Podcast Summary: Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out

Episode: Nikki Glaser — The Team Captain of Comedy (April 13, 2026)

Overview

In this episode, comedian Mike Birbiglia welcomes Nikki Glaser—whom he dubs “the team captain of comedy”—for an energetic, candid, and hilarious exploration of stand-up material, career reflections, and the darker edges of comedy. They “work out” a variety of jokes, discuss the art and responsibility of tackling taboo topics, and pull back the curtain on what it means to “make it” in comedy while still feeling like an outsider. Glaser also shares insights into her evolving comedic style, hosting the Golden Globes, and her persistent imposter syndrome.

Key Discussion Points

The "Team Captain of Comedy" & Humility in Success

• Birbiglia opens by praising Glaser’s comedic leadership, highlighting her funniness, authenticity, and kindness.
  • [00:00] Mike Birbiglia (A): “You're a great captain of the comedy team because you're number one, funny above all else. Number two, not pandering. Number three, nice to people.”
• Glaser responds with self-deprecation, joking she can’t accept the compliment:
  • [00:21] Nikki Glaser (B): “I don't believe a word of it… I'll never believe it ever. But thank you. I want to believe it.”

Working Out Edgy Material: Gang Bangs, Porn, and Darkness

• Discussing dark and risqué material in Glaser’s comedy specials.
  • [04:13] B: “The suicide chunk.”
  • [04:24] A: “The gang bang section.”
• Glaser describes the challenge of turning porn addiction and ethical concerns into comedy:
  • [05:28] B: "The porn I'm watching is disturbing and it's not ethical… No one dreams of playing White Trash Whore. Doesn't work at all. Literally doesn't work. But why doesn’t that work?"
• On why she likes shocking-and-impressing:
  • [07:29] B: “I like when people are disgusted by me, but they're also like, damn, that's my Venn diagram—disgust and like, fuck, I gotta be impressed.”

Pushing the Boundaries and Audience Reactions

• Glaser and Birbiglia talk about going “dark” in their material:
  • [08:18] A: “If you can bring an audience to a dark place or a sad place and you can come out the other side… I think that's the best kind of comedy.”
• Glaser’s philosophy on tackling taboo subjects:
  • [09:06] B: “I like talking about things that people don't talk about… If it's actually offensive, I don't have any interest. But if it's just like, I'm just telling the truth, why are you offended?”

Imposter Syndrome & The Experience of Fame

• What it feels like to be a (near) household name:
  • [12:06] B: “You get, like, free desserts a lot… And it's cool to, like, show my family that I made it. Like… I'm adjacent [to household name].”
• Why fame doesn’t fix self-worth:
  • [37:48] B: “Now, once you get it, it's like I can't even enjoy it as… I didn't enjoy going to the popular kid's house when I did get invited.”

Hosting Advice & Public Speaking

• Lessons from hosting the Golden Globes:

  • [23:59] B: "You need to come out of the gate right away strong. So you need a joke. The shortest joke possible.”
  • [24:21] B: “Remember that when you're watching someone public speak, you're not wishing they do a bad job… Everyone's rooting for you.”

• Practicing physiological/mental tricks, learned from “The Masked Singer”:

  • [25:36] B: “If your heart's just going crazy… hold your breath for four seconds and then let it out slowly… It just makes you relax.”

On Dark Jokes, Pedophilia Material, and the Limits of Comedy

• Glaser details a recurring challenge: discussing child abuse, molestation, and fatphobia on stage without crossing a line.
  • [26:42] B: “Pedophiles when they realize they're a pedophile… You know how—like, you've thought that before… Most of us pass it, you know… But some guys go, no, no, no, I'm getting a boner…”
  • On why darkness is necessary: [27:25] B: “If we don't talk about it… If kids are… made to feel ashamed of getting molested… That's too dark? Why is it too dark?”
  • [29:18] B: “It feels like shoplifting again… If someone recorded that one line and took it out of context, I'm cooked.”

Self-Doubt, Storytelling, and Comedy Process

• Glaser and Birbiglia compare approaches: punchlines vs. storytelling:
  • [51:41] A: “My favorite thing in your last hour is the thing where your boyfriend role plays a gang bang for you… I love it because it's a story and I get who you are.”
  • [52:13] B: “That I don't do what you do because I'm scared of it.”
• Advice on “throwing up” stories on stage:
  • [53:15] A: "As long as I know where I'm going and I have an out… that's the right way to do it, but I never thought of it that way."

