I love you. I love your projects. I love everything you do. I can't wait to see what you do next."

---

Key Takeaways:

• Friendship and Collaboration: The deep-rooted friendship between Mike Birbiglia and Nick Kroll enhances their collaborative creative process.
• Creative Processes: Contrasting approaches to comedy and writing highlight the diversity in comedic development.
• Authenticity in Storytelling: Genuine interactions and personal anecdotes contribute to the success of shows like Big Mouth.
• Philanthropy: The podcast emphasizes the importance of supporting cancer research through events like "Comedy vs. Cancer."
• Project Highlights: Nick Kroll's new film "I Don't Understand You" and his ongoing work with Big Mouth and Adult are prominently featured.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

1. Mike Birbiglia (00:37): "Nick and I have been friends for a long time. As a matter of fact, this summer we're doing five shows together."
2. Nick Kroll (05:35): "I'm furious. I snuck up on you at how revealed. I feel."
3. Mike Birbiglia (07:04): "Nick Kroll... inadvertently introducing awkward, personal stories."
4. Nick Kroll (20:38): "I and Andrew Rannells, we're a couple, 10 years together... we start fucking killing people."
5. Nick Kroll (25:52): "The slow round is slow me down. Is this where you talk about slow horses? Because I haven't watched it."
6. Nick Kroll (50:15): "Memorial Sloan Kettering is one of the foremost cancer hospitals and research centers in the world."

---

Additional Resources:

• Watch Nick Kroll in I Don't Understand You: [Link to Movie]
• Stream Big Mouth Season 8 on Netflix: [Netflix Link]
• Watch Adult on FX: [FX Link]
• Follow Nick Kroll on Instagram: @nickkroll
• Subscribe to the Podcast's YouTube Channel: [YouTube Link]

---

Support and Credits:

• Producers: Mike Birbiglia, Peter Salomon, Joseph Birbiglia, Mabel Lewis
• Associate Producer: Gary Simons
• Sound Mix: Kate Balinsky
• Special Thanks: Jack Antonoff, Bleachers, J. Hope Stein (wife), and daughter Oona

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Join the Conversation: For more insights and updates, visit birdbigs.com to sign up for the mailing list and connect with the community.

End of Summary

Transcript

[Mike Birbiglia]

Can I have an actual answer for best piece of advice someone's given you that you used?

[Nick Kroll]

Digress.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Digress.

[Nick Kroll]

Digressi. Tyson. Neil Digrassi Tyson. Neil Digresse Tyson is what I am, except he talks about, like, the planets and everywhere and I just do bits.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So your answer is Neil Degrassi Tyson to the question that is what's the best piece of advice someone's given you that you use? Your answer is Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

[Nick Kroll]

Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That is the voice of the great Nick Kroll. So excited we have Nick back for his second time. One of my oldest friends, we have a lot to talk about. Nick has a new film called I don't understand you. He just released the final season, the eighth season of Big Mouth, which is a classic show. And he produced a new show on FX called Adult, which is fantastic. We talk about all those things today. Thank you to everybody who has watched the Good Life on Netflix. I can't thank you enough for the messages and emails. Thanks for telling your friends, telling your enemies. We are all super proud of it. It was a big group of people who put in so much time and effort to make the special what it was. And I can't thank you enough. Nick and I have been friends for a long time. As a matter of fact, this summer. Yeah, this summer we're doing five shows together. Me, Nick and Fred Armisen are all in support of John Mulaney's new hour of comedy. We're going to be in August in New Haven and Bethel Woods, New York, Portland, Maine, Halifax, and then in September in Stanley park in Vancouver. All that is on burbigs.com I love this chat with Nick Kroll. We talk about his new movie, which was shot in Italy. We talk about the show Adults. We talk about Big Mouth. We go on some wild tangents. That is par for the course with Nick. All he does is tangents. But he has me laughing as, I think as hard as anyone has ever had me laughing on this podcast. Enjoy my conversation with the great Nick Kroll. So last week, I invite you to the premiere of the Good Life.

[Nick Kroll]

I don't come, you write back.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You don't come, you write back. Here's two invitations on Tuesday. It's for premiere of adults season premiere launch, Big Mouth series finale premiere.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're at a crossroads.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like a perfect crossroads.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Does it feel like that?

[Nick Kroll]

I feel like Britney Spears in the film Crossroads. Not like Robert. No, I'm gonna. Anyway, so I feel like Britney Spears in that. I'M heading towards a conservatorship.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, Yeah, I understand that aspect.

[Nick Kroll]

You know what I mean?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I see you in a conservatorship.

[Nick Kroll]

I would love to see.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I could imagine it.

[Nick Kroll]

It would be great to just someone else take the reins for a while.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Someone in their 30s who can balance.

[Nick Kroll]

A check, who knows how to get you done.

[Mike Birbiglia]

They can get your meals together for the day. They pack them in a backpack. So.

[Nick Kroll]

Send you off with the water bottle that you like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yes.

[Nick Kroll]

You know, a bento box full of healthy snacks that are also tasty.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And then you pay them $4 million a year.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. And who wants to make medical decisions?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Exactly. Adults, by the way. Super funny.

[Nick Kroll]

Thank you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

People watching.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Stick with it through the first episode. I don't think the first episode's great. The rest of it, I think, is a riot.

[Nick Kroll]

I'm furious. I snuck up on you at how revealed. I feel.

[Mike Birbiglia]

All pilots are like, I agree.

[Nick Kroll]

No pilot.

[Mike Birbiglia]

The pilot of Friends is like that.

[Nick Kroll]

What's crazy about making tv and specifically is I do think I really like the first episode. But I totally understand what you're saying in that. We started making this show. My first emails with Ben and Rebecca, who created the show, were in November 2020.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

Like, it was like, hey, we have this idea. This is like, this sounds great. Let's start to do it. And now, almost five years later, it goes on the air.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

And we. It moved pretty smoothly. I mean, we had like the pandemic, the writer strikes, and just like general development.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

And it was working at every stage like it was. But so when we conceived of the show five years ago, or when they conceived of it and I helped them make it, it was like the pilot. There's some sort of hot button stuff in the pilot that really felt very different when, you know, that's why I think pilots suffer is because they take so long to make that what you finally make doesn't feel as current as then what you start to make when you actually get to the shot closer.

[Mike Birbiglia]

To the date of the release.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Just like now we're doing this thing that feels like a lie versus this. But. And I really love the pilot for the show, but I know what you mean. And I think as the season goes on, like, if you get to like the third episode, Bayside Stabber.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

It's so funny.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's so dying laughing.

