TCB Infomercial: Fortune Feimster

Summary

The Commercial Break | TCB Infomercial: Fortune Feimster

Original Air Date: November 30, 2024
Hosts: Brian Green, Kristen Joy Oakley
Guest: Fortune Feimster

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Episode Overview

This special bonus Saturday "TCB Infomercial" episode features comedian, actress, and writer Fortune Feimster as the guest. The episode centers on Fortune’s comedic journey, her new Netflix special ("Crushing It"), her love of storytelling, life touring as a stand-up, balancing fame and privacy with her wife Jax, reflections on identity, and the unexpected impact her comedy has had on fans.

With the signature unfiltered, playful banter between hosts Bryan and Kristen, the show dives deep into Fortune’s background, her creative process, and insights about the current comedy landscape—sprinkled with candid asides, tangents, and lots of laughter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Family Dynamics and Material (09:49–13:09)

• Fortune talks about the complexities of splitting holidays between her and her wife Jax’s families, noting that Jax’s family are “better cooks and better hosts” (10:25).
• She reveals her mother isn’t offended but “provides a lot of fun, quirky material, but cooking is not her thing” (10:25).
• On pandemic changes: Fortune and Jax, having no kids, realized after COVID lockdowns that “this is actually kind of nice…We don't have to be there,” shifting away from obligatory family gatherings (11:59).
• Quote: “If you don't have kids, I feel like it's different, you know?” – Fortune (12:00)

2. Comedic Roots & Development (13:27–18:21)

• Fortune reflects on her conservative Southern upbringing, dabbling in theater in North Carolina but only discovering comedy as a possible career after moving to LA.
• She began Groundlings classes just to make friends but quickly found “the greatest gift” in discovering comedy, leading her to hone her craft for seven years at Groundlings and starting stand-up at the Comedy Store in 2007 (15:44).
• Fortune describes early stage struggles, from stage fright to major learning curves, but notes “I knew I was comfortable on stage, it seemed like people liked me. Those are two hard things to overcome right off the bat” (17:50).

3. Finding Voice & Storytelling (18:21–21:29)

• The process of honing a comedic voice is explored by both Fortune and the hosts, highlighting the long journey to authenticity and mastery—“10,000 hours to become a master” (18:21).
• Fortune’s style: Long-form storytelling with her own life as the narrative—especially family stories, particularly about her mother.

4. Turning Life Into Comedy (20:03–22:33)

• Shared anecdotes about Fortune’s mom becoming comedic fodder; Fortune admits to “writing it down” almost as it happens—e.g., “my mom falling in a cemetery” story being 95% real (20:24).
• Balancing punchlines with emotional through-lines is central to her stand-up, “so that there’s payoffs from the early things” (21:30).

5. Building and Testing a Comedy Special (22:11–25:27)

• After every special, Fortune faces “the worst part of this: I have to write a whole new hour” (22:33).
• The difficulty and anxiety of memorizing and developing new long stories, and the process of honing this material with live crowds.
• Hosts compare it to the difference between comics and musicians: “Unlike Guns and Roses, I can't play ‘Sweet Child of Mine.’ … They no longer want to hear it.” (22:56)
• Touring relentlessly (100+ cities, 150+ shows): “I think that material was honed as much as I could possibly hone it.” – Fortune (24:19)

6. Comedy’s Current “Golden Age” (25:37–27:56)

• Discussion of the current stand-up boom, fueled by Netflix, Amazon, and streaming platforms.
• The decline of theatrical comedies has driven more demand for live, communal comedy experiences: “People want shared experiences… so people are getting that by watching live comedy.” (26:35)
• Fortune touches on her gratitude for selling out big venues like The Chicago Theater and The Beacon Theater (27:58).