Porn, Veganism, and Ethical Contradictions

• On ethical contradictions of porn and meat eating:

  • [56:31] A: “…I've watched all the documentaries about the meat industry, but I also love fried chicken sandwiches, and I believe that those contradictions can coexist peacefully.”
  • [57:05] B: “People say, why do you care so much about animals and not about people? At least people can understand what's happening to them. It really hurts me to think of an animal being like, I don't know, and I'm scared.”

• On vegan pride:

  • [57:59] B: “Go vegan. Like, it's not only good for the world, but, like, I just feel better than you… I'm doing a hard thing because it's the right thing. So I get to, like, always be like, I'm good.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [07:47] B (on her audience reaction): “I like when people are disgusted by me, but they're also like, damn, that's… disgust and, like, fuck, I gotta be impressed.”
• [18:22] B (on paying for her mother's facelift): “Who buys their mom a facelift? Who does that? I go, I do. And you need one. You don't need one. You want one, and I'm gonna buy one for you.”
• [19:25] B (re: Lana Del Rey): “I was so sad because I love Lana Del Rey… [She] said, ‘I like her, but I wish she wasn't so dirty.’… I like, took the note, and I'm working on it.”
• [39:54] B (on “the popular kids”): “You would, like, become friends with someone in class that was of the popular group… He would invite me to the popular hang. No one else there knew I was coming. And then it's all like, why is she here?”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00] Opening praise for Glaser—“team captain of comedy”
• [04:13] Discussing darkness in Glaser's specials ("suicide chunk", gang bang jokes)
• [05:28–08:18] Ethical porn, developing taboo material, and audience pushback
• [12:06–13:42] Reflections on fame and being a household name
• [23:59–25:36] Tips for public speaking and hosting the Golden Globes
• [26:11–29:18] Glaser’s “pedophile chunk,” societal taboos, speaking truth in comedy
• [37:48–43:43] Imposter syndrome, popularity, and fitting in
• [51:12–53:40] Process discussion: storytelling and punchlines in stand-up
• [56:31–58:01] The ethics of porn vs. veganism; developing a vegan-themed comedy hour
• [59:16–60:30] Nikki’s nonprofit pick: Rescue the Birds

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• [00:03] A: “You’re a great captain of the comedy team because you’re… funny above all else… not pandering… nice to people.”
• [04:56] B (on porn): “Things that I used to be like, I would never do that… Like, I would never shoot up, I just take pills… I’m doing that with porn.”
• [09:06] B: “I like talking about things that people don’t talk about. Yeah, that’s my thing. That’s my kink.”
• [24:21] B: “Remember that when you’re watching someone public speak, you’re not wishing they do a bad job… Everyone’s rooting for you.”
• [37:48] B: “I was always… A minus student, A minus popularity, which is fine. But as someone who wants to be the best, it’s very frustrating… and now it’s here and I just… can’t even enjoy it.”
• [51:41] A (on Glaser’s material): “My favorite thing… is… your boyfriend role plays a gang bang for you. So funny… because it’s a story and I get who you are… and I get the dynamic between you.”
• [57:05] B: “People say, why do you care so much about animals and not people?… It really hurts me to think of an animal being like, I don’t know, and I’m scared…”
• [59:16] B: “Rescue the Birds… a rescue organization… so many birds are abandoned… they’re supposed to fly and they’re in cages. It’s fucking brutal.”

Featured Nonprofit

• Rescue the Birds: Avian rescue in Chicago, focuses on the plight of abandoned parrots (see [59:16]).
  • [B]: “It was this whole rescue operation in the suburbs of Chicago for Parrots… these birds talk and then they’re abandoned and… spend their lives in prison.”

Tone & Style

The episode is packed with raw candor, self-effacing humor, and industry insights. Glaser leans into honest, sometimes uncomfortable discussions about sex, ethics, and self-worth, always with a sharp, introspective humor. Both comics encourage “going there”—into darkness or taboo—with a sense of irreverence and a drive to make the uncomfortable, hilarious, and revealing.

Closing

This episode offers an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at comedy’s creative process and the emotional complexity of “making it” as a performer. Nikki Glaser stands out as an honest, provocative, and driven voice in comedy—still working out her most challenging material and her own place in the world, even as the “team captain.”

For birds in need, learn more about and donate to [Rescue the Birds].
For more Nikki Glaser, visit her website or catch her on tour.