Podcast Summary: "Comedy Saved Me – Greg Fitzsimmons: Punchlines, Pain and the Power of Laughter"

Podcast: takin' a walk
Host: Lynn Hoffman (iHeartPodcasts)
Guest: Greg Fitzsimmons
Date: September 15, 2025
Episode Theme:
This episode explores how comedy can serve as a lifeline during life’s hardest moments. Emmy-winning comedian, writer, and veteran podcaster Greg Fitzsimmons opens up about childhood, sobriety, loss, family, and the healing power of laughter, especially for those navigating pain or grief.

Main Topics & Key Moments

1. Introduction and Greg’s Background

Timestamps: 00:02 – 01:12

• Lynn introduces Greg as a pioneering comedian and podcaster, noting his “sharp wit and honest, self-deprecating storytelling” and his Boston roots.
• Greg playfully responds:

  “I do have to correct one thing you said, self deprecating, but I would also throw in like a lot of other people deprecate me as well. So it's not just me. I take my cue from them.” (01:12, Greg Fitzsimmons)

2. Sobriety and Family Legacy

Timestamps: 01:32 – 03:42

• Lynn congratulates Greg for more than 35 years of sobriety, calling it “a massive feat.”
• Greg candidly shares his family’s struggles with alcoholism, the normalization of heavy drinking in his youth, and how attending an Adult Children of Alcoholics meeting was pivotal:

  “We were broken toys and we find each other...so I never thought it was unusual that there was this much drinking.” (02:26, Greg) “I just burst out crying the first time I was like, oh my God, this is like, I didn't feel alone.” (03:32, Greg)

• He credits quitting drinking with nearly all the positive things in his life.

3. Comedy as Salvation: The Genesis

Timestamps: 03:42 – 06:21

• Greg’s first standup was in high school, while “all coked up and I'd been drinking,” roasting his teachers until the principal unplugged his mic.
• Comedy initially was an adrenaline rush, but family influence went deeper—Greg’s father, a charismatic radio host and emcee, unwittingly taught him the art of roasting and storytelling:

  “I have old audio tapes of my dad's radio shows...I go back and I go, holy shit, that's me. So much of my voice is influenced by how he did it, you know?” (05:42, Greg)

4. Growing Up Fitzsimmons: Humor, Heritage, and Hecks

Timestamps: 06:21 – 12:09

• Greg recalls his family’s Irish tradition of storytelling, dinner-table roasts, and striving for his father’s approval through humor.

  “Making him laugh was a big deal...the dinner table felt like the first stage for me, I think, that I performed at, and I kind of shined.” (09:42–10:09, Greg)

• He found his mother’s collection of school "trouble" letters, inspiring his memoir "Dear Mrs.” about Irish irreverence and bucking authority.
• Notable classroom mischief quote:

  "Greg then yelled out, are there any other positions? Is there a 69 position? ...and my parents were dead, dying." (12:05, Greg)

5. Comedy as Healing in the Face of Loss

Timestamps: 12:09 – 18:24

• Greg explains the transformative nature of Irish wakes, using laughter to process grief:

  “The Irish wake was always something that put things in perspective and made you think about how life shouldn't be defined by your death. It should be defined by the people you touched and the laughter you gave.” (12:40, Greg)

• Tells story of his friend and comic Jerry Red Wilson’s death and how he turned grief into a recurring comedy fundraiser, raising hundreds of thousands for charity in Wilson’s name.
• Now, Greg is often asked to “roast” at funerals, collecting stories from loved ones:

  “I told my own stories that I had about them...people just give you this 60 second hug, like, thank you for doing that for all of us.” (17:26, Greg)

• He jokes about starting a business as a “funeral roaster”:

  “But that's the best angle of all.” (17:52, Greg)

6. The Performer’s Paradox: Fame, Family, and Authenticity

Timestamps: 22:03 – 30:26

• On social anxiety and the contradiction of feeling empowered on stage but awkward with friends or family in the audience:

  “I think a lot of comedians have social anxiety...sometimes you take your worst fear and you throw yourself straight at it to prove that you can conquer it.” (22:28, Greg)

• Recalls the bittersweet moment when his son views him differently after seeing a show:

  “There’s a power dynamic when somebody sees you do stand up comedy at a high level and they suddenly...I never wanted that dynamic in my relationship with my son.” (25:18, Greg)