7. Acting vs. Stand-Up & The Path to Success (29:26–33:34)

• Acting was Fortune’s initial “goal”—she was cast in projects with Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling (via Lang Fisher), leading to "The Mindy Project" as her big break.
• Her comedic on-screen persona described as “so incredibly confident and clueless”—“overconfident… There’s this weird, vulnerable obsolescence, and I love it.” – Brian (32:07)

8. Working With Arnold Schwarzenegger on FUBAR (32:30–35:24)

• Fortune shares stories from the set of "FUBAR," highlighting Arnold’s non-diva attitude, sense of humor, and down-to-earth nature—even as he fields calls from the world's elite and remains committed to public service.
• Quote: “He kind of lives his life like he’s a governor still. He volunteers at organizations more than anyone I’ve ever met… He’s just smoking a cigar, chatting with this very powerful person.” – Fortune (34:31)

9. Destiny, Identity, and the Name ‘Fortune’ (36:03–41:07)

• The powerful story behind Fortune’s name: It was her great-grandmother’s maiden name, heavily encouraged by her grandmother. Her mother, however, “wanted me to be that perfect little lady,” naming her Emily.
• After her grandmother’s death, Fortune honors her by adopting ‘Fortune’ as her stage name while in LA, realizing quickly “I was always meant to be called Fortune. Like, I don't resonate at all with the name Emily.” (37:13–39:43)
• Discussion about destiny, trusting gut instincts, and the mysterious ways the universe guides us.

10. Comedy’s Unexpected Personal & Social Impact (42:04–46:31)

• Fortune describes being regularly approached by fans who share how her comedy, especially her coming-out material, facilitated pivotal conversations (such as parents better understanding their LGBTQ kids).
• Memorable Quote:
  “I had parents who were… kids were now with their parents again… I would get from parents saying, my kid put on your special to see how I would react… if I liked it, they got the courage [to come out].” – Fortune (44:07)
• Hosts relate their own experience with the podcast’s impact: “To some people, it intersects with their lives in meaningful ways that you could never understand. And in that moment, every struggle… becomes worth it...” – Brian (46:17)

11. Choosing Positivity & Fame Boundaries (46:43–49:56)

• Fortune explains why she leans toward positivity in her content, to offer a counterbalance to the “negativity, doom and gloom, and fear-based” media environment (47:34).
• She diplomatically manages her wife Jax's discomfort with the limelight, respecting boundaries and “being more conscious” not to overexpose their private life (49:54).
• Quote: “If I was with someone like… that couldn’t stop filming themselves, that was crazy. The two of you would be obnoxious together.” (51:01)

12. Netflix Special, Tour, and Upcoming Projects (52:27–55:02)

• Fortune plugs her third Netflix special (“Crushing It”), dropping December 3rd (53:07), and a new big tour starting April 1st (54:37), plus her “Handsome” podcast and ongoing work with Tom Papa.
• Celebrates the worldwide reach and affirmation that comes with being part of “the Netflix family.” (52:56)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Touring:
  “Second hundred city tour… I wore [Jax] out. …I forced her to be out of this comfort zone in so many situations just because I needed help. I was a one-woman team.”
  – Fortune (50:23)

• On Storytelling:
  “My stories are long, too… How can I keep someone's attention for eight whole minutes of a story?” (21:19)

• On Destiny and Names:
  “I quickly…knew I was always meant to be called Fortune. Like, I don't resonate at all with the name Emily.” (39:30)

• On Fame & Relatability:
  “I just try to spit [family stories] back out in a way that's like…how can I…keep your attention…for a whole hour?” (21:19)

• On The Impact of Comedy:
  “To think you can also help in these little, subtle ways just really means so much to me… I don't take it for granted in that moment.” (45:09)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Family Holiday Dynamics & Material: 09:49–13:09
• Comedic Roots & Early LA Years: 13:27–15:44
• Storytelling & Voice Discovery: 18:21–21:29
• Working on New Material & Touring: 22:11–25:27
• Golden Age of Comedy/Live Experience: 25:37–27:56
• Acting Career & FUBAR Stories: 29:26–35:24
• Name & Identity Destiny: 36:03–41:07
• Comedy’s Real-Life Impact: 42:04–46:31
• Positivity, Fame, & Relationship Privacy: 46:43–49:56
• Netflix Special & New Tour Announcement: 52:27–55:02

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Tone and Takeaway

Light, irreverent, and heartfelt—the episode encapsulates TCB’s “chaotic, unpolished charm,” alternating between warm life insights, playful ribbing, confessional moments, and a deep appreciation for the craft of comedy and its ripple effects in people’s lives.

Whether you’re a Fortune fan, a comedy nerd, or just need a laugh with some unexpected soul, this episode delivers. Fortune’s mix of Southern candor, comedic humility, and gratitude toward her audience—all wrapped in the spontaneous TCB banter—makes for a satisfying, memorable listen.

