Pablo Torre Finds Out

Episode: Share & Hamburger & Tell with Michael Cruz Kayne and Katie Nolan
Date: August 12, 2025
Host: Pablo Torre
Guests: Michael Cruz Kayne, Katie Nolan

Overview

In this lively episode, Pablo Torre hosts Emmy-winning comedian Michael Cruz Kayne and sports media personality Katie Nolan for a “Share & Tell” session that quickly spirals from banter about makeup and heatwaves to stories about medical procedures, taping comedy specials, and a deep dive into comedy’s strangest catchphrases. The trio’s chemistry is on full display as they oscillate between comedic storytelling, genuine emotion, and the sort of off-the-rails digressions that make PTFO a must-listen for fans of unscripted brilliance.

Main Themes & Purpose

• Behind the Scenes of Comedy Taping: Reflections on the process, pressure, and chaos of taping Michael Cruz Kayne’s standup special in New York.
• Everyday Realities & Absurdities: From makeup and temperature struggles to chair malfunctions and subway rides post-surgery.
• Exploration of Grief and Humor: Discussion of Michael’s show about grief, how audiences react to heavy topics mixed with comedy, and how vulnerability connects performers and viewers.
• Joy in Comedic Oddities: A hilarious investigation into the world of Alonzo “Hamburger” Jones and why catchphrases like “hamburger” become iconic.
• Spontaneity & Friendship: The real essence of “Share & Tell”—hanging out, spontaneous stories, little lessons, and “you had to be there” moments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Small Talk, Big Laughs: Weather, Makeup, and Chairs

• The episode opens with Katie Nolan lamenting New York’s heat and the absence of studio air conditioning ([01:00]).
• Katie hilariously thanks her former hair & makeup staff and reflects on how “I should have given her a little kiss, that's how grateful I should have been. Because now it's all my responsibility” ([01:16]).
• This spirals into a classic PTFO digression about uncomfortable chairs in the studio and the gendered pressures of “fixing yourself” vs. men’s indifference (“I could never make myself look better... I have no aptitude to correct it.” – Michael Cruz Kayne, [01:33]).

2. The Myth of the "Natural Look"

• Katie and Michael riff on the paradox of elaborate makeup routines meant to look “natural.”
• “This is what I did all this to like, look at my natural look. It's like 12,000 different layers of something.” – Michael Cruz Kayne ([01:59])
• Katie wishes she didn’t “constantly have forced in my face how I could be improving my face,” underscoring modern beauty pressures ([01:42]).

3. Medical Mayhem: Urologists, Vasectomies, and More

• The group debates whether there are female urologists and how gender shapes medical check-ups ([05:46]-[09:23]).
• Michael dissects his own vasectomy experience with comic detail:
  • “So you go to the thing, and they have, for no good reason, a hot woman do the examination.” ([07:07])
  • “There's a snipping and–Can you hold this?–there's like, that kind of thing...”
• Katie’s incredulous: “Another doctor I'm supposed to be going to all the time.”
• Pablo inserts: “A female urologist can be referred to as a urogynecologist…” and jokes about the “overseas style to urology” ([09:39]).

4. Behind Michael's Special: Long Lines, Taping Pressure, and Emotional Stakes

• Pablo and Katie recount waiting in a sweltering line for Michael’s taping, exploring tiers of VIP access—“I see the inner circle friend and family one. I was like, no, the next tier, I think, where we get to go inside.” ([11:23])
• Michael describes what it feels like to tape a special:
  • “The chaos of it is actually kind of cool. I like it when some—Like it when people are actively dying in your audience?” ([19:04])
  • Stories about audience members passing out, someone farting loudly during a sad moment, and a front row full of friends/family make for both heart and hilarity.
• Katie on participating as an audience member:
  • “Luckily, you didn't need any more, you made up for you. I just wanted her to try. And she did, and she got absolutely not far at all. And that's the best she could do.” ([21:56])

5. Candid Reactions & Stage Nerves

• Michael details the pressure to “get it on tape for the world”—doing two tapings in a day, the importance of crowd energy, and his sister’s chaotic warm-up energy that put the crowd at ease ([22:24]-[24:20]).
• Katie and Pablo joke about being on camera and feeling self-conscious:
  • “As soon as I mentioned it to Pablo, the rest of the night, I kept seeing Pablo go, like… just sucking in my cheekbones.” ([25:10])
  • “You know how reps be... They cannot put their phones down even on live TV.” – Katie Nolan ([26:08])

6. ”What Did I Learn Today?”—A Freewheeling Segment

• The group goes off on tangents about Britney Spears, sunroofs, and using crowd photos as legal evidence (“Didn’t they exonerate that guy cuz he was in the back of a Seinfeld episode?” – Katie Nolan, [32:48]).
• Michael shares a Wikipedia rabbit hole:
  • The show Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp and voice actor Joan Gerber’s “most challenging” credit: “All the children in a Japanese train wreck for a Godzilla television episode” ([34:42]).