• Why keeping fame “in the middle” is a conscious choice:

  “I crawled my way to the middle and I'm staying right there. And this is the sweet spot.” (28:46, Greg) “I've been lucky enough that it's all worked out.” (30:26, Greg)

7. Craft, Comedy, and Self-Reflection

Timestamps: 33:55 – 37:40

• On therapy and when humor masks deeper emotion:

  “Sometimes I would come in with a full head of steam...she would go, you're performing right now. And I knew that meant that I wasn't...I was controlling my emotions and our interaction by being funny.” (33:55, Greg)

• Greg describes his writing process, using vulnerability onstage to craft new jokes from real-life discomfort:

  “Sometimes I don't even know what I'm going to say next, but I know that if I say it on stage...I'm going to come up with something that's going to relieve the tension and then I do...” (36:15, Greg)

• This is rooted in the creative pressure of his childhood dinner table.

8. High Stakes & Radical Honesty

Timestamps: 38:03 – 41:19

• Facing high-profile appearances (Howard Stern, Joe Rogan) triggers anxiety—but he faces it head-on.

  “It's always like, jumping out of a plane. It's like, you show up sometimes, you get really nervous.” (38:23, Greg)

• Shares a story about revealing a deeply personal story for the first time on Howard Stern, about questioning his sexuality in college. Howard’s team would jokingly bring it up on future shows.

9. Laughter as Medicine: Advice for Coping

Timestamps: 41:35 – 44:02

• Greg’s advice for anyone struggling:

  “Listening to Stand up is incredibly therapeutic. Watching funny movies, you know, reading a funny book...Things that are going to make you laugh and take your mind out of it are...very healing.” (41:49, Greg)

• Notes that not everyone laughs outwardly—comedy’s healing can be subtle or internal, but still meaningful.

10. Where to Find Greg Fitzsimmons

Timestamps: 44:43 – 45:33

• Lynn asks about Greg’s tour and podcast:

  “If you go to Fitzdog.com, you can see my dates...and then the podcast is called Fitz Dog Radio.” (44:43, Greg)

• Lynn commends Greg for being a podcasting pioneer since 2009, and he reflects on the value of leaving recordings behind for his kids:

  “I like to think the way I listen to my dad's tapes, someday my kids will be able to listen to me again.” (45:33, Greg)

Notable Quotes

• “Our dinner table was a lot of that. It was a lot of...we just roasted each other and we told stories from our day...making him [my dad] laugh was a big deal.” – Greg Fitzsimmons (09:01-10:09)
• “The Irish wake is just your close friends and family getting up and regaling everybody with the great stories...and including roasting you...life shouldn't be defined by your death.” – Greg Fitzsimmons (12:40–13:10)
• “I'm no longer, like, the funny guy offstage. I'm kind of serious, and that's the place where I can control my situation.” – Greg Fitzsimmons (24:24)
• “I crawled my way to the middle and I'm staying right there. And this is the sweet spot.” – Greg Fitzsimmons (28:46)
• “Sometimes I don't even know what I'm going to say next, but I know that if I say it on stage and all these people are looking at me, I'm going to come up with something that’s going to relieve the tension and then I do...” – Greg Fitzsimmons (36:15)
• “Listening to Stand up is incredibly therapeutic...Things that are going to make you laugh and take your mind out of it are...very healing.” – Greg Fitzsimmons (41:49)

Episode Takeaways

• Comedy is both defense and salvation, especially for those who process pain through laughter.
• Honesty, connection, and vulnerability are central to Greg’s comedy—and offer models for using humor as healthy coping, rather than just escape.
• Celebrity and comedy can complicate personal relationships, but Greg purposefully keeps things grounded and prioritizes authenticity over ego or fame.
• Using humor respectfully in times of grief (Irish wake style) can transform a funeral into a celebration and be genuinely healing.
• Anyone—audience or performer—can find solace in comedy, even if the healing is quiet or invisible.

Finding Greg Fitzsimmons

• Tour Dates & Info: fitzdog.com
• Podcast: Fitz Dog Radio

For those seeking inspiration or comfort, Greg Fitzsimmons’ journey is a testament to resilience, community, and the ongoing power of punchlines in the face of pain.