Nikki Glaser on Shame, Sex & Owning Who You Are

Summary

Podcast Summary: Nikki Glaser on Shame, Sex & Owning Who You Are

On with Kara Swisher, Vox Media. April 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this candid and engaging episode, comedian Nikki Glaser sits down with Kara Swisher to discuss her new Hulu comedy special "Good Girl," her unique approach to fear, shame, and sexuality, the double standards women face in standup, the evolving nature of fame, and the business realities of comedy and Hollywood today. The conversation covers Nikki's raw material about sex and aging, her relationship with her parents, the challenges of social media, why she left podcasting, and how she finds self-acceptance—plus, a surprise question from Judd Apatow.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Anxiety of Releasing a New Special

[04:02–08:35]

• Nikki describes her deep anxiety before releasing "Good Girl," likening it to vulnerability after sex:
  • "Stand up for me is like sex... I enjoy it. It lets me behave in ways I am otherwise ashamed of." (Nikki, 04:15)
• Editing specials is "torturous": she finds it difficult to watch herself, delays edits, and describes the process as "the most uncomfortable thing I've ever done in my life." (06:26)
• She copes by repeating the phrase "fear sets me free," referencing Phil Stutz's work, and pushes herself because "my self esteem is built upon doing things that are hard and conquering them." (08:16)
• Regret surfaces in self-reflection, but she tries to embrace discomfort and see it as fuel for growth.

2. Appearance, Aging, and Double Standards in Comedy

[09:55–14:38]

• Nikki and Kara discuss societal and industry pressures on women to look "fuckable":
  • "When you look fuckable, your life is great...people are drawn to [female comics] optically, they're going to hear you more." (Nikki, 10:11)
• Male comics are rarely scrutinized for their looks, which Nikki finds both enviable and limiting for men.
• The pressure of cosmetic upkeep ("peptides, lasers, Botox") increases with fame and money—“Now that I can afford to look hot...why am I not doing this thing?” (Nikki, 12:22)
• There's a genuine fear that as she ages, audiences will stop caring, unlike men whose status tends to grow with age.

3. Living and Performing in St. Louis

[14:38–18:40]

• Nikki left LA and New York during COVID, moved back in with her parents, and now prefers the slower, less celebrity-obsessed pace of St. Louis:
  • Describes feeling less pressure and competitiveness: “People just don't care about celebrity here...It tickles me, actually.” (17:10)
• Finds more personal balance, away from constant career hustling and social comparison.

4. Owning Sexuality—Material About Her Vagina

[19:01–24:13]

• Nikki on deciding to make her vagina a main topic:
  • “I feel like women still need to be a lot more open about their sexuality, and it helps a lot of women and men understand women’s sexuality more.” (19:47)
  • Despite being labeled a “sex comic,” she’s proud to speak about personal insecurities: “If there’s still some girl who has not heard me talk...I want to reach that girl and let her know, like, she’s not alone.” (20:48)
• The shame is real, and she sometimes tucks explicit material toward the end of her set.
• Her parents' reaction: They have "never shamed me" but later admitted it was "really embarrassing for them" (22:41).
  • "I just told my parents, you can go to the bathroom for this part of my set." (23:41)

5. Insecurity, Self-Acceptance, and the Comic’s Engine

[24:13–28:45]

• The special’s arc is about overcoming insecurity, but Nikki admits: "I don't think it ever goes away...it's the engine that fuels me." (24:36)
• She prefers comedy that’s honest and raw: "The comedy I like most is when someone is sharing a part of their psyche that’s really shameful and that is, you know, really embarrassing." (28:11)

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Major Themes: Roasting, Fame, and the Business of Comedy

6. The Art and Mean Joy of Roasting

[32:08–36:05]

• Nikki loves roast comedy for its precise writing: "I love really tight jokes...It just to me has always been an expression of intelligence that I've respected." (32:35)
• Being "mean" on a roast is about honesty: "Honesty is mean...you can be so mean, but...I'm just telling you the truth." (33:54)
• She respects certain boundaries (no kids, no vulnerable family members), but enjoys pushing up to the line.
• Some of her best jokes are left out only because they’ll disrupt the room or are too harsh for TV. (35:25)

7. Handling Political Comedy in Polarized Times

[35:55–42:48]

• In her Golden Globes monologue, Nikki included Epstein jokes (“A listers on a list that’s been heavily redacted”—36:29) but avoids naming certain politicians:
  • "I just don't want to say [Trump’s] name… I don't want those words to come out of my lips.” (40:32)
• She explains not wanting to alienate fans or be “the angry woman" on stage; instead, she tries to make everyone comfortable—even if privately, she’s "so mad about it." (41:10)

8. Challenges of Podcasts & Social Media

[45:14–51:38]

• Podcasts have democratized comedy but lowered the bar for polish:
  • “People are just expecting...to be funny on command. I think that it's lowered the bar... people are entertained by less.” (45:30)
• Nikki stopped her own podcast because of the constant pressure to look good, the lack of effort, and the risk of offhand comments going viral:
  • “I was just feeling, like, this burden every day...some days I would just look tired, and then that's out there forever.” (46:36)
• Viral headlines often result from minor comments she barely remembers:
  • “I was talking like I would a best friend...and then it was just everyone I knew had seen it that day...so humiliating.” (51:10)
• Despite nervousness, she feels podcasts are now “so important”—they move more tickets than The Tonight Show.

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The Business & Reality of Hollywood

9. Industry Upheaval, AI, and Survival as a Comic

[52:31–58:40]

• Nikki admits she tunes out the details of Hollywood’s “shakeup”—“I feel too ignorant,” she confesses, but is aware of economic precarity for industry workers (53:07).
• She’s intensely cautious with money, worried about the live entertainment bubble bursting.
• On private jets: "If you crash in a private plane, no one feels sorry for you... it's my biggest fear." (55:12)
• On AI: sometimes inspires jokes, but the ease of fakes "ruined wonder" and trust—she no longer believes viral animal videos. (56:26–58:40)

10. Success "Later," Next Steps, and Coping with the Fear of Losing It

[58:41–64:08]

• Nikki reflects on achieving fame and success in her 40s and the earlier feeling that it was “unreachable”:
  • "I really accepted...I'm a touring comic. I headline clubs. This is, like, a good life. This is successful." (59:36)
• Achieving fame brought new anxieties: “Now it just can be taken away. Whereas before I was the underdog.” (62:59)
• Her new focus is on creative autonomy and hoarding enough money for a post-apocalyptic bunker—a running dark joke about prepping for disaster (63:46).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On editing specials:
  • "Editing a special is the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever done in my life." (06:26, Nikki)
• On appearance standards for women vs. men in comedy:
  • “If you look fuckable, your life is great.” (10:11, Nikki)
• On sexual material:
  • “I don't want other female comics to have to suffer what I've created for them, which is more evidence that all we talk about is our vaginas...but I think there's so many different ones.” (21:26, Nikki)
• On insecurity as engine:
  • “I am secure in my insecurities.” (24:36, Nikki)
• On roasting:
  • “It’s protected by this—guy signed up for this. So now I have to find loopholes to hurt this person in ways they don’t even know.” (35:12, Nikki)
• Judd Apatow's question:
  • "Is it possible to be funny during World War 3?" (38:54, Judd Apatow)
  • Nikki: "I think we just have fatigue with all of it, and people need it...It's almost nostalgic to worry about the dumb stuff." (39:29)
• On comedy and podcasts:
  • “Now, I need full glam for when I'm gonna be on camera… I was just feeling like this burden every day.” (46:36, Nikki)
• On fame and success:
  • “Now that a lot of people know I have it [success], a lot of people can know I lose it. And it will go away at some point... So I'm just trying to prolong it. For what? I don't know.” (63:02, Nikki)
• How she wants to die:
  • “I guess everyone just says in their sleep, but I also was thinking a bridge falling on me...I want it to be as quick as possible, and I would like to just—they don’t even have to cremate me, I’m already dust.” (67:10, Nikki)

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• [04:02] — Nikki’s anxiety about "Good Girl," standup as "like sex"
• [10:11] — Appearance standards, “fuckable” line
• [14:44] — Living in St. Louis, Midwest culture-vs-coastal hustle
• [19:01] — “Vagina” material, breaking sexual taboos
• [24:36] — Insecurities as motive power
• [32:35] — The art and psychology of "roast" comedy
• [35:55] — Politics and the "redacted list"/Epstein joke
• [45:14] — Nikki on the business/pitfalls of podcasting for comics
• [53:07] — Reflections on industry tumult, touring as security
• [56:26] — AI and authenticity, creating content
• [59:36] — Reflections on achieving fame in her 40s

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Final Thoughts

This episode delivers a revealing portrait of Nikki Glaser’s philosophy, anxieties, and humor—offering honest dialogue on the pressures of being a woman in comedy, the temptations and costs of fame, the necessity of creative risk, and the daily challenge of self-acceptance. Nikki’s trademark self-deprecation and willingness to “go there” make for a sharp, memorable, and empowering listen.