[Nick Kroll]

I say this cause I'm responsible. You know, I'm a part of the show. But I say it as someone who's like, I didn't write it, and I'm not acting in it. So there's, like, a little more. Yeah, you can be a fatherly to it. Yeah. I'm just like, that show is so funny, and everyone on it. The cast is super, super funny.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Well, but. But I have to say, like, because this is working it out, it's a lot of people obsessed with craft. It's like, pilots are hard because they have to do so much work.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Think about the pile of any Seinfeld. Any. Any sitcom that you've ever liked.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Pile is super hard. You have to explain all of the characters.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, in a lot of cases, five to 10 people who you know nothing about.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And then by the end of it, you have to have a sense of like, let's watch the next one.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. I, like, I always wonder. I'm like, could you. Could you do it where you don't really. Where you just kind of drop people in. In the middle? Yeah, but there's gotta be a reason why it keeps not happening that way.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, it's interesting. And then, like, I think part of the magic of that show is as the episodes go on, you must have done it in sequence, because everybody seems to be actual friends. So, like, by the time the stabber episode comes, I'm, like, laughing because I do feel like I know the people.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And. And I'm like, oh, yeah, they're friends.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. And they really kind of, like, truly bonded very quickly. And, like, the intro sequence of all the pictures, you know, on the refrigerator, those are just their pictures that we asked them for.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, that's sweet.

[Nick Kroll]

So it's like. And it feels in that way where you're like, you know, I was watching with my wife, and she's like, how'd you get all those pictures? Like, oh, that's just them from over the current. The season. And so it feels like an authentic quality that it would be hard to mimic. Like, just think about that photo shoot of being like, we got to take 20 fucking different pictures of these kids and make it look like they've been friends forever.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. You get in the scuba outfit.

[Nick Kroll]

Jesus. Put on another funny T shirt, asshole. Let's go.

[Mike Birbiglia]

The. Yeah. They feel.

[Nick Kroll]

Am I allowed to swear on this podcast?

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, this is. This goes straight to npr. Oh, my God. Public radio. Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

Which is thriving right now, right?

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, I have to tell you about some news stories.

[Nick Kroll]

What?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. No, they're struggling.

[Nick Kroll]

Wait, wait, do tell me what's happening on a national level.

[Mike Birbiglia]

There's so much going on I couldn't possibly brief you in the 70 minutes we have.

[Nick Kroll]

Okay, great. Good. Good. Then fuck them.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Says America.

[Nick Kroll]

Thank you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

With adults, what part feels. Feels like your. Your life in your 20s? Because we lived our 20s a bit together. What part doesn't feel like your life?

[Nick Kroll]

Sure. I mean, I think that was what I definitely respond to early on with making the show was like, you know, these. Ben and Rebecca, when we started were like 24. They were making it about their lives and their friends.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

And so it felt very current to them, but for me, similar in a way. You're talking about big mouth as far as like a. Somewhat of a spiritual. Like, my work is spiritual. Not quite Pete Holmes level spiritual.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, God. You caught yourself being earnest for a moment.

[Nick Kroll]

I know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And then I saw the wheels turning.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Ernest goes to podcasts.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, Ernest goes to podcasts.

[Nick Kroll]

So in doing. In that what big mouth was for? Puberty, looking back on that, I think that adults is very much for. Whether you're in the middle of it or you're looking back on it feels very similar to me. So, like, I think about when making the show of, like, what I was like in my early 20s when we were friends in New York, and in fact, you kind of were the Kyle Haberman, the kid in the pilot who gets molested.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, Jesus. Tell me more.

[Nick Kroll]

Well, you were succeeding so early, and it was like you came to New York and immediately, like, understood things and like, you were on Letterman. You were like, succeeding. You had.

[Mike Birbiglia]

By the way, you're talking about the character who gets a lot of attention for getting molested at work, I think.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes, exactly.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And they're all jealous of how much work, how much. How much attention he's getting.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Sorry. Yes, thank you. I was just saying the kitty got molested. Yes. It's more like he's getting clout for.

[Mike Birbiglia]

He's getting molested at the office.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. You know, and you did you. Rainn Wilson sexually assaulted you on the set of the office.

[Mike Birbiglia]

This has gone terribly awry.

[Nick Kroll]

Okay. But you guys worked it out on Soulpancake, and now here we are. But in my early 20s, I was. Here's what I'll say about early 20s is that, like, you. There's a lot of things about it, but I think about us knowing each other and that I really did look at you being like, you really understood you were succeeding. And I was like, when is my life gonna start? When is my career gonna start? And of course, like it did in its own way. But that. So like, for example, that's a feeling that I. In that pilot, even though it's a very heightened, ridiculous thing, it's something that I was like, oh, yes. I felt. I felt experiences like that, when you're just starting out, you're like, how did that person get that thing right? Big or small? You're just trying to understand it. And also, like, my roommates from New York in those days came to the premiere last night, which is really, like, sweet. Like, they were Lauren Brody, Andrew Drew Brody. Came and.

[Mike Birbiglia]

From college.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. My dear friend. And I really think of him in a lot of ways. And I think about, like, my early 20s. We went to college together and then moved in together.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

And, like, really, like, not knowing I was, like, supposed to, like, wash my sheets. Do you know what I mean? Like, my bed, like, one day I, like, smelled my bed. My bed fucking stinks. Like, what is going.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What has happened?

[Nick Kroll]

What has happened?

[Mike Birbiglia]

What is going on?

[Nick Kroll]

Someone needs to.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Someone has to do something.

[Nick Kroll]

Handle this.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Where's my conservator? Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's what a conservator would do.

[Nick Kroll]

That would. They would wash your sheets.

[Mike Birbiglia]

$4 million a year, they just wash your sheets.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Give you a camp, like, high. A camera from a high angle and a cavernous, free.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Nick Kroll.

[Nick Kroll]

Thank you. Finally.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So washer sheets, things like that in your 20s, all that stuff.

[Nick Kroll]

I used to eat pizza and think it was, like, genuinely healthy. Do you know what I know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yes.

[Nick Kroll]

Do you like pizza, Mike? Have you ever talked about liking pizza?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I knew you were gonna, like, somehow come at me with this about pizza. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah, but I know what you mean. It's not that you thought it was healthy, but you're like, yeah, it's got food groups in it. Yeah, exactly. It's got tomatoes.

[Nick Kroll]

Tomatoes are vegetables. Still at that point in my. You know, not knowing they were a fru. Like an idiot.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

How could I not known? Seeds.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You should have known.

[Nick Kroll]

Seeds make a fruit. What about a cucumber?

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, that's right.