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Quick Links (from Episode)

• Fortune Feimster’s Netflix Specials:
  Crushing It (out Dec 3, 2024), plus previous specials
• Tour Dates: [Fortune’s website & social media]
• FUBAR (Netflix): Season 2 in Spring 2025
• Handsome Podcast: With Fortune Feimster

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Transcript

[Fortune Feimster]

So something happened when I met Jax that I did not expect. My mom got a little jealous. Yeah. I remember if I would buy Jax something like a scarf, my mom would be like, I like scarves. I'm like, you're not my girlfriend. Their birthdays are five days apart, which is my nightmare.

[Brian Green]

On this episode of the commercial break.

[Fortune Feimster]

When I was born, really, really wanted my mom to name me Fortune. She's like, that's the name, I'm telling you. Like that her name's supposed to be Fortune. Then my mom really resisted it and she said I would have to be miss America to live up to a name like that. So I'm like, how dare you think I couldn't.

[Brian Green]

The next episode of the commercial break starts now. 30 in the morning. Oh, yeah. Guys and kittens, welcome back to the commercial break. I'm Brian Green. This is my dear friend and the co of this show, Kristen Joy Oakley. Best for you, Chris.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Best to you, Brian.

[Brian Green]

Best to you out there in the podcast universe. It's a Saturday and yes, we're here just for you. It's a TCB infomercial bonus episode with fortune Feimster here today with us, the very famous all over the place. Can't stop her. Fortune. I just love.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Oh my God. I've been a fan for so long.

[Brian Green]

Very excited about Kelsey lately and the Mindy project.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Mindy project.

[Brian Green]

You know, now she's in three, three.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Stand up specials now.

[Brian Green]

The next Netflix special is coming out on Tuesday as this is being released the following Tuesday. Her brand new Netflix special. The first two, crushing it killed it. And so the third one is here and no end in sight for fortune. Can't wait to talk to her. So thank you for joining us. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It's, we're, we're still in the middle of it. That's the best thing about Thanksgiving is you get out early on Wednesday and you don't go back to work till Monday. It's. It'. Lovely. I love it. I love it. A five day weekend. Who?

[Fortune Feimster]

Who?

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Lots of food, football, Christmas, movies, all that good stuff. Family.

[Brian Green]

That's right.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

If you want it.

[Brian Green]

If you want it, if you want it. If you don't. You're probably listening to the commercial break. Your family has left you or you've left them and you're like, I really need something to undepress me from my depressing family. Let us be that with Fortune. She'll be here in just a few minutes. I was just reading, you know, she's in that New Netflix television show fubar with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's like an action comedy. And I started watching a few of the episodes in anticipation of Fortune being here, and it's really funny. And Arnold is just. He's naturally gifted at being the straight man. You know what I'm saying?

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And I. I sense that he has always wanted to be a comedian, but, you know, his accent and a lot of his size, he's just. That's not what he's built for. But he's really good at playing off people who are comedic. And Fortune is great in this.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I mean, Kindergarten Cop is pretty funny.

[Brian Green]

It's pretty funny, but he's still like the straight man in the movie. Like, even the kids, you know, the kids tell the punch lines and he, you know, it's not a tuma. It's not a tuma. So, yeah, and she's on, like, this small little tour, and then we'll talk.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

To her about city.

[Brian Green]

Hundred cities small. No. Well, right now she's doing like, a smaller. But she just got done with 100 city tour. That's unbelievable. To 100 fucking cities. I mean, you would think that would be fun, but I think by city number 20, you're probably like, okay, get me back to my own fucking bed. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like, when I go on vacation, you know, we went to Europe, we went to Spain for a month and some change last year. And by day number 15, I could have used my own bed, even though there were still some exciting parts of the trip. But in that case, I was doing absolutely no work whatsoever. When you go on 100 cities tour, you are just killing it all the time out there, you know, working. That's. We'll talk to her about it. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, Chrissy, just so you know, if I happen to be moody over the next couple of weeks, it's because I've started dipping my toe back in the news water. I have started to watch a little bit of news. I had to turn on that Morning Joe and see what Joe. And everybody was so up in arms.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I know.