[End of Summary]

Transcript

[Nikki Glaser]

If you crash in a private plane, no one feels sorry for you. I think it's like we're. That's my biggest fear now is like,

[Kara Swisher]

if you're going to Southwest.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah. If I'm on Southwest, people be like, oh, my God, what a woman of the people. What a hero. Died so young people hate people flying up, David.

[Kara Swisher]

They do.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah. And this elitist bitch, she deserved it. It's on.

[Kara Swisher]

Hi, everyone from New York magazine and the Vox Media podcast with Kara Swisher. And I'm Kara Swisher. My guest today is comedian Nikki Glaser. She's really having a moment right now. She hosts the Golden Globes this year and last year and she's set to do it again in 2027. She was just named one of Time magazine's most influential people of the year. And she's also about to drop a brand new comedy special on Hulu on Friday. It's called Good girl. And in it, Nikki jokes about aging, fame and her sexuality. It's personal, raw, and self deprecating, which is really Nikki's sweet spot. I really enjoy Nikki Glaser. I think she's incredibly refreshing. I think it's interesting what she talks about, especially going there about her sexuality. And I know there's sort of a take that women talk too much about their sexuality. I think she does it in a really smart way and obviously she's engendered a lot of fans because she is indeed having a moment and it's in her 40s and it's well deserved after a long career. So let's get to my interview with Nikki. Our expert question comes from director and producer Judd Apatow. N Nikki is working on a film with him and she also used to babysit his kids. This is gonna be a really fun one because Nikki is a lot of fun and very thoughtful too. So stick around.

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it is on.

[Kara Swisher]

Nikki, thanks for coming on on.

[Nikki Glaser]

Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor.

[Kara Swisher]

So let's start with Good girl. I'm a huge fan, obviously many people are, but this is this new special which comes out this week. It's your fifth one but you've expressed a lot of fear and anxiety about its release and you said you don't even want anyone to watch it. Yeah.

[Nikki Glaser]

How come? I don't know. I just, I kind of had this revelation when I was editing it that now that it's like coming out, I guess the editing process is a whole other kind of torturous, you know, self examination. But now that it's coming out and people are starting to see it and I was hearing from my publicists, you know, like we've sent out early copies of it so people are watching it like today it was just, yeah, this sense of doom that people are going to see a side of myself that maybe is a little bit more darker than I, I guess my image is now that I've in the past coup, you know, two or three years have had a more mainstream image and there's maybe something in me that wants to Protect that and to keep that kind of popularity coming in, because it's, you know, made my life a lot easier. And I've used this analogy before, but I'll use it again. Cause it's just so apt for it is that I just feel like stand up for me is like sex. Like, I enjoy it. It's something I like to do. It, like, lets me behave in ways that I would not normally behave, say things and do things that I am otherwise ashamed of doing. And then when I started doing standup, you know, it was just like open mic nights and just clubs where there was no worry of it being recorded or anyone being able to even, you know, review it. I mean, I never put out clips online or anything. And so it was like. Even if people came up to me after the show and quoted me back to myself, I could almost deny what I'd said because there was no proof of it. So it was like this safe space. So it. To me, when I think about my standup, it's like hearing people kind of talk about, you know, if someone after sex were to be like, oh, that thing you said, or that one time you did that thing, you're just like, no, no, no, no, no. I.

[Kara Swisher]

No, we shall not speak of this.

[Nikki Glaser]

I don't want to hear about it. It's just so. It's embarrassing to me. So when people see my special, I kind of change the subject really quickly. I just want. Kind of. Even now, I'm like, let's move on to something.

[Kara Swisher]

I'm so sorry. This entire podcast is about your.

[Nikki Glaser]

No, no, no. It's. I have to promote it.

[Kara Swisher]

We can talk, Seth, if you'd like.

[Nikki Glaser]

Oh, no, thank you.

[Kara Swisher]

Who just quoted.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, who just quoted Pulp Fiction?

[Kara Swisher]

What a moron.

[Nikki Glaser]

As a bible quote. Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

You can't write this down.

[Nikki Glaser]

I know. You really can't.

[Kara Swisher]

So do you get like this with all your specials?

[Nikki Glaser]

I do. I think I just started to explore that feeling because I'm like this with everything I put out. Not everything, because there's some things that I don't have a problem watching if I'm acting or if I'm singing or like, any kind of. But when I'm being myself, I have a hard time watching it. I think, like, editing a special is the most uncomfortable thing I've ever done in my life. And honestly, in the past, I've had to delay the releases of specials because I just couldn't watch it, and I couldn't. I couldn't edit it. And I. And I'm not Someone who pushes deadlines. But that's the only time in my life that I've had to because it's just so incredibly painful.

[Kara Swisher]

But you want to edit, right?

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah. You do. Because sometimes you outsource and you go, oh, I'll trust my friends to look at it and give me their notes on it. And then in the end, the self consciousness that makes me not wanna watch myself is the same kind of self consciousness that makes me as the only one who can edit it.

[Kara Swisher]

Cause it's you.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, it's me. Yes, yes.

[Kara Swisher]

I mean, I just did that with a special editor for Santa and I like very much was like, it's me. Don't tell me what I am. So how do you overcome that? Do you not.

[Nikki Glaser]

You know, the one time I struggled with it, I was reading the Tools by Schultz. I'm thinking his name is. I forget his name. But he's kind of controversial now. But there was one quote in it. It was like, fear sets me free. And I was just repeating that to myself over and over of like, I just have to be uncomfortable. I just. I mean, honestly, the only reason I do it is because I have a team of people that are asking me to do it. Otherwise I probably would never release a special ever. Or if it just wasn't a part of my career, I would love to just have standup be this thing that is just live in the moment and there's no record of it.

[Kara Swisher]

Which is your favorite part? Right? So Phil Stutz. Phil Stutts is the author.

[Nikki Glaser]

Phil Stutts, Yeah. Phil Stutts. Sorry. Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

So you eat fear for breakfast? Is that the message?

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, that's the thing of like, I love fear. I run into fear. Picture fear as like a wall that you have to run into. And so I was. I kind of go into that of like, I know that my self esteem is built upon doing things that are hard and conquering them. So I know that on the other side of doing this horribly uncomfortable thing is me feeling better about myself.

[Kara Swisher]

Got it.

[Nikki Glaser]

And it does always, you know, wind up that way. The thing that I fear most of, you know, regretting some decision I made. I mean, there's so many regrets I make in the edit where I look back and I think, oh, my God, why didn't I just say this extra line? Or why didn't I describe this part differently? Or why didn't I make a funnier face at this moment? And I just have to think, okay, you know, I've worked a lot on that of listening to A lot of Sam Harris meditations and podcasts about regret and how there's no point in it, first of all. And also there's something that me not doing that funny face or me not making that extra tag that really only fits that joke, I can't really use that again. There will be some use for it someday. You know, even in talking about it right now, this is a use for me. Regretting something is talking about regret year with you.

[Kara Swisher]

You can also. Editing is a constant process. Like, I know Mike Birbiglia does things over and over and changes them on the course of his journey, essentially.

[Nikki Glaser]

Well, that's my problem, is that I should be watching and listening to myself through the course of putting together a special. And I don' I just go off of memory. And if I were to even watch my set one time before and review it like everyone tells me to, I could be so much better. So I think there's always just that fear of realizing my potential. It's not about what I or you

[Kara Swisher]

don't wanna look at yourself. Yeah. Because one of the main topics in the special is your appearance and the pressure to maintain it, which is interesting. There's a line where you say when you look fuckable, your life is great. And a lot of your jokes center on how you embrace that harsh truth because it helped you professionally talk a little bit about that.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, I, I actually just was rereading Tina Fey's Bossy Pants and she had a great part in that that really synthesized everything I wanna say about that is that one of the things she learned from Lorne Michaels is that don't feel bad about asking for a makeup touch up or perfecting your lighting or making sure that a scene that you're, you know, putting together on SNL is dressed well and, and, and detailed and pretty. Because if people are drawn to it optically, they're going to hear you more. So I think in the end, it's just about really wanting to be heard and feeling like when you are pretty, both men and women are drawn to watch you and then therefore listen to what you have to say.