[Nick Kroll]

Right.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Both fruit. So wait, but talk to me about big mouth, because when I'm watching it, I'm going. I'm sure in the final episode it's less this way. But in the early seasons, it must be real stories from your life where there's real people.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, would you ever have conversations with people where they're like, were your friends from growing up? Or like, that was me in seventh grade.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. I mean, for sure. Early on and throughout, there were things that. Yeah. Like a dear friend of mine from growing up, me and aunt that Andrew and I grew up with. He fucked his pillows. I mean, that's like, what he. That's how we got that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That is a unique thing about writers rooms in Hollywood that before I was in one, I didn't understand. And with Big Mouth is probably wild, which is you bring your own stories.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, this thing happened to me, and sometimes it's like almost a negotiation of, like, will you give that to the show?

[Nick Kroll]

And we. And that's why we have NDAs. We've got. We have all the showrunners always had.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Guns, lawyers on site, lawyers in the room ready to issue paperwork.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes. So. And that was. And that, at first, I think, was tough for the room to create trust.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's funny, though, like, your show in particular, because writers rooms is people telling awkward stories. And it's like this thing where you're like, do I tell these people who. Some of them I know well and some of I don't. But, like, puberty stories. Like, some of them must have been people must have been like, can I tell this? I was like, coworker.

[Nick Kroll]

I was like, ew. Every time they do go, ew. That's so fucking gross.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Gross. Get out of here.

[Nick Kroll]

Get out of here. Ew.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Take lunch.

[Nick Kroll]

I think you take lunch, Billy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Take lunch.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It was always someone tells, like, a deeply personal story.

[Nick Kroll]

Crystal. Crystal, Billy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Crystal. Take five.

[Nick Kroll]

Have you ever had Michael Jackson on the podcast? Would you have Michael on?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, Michael. If Michael were alive, I would consider having him.

[Nick Kroll]

Okay. Okay.

[Mike Birbiglia]

The greatest entertainers of all time.

[Nick Kroll]

Okay. Just wanted to know. Just.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You just wanted to know. That was like a burning question for you.

[Nick Kroll]

Maybe it'll be on CNN tomorrow for Biglio wants Jackson on the podcast.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What if I had Woody?

[Nick Kroll]

Woody?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Woody.

[Nick Kroll]

Woody Harrelson.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, I get Woody Allen up here on the third floor.

[Nick Kroll]

Talk about joke writing with Woody.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

Nothing else.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What if Woody. What if Woody Allen loves this podcast?

[Nick Kroll]

He listens to it. He just alone in an apartment playing the clarinet at a low volume, blasting you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's blasting through a Nokia flip phone. They somehow figured out how to get a podcast through a flip phone.

[Nick Kroll]

They got it for Woody. That was soon yi's present. His 80th. Woody. We figured out how to get a podcast to play it or your Nokia.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Do you think so? Big. Big mouth is like a. Big mouth is like a bird's eye view. Understanding of being a teenager adult is that of your twenties. You think you'll do the thirties. You think you'll do the forties. You think it'll just take some time.

[Nick Kroll]

I think we're sort of. I guess I don't. It was not intentional, but I think we're doing this new animated show. The Big Mouth team is doing a new show that'll come out like now, a year from now that is called Mating Season. And it's about animals dating and fucking and what's fun. Yeah. So that'll be. And that is a little. That's older than the adults. Cause it's like Mating Season. It's like people are starting to settle down.

[Mike Birbiglia]

20S and 30s.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Like people are like, you're like, oh, I guess I should be like looking for my partner. For real? For real. So it's those kind of like stories and stuff like that. So in a weird way, I guess I am start. Like there is a bit of that. And then I think the things that I'm trying to. That I'm making for myself are inherently going to be about, you know, I'm working on a all joke side. I am working on a movie called this is 40.

[Mike Birbiglia]

This is 40. That. Which there already was one.

[Nick Kroll]

There was?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Judd Apatow.

[Nick Kroll]

Judd Reinhold.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, not Judge Reinhold. Judd Apatow.

[Nick Kroll]

Judge Reinhold.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, Judd Apatowed In a movie. Leslie Mann.

[Nick Kroll]

Judd Judy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, not Judge Judy.

[Nick Kroll]

No, I said Judd Judy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, not Judge Judy. Judd Appetite did it. He cast Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, who's his wife.

[Nick Kroll]

I know both of those people.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And then their children, Maude and Iris.

[Nick Kroll]

Oh, I know Maude. Oh, Maude's dad made a movie.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Judd will enjoy this so much.

[Nick Kroll]

Will he?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mod's dad made a movie. Maude's dad made a lot of movies.

[Nick Kroll]

No shit?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Maude Apatow's dad made a ton of movies.

[Nick Kroll]

Uh huh.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Do you think you'll. You'll show your kids Big Mouth?

[Nick Kroll]

When they showed my kids the. My. I have their. My kids are under five. I showed them the Exorcist and I now feel like it was too. I feel like it was too early.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, you. You showed.

[Nick Kroll]

You. I don't know. I did. My brother. I had an older brother. I don't know if you have this with your older siblings. We got to watch stuff earlier than they did. So like I did. My parents were away and we had these babysitters who we later found out were heroin addicts, which is a crazy thing.

[Mike Birbiglia]

For real?

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Like my responsible parents let us stay with a guy who turned out to be a heroin addict. That's hard and he wouldn't even give me a taste. But they, like, kind of. We have known because they were, like, letting my brother pick the movies, and they let him at 12 and I was 5, they let him watch the Exorcist, and they let me watch The Exorcist at 5 and I. So I don't like scary movies.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, no, you didn't answer the question.

[Nick Kroll]

What was the question?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Thank you. Gary's nodding. You didn't answer the question. Which is, are you. Are you going to show your kids when they. It's the appropriate age? Because it is kind of a quintessential show to show people going through adolescence.

[Nick Kroll]

I'll answer this with a question.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I hate you would stop it.

[Nick Kroll]

Would you watch eventually all of Quinta Brunson's work and call it the Quintessentials?

[Mike Birbiglia]

The quintessentials.

[Nick Kroll]

Okay. And now I will answer your question.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Nick Kroll]

But Quinta, if you want to talk about the quintessentials, we're available. I will. The kids watch the show. Andrew Goldberg, co creator of the show, my dear friend from when I was six years old, who I made the show with, and he. His kids, when we started the show were very young. Like, the age of my kids are a little older. And he always said, I will let them watch the show when they are the age of the kids in the show.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Makes sense.