7. The Alonzo “Hamburger” Jones Deep Dive

• Michael introduces Alonzo Hamburger Jones’s comedy, where the catchphrase “hamburger” subs in for profanity ([35:34]-[36:41]).
• Pablo summarizes Wikipedia: “Instead... has substituted profanity with one word in all caps. Hamburger.” ([38:27])
• Katie is skeptical but concedes “You can actually absorb quite a lot of hamburger. More than you think.” ([38:46])
• Michael: “Are we at that part? What did I learn today?” ([39:14])

8. The Power and Nuance of Comedy About Grief

• Pablo reflects on seeing Michael’s show and wanting to share it with Katie:
  • “I just hoped that it would be the version that I had seen. And that's what I was excited to show Katie.” ([40:43])
• Katie: “But he did ask before we did any drugs. He said, now, this is a sad show. Would you like to do a little bit of drugs? I said, yeah.” ([40:55])
• Michael talks about resisting outside pressure to “make it less sad” for networks ([39:49]-[40:20]).
• The group affirms how powerful it is to mix comedy and vulnerability.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Katie Nolan, on losing professional “glam squads”:
  “I should have given her a little kiss. That's how grateful I should have been. Because now it's all my responsibility.” ([01:16])
• Michael Cruz Kayne, reflecting on taping specials:
  “The chaos of it is actually kind of cool. I like it when some—Like it when people are actively dying in your audience?” ([19:04])
• Pablo Torre, joking about urology specialties:
  “A female urologist can be referred to as a urogynecologist or specifically be called—And that's like a gynecologist from Europe. Come on.” ([09:39])
• On crowd reactions:
  “Just sucking in my cheekbones... What do they call that? Mewing. Yes!” — Pablo, Katie, Michael ([25:10]-[25:18])
• Michael, introducing the Hamburger routine:
  “He says hamburger all the time. In his set. Instead of saying like... Instead of swearing. Hamburger.” ([35:34])
• Pablo, reading Wikipedia:
  “Instead, comedian Alonzo Jones has substituted profanity with one word in all caps. Hamburger.” ([38:27])

Important Timestamps

• 00:17 – Michael delivers the episode's first “Hamburger.”
• 01:16 – Katie Nolan on the absence of professional makeup support post-ESPN.
• 05:46-09:23 – Extended riff on urologists, gender, and Michael’s vasectomy saga.
• 11:12 – Transition to discussion about attending and taping Michael’s special.
• 13:55 – Emotional hype for Michael’s special.
• 19:04 – Michael’s story about an audience member passing out during a sad part.
• 25:10-25:18 – The “mewing” and jawline-camera paranoia riff.
• 34:42-35:01 – Michael and Pablo on Joan Gerber’s “all the children in a Japanese train wreck” voice acting.
• 35:34-38:53 – The saga of Alonzo “Hamburger” Jones.
• 39:14 – Michael signals “What did I learn today?”
• 40:55 – Katie reveals she accepted Pablo’s weed-offer before the show.
• 44:15 – Playful, abrupt signoff.

Tone & Takeaways

• Unscripted, Candid, and Playful: The episode is driven by the trio’s natural rapport, relentless teasing, and a willingness to veer off course for whatever’s funniest or most interesting.
• Vulnerability Meets Comedy: Whether discussing medical taboos, the awkwardness of support roles, or the emotional wallop of Michael’s “grief show,” every topic is treated with both honesty and humor.
• Meta Commentary: There’s frequent breaking of the fourth wall about what “counts” as podcast content, with Katie often unsure if a tangent will be cut—only to find out, “most of the podcast is this.”
• In-Jokes & Crowd Energy: The audience is implicitly part of the joke—be it as casualties of Michael’s “murderous” comedy, as reaction fodder for cameras, or in their delight at the absurd.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

Expect a sharp, unfiltered, and laugh-out-loud funny look into how comedians process real life (and each other), what it’s like to put legitimate heartbreak on stage, and why in the world someone would make “hamburger” the punchline of an entire career. This episode is as much about hanging out with friends as it is about finding meaning—or a punchline—in chaos.

End of summary.