[Kara Swisher]

Hmm, interesting. Does it bother you at all? Yes, it was really interesting. Cause I was watching when you were talking about it, I was like, she thinks she looks bad. You know what I mean? You know, it was interesting.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah.

[Kara Swisher]

I mean, the obvious question is, male comedians don't face that same kind of. In fact, many of them do not look good in any way whatsoever.

[Nikki Glaser]

No, they don't. And they lean into that. And I'm Very envious of being able to not have to care about that stuff because it is so time consuming. And I feel like I would get a lot more done and I would just be more rested and just a more well balanced person if I didn't spend so much time on all the upkeep to look a certain way. But then there's a part of me that also feels bad that they don't get a chance to really level up and that they kind of don't have as many options to draw the eye as women do. So, you know, we're getting into manosphere talk here of like woman just, you know. But there is a part of that that I, I do have some compassion for with men where like they, if they have a zit, they just have to have a zit.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, they could look smacks, you know, it's a thing.

[Nikki Glaser]

Well, now, yes, they could break their bones with a, a hammer and see how that works out for them.

[Kara Swisher]

That guy's not doing very well today.

[Nikki Glaser]

No, he's not. No, he's not. But yeah, it's, it's something that I, I struggle with. I'm both grateful for it, but I also resent it deeply and I'm also terrified of it. It eventually kind of falling away from me.

[Kara Swisher]

So you made it material. No, you were talking about facelifts. That was very funny. People come before you with their bad facelifts, presumably. Yeah, yeah. Now men are in the bad facelift period of time. I've noticed.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, they're getting them now too. And I get why. I mean, it's really, there's really good work out there now that can be done really subtly. You kind of, you can't, you don't notice it as much anymore. And that's the other thing is like, the more success I've had and the more money I have, the more options I have to look hotter. And it kind of feels like if you aren't doing everything you can and reaching again, your potential in that realm, you're failing in some way. And there's almost like a wistfulness for when I used to not be able to afford Botox. And I could say, okay, well, I look like shit because I can't afford to look hot. And now that I can afford to look hot, it just feels like, God, why am I not doing this thing? And oh my gosh, they came up with the peptides and I should be doing that laser. And then there's another. And then you do that laser and then two months later you Go in and they go, oh no, that laser removes the fat on your face. You need the fat on your face. So there's the peptides and the peptides. I mean, I just listened to you talk to that guy about him and I'm so glad to hear that. Maybe I shouldn't be doing those because I was for a second and then I fell off because I didn't feel any difference.

[Kara Swisher]

That's correct. I won't go into it, but men are more into it than everything. I'm getting yelled at by a series of gay men right now and I'm like, I don't really care what you say. I mean, sure, use it, knock yourself out. But one of the things, it is that vicious. Like. Although I was just thinking as you were talking, I was like, I can't think of a male comic who's actually hot. I mean, I can think of a lot of actors. Yeah. Who.

[Nikki Glaser]

I mean there's some good looking ones. I mean, I don't want to name names because I don't want to give them any credit because I'm not such a fan of their material. But there are some that are attractive but it distracting and I think that it hurts them in the end.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, interesting. I think it's a very low bar for men, I have to say.

[Nikki Glaser]

It is a low bar. I mean it couldn't be true or that just like men just age, we just accept their aging a lot more and we trust them more as they age and we think they sound smarter and have more to say and we let them pause longer and take longer to tell stories and we hang on their every word. Whereas I just don't feel, I'm just fearing that when I start to like show the signs of aging that people will. Won't care anymore. And there's, there's proof behind that.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, it's true. But this special was recorded in St. Louis, which is where you grew up and where you live now, correct?

[Nikki Glaser]

Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

And the Midwest is a very different place than New York. LA. Now St. Louis is a pretty hip place actually for people who don't know that, but it's a pretty cool city. And you joke about how people don't care as much as what they look like and actually insult the audience. So talk about living there. I mean, I didn't realize you lived there.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, I moved back. I was in New York and LA pretty much after college, just pursuing this career. And then I found myself in New York during COVID and I just was like, I'll just move Back home with my parents because this is scary and work has dried up. So I just moved back into my childhood bedroom in pretty much March of 2020. And then I hung out there for 10 months, living with my parents, who are like, you know, my favorite people. And we just had a great time. And then as soon as they kind of were like, it's time for you to move back out, I just didn't. I just. I just didn't feel the need to go back. I think I was actually very lucky because I was at a point in my career where I didn't really need to be on the coast to be seen and to be thought of for projects. People were already kind of aware of me. So I kind of reasoned, you know, if people, if someone wants me to do something in LA and they don't have a week's notice to give me and, you know, $400 for a Southwest flight, then it's probably not a project I'd even want to do anyway. So I feel like I can just be in St. Louis and also I just feel like I. I know that I'm, you know, addicted to work and I can really hurt myself with it. And I guess kind of felt like I'm gonna keep work on the coast so that if I really want it, I go to it. And it's not just something that is just always outside my door and making me feel like I'm not doing enough. You know, if I'm living in New York, there's always a set I can go do that night. There's always a podcast that I can jump on that day. And here in St. Louis, there's just not. I don't feel those pressures, so I can kind of just relax.

[Kara Swisher]

What is it like living there?

[Nikki Glaser]

I sleep late, I play with my dogs, I take a Pilates class, I go visit my parents and hang out with them. I have like a visit my sister and her kids. Like, I kind of just do, honestly nothing. I do a lot of sleeping. Cause usually when I'm here, I'm just catching up from just, you know, non stop tour. Go, go, go. Yeah, yeah.

[Kara Swisher]

What is the mood there? I mean, St. Louis is more liberal, obviously. And I have friends who live in Kansas City. Same thing. But what's the mentality difference? Do you feel that or not?

[Nikki Glaser]

Well, I just. Just in terms of show businesses, the thing that I pay most attention to is that people are not as driven. Not show business in general. I just don't feel like people are as driven here for good or bad. I think for me, it's good because I just don't feel as in competition with others. I think here it's about what your yard looks like and how your home is decorated and what school your kids go to. And those are not metrics by which I measure myself at all. So I feel a lot more free here to not judge myself and not compare myself. And also, I just. People. People just don't care about celebrity here. It doesn't feel gossipy. It doesn't feel like I'm being watched or that, you know. And I've told this story before, but it's just so funny to me that, you know, the week before I hosted snl, like, sitting in the hair chair, getting my hair done, and she's like, do you have any fun plans coming up? And I go, oh, I'm hosting SNL next week. And she goes, fun. And then just like, keeps going. And I'm like, if it was just, you know, I was ready for her to go, what? You're. Cause it hadn't been enough, you know, and there's just. They just don't seem to be as awestruck by those things. And much to my parents chagrin. I mean, my parents are so disappointed.

[Kara Swisher]

They want to dine out on it.

[Nikki Glaser]

Oh, they. They want everyone losing their minds because they lose their minds. But I just tell them, like, people just don't care about that stuff as much here. And I'm. It tickles me, actually.

[Kara Swisher]

That's funny. Fun. That's really good.

[Nikki Glaser]

Like. Like, I have a, you know, a college friend's wedding coming up. Right. You know, like.

[Kara Swisher]

Right.

[Nikki Glaser]

And I go, did you hear? I'm hosting. I'm not watching it. I'm not hosting a party. It's just. No. Oh, fun. So I appreciate that. Like, it's just not, you know, it's important, but okay. It humbles you.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I get it. I get it now. Shifting, total shift. Another major theme in the special is your vagina. You spent about 15 minutes talking about it. The anxiety you felt when you were younger about how it looked even in 2026. A lot of people are uncomfortable with a woman talking frankly about her sexuality. Why did you choose to make it such a big part of your special? I enjoyed it myself, you know.

[Nikki Glaser]

Well, the main reason is that the jokes just killed on the road. I mean, there was. There's just a thing you feel on stage where you start doing kind of the dirtier comedy that I. I've been, like, known for, where you just feel a pop from the crowd where they just get energized. It's at the end of the show, they've been sit. And they somehow summon all this energy to laugh so much harder at those jokes. So.

[Kara Swisher]

And you're like, now the vagina comes out, right?