[Nick Kroll]

And I think that's right. Like, so, like sixth, seventh grade. Yeah. And you have to read who your kid is. But, like, I think. Yes. I think that when they're around that age, like, I think it's. Yeah. Because there's much worse things they could be watching. Is how I've always felt.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's great. I think it's a. It is a. I said this since season one. It's a great service because it's funny and it actually is an icebreaker for, like, hard topics about. About puberty before I go to slow round. Mabel. Gary, am I missing anything? Oh, yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

Casting. I don't understand you. The movie. I don't know if we. I don't know if you're gonna talk about that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yes. Yes.

[Nick Kroll]

Okay. Should I talk. Should we talk about that?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yes, but I don't have questions for it.

[Nick Kroll]

Oh, that's fine.

[Mike Birbiglia]

But do you want me to ask a question about it?

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah, I'll talk about it. I'll just talk about it. However you want to do it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Say the name of it.

[Nick Kroll]

I won't. You have to figure it out. That's what's happening now. I'm pimping you into letting me promote something and I'm not going to tell you what it is.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I've had this before. Say it again.

[Nick Kroll]

I will not say the name of the movie. And if she tells you the name of the movie.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Gary.

[Nick Kroll]

If he tells you the name.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Gary.

[Nick Kroll]

Excuse me.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Say it.

[Nick Kroll]

Excuse me.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't know. Think.

[Nick Kroll]

I don't know. Think I don't. Come check out Nick Kroll in I don't know, Think.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't say.

[Nick Kroll]

Don't think twice.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Don't say this.

[Nick Kroll]

Don't say this. I don't understand.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't.

[Nick Kroll]

I don't think twice.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't.

[Nick Kroll]

I don't understand.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Thinking twice. Get under.

[Nick Kroll]

I don't.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't understand. I don't understand you, so I don't understand you. Tell me about the movie.

[Nick Kroll]

Well, what did you think of it?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I didn't see it, but I feel bad now that I didn't see it. You have so many projects.

[Nick Kroll]

It's a.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Stop it. You have so many projects. I'll talk about. Don't worry, darling.

[Nick Kroll]

Great. Finally. Okay, good.

[Mike Birbiglia]

All right.

[Nick Kroll]

Finally. So it's me.

[Mike Birbiglia]

How many things are you in? You're in so many things.

[Nick Kroll]

I'm in a. This is a. I can talk about this. So this movie. I don't understand you. It's me and Andrew Rannells. We go on a. Like, we're a couple, 10 years together. We've been trying to adopt a kid. We're going on a vacation to Italy to like, it's our 10 year anniversary. It's supposed to be this like fun trip and we end up going to this, like. We're supposed to go to this little restaurant. We get caught in like a rainstorm and then shit goes down.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

Like halfway through the movie. The movie takes a very hard, I think funny, but like thriller, horror turn and you feel like you're watching kind of like one, you know, like a. Kind of a rom com with he and I. And then it's just like we. We just start fucking killing people.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, wow.

[Nick Kroll]

And. And then it's. And it. But it's like very farcical. It's in Italy. There's a lot of miscommunication. It's like a classic kind of farce, miscommunication. Then we just start killing everybody. And it's really. And it's really funny and it's fun and kind of scary. It's in theaters.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, wow.

[Nick Kroll]

It'll be in theaters June 6th. And it's a fun one to go to the movie theater too.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Did you audition for that movie or were you asked to be in the movie?

[Nick Kroll]

The Me and Rannells, they kind of. They went to Andrew and they were like, we think Nick could be good for it. And the directors are David Craig and Brian Crano. They're a real life couple. They had gone through like a very long, somewhat harrowing adoption process including getting like scammed and like. And then, oh gosh, what a nightmare. It's like a real, you know, it was a real. And then. But then their son is in like the son they eventually did adopt is in the movie and is at the weigh in and is like the most adorable. It's like a really beautiful. And this boy is like such a sweet.

[Mike Birbiglia]

But that was a scam though. It was a full size adult.

[Nick Kroll]

It was when it showed up. Yeah, the first one showed up.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's right. When the first one showed his full.

[Nick Kroll]

Size, it was Frank Stallone. Here's your baby.

[Mike Birbiglia]

He's like.

[Nick Kroll]

Not even. Not even sly.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

So that's how they thought they'd get away with it. Except for. And I'll. This is speaking of Paul Rudd who's in Mod's dad's movies, right?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mod's dad's movie has Paul Rudd.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Is he. I'm stealing this from. It's so funny to me. I'm just going to say it out loud, Paul, if you're mad, I'm so sorry.

[Mike Birbiglia]

We're sorry.

[Nick Kroll]

I'm like Robin, I'm a sponge. And he's like Paul Rudd. I remember telling the story. He's like, I think I saw Frank Stallone one day. And the reason I think it was Frank Stallone is because he was wearing a hat that said Frank Stallone. So Paul, I'm sorry, if you're going to use that for panel or something and now I've used it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I think we're good on that. Support for working it out comes from Mint Mobile. It is summertime. Let's go over your guest list for your big summer barbecue. Friends, Family, neighbors, your old wireless bill. No way. Not invited. Get out of here. Old wireless bill. Don't let your old expensive wireless bill crash your summer party. Switch to Mint Mobile. Save some cash, spend it on lemonade, a beach ball, other summer things. All plans come with high speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation's largest 5G network. Get three months of premium wireless service from Mint Mobile for 15 bucks a month. This year, skip breaking a sweat and breaking the Bank. Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless [e-mail] that's mintmobile.com per bigs. Upfront payment of $45 for 3 month 5 gigabyte plan required equivalent to 15amonth new customer offer for first 3 months only. Then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. Support for working it out comes from Quints. I am a big fan of clothes that feel good and also that last what lasts anymore. That's why I keep going back to Quint. Their lightweight layers and high quality staples have become my everyday essentials. Actually, I got a cashmere sweater from Quince. I wore it actually wore it on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show last week. You can check that out on YouTube. And it was comfy and it looked great. And it's much less expensive than your than your other retail sweater places. All Quince Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from quince. Go to quince.com four bigs for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com fourbigs to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com burbigs all right, this is a slow round.

[Nick Kroll]

The slow round is slow me down. Is this where you talk about slow horses? Because I haven't watched it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

This whole thing is about slow horses. What are people's favorite and least favorite thing about you?

[Nick Kroll]

Okay, you want me to slow it down now?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, slow it down.

[Nick Kroll]

People's favorite and least favorite things about me. I feel when I'm at those events like this last because I had like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

The premiere of adults and big mouth.

[Nick Kroll]

Like these three weeks have been and I had like a the comedy versus Cancer benefit which you've done many times the week before. And my wife Lily is opening open these lawns in Madison Square park that you very kindly straight off of like a long travel and came in and read these stories for kids, like comedian story time for kids. It's been a this period of time.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're doing it. We're doing it again June 14th.