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, it was just like, I, you know, there's a part of me that felt it was hack or, you know, so many women get. Female comics get told, oh, you talk about your vagina and sex, and it's like, so easy. And I never want to feel like I'm doing the easy hack thing, but I can't deny that it was killing. And I also thought, you know, I. If I let that kind of rhetoric determine what I talk about on stage, I'm just going to be placating into the. Again, like the male comedians that I've started in my career trying to impress. And I just. I just don't want to do that. And I also just feel that it's. It's still important. I feel like women still need to be really, a lot more open about their sexuality, and it helps a lot of women and men understand women's sexuality more. So I just felt, you know, if there was still some girl who has not heard me in the course of my career talk about my insecurities about my vagina, I want to reach that girl and let her know, like, she's not alone in the way she feels about hers. And the anxiety you have when presenting it to someone new, right, because men

[Kara Swisher]

never talk about their penises. Male communist.

[Nikki Glaser]

Exactly. I know there's not enough. It's really. I'm excited for them to tackle that at some point, but. Yeah, it just. But there is a part of me that is ashamed of it and that maybe I put it at the end of my special, hoping that maybe some people wouldn't get to it so I wouldn't be judged for it because it's, you know, it's something that I.

[Kara Swisher]

No, it works.

[Nikki Glaser]

I am. I'm embarrassed of doing. You know, I get called a sex comic all the time, and I get kind of. There's been opportunities I've lost out on, I would say earlier on in my career that were more mainstream on network tv.

[Kara Swisher]

Like talking about your washing machine.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, that's. That people thought, oh, she's too dirty, so she can't go on this show because she's just gonna talk about her vagina. And they didn't realize that I know when and when not to do that. So I, you know, and I also just don't want other female comics to have to suffer what I have created for them, which is like more evidence that all we talk about is our vaginas. But I think there's so many different ones. They all look different. So I feel like there's a lot of different angles to cover. I haven't.

[Kara Swisher]

I felt it was perfectly fine to talk about vagina. I was like, thank you, Cara. And by the way, men do talk. I have a 4 year old who does not stop talking about his penis and he's not even a comic yet. Oh, yeah.

[Nikki Glaser]

I mean, it is fascinating and it's not. I always wanted to see it.

[Kara Swisher]

I'm three boys in. I'm three. I only have one daughter.

[Nikki Glaser]

You've heard it. All I've heard all about is what we're not supposed to talk about. And I think that's maybe one of the reasons I am talking about it is because I didn't have a chance growing up to ever make jokes about it. You can't touch it. If you even itch it in front of your parents and you're just like playing with it, what are you doing? You know, there was a shame around it. So I think I'm always just drawn to the things that as a kid or teenager, I just felt like I couldn't talk about.

[Kara Swisher]

So speaking of your parents, your dad was sitting in the front row of this. He's listened to that before, presumably, right?

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, I think I. I think he had heard it before. He'd come to see me on the road before. Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. He handled it well. Yeah.

[Nikki Glaser]

You know, they have been through the whole thing with me. I started out, you know, 20 something years ago, really putting them on blast and talking about really disgusting stuff, like kind of. I was just, I was a late bloomer, so I was just kind of exploring my sexuality and really bringing it all on stage. And so my parents were always in the crowd supporting me and kind of just stayed quiet about it. They'd never shamed me about it or said, maybe don't do that or oh, this is so embarrassing. But I came to find out later on that it was really embarrassing for them and really uncomfortable. And I just, I never even considered their perspective on it. I think that if I would have, it would have. It would have hindered my creativity in some way to consider how they felt and to have empathy for them in those moments. And I did have a moment, I would say, 15 years in, where my dad was in the crowd and I was describing giving oral sex or something. And I just saw his shining bald head in the background and I had to stop. And I was like, I cannot believe I'm doing this, Dad. I am. So it just dawned on me how uncomfortable that would be for him. It wasn't even about how I felt. I really, I don't have embarrassment around it for some reason, but I saw it from his perspective because I guess I could see my reflection in his head. And I was like, I am so sorry. And it was this awakening on stage that happened in real time. And after that, I was a little bit more, you know, like, I just told my parents, like, you can go to the bathroom for this part of my set. If they would come to my show now, this one in particular, I was like, I think they can kind of handle everything that I'm talking about, but they're just so proud, they don't care.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. Your dad was asked about advice to others whose kids get into comedy, said, get some stick. Sk.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

Which I think is the right answer for a parent. That said, your special ends on a kind of full circle note. You talk about rejecting insecurity and feeling confident in face of imperfection. Talk about that. Because that's where you get to accepting yourself. And at the same time, it doesn't go away.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, I don't think it ever goes away. I feel like I am always striving for, I guess, perfection. Acceptance of myself is more. The thing that I'm trying to strive for now is acceptance. And I like that it's an ongoing battle. I think it is what fuels me to keep going and to even pursue this career. Because it's an empty pursuit. And if I wasn't trying to achieve the world thinking something of me and how they perceive me, I really wouldn't continue going. There's no point in doing it. I mean, the money is nice, so that is, you know, something that I, I like about it. But the attention, I mean, that comes from a really sad place of, of wanting. Expecting a crowd of people to sit for an hour and listen to me talk into a microphone. I'm not singing. There's no dancing, there's no lights, there's no video show. Like, I mean, it's really expecting a lot of a crowd. I, I, I, I'm, I'm honestly shocked that people go to comedy shows and have the attention span for it now. I'm always really impressed by people. I mean, I do as well, but I just, I'm always really proud of myself afterwards. Like, I just watch someone monologize it Just feels like something that we shouldn't have the attention span for anymore. But I feel like I hope it never goes away. I kind of like my insecurities and I'm secure in my insecurities is what I feel. I am. I really am. Like, I feel like I had a friend once who was like, would never admit she had low self esteem. And she would always say to me, I can't believe how you could admit that you have low self esteem. That's just something I could, I probably do have. She couldn't even say that. She even. She was like, I might have it, but I would never ever say that to anyone and say it out loud and especially to everyone. And I've just never felt shame about that. I really, I know that that's okay. And I just am. I'm always on a quest just to be as honest as possible. And I think that that is also. If I am as honest as possible and people still like me, then I guess I feel likable deep down because I think there's something about this business that feels so fake that when people like me because of, you know, the Golden Globes or a roast or a photo shoot I did, or, you know, whatever it is, I can't really let it in because I'm like, well, that's not really me. You know, that's. It is me. But it's months and months of work that was to make this one version of me that is so glowy and so unattainable for me. If I don't completely like you know, doing Golden Globes, I have to give up my entire life. It's not. It's like an Olympics. It's not something that I could keep doing forever. And so I don't really like the praise for that. But then there's the praise that comes where people go, well, then I'll praise you for how hard you work. And I'm like, well, I don't like that either because that means I'm not talented. That means, oh, you just work harder than everyone else. So I'm just never really satisfied. And I think I need that. It's the engine that fuels me.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's interesting because I think comics are very vulnerable and they're telling a story and to hold people's attention is very difficult. I don't know if you remember, there's a movie Tom Hanks and Sally Field did about comics that still stays with me to this day. I don't know why it wasn't a huge hit or anything else.

[Nikki Glaser]

Punchline. I think it was Punchline, yes. What stays with you about it?

[Kara Swisher]

The vulnerability of them and the insecurity and still walking out there. Cruelty a little bit towards each other. It was very unlike Tom Hanks too because he was a little bit cruel, right?

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kara Swisher]

And the desperation. I just. Every bit of and selling field does that desperation better than anybody.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yes. Well, that's the comedy I like most is that is when someone is sharing a part of their psyche that's really shameful and that is, you know, is really embarrassing. I don't really like comedy. That's just talking about the other day this happened or just observational comedy. Although I respect it and it's not something I can do. It just isn't my cup of tea. I really like when people are kind of humiliating themselves in a way that makes me like them more and feel closer to them and makes me like myself more.

[Kara Swisher]

We'll be back in a minute.

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[Kara Swisher]

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[Kara Swisher]

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[Kara Swisher]

let's talk a little bit more about your style of comedy and some of the major themes you like to explore. Now, obviously you noted this in the show. You gained a lot of fame from your par on Comedy Central roast. A lot of good ones. The Tom Brady one really sent you over the top. I think the jokes you made about him were brutal and he was sitting right there, which I thought was great. Can you just talk about roasting? Is that a different thing? Because you kind of said it offhand, like in an interesting way in the show.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, it feels like a different skill. I mean, for me, it's about joke writing. That's what drew me to roast most of all, is I love. I love really tight Jokes, I like one liners. I like just a real sharp turn of phrase. It feels like little math problems. It just to me has always been an expression of intelligence that I've respected and you know, the Mitch Hedbergs or the Steven Wrights or Wendy Liebmans, just these like, just being so concise. So I always like that about him.

[Kara Swisher]

Right.

[Nikki Glaser]

And also you don't need much of an attention span. You're just onto the next joke before you're bored. I really don't really enjoy storytelling comedians because I can't. I just don't care enough to walk through an entire story with them. And it's so. It's not very often that compelling the whole way through. And it feels too self important, all the pauses and just expecting the audience to follow you on this journey to the bank. I just don't care. But so I always loved like the sharpness of the joke writing. And it was just something that, yeah, I think that I first got started doing it just helping my friends write jokes. They were doing the roast and I would just submit jokes and see what I could get on and. And I got some on and it was just such a good feeling to write a joke that people were talking about. And then I think the other thing I like about it is that it's like you get to be so brutally honest. I mean. Yeah.

[Kara Swisher]

Mean. Yeah. You have to have the right amount of mean.

[Nikki Glaser]

And honesty is mean. You know, like just Taylor Swift lyric, you called me up again just to break me like a promise so casually cruel in the name of being honest. Like, you can be so mean, but. And just say, but I'm just telling you the truth. Do you not want the truth? And so it gives me permission to do that. That's why I like them. Is there. It's protected by this. It feels like the most protected space of free speech of like this guy signed up for this. They didn't give any parameters or they gave some and I'm abiding by them. And so now I have to find loopholes where I can hurt this person in ways they don't even know that they were gonna be. What's the parameter there? You know, there was just like stuff of like, hey, maybe don't, you know, in the past roasts that I've done, it's just like, don't go after their kids. Don't go after maybe a person in their life who's sick or old or, you know, like, it's. It's stuff like that that I. I always Respect. I don't mind anyone telling me, hey, don't joke about this. It's gonna hurt my feelings. Like, fair enough. That's never my goal, but it is my goal to find an angle that other people haven't explored. And when you get it, it's like that feeling of when you write a joke that no one else has thought of. And it's a new type of joke that none of the roasts have ever done, because a lot of it, it's just like, you know, plug and play. Like, you can really write a good set using a lot of the same tropes and tricks that have been done before. So that's a. It's a really fun nut to crack. And it's just. Yeah. And you're just allowed to be a psychopath for seven minutes. I mean, it's. It's insane the things that I've gotten away with saying.

[Kara Swisher]

Was there one joke you liked or wanted to put in?

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, there's. There's always times. Even with the Golden Globes, there's always times where it's like, oh, this is the best joke I've ever heard or written or, you know, one someone in my. My writing staff writes. And, you know, you just. You just can't do it because it's just gonna make the room feel too weird or it's just too harsh for that moment, especially like a Golden Globes, and you just have to let it go. And it's so painful. But you just think, okay, maybe I'll put that in my book someday when that person's dead or something like, it's.

[Kara Swisher]

Speaking of the golden. You don't touch on politics a lot, although you did include some jokes about Epstein files in your opening monologue, which I thought was interesting. Talk a little bit about that, how you made the decisions there.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah. I mean, I was so immersed in it at that time. Anyway, I have gotten away from it, like, I think we all have, unfortunately, recently.

[Kara Swisher]

But Melania brought it back.

[Nikki Glaser]

She really did. And we still don't know exactly what that was preempting, but it's. I'm waiting every day for that other shoe to drop. But, yeah, I was just so. I was reading so much about it. I was so mad about it. I mean, it's.

[Kara Swisher]

It's.

[Nikki Glaser]

It. If you like true crime, there's a lot going on in there, and there's a lot that the mainstream media can't even report on because it's too grotesque to even paraphrase. I mean, it's like, it was crazy, the stuff I was getting into. So I think it was on my mind a lot. And also, it's one of those things that no one can deny is wrong. Like, no, that to me, felt totally safe to go after because, you know, although there were people in that room that night were. That were definitely in the files, like, no one's going to say that's mean of me. It felt like, for lack of a better term, a safe space to go to for a monologue, but in the right way, because I think actually Epstein, 2019 till the drop Last Winter was kind of an easier joke to make and to reference because we didn't know the horrid details of it as much. And I think it was a little bit more risky, given that. But I forget the joh. Yeah, it was like, oh, a lot of a listers in the room tonight. And by A listers, I mean people who are definitely on a list that has been heavily redacted. So I felt like that was. That was safe enough because you're not getting into any of the details of it, and we're just. And I didn't say his name, and it's just. I said list. So there was a lot of things about that that I felt like, well,

[Kara Swisher]

list is now, Epstein.

[Nikki Glaser]

Just for exactly that word is.

[Kara Swisher]

That word is now. And your biggest hit was your CBS joke, though, I have to say, I think that one got the most attention. Were you surprised by that?

[Nikki Glaser]

No, I think I knew that. I was so happy that CBS did not cut that, because, you know, that was one that I was really worried that they were gonna see. And I would have understood if they were like, can you just not like, we're paying you a lot of money and we're putting a lot into this. Can you not throw us under the bus? But they liked it. And I think when I did it in rehearsals, a lot of the crew and cameramen were all laughing. And I think the powers that be saw that and just knew it was undeniably just gonna be a killer. And I think that they wanted, you know, they wanted that show to be killer. They wanted that headline. You know, they wanted the press that would maybe come from me doing that headline more than the bad press associated with it. And I. And I thought it was really. I was really happy that they let me do it.

[Kara Swisher]

It was a great joke. It was a great joke.

[Sponsor/Advertisement]

Thank you.

[Kara Swisher]

And I'm glad they let you do it. I hope they continue to let people do that. We'll see. So let's get to our expert question. Every episode we get an outside expert to ask one. Here's yours.

[Nikki Glaser]

Hi, Kara and Nikki.

[Kara Swisher]

It's your old friend Judd Apatow here in Savannah, Georgia, directing a movie during World War three. I have a question. Is it possible to be funny during World War 3?

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Also, is it possible to not gain weight?

[Nikki Glaser]

How can we be funny when the

[Kara Swisher]

world is so fucking weird? Weird when our government is stranger than every single character from Dr. Strangelove.

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Anyway, just wondering.

[Nikki Glaser]

Well, he's a great example of someone who is continuing to be funny and miss all this. And I think that. No, I mean, I've. I've really struggled with it because it's just made me so depressed that it's hard to be funny. And it's hard for me to even look at my own life and be funny about it or think that anything in my mundane life that I'm complaining about, like my lip filler, is interesting for anyone to hear about. But, you know, I think that. I think we just have fatigue with all of it and people needed. I do. I know that's often used a lot of. Like, we just need an escape, and it's just a reason people give to justify making bad art. But I think that it's true. I think people do want to think about anything else. And I think that I want to talk about anything else. And it's almost nostalgic to worry about the dumb stuff.

[Kara Swisher]

It was interesting because you had said to Howard Stern that you pulled some political jokes from your monologue, for example, like Trump and Ice. Was it fatigue or that you just was hard to strike the right tone, as you noted?

[Nikki Glaser]

I just don't want to say his name, to be honest with you. Like, I just don't want to give him airtime. There were lots of jokes that, you know, said I. And Trump and I just. And the ballroom, we had jokes about, you know, I just didn't wanna say his name. I just felt like I knew he would be watching, and I didn't wanna give him the satisfaction of having anything to respond to. And I just. And I don't want those words to come outta my lips. I mean, I can't even. I really don't listen to him. I don't watch him. I just read what he says. I sometimes watch it on mute, but I really. I can't stomach it. And so I just don't. And I don't talk about it on stage because I don't. When I'm doing my standup, I don't want to Know who in my crowd might be on that side, because I don't want to resent anyone in the crowd, because then I get angry and it starts to. And no one likes an angry woman, especially, but just in general, it just doesn't mix well. And I can just. When I get heckled or something, or something disarms me on stage and there's an angry side to me, I just lose the crowd instantly. It's like they don't trust me anymore. Like, the bus driver that is, like, driving the kids to school is suddenly, like, freaking out, and then. And everyone gets scared. And so I just. I try not to just. I try not to talk about it, because the times that I have, and I felt like the crowd go in a certain way, I just start, you know, aiming my jokes at only the side that I like, and I'm just. And. And these people made money, and I don't want to make them feel bad. And it's not their fault that they have the ideology that they have. I would, too, if I had their same brain and was. Grew up in the same family and the same place in America. Like, I try to. I try to remember that no one has free will and everyone that I would like him too, if I was that person. I try to remember that I feel lucky that I have the brain that I have that knows, you know, how ridiculous it all is.