[Nick Kroll]

Thank you. Yes. So but it's been a very highly condensed period of time that I've put out like 10, 15 years collectively of work in a very short time, which is what we were talking about earlier. So it's been A weirdly amazing moment and an incredibly just draining, Weirdly draining experience of doing releasing all this stuff at once. So when I'm at those events, I think I feel like I could have been a politician, right? Like, I'm real like, hey, hey, Mikey, come here. Give me a hug. Come here.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Sure.

[Nick Kroll]

Ted's here, Mikey. Good, let's go say. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. So I feel like people would. In my mind at times, I'm like. People think I am a. Like a politician, which is both a skill and a fraud. Yeah, and a fraud.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah, that would be.

[Nick Kroll]

My kid in the pool was swimming the other week, and he's like, under five and he just. Was swimming. He goes, my dad's a fraud.

[Mike Birbiglia]

For real? Yeah, my dad's a fraud.

[Nick Kroll]

My dad's a fraud. And I was like, man, this kid gets it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

He ain't wrong.

[Nick Kroll]

He ain't wrong.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Which part is wrong? Yeah, but what's people's favorite thing about you?

[Nick Kroll]

I think that I'm a politician.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, it's the same thing.

[Nick Kroll]

It's kind of the same thing because, like, I do. I can get a thing with you and lock in for an amount of time and have a genuine, like, experience with you, like we're doing here today. That is also fraught and slightly fraught. No, that, like, is sort of like, you know. You know what I mean?

[Mike Birbiglia]

What's funny? Like, I was thinking about our. It's like, I don't see the thing you were describing. I'm like, oh, yeah, I know what you mean. But I never thought about it that way because I've always thought of you. Because we've known each other 26 years. It's like, yeah, 26 years.

[Nick Kroll]

Jesus Christ.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I know, but, like, I think of you when people ask me to describe my relationship with you. I'm like, I'm like, he's my brother. Like, I'm like, it's not even. We're not even friends anymore.

[Nick Kroll]

No. I'm Joe Bag.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're Joey Bag of Donuts Part 2.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. I take everything out of a green room. No. We're like, no lacroix left behind.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No. But there's no. Here's how I put it. Like, there's no favor that you would ask me, that I wouldn't just be like, yeah, if. I'll do it. If I can do it, I will do it.

[Nick Kroll]

Give me a quart of blood right now.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I would do it.

[Nick Kroll]

Give me your next hour.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I'll give you my next hour.

[Nick Kroll]

Give me the Next hour.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I'll write you 10 minutes. I write you 10 minutes. Honestly, that's how much I can do. No, but I always say, like, you're like my brother. And also, like, I was thinking about, like, what would be the thing that if I asked you for, you'd be like, all right, don't. Don't ask me for that. Is there a bridge too far?

[Nick Kroll]

What wouldn't I do? I wouldn't do this podcast.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Nick Kroll]

Right. We're off camera. Right?

[Mike Birbiglia]

This is off camera.

[Nick Kroll]

I gotta protect my joy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay. Who are you jealous of?

[Nick Kroll]

I'm jealous of, frankly, of all of my longtime friends and collaborators. I'm a little jealous of all of them. And it's partly why I become friends with them, because I see, like, I do see talent and get attracted to it. And so I. With almost everyone that I've known and collaborated with for a long time, I'm, like, jealous of what they have. And so I.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Sexy talent.

[Nick Kroll]

I try to, like, bring it into the fold so that I can profit from it, too.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's right.

[Nick Kroll]

I guess it's sort of true even that I said it with a face that meaning, like, it was somehow evil.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, it is true.

[Nick Kroll]

You know what I mean?

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's an astute observation, though. I think even romantic love. And I feel like you're attracted to Lily's talent. I'm attracted to Jenny's talent.

[Nick Kroll]

Totally.

[Mike Birbiglia]

There is part of it.

[Nick Kroll]

And I think in our cases, it's nice to have someone who has talents that are different than yours. That. And I think that's helpful. I think it is helpful for me to have a partner who's a really talented artist and who does something very different than I do. And we can appreciate each other what we do and not feel like we're. That it's. That even that element of the relationship is also somehow in direct conversation.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. For people who don't know what Lily does is. I think it's called landscape architecture.

[Nick Kroll]

Landscape design. It's just like, large scale botanical art and also stunning.

[Mike Birbiglia]

We were just at one of her exhibitions.

[Nick Kroll]

She did, like, in Madison Square Park. She has, like, a lawn that she did, like a meditation garden labyrinth that she designed, and then like a children's garden space. And she does all kinds of things like that that are super. And it's fun to talk to. It's fun to talk to her about what she does. And I definitely talk to her about what I do. And she was and is like, a real comedy fan. Like, she was a real fan of yours. Before we met. And then I lifted the veil about how everything works. Like the magic trick of it all. And.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

Can I tell you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No. He builds it backwards.

[Nick Kroll]

He builds it backwards.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, he built that.

[Nick Kroll]

He starts at the end.

[Mike Birbiglia]

At the end. And then it's not even that sophisticated.

[Nick Kroll]

It's actually.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's easy.

[Nick Kroll]

Even a full.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Any of us could do it.

[Nick Kroll]

Fool could do it. Oh, my God. So. But I do think. But I'll tell you, and you can use this or not use this.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Nick Kroll]

But we. Me and Lily came to see your show at the Cherry Lane. We had just started dating.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, my gosh.

[Nick Kroll]

And it was one of our first. It was not our first dates. It was like, one of our first kind of dates. And my parents were also planning on going. And so we ended up going together, Lily and me and my parents. And, like, the truth is, it was earlier in the relationship than I would normally have, like, my girlfriend meet my parents. But it was. There's something about her. But also, it was so early, and it was so sort of to, like, go to your show together. It wasn't like, oh, you're like, meeting my parents.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Nick Kroll]

And if people have a chance, go see Meet the Parents. Oh, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Meet the Baron. Classic film. I mean.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Not really in the news right now, but sure. Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

But go. It is. It's actually. They're making a fourth. That's true.

[Mike Birbiglia]

They're making a fourth.

[Nick Kroll]

Ariana Grande signed on. I'm in. Meet the Focker is the third one. I'm a doctor in it. Because they had cast a kid in it who, in the middle of shooting, developed a tick. And so they had to recast the kid and then reshoot a bunch of the scenes in the movie with a new kid. And I got cast as the new young doctor.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, wow.