[Kara Swisher]

Right? No, it also does bring down. I mean, some of the comedy can be very funny, but it's sort of gotten not funny. Like, you see a lot of the Daily Shows and stuff like that, and they do a nice job, I have to say.

[Nikki Glaser]

They're pretty funny. I like Kimmel's anger at it. You know, like, Kimmel is able to harness his anger and frustration with it in a way that I really find soothing to me. And also, you know, Jon Stewart's just consternation at it all, and frustration is a really funny device for it.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, it was great that he was the one being saved by Jesus Trump. That was.

[Nikki Glaser]

Was that him? Was that John Smith?

[Kara Swisher]

No, it wasn't, but he looked. It looks like him. And then in the back, I just a few days ago interviewed Jose Andres, who's doing World Central Kitchen, and the guy in the back looks like him with a hat. And he said he's gotten 7,000 texts from people because it looks like him.

[Nikki Glaser]

What an honor.

[Kara Swisher]

And he's like, what was I doing there? I don't understand. I was in Gaza feeding people, and then I was in this picture. And it does Go look at it. You're like, whoa, what is happening?

[Nikki Glaser]

I really haven't taken that image in outside of his doctor. His medical garb.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. And then there's a character from a sci fi. The whole thing is whoever does this, I kind of want to meet.

[Nikki Glaser]

They don't even like fact check. They don't even watch it or review anything they put up.

[Kara Swisher]

I just kind of want to be in the room as they make it. Like, what are you thinking?

[Nikki Glaser]

Someday we're going to find out.

[Kara Swisher]

A teenage boy, some really fucked up teenage boy I know mostly wants to hear about your vagina. We'll be back in a minute.

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[Nikki Glaser]

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[Kara Swisher]

Let's end talking about business of comedy and Hollywood generally. Obviously podcasts become a huge part of comedy right now. You had one for a few years but ended last year. Talk about, is it shaping comedy, these podcasts? Cause a whole lot of comics are doing them now, like a lot.

[Nikki Glaser]

Well, it's getting people to go see comedians because they find out about them through podcasts. So I think it's helping in that way. But I think that it's made the bar a bit lower for comedy because you, you know, stand up comedy takes work and it takes effort in rewriting and punching up and reviewing and, and trying your material over and over again. And that has kind of become a lost art because there's just this expectation now that you should just have fresh stuff all the time and just be able to be funny on command. And. And I think that it's lowered the bar in the sense that, yeah, people are just. Just expecting. They expect less, I guess, and so they're entertained by. By less. But I think I. I hear a lot. I mean, when I'm looking on Reddit and reading about people going to see standup shows of their favorite podcasters, that they're. They're often very disappointed because it's not what they expected it to be because it's. It's not the right place for the level of professionalism for a podcast. I mean, it's. Yeah, it's. It. It needs to be more polished. So, you know, obviously.

[Kara Swisher]

Why did you stop doing it now? We went on tour and did really well. Cause it was the show. We just did the show.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yes, well, yours is polished. You have notes, you've done your research. You're not just, you know, there's. You have a system in place and you work hard on it. There's a difference between, you know, there's a lot of different ways to podcast and there's. And I enjoy the ones that are just shooting the shit. There's times and the time and a place for that. But I stopped podcasting because I wasn't giving it that effort. I just was sitting down and just shooting from the hip and saying things that I didn't even really hadn't really thought through and couldn't really back up. And I was just feeling like I was getting to a place where my words were being taken more seriously and being paid more attention to by, like, Page Six. And I was getting things poll quoted that I didn't even remember saying. And it was becoming kind of embarrassing. And it was also, like, you need to have a video podcast now. So it was about doing hair and makeup every day so you could look presentable enough for this to live online forever. And, you know, when you level up at. In show business, like, now, I need full glam for when I'm gonna be on camera. I mean, I didn't get it today or, you know, like, I. There's. There's a time and a place. But, like, you know, I just was feeling, like, this burden every day of, like, I have to look a certain way, and some days I would just look tired, and then that's out there forever, and then people are pulling. It just was. It was just too much pressure.

[Kara Swisher]

You didn't like it. I love It. Every time I do it, I love it. You have to love it.

[Nikki Glaser]

I did love it. And there's parts of it that I miss. I miss having that connection with people who feel like they know you and, and you talk to them every day. Yeah. I mean, I have it too with celebrities, so I really liked providing that for people because I felt like, yeah, if you listen to my podcast and you think you'd be friends with me, you're probably right. I'm really myself on this thing. But I just felt like it was for people who were paying attention, that wanted something, that weren't just looking to listen to something on their drive to work and were actually trying to pay attention to what I say and, and, and, and glean something from it. I think I was falling short and I, I really like to make to. I was just. As I get older, I just want to put out things out that I'm proud of and I wasn't proud of it. And so I'll go back to it when I can work on it.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. Do you feel like you have to be on them? I mean, to say how important have podcasts become to comedy as a business?

[Nikki Glaser]

Yes. Yes. So important. I mean, it's, it's just a way. Yeah. It's like doing the Tonight show was. Was the biggest deal ever to me, even when I did it after the boom. And like, you know, first time I was On Tonight Show 2009, the hugest deal in comedy and was so until probably five years ago getting. And it's still a big deal to get a late night set. But nobody sees it. Nobody really. It doesn't move ticket sales like a podcast does. So you still have to go on these podcasts. You have to weigh. And especially now that, you know, some of the most popular comedy podcasts are. Are on the wrong side of things. You have to, you know, there's a moral dilemma there of what am I gonna do? And so look at polar.

[Kara Swisher]

Polar. There's a lot. It's changing. I have to say. It's a real.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yes. There's a. There's a lot more now to do that are just, you know, are getting the same level of attention that are not as prob. That are not problematic, but it's heavy.

[Kara Swisher]

Right wing. Yeah. Scott and I are always in the top 10, but we're always surrounded by Candace Owen and Mark Levin.

[Nikki Glaser]

So we're like, yeah, that's. That's what it is.

[Kara Swisher]

Megan Kelly's always hanging at the top, like looking down at us with her angry Eyes.

[Nikki Glaser]

I mean, the thing is, I do feel like I still need to do them. I am nervous about them every time I do it. Like I did one last week, I did call her daddy. And you know, it was like a two hour conversation. It was so much fun talking about sex, open like, she's such a girls girl. And it was like, I just felt like we were like best friends by the end of it. And I maintain that we are like, I really feel friendship and. But. But I was talking like I would a best friend and I was feeling like, oh, you know, I. I wasn't even thinking about censoring myself in any way. Knowing that this podcast gets, you know, makes headlines. And then, you know, a week later I wake up to just headlines about Nikki Glaser says that she likes for her boyfriend to sleep with other women. And it was like five different headlines showing up in my feed. And I don't even follow myself. I don't look for news about myself. I like avoided at all costs. And it was just really embarrassing because I was like, that was just one little thing I talked about. Like, oh, I'm kind of turned on by this idea of it. And then it was just everyone I knew had seen it that day. I went in to do some voiceover work and even the people in the zoom and the voiceover were like, wow, a lot of headlines about you today. And I'm like, that is so humiliating that they know this.

[Kara Swisher]

Go to the hair lady. Go to the hair lady. Fuck.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, exactly. Oh, fun. No, that's the one she would know about and care about. Oh, no. And so that's the other thing that's like, I just get like nervous now because I. In these spaces, I do feel like a connection with the hosts and I do feel comfortable. And I feel like, oh, no one's really going to listen to this too hard. And then I just have to pay more attention now to the, the, the stuff I say. But then, you know, it just goes away in a day and no one cares. It's like, it's fine.

[Kara Swisher]

Exactly. I never pay attention. I've gotten. Apparently I've gotten to 17 beefs with Megan Kelly. She always talks about her show and I ignore it completely. Except one time I wrote because there was so much of it. I wrote back, I go, it's never gonna happen between us, Meghan. And that ended it. That ended it. It's just, I. Please stop. It's getting sort of like the Taylor Swift song about what's her name? Charli xcx.

[Nikki Glaser]

Oh, yes. Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

That was a great song. I love that song.

[Nikki Glaser]

It's so fun, so petty. It's delicious. It's so much fun. But I just. I mean, did you. Do you find. You probably find out about most of these headlines because you have friends texting you or.

[Kara Swisher]

No, I don't care. I don't pay attention.

[Nikki Glaser]

I don't pay attention to it. It's just like I find out from people who write to me.

[Kara Swisher]

I don't even pay attention to my friends text me about it.

[Nikki Glaser]

That's so good. I gotta start blocking them. I have four kids.

[Kara Swisher]

I don't got time for this.

[Nikki Glaser]

I gotta get kids. That's maybe my problem.

[Kara Swisher]

You can borrow mine if you like. I've got a lot, and they're all different ages, so. A couple more questions. Hollywood's in the middle of a huge shakeup. Talking the bigger business. Obviously, podcasts are part of it, but tens of thousands of jobs have been lost. Is still reeling from COVID and labor strikes and production moving abroad. Marvel's just moving to England. There are things there's a lot of fear over, obviously. Paramount's prose takeover, Warner Brothers. I've never been so inundated with celebrities who wanna come on and talk about this Paramount deal and really big ones, which is really interesting. Do you think about it at all? Because you have your. As you said your standup career could go on. Right. As long as you have great material.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah. To be honest, Cara, I, like, don't look at it at all. And I know I should. And I feel really embarrassed that I don't pay attention to it that much and that when my friends get in conversations about it, I just kind of. Of slowly back out of the room because I don't really under. I feel. I feel too ignorant to kind of understand that kind of talk. It just like my brain shuts off and I don't. It's like when people try to explain football to me, like I don't understand mergers and monopoly. Like, I just don't. I'm just not that kind of intelligent. And I just know where I. What I should know. And I try to unders. There are times where I go, please explain it to me and I'll get it all, and then it falls out of my head right away. I mean, I do. I feel for everyone going through it. And I just worked on a movie that filmed in Los Angeles and I could just sense the gratitude of everyone on that crew and how.

[Kara Swisher]

Because that's dropped rather considerably.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah. Yes. These people. It was like, maybe, you know, one of one job they get a year. And, you know, I've worked with makeup artists for years who were able to make a living, and now they're thinking of moving to Las Vegas or Atlanta. I mean, everyone in that town is suffering. So I feel so much for everyone. And. And I will say that, like, I do. That's why I. I really don't spend my money. I'm always worried that the. The. It's gonna drop out from underneath me at any point. And that's why I, you know, I'm going on tour again right on the heels of putting out a special. And I have to go to New York this summer and write a whole new hour in three months, which I'm gonna get done, and I'm excited to do, but it is like, I'm going on tour again in August, which is insane because I just got off tour, but I. I'm worried that. That people aren't going to have the money to go see people on tour and that someday, you know, the live entertainment is going to take that same hit. So I'm trying to capitalize on it as much as possible and enjoy that. The luck that I've had in this business. But, yeah, I also just really am very cautious and save my money. And I don't. I don't live at, you know, like, I see a lot of people living. Like, I don't, you know, I don't

[Kara Swisher]

spend no private planes. You're not getting on?

[Nikki Glaser]

No. I mean, for. Also for fear of, like, if you. Because I'm, you know, if you crash in a private plane, no one feels sorry for you. I think it's like, we're. That's my biggest fear now. Whenever I am in one. Yeah. Plus people be like, oh, my God, what a woman. Of the people. What a hero. Died so young. They would be my. But, you know, like, it's. But if I.

[Kara Swisher]

There's a whole genre of death comedy that you could do.

[Nikki Glaser]

Oh, yeah. But I thought about it because I've been in some private jets that I'm like, if this goes down, it's like the, the amount of sympathy me and my family are going to get is so. Is going to be so much less because of the private plane people are flying. Private.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Nikki Glaser]

And this elitist bitch, she deserved it. So I, like, I do think about that, and I do feel like it's a huge waste of money and I don't mind flying. I'm not famous enough that it's like, really a hindrance. To me to be in the airport amongst the people. It's like I understand why people do it, but where it's like people give Taylor Swift shit about like flying privates. Like she cannot be out in public.

[Kara Swisher]

She cannot be out in public.

[Nikki Glaser]

It would shut down the airport. It would. It would cause delays across.

[Kara Swisher]

It would just be. And then they'll be mad at her for that. Yeah.

[Nikki Glaser]

She can't do anything else. And so I don't fault her for that ever. And so, but. But I can still do it. I can. I can be in boarding group C. Two more questions.

[Kara Swisher]

The other disruptive force, something you've talked about the Hollywood is AI you said in the past you don't mind semi content. It's obviously I like when it creates a video of Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin making out. Do you think about it about content around AI? It's. Some of it's. I mean like Iran is killing it right now. Making these Lego commercials about, I mean, videos about Trump, for example. They're very funny, actually.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah. Mean when done right. And you know, and people behind it have a good point of view and are, you know, modifying it and working with it and you can create some good stuff if you. There's like a. A human behind it. But. And I've used it a little bit just to like generate some starting places for jokes where I'm just like, okay, what are some angles that Nikki Glaser would take on this thing? And it'll just give me a jump start. Like, you know, like anything. Like if you were. When I used to work with my. Yeah, with your friends. And so I think it's good for that. But I. I'm just like. It's just made me sad that it's like it's ruined. Wonder a bit, you know, like when I see something. When I see like a whale approaching a boat.

[Kara Swisher]

This is. Scott said this. He can't watch animal. He's so angry about the animal.

[Nikki Glaser]

No, you can't enjoy any kind of animal footage anymore. It was already sad to watch anyway because most, most news about nature is really depressing or any kind of stuff that you see. So I was always kind of like scared to watch it, but now it' like, I just, I don't. I don't. I don't trust anything anymore and I can't. I think that that that's. That's the part of it that I'm like upset about is that it's just made, you know, it's. It's made entertainment less enjoyable. Because there used to be, like, I can't believe they caught this moment. And then you just go through the comments. The first thing I do now when I say videos, go through the comments and see who's. Who's debugged it.

[Kara Swisher]

Debugged it. Right. And it's AI. Yeah. There's one with a tie. Tiger trying to kill a hippo, and then crocodiles eat it. I'm absolutely. I love it, but I'm absolutely certain it's AI.

[Nikki Glaser]

Oh, I wouldn't want to watch that anyway. Oh, God, I can't stand.

[Kara Swisher]

It's actually satisfying.

[Nikki Glaser]

I hope that's AI.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Also, you're a vegan, too. Just. Yeah. Animal killing is not something that's really pleasant.

[Nikki Glaser]

No, I can't handle any of it.

[Kara Swisher]

No. Yeah, I would imagine so. Last question. You just wrapped a movie with Kim Kardashian, who is lovely, by the way, because I know her pretty well here in the process. Lovely. So polite, so just surprising.

[Nikki Glaser]

So nice. Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

I was like, you were somehow well raised. Although it doesn't seem like the show, but you are, but you're up in Calabasas. I feel like her father was a critical part of her life, too, before he died.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Kara Swisher]

So you're in the process of writing and starring another one produced by Judd Apatow. You're having a moment and. And that shouldn't matter, but you're having it in your 40s as you know the difference between millennials and Gen Z and stuff. And you told Time magazine, congratulations on being part of the time 100. Thanks. You've always dreamed of having this kind of success whenever thought it would happen. Can you just go on about that and then what you think you want it to do next with it? Because it gives you a certain power, obviously.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah. Well, there was just a point. I think Amy Schumer and I were really close around the time that she kind of blew up. It was like 2013, and we're around the same age, and we've kind of done the same type of comedy, and people, you know, like, I didn't. I always felt like she was just like a peer of mine that, like, I could look up to in certain ways. She's a little bit older, so there was a big sister energy, but she was just like someone that, like, we just were in the trenches together, and then suddenly she blew up. And I remember she's like a movie star. And I was just. I was struck that I wasn't jealous. There was a moment where I was like, I am just so happy for her. And I remember I was able to understand that I wasn't envious because I just. There's just no way that I would ever do that. Like, it just seems so unreachable to become the kind of star that she was. And so I just. I think that was the moment that I was like, I don't. I'm never gonna have that. And I can just be happy for her and put it over here and support her and truly have no envy. I was so. Cause I always was so worried that my whole life is just gonna be being envious of women who do better than me. I was. You know, my sister was prettier than I was and more popular. It was just, like, a thing that got, you know, embedded at me at a young age of, like, I am just this jealous person that I really hated about myself. But for some reason, I was really. I was just so proud of myself that I was, like, just able to just be so happy for her and just want her to continue to succeed and really feel that in my bones. And then I was like. I really accepted it. Around 2014, I was like, you know what? I'm a touring comic. I headline clubs. I make good money. I don't have to ask my parents for money anymore. I get to appear on shows here and there. This is, like, a good life. This is successful. Like, I did it. I am making a living doing standup comedy, and that's enough. I was really, like. And I think I was also past the point of wanting fame and kind of realizing that there was an emptiness to that that was never going to be satisfying enough, no matter how much I got it. So I just kind of, like. I don't know. I just was. I let go, and that's when I was able to.