[Nick Kroll]

And I spent a day there, and I was like, De Niro's just sitting there for coverage, you know, And I'm like, He's. He's. This is the deja vu that must be his life, that he's like, yeah, already shot this scene where for, like, the 30th time, he's gonna say to Stiller, like, whatever. You know what I mean?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, sure.

[Nick Kroll]

And he. I try to make conversation with him. I'm like. I go, I've been to the Greenwich Hotel, where he's, like, an owner of.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Part owner.

[Nick Kroll]

And his father has. Did the art around it. Like, you see a lot of paintings in there. They're like, his father painted them. And I was like. I was like, that'll be my way. I'll be like, your father's art is really beautiful. I was like, oh, thanks so much. I was like, do you ever stay there at the Greenwich? He's like, at a hotel in New York.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's so fucking funny.

[Nick Kroll]

And I was like. Anyway, it's like, I think they're calling us back.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's like a nightmare of a conversation with, like, an idol.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah, totally.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're like, just give me something here.

[Nick Kroll]

Can I just.

[Mike Birbiglia]

At a hotel in New York.

[Nick Kroll]

New York, where I live. Anyway, that's all to say. I don't remember. What were we talking about?

[Mike Birbiglia]

So you were at the Cherry Lane.

[Nick Kroll]

Show Date with Lily and happened to be. My parents were there also. So I. That it has an extra resonance, that show for me. And it's a great show. It was the show that eventually went to Broad. The first one that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

The new one. Yes, the new one. It's called.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. And I remember still, you had the. All the toys drop.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Toys drop. Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

At the Cherry Lane. That was probably not an easy undertaking.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No. As a matter of fact, our producer Mabel dropped them from the ceiling.

[Nick Kroll]

Really?

[Mike Birbiglia]

She was like, in high school, and this is.

[Nick Kroll]

And then she fell famously.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And famously, she hired the toys. And that was the one they reviewed for the time.

[Nick Kroll]

I know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yes.

[Nick Kroll]

That's how it happens.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, and they said. They said it works.

[Nick Kroll]

They said it works.

[Mike Birbiglia]

They said, the high schooler falling from the ceiling. We don't know why, but it works.

[Nick Kroll]

It works. If the show feels fresh every night.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You never know what's going on Broadway. We had to hire a different teenager every night. To die. To die from falling from the ceiling. Because it's Broadway. And it's got to work.

[Nick Kroll]

It's gotta work. If it's on Broadway. It's gotta work. If we sell tickets, we need dead teens every night.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And then at a certain point, that's.

[Nick Kroll]

How they came up with Dear Evan Hansen.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Well, it was diminishing returns where people, the audiences weren't as excited about the dead teenager falling from the ceiling. So then it was like five teenagers, 10 teenagers. Then it was like 25 teenagers falling from the ceiling to their death every night. We're talking about thousands of teenagers.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah, but you stayed in the papers. And that's what you gotta do to make it on Broadway, baby. You gotta stay in the trades.

[Mike Birbiglia]

We stayed in the papers.

[Nick Kroll]

You gotta stay in the papers. Walter Winchell read Yes. Yeah. Every night on Dave Page. Page five.

[Mike Birbiglia]

All right. We gotta get through some more of the Slow runs.

[Nick Kroll]

Okay, Okay.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I still haven't digressive. I know. You make me look focused.

[Nick Kroll]

I know, I know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Jesus Christ.

[Nick Kroll]

But I do want to just quickly say for your next show, my pitches back to the top of this bit is you do a show called Diminishing Returns.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Where.

[Nick Kroll]

Okay, is any of this usable? Yes, it's all usable. It's all going to be great. It's going to be great. But here's the thing where.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So Lily, it's like to be in the writer's room of Big Mouth all the time, sort of Nikki doing.

[Nick Kroll]

Nicky doing disruptive bits.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

But I guess that is like. That is how I ultimately work is like I just explode and then either self edit or have people help me coalesce it. But I'm. I'm playing. I'm playing a bit of a part here today.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Heel.

[Nick Kroll]

I'm playing a bit of the heel.

[Mike Birbiglia]

For you, for sure.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes. And. Except it's not heels to the audience. It's just a heel to you alone. So we went to the show, Lily and I went. And you walk on stage and you're putting the mic on and you're making your tea.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Sure.

[Nick Kroll]

And Lily was like, I love how casual, like, how much Mike is just like, sort of walking out and starting this thing. And I was like, oh, that's fake. He's doing that. This is a. This is part of.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Does it every night.

[Nick Kroll]

He does it every night. He's setting up what he does. And Lily was like, no, like, whatever, just. Or, you know, was like, huh? And then watched the special and was like, oh, wow, okay. That is what he was doing, you know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's sweet.

[Nick Kroll]

But to your credit, she still. And I still, like, love the craft of what you do. It is all of this, like, crafted thing, and I don't think it diminishes it to understand over time what that process is.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's a trick.

[Nick Kroll]

It's a magic trick.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received that you used?

[Nick Kroll]

Don't talk to icons about their parents paintings.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Nick Kroll]

Unless you have specific. Somewhere really useful to go.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Really specific.

[Nick Kroll]

There's probably a lot of people whose parents are painters.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Can I have an actual answer for best piece of advice someone's given you that you used to.

[Nick Kroll]

Digress.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Digress.

[Nick Kroll]

Digress. C. Tyson. Neil digress. C. Tyson. Neil. Digress. Tyson is what I am. Except he talks about, like, the planets and everywhere, and I just do bits.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So your answer is Neil Degrassi Tyson to the question that is what's the best piece of advice someone's given you that you use? Your answer is Neil Degrassi. Tyson.

[Nick Kroll]

Neil. Digresse. Tyson. Best piece of advice ever.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Get the fuck out of my office.

[Nick Kroll]

You know what?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Get the out of my office.

[Nick Kroll]

I would love to, but I gotta take a shower before I leave. So the best piece of advice I wasn't even part of. But I remember in the early 2000s, there was that show, Iconoclast, Sundance, beautiful show.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And it was like, that series is unbelievable. I remember Chappelle and Maya Angelou well.

[Nick Kroll]

So that's.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So it's like people icons interviewing each other.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes. Yes. In that interview, there's a piece of advice that he. Chappelle is talking to Maya Angelou about, like, getting criticized or, like, critics, and she's like, if you don't pick up the compliments, then you don't have to pick up the critiques either.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's right.

[Nick Kroll]

It was some version of that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Or if you take one, you have to take the other.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes. And I think I've heard that before.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I think it's super smart.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. If you do what we do, which is, like, you have to figure out how to make your art.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

And, like, let it be what it is. And if you start to get too obsessed with how people are, like, complimenting it or critiquing it, it just is like an exhausting endeavor. If. So you really have to be able to figure out a way to sort of. What I've tried to do over time is find joy in the making of the thing, because the. The pro. The final outcome of it is a bit. Even if. If you can control it is out of. Out of your control.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You know who said that?