[Kara Swisher]

Being older is better, right?

[Nikki Glaser]

You know, I think it just. It allowed me to relax and not want it so badly. And I think the industry rewards that. You know, like, I was just able to do the things that I really wanted to do and not pick and choose projects based on, is this going to be a cool look or is this going to get me to the next level? It was like. Like, is this going to be fun? And do I care about this? And so I was able to do better work because of that, because I wasn't just constantly doing things that I felt like I should do. And I think that that is what I was ultimately rewarded for, was that I. You know, the Tom Brady roast was, like, exactly the kind of Thing that I was passionate about that I knew that I was better at than most people is writing these kinds of jokes. And I fought to get that position on that roast. Cause I knew it was gonna be a big deal, and I knew that I could kill it. So it was just. I think it. Yeah, I think it was just. I really. It wasn't like, you know that quote in time that said, like, I never thought I was going to have this kind of success that I have. It was almost. You read it and you think, oh, she was, like, sad about it. I wasn't even. I was like. I really was like, okay, good. You know, like, this is. I'm so happy and I'm famous enough. And then. And then it happened, and I'm at this next level. And now it's shitty because it feels like you have to maintain it. And it feels like now it just can be taken away. Whereas before or I was the underdog.

[Kara Swisher]

It's like rich people that can't stop grabbing money. Right?

[Nikki Glaser]

That's it. Like, I get it, and I understand that desire that it's never gonna be enough and that you. And that it's going to sl. If you lose it, it's so much more embarrassing than not ever getting it. Because if you don't ever get it, not that many people know you didn't get it. You weren't that famous. But now a lot of people know I have it, and now a lot of people can know that I lose it. And I think that's it. And it will go away at some point, because it always does. And you can't take it with you. And I'm going to die, and it's like, it's. It's. It's going to go away. So I'm. You know, I'm just trying to prolong it. For what? I don't know. I think I. There is a part of me now that just wants to hoard money so that I can have a nice bunker. I mean, that really is, like, a thing that I think about a lot is like, I just want.

[Kara Swisher]

You don't want to live in a bunker?

[Nikki Glaser]

I don't. But, like, I want. I think my parents will want to. Or my. My sister has a family, so she'll probably want to, you know, be living during the apocalypse. I'll just, you know, I'll off myself when I lock them in it. But I. I feel like that is, like, that's. Now the goal is like, I want to.

[Kara Swisher]

Good to have plans. Good to have.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, it is It's.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. I was talking to a really rich guy who has all these apocalypse plans and he told me them in detail. Very well known person. And he has a motorcycle that takes him to this place. Told me where the address was and he goes, what's your apocalypse plan? And I said, I'm going to come kill you and take your. You just told me the whole game plan. And then he was like, wait a

[Nikki Glaser]

minute, I didn't think about that. Oh yeah, he needs, like, he needs to stop telling people. I have one friend who's a billionaire and I'm really in her good graces and I think I have a ticket to her bunker if I need it. But it's about like, okay, my boyfriend now has to like learn how to fly a helicopter. Cause how are we gonna get to that? Like, there's things that I think about and I put it off and by the time it happens, I'm not gonna be ready.

[Kara Swisher]

I don't even have a God shaping up right now. Your apocalypse.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, I've been, girl. Yeah. But, yeah, that's. That's what keeps me going now. And I'm just having fun.

[Kara Swisher]

Now that we're having the apocalypse, is there anything. What is your next thing beside these new projects? Right. Continuing to do that?

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, I mean, it's. It's making more movies. I just finished this movie and it's going on tour again in August and. And just I'm, you know, my goal is this summer to completely keep it open and go to New York and work on my standup every single night, all day long. And. And that's pretty much it. I have to build a whole new hour. So it's also about going out there and living life and not working so much. So I have stuff to write about, you know, that's true.

[Kara Swisher]

You gotta do things. Well, I'll come watch you. I'll come watch you.

[Nikki Glaser]

I would love to see in New

[Kara Swisher]

York for Bring the Kids Up There. So I will come watching you.

[Nikki Glaser]

I would love it anytime. And I wanna just say, I first found out about you. I was listening to the Succession podcast.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, that was a good podcast.

[Nikki Glaser]

Yeah, it was such a good podcast. And I rarely do this, but I, I was just like, who is this lady? I was like, I was in my car and I have to say, I was like, I need to find out everything about her right now. Just your voice, just the way you talked. I just was so drawn to you. You're so incredible. Thank you. And it was, it sucked me right in. And your New docu series on CNN is so compelling. It's so good, and it's so funny. You're the perfect person to take us on that journey.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. Where do you meet my character? When I create a digital version of me, a 3D version. You'll see.

[Nikki Glaser]

Oh, my God.

[Kara Swisher]

Very funny.

[Nikki Glaser]

I mean, I can't even believe that you did the. Where you had to put your face in the aging thing and it told you how old. Like, you did so much stuff that I was like, oh, I'm glad she is. She. She could do this, because I would be.

[Kara Swisher]

Thank you, Nikki.

[Nikki Glaser]

But they got it exactly spot on. That was incredible. And you showed us a side of Brian Johnson where I was like. I was watching with my boyfriend. I go, I actually, she. She made me kind of like this guy. I mean, you. You definitely.

[Kara Swisher]

She's sad. I roasted him and made him a human.

[Nikki Glaser]

You roasted. You did a great job with him. I think he would. I'm sure he' even really happy with that appearance. Like, sure.

[Kara Swisher]

No, he's not.

[Nikki Glaser]

He should be. Because I was terrified of him before, and I really, afterwards was like, oh, he's sweet. And there's, you know, the sadness that it's like, oh, okay.

[Kara Swisher]

At the very end of the show, I always. At the very end of every interview, I ask people how they want to die. Like, it's a question I ask everyone, and we strung them together. Hands down, he had the best answer.

[Nikki Glaser]

Now I'm wondering how I want to die. But thank you.

[Kara Swisher]

Go ahead. Thank you, Kara.

[Nikki Glaser]

I think. I mean, I guess everyone just says in their sleep, but I also was thinking a bridge falling on me because I heard about a woman who got squished by a bridge, and it just happened so fast that you don't hear it, you don't think about it, and you are, like, pulverized into dust immediately. And that I think. I know it sounds really horrible, but I just wanted. I want it to be as quick as possible, and I would like to just. They don't even have to cremate me. They can just, you know, I'm already dust. Because it would just be the most.

[Kara Swisher]

Had not heard that one.

[Nikki Glaser]

And I wouldn't know about it. I would just be in traffic, like, checking my ways when I'm gonna get there. And the answer is, I'm getting there, right? Don't know which way I'm going, but I'm. I'm on my way. But I hope no one else is injured in my bridge collapse.

[Kara Swisher]

No one. No one. You're it. You're it. Anyway, I really appreciate it. You're wonderful.

[Nikki Glaser]

You are so great to talk to. Thank you so much, Kara.

[Kara Swisher]

Thank you. One more thing before we go. Want career advice from Kara Swisher? Now's your chance. We're doing a special episode all about it and I want your questions. Send a video to On Ox Media and you might be featured. I can't wait to see what you've got. I'm really interested in in people's questions and I've got a lot of good advice. As it turns out, today's show was produced by Christian Castro Russell, Michelle Aloy, Kathryn Milsop, Megan Birney and Kalyn Lynch. Nishat Kurwa is Vox Media's executive producer of podcasts. Special thanks to Madeline LaPlante, Dubie and Julia Sharp Levine. Our engineers are Fernando Arruda and Rick Kwan and our theme music is by Trackademics. If you're already following this show, oh fun. If not, you crashed in a private plane. Go wherever you listen to podcasts, search for on with Kara Swisher and hit follow. Thanks for listening to Kara Swisher from Podium Media, New York Magazine, the Vox Media Podcast Network, and us. We'll be back on Thursday with more.

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