[Nick Kroll]

Who?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Neil Digression. Tyson.

[Nick Kroll]

Neil Digression. Tyson is probably better.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Neil Digression. Tyson's a good character for the crawl show.

[Nick Kroll]

Oh, my God. Let's get it. Let's get it going. Paramount. Give me a call. Everything good over there?

[Mike Birbiglia]

You have a joke that I thought was really funny. Then I was like, oh, I basically had written the same joke another way. You. I saw you, a Largo, do the thing about how the phrase 100% never means 100%.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Oh, no. Is that your. I. I want to talk about. I want to talk about 100 a lot. But I. But that's a funny. The way you phrase that is. Is actually a very smart.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Wait, what's your phrasing of it?

[Nick Kroll]

I just. I'm like, we're talking about 100%. We're saying it too much. It's everywhere. It's too much. And then I wish we could use actual percentages for things.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, that's funny.

[Nick Kroll]

Do you know what I mean?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

So. But the way you just phrase it. Wait, how did you just phrase it?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I just said the phrase 100. Never refer. When people say 100, it's never 100%.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I wrote it on tag, which is no kidding. Almost never involves kidding or ambiguity about kidding.

[Nick Kroll]

That's funny.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

No, I'm. No kidding.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No kidding.

[Nick Kroll]

No kidding.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No kidding.

[Nick Kroll]

100.

[Mike Birbiglia]

100.

[Nick Kroll]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, no, I'm not kidding. I'm not kidding.

[Nick Kroll]

I know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

A hundred percent. You are beautiful. You're beautiful.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Never means you're beautiful. Beautiful never means you're beautiful. It's always just like, oh, my God.

[Nick Kroll]

Here's a joke. Oh, my God. A hundred percent.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What? You 100. No kidding.

[Nick Kroll]

I'm no kidding. You are beautiful.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, no. You're stunning.

[Nick Kroll]

100.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Where is that. Where's that coat from? Heaven.

[Nick Kroll]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Jesus Christ. Where did you get that?

[Nick Kroll]

I got it from Jesus Christ.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You know who's the savior? Jesus Christ. 100.

[Nick Kroll]

Oh, my God. 100%.

[Mike Birbiglia]

But if you want Lord, Savior, though.

[Nick Kroll]

Lord and Taylor.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Lord and Taylor. I got it. You got that code at Lord, and.

[Nick Kroll]

I got this coded Lord and Taylor.

[Mike Birbiglia]

All right, this is the next thing I wrote down in Rome last year. We went to Rome. Back to Rome. My daughter noticed a billboard for sunscreen, and it had all this graffiti on it where it was, like, a person, and then it was, like, graffiti of, like, dicks on their face.

[Nick Kroll]

Sure.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And she's like, what's that? And I was like, it's a wand. Because it's like, I didn't have the heart to tell her it was a dick. It felt like it was too young to pass on that wisdom. Mm. And then I just wrote this notebook stuff, but I wrote down dick graffiti is the ultimate heckle. It's like, nice try with that drawing. You know, it might help. Dicks.

[Nick Kroll]

Has she seen Harry Potter yet?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I think we saw one of them.

[Nick Kroll]

Because it'd be funny if she sees the Harry Potter and she sees the wand in that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's funny. Calling it back to the Harry Potter movie I think is funny.

[Nick Kroll]

You know what I mean? She's like, dad, I just watched Harry Potter and they're all waving dicks around.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right?

[Nick Kroll]

Or something like that. The wand, like, she now interprets a wand to be a. Yeah, I like that. I was in Rome. I've been trying to write. I guess I'm just gonna do it, you know? Do you have that? I'm trying to understand how to work it out, Mike.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, no, I know.

[Nick Kroll]

Cause it's like, how do you work on what the joke is? You don't mind showing the process. And I. I'll do that on stage. But somehow my weird thing becomes like, well, now, what is this? You know what I mean? Like, I get stuck in the. Like, what is the. Working it out? Am I. Am I going to work it out here?

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're like, a quintessential example, and I've talked about this on this podcast before, your quintessential example of. There's people like me who, like, do this. I type out everything. I write notebooks and. And then over time, I just hone the words and hone the words. You're a person where you're like. You have an idea and you go on stage at Largo or wherever it is, and you just riff on it and it fucking crushes. And then you figure it out, and it's just a different process.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Or it doesn't crush. And I then figure out what works or what doesn't and abandon the stuff that sometimes I should. I will get lazy, though, and improvise something and then come back to the improv to. And I'm gonna pitch it now for myself. My new show, Diminishing Returns, so I'm taking the show back. I hope that's okay, Mike.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Diminishing Returns.

[Nick Kroll]

I realize that is what my. My show is, but I do. I will slowly. But part of me is like, this is how I should do it. Is like, this is just, like, record it all, and then the good stuff sticks.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

Do you know what I mean?

[Mike Birbiglia]

What is your. Do you have new bits you're working on right now that are kind of formed or half formed?

[Nick Kroll]

Well, I'm, like, talking about being in Rome because we made this movie in Rome, and, like, so I've been talking about Italy in general, and, like, I don't think it's. It's that fucking cool. Like, I think Italy's, like, fine.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

Like, the. You know, I'm sort of like. Like, everybody loves Italian food, you know? You know who else makes good Italian food? Fucking Everybody.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Everybody.

[Nick Kroll]

It's the easiest. It's the easiest food to make good.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yes. You know who makes good Italian food? Everybody. Yeah, that's a great line.

[Nick Kroll]

So I've been thinking about Rome, because I feel like Rome and I. We shot this movie there. It was a Month of night shoots. It was a. It's like the movie all takes place basically like one over a. One crazy, rainy, muddy night and murder. There's like. So I'm like wet. We were shooting like an hour outside of Rome. It was like a. Somewhat. Actually not at all what we had imagined. Like, when I signed on to do the movie, I was like, I'm go make a movie in Rome.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Nick Kroll]

Anyway, so the time I had in Rome was somewhat limited. And I really was like. I kept feeling like Rome is like a class trip to Washington D.C. it's like, not that. You know what I mean?

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's not what you'd hoped.

[Nick Kroll]

It's. Yeah, it's just like a bunch of buildings made by monsters years ago. That's funny, you know, like, I always.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Thought that when I was in Rome last year, where you see these statues of people.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And it's like, you know, like in real life there's like big statues, but you know that they were just like these tough guys in Jersey. Hey, get the fuck out of here. Hey, make a statue of me.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah, that's. I have the same feeling in Rome, which is like. Like if you had a statue of you, you were probably a fucking monster.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, absolutely.

[Nick Kroll]

Like a truly terrible person.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Especially if you commissioned it.

[Nick Kroll]

Because some of them did. Oh, all the time.

[Mike Birbiglia]

They commissioned their own fucking statues.

[Nick Kroll]

That's why I only let the fans make my stats.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, I only let them, the fans make the statues. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're a really hardcore fan, you can make a statue of me. But like, the new fans, if you've only seen one of the specials, if you've only seen one of them, don't get near me with those statues.

[Nick Kroll]

Don't get even close to me with.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Those stupid statues you make of me. That's great, though. Yeah, I love that.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Have you been doing it on stage?

[Nick Kroll]

I've been doing it on stage and it was all sort of like towards, like now the press for this movie. Then I'm like, oh, do I hold on to it? Do I keep doing it? You know? But it's a funny thing, what I found unrelatable about it. When I do it in New York and la, it's an easier joke to do because people. Because I would. I would set up being like, oh, it's summertime. Don't worry, you're not going to be jealous of your friends who are in Italy this summer. And, like, it works in New York and la, where like privileged assholes have friends who go to Italy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Nick Kroll]

And you're like looking at them on Instagram, but it's not necessarily the most relatable joke to do around the country. Yeah. Where people are like, none of my friends are going to Italy this summer.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Totally.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Here's a. And well, this, my last bit. I was in this college town recently and there was this like, this like, bro dude hanging out with three girls on a stoop. And this other guy walked by with like a quirky hat. And the frat bro just goes, fire beanie bro. And the college kid just shrunk. And I feel like we've spent so much time as a culture obsessing about how college kids are so different from when we were in college. And actually I think they're exactly the same. I think bullies are just generic bullies through time. Because I could see the college kid just shrink and, and I wanted to say to him, hey, you're going to win in life. Don't worry about it. But then I realized that if I said that to him, he would look at me and he would think, that's what winning looks like. And he's not wrong. Fire Beanie bro.

[Nick Kroll]

Fire Beanie bro.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's the beginning of something.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes. I think that's. Do you feel like you got bullied in college?

[Mike Birbiglia]

In college? No. In high school.

[Nick Kroll]

You got bullied in high school?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Ninth grade was tough.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

When I was in high school, there was a bully named George and he used to walk up to me and he'd go, hey, Mike, this is you. And then he'd walk at a 45 degree angle. And that was the whole impression. Everyone would laugh.

[Nick Kroll]

That's a pretty funny impression. That's the thing, is the bullies might peak in high school, but if they've.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Got it right, if they've got it.

[Nick Kroll]

Then they've got it and they become like Donald Trump.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Nick Kroll]

You know what I mean?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Or Hollywood producers.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. Do you like Hollywood producers?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I love them. I love this one.

[Nick Kroll]

I'm a Hollywood producer.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I know. I love this one.

[Nick Kroll]

I love this one.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Adults, Big mouth.

[Nick Kroll]

Human resources and what's the name of the movie? Mike?

[Mike Birbiglia]

The movie is a movie I love. It's. I think I remember. I, I, I see. I understand you.

[Nick Kroll]

I understand you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't understand you.

[Nick Kroll]

Don't understand you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't understand you.

[Nick Kroll]

I don't understand you, Mike.

[Mike Birbiglia]

The last thing we do in the show is called Working out for a Cause and we give to a non profit. I think there's two that come to mind. The Gardens that we just did the event for or the. The cancer organization that we've done the benefit for and does amazing, amazing work. I've actually talked to backstage at those events to the scientists and doctors, and.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Is it Sloan Kettering?

[Nick Kroll]

It's Memorial Sloan Kettering, yes. And it's the show we do every year, and we're starting to do other stuff called Comedy versus Cancer.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yes.

[Nick Kroll]

And it's amazing. Memorial Sloan Kettering is one of the foremost cancer hospitals and research centers in the world. And we're specifically focused on, like, blood cancer research. And so, like, a lot of stuff that's now moving away from, like, chemotherapy to other treatments that are, like, finding tremendous success. So it's amazing talking to the doctors every year and also having people who came through MSK and have survived and are now in remission. And it's really cool.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And it's also very important at this particular moment in history when research, science, research is being cut back by the government to support places I think Sloan Kettering because they do amazing work.

[Nick Kroll]

However, let's talk about npr, pbs. Let's cut that funding. They're taking too much. And also the other one that I want to say is kudos for taking money, trying to cut funding in the national parks who cost. They cost almost $15 million a year and then generate $700 million a year.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't anticipate this. This kind of a political take from you.

[Nick Kroll]

Well, welcome to me, sweetheart. Things are a little different now.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Wow.

[Nick Kroll]

The climate has changed. Okay. And I'm changing with it. I'm chasing. I'm chasing it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Nick Kroll.

[Nick Kroll]

Whitney Cummings.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay, Nick Kroll, I love you. I love your projects. I love everything you do. I can't wait to see what you do next.

[Nick Kroll]

I love you too, buddy. Thanks for having me. Working it out. Cause it's not done. We're working it out. Cause there's no.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's gonna do it. For another episode of Working it out, you can follow Nick Kroll on Instagram ickcroll. Check out I don't understand you'd. In theaters, watch adults on Hulu. Watch Big Mouth on Netflix. You can watch the full video of this episode on our YouTube channel @Mike Birbiglia. Check that out and subscribe. We are posting more and more videos. Check out birdbigs.com to sign up for the mailing list. To be the first to know about my upcoming shows, our producers of Working it out are myself, along with Peter Salomon, Joseph Birbigli. And Mabel Lewis associate producer Gary Simons Sound mix by Kate Balinsky. Special thanks to Jack Antonoff and Bleachers for their music. Special thanks as always to my wife, the poet J. Hope Stein, and our daughter Oona, who built the original radio fort made of pillows. Thanks most of all to you who are listening. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts. It really helps out. We've been doing the podcast for five years this month. Five years. 170 episodes, all free. No paywall. Thanks most of all to you who listen. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell Robert De Niro. Let's say you're an actor in a scene with Robert De Niro. You feel like making chit chat? Don't ask some ridiculous question like have you ever stayed in a hotel in the city you live in? Come on. Instead, say, Bobby, have you ever heard this podcast while Mike Birbigli is working it out where comedian Mike Birbigli works out creative ideas with comedians and creative people not unlike yourself. Trust me. Try it. Your new best friend might be Robert De Niro. Thanks everybody. We're working it out. We'll see you next time.