[Brian Green]

And I was like, wait, I think it's a good thing that they're talking about. But then I'm listening to Joe and I'm like, no. Yeah, you're an idiot. Yeah, you're an idiot.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I haven't delved back into the actual televised news. No, I'm just getting mine now from 40%.

[Brian Green]

40% of us who watched certain channels like CNN and MSNBC. And other news stations have turned off the news altogether. The ratings just plummeted. And so they plummeted so far that Rachel Maddow, the star of msnbc, like they call her, I think they called her like a ratings boner or something somebody referred to as a ratings boner because ratings get hard when she, like, ratings go high when she shows up. She took a $5 million a year pay cut to stay at MSNBC. First of all, good for her. She knew that, you know, other people needed to get paid, and people would probably lose. Their $5 million is no small bit. But then I learned that she was making 30.

[Fortune Feimster]

I know I was.

[Brian Green]

Shit. $30 million a year. She's on one night a week. $30 million a year. That's an incredible job. MSNBC. Call me. I. I know I'm not like, a noted newscaster, and I really am terrible with facts of any shape or size.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

But you do have that inflection down.

[Brian Green]

You can do that guy. That's right.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, the midday guy.

[Brian Green]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, my God. Jose Diaz. Bellard. Jose Diaz. Bullshit. I mean, that guy is just terrible. I'm sorry, Jo, I'm sure you were great wherever you came from. I think you came from Univision, if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure you were wonderful wherever you came from, but you are really bad at what you do. I mean, just really bad at it. But then again, who's watching MSNBC at 11:15 in the morning? You know what I'm saying? Like, MSNBC at 11:15 in the morning. Nobody's watching, so they probably got. I guarantee he's not making $30 billion a year, that's for sure. So I just. I wanted to get you back up to speed that I was watching the news.

[Fortune Feimster]

Okay.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Okay.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

So I'll keep that in mind.

[Brian Green]

When you see.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Don't be moody here.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. When you pull up and I'm. I'm on top of the roof threatening to jump, you know why? So. Yeah. So we hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you're enjoying your extended vacation.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Write us in and tell us some funny stories about that, because there's always some.

[Brian Green]

Oh, yeah, you. You must write us and tell us about your family shenanigans. We have to know the crazier, the. The worse, the better. I know a few of you out there are really good at writing those kind of stories, so I'm not going to name you by name, but please write us in. Tell us how your family events were. We'd love to hear it. What were your traditions? How terrible did they go? How terribly wrong did it all go? Yeah, I only want terrible Thanksgiving stories. Don't write me and say all the kids had fun, that I don't give a shit. Okay, not that kind of show. And then, just a small reminder, 12 days of TCB coming up December 13th through the 25th. That's right. Brand new episodes of the commercial break, even on Christmas Day. So, Mary, happy birthday, Jesus.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Gather around, gather around. Gather on the tree and the fire.

[Brian Green]

Gather around. Yes, your Amazon echo. Put it in the manger. And your little Christmas. Put it in the manger in your little Christmas village and say, hey, play Brian's got a Boner, episode number 688. And let us not leave out our Jewish friends. Happy Hanukkah to you, too. I think Hanukkah and Christmas actually aligned together. My wife was saying to me, and Festivus and all. And Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa and Krampus and all that other. That you guys celebrate. Congratulations to everybody on a. And a job well done on Thanksgiving.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yes.

[Brian Green]

I'm. I'm congratulating all the people who cooked us food before they actually cook us the food so that I sound generous afterwards. How's that?

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

That's a good tactic.

[Brian Green]

I told myself. I was like, let me say congratulations on great cooking.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Put it into the universe.

[Brian Green]

Yes. Put it in the universe. That way, when I'm complaining about it, it's like two weeks later and no one's really going to know. All right, let's do this. Let's take a short break, and then we'll come back with Fortune here on the studio television, and we'll talk to her about all that magic, the magic of telepodcasting. We'll figure it all out. What do you say, Chrissy?

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I say let's do it.

[Brian Green]

Let's do it. We'll be back.

[Podcast Announcer]

Brian might have just said it's time to take a break, but some of us have to work right now. And by work, I mean gently nudge you, nay, beg you to follow us on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTokCV podcast. Because, listen, the more followers we get, the more clout I get with Chrissy and Brian. If you've got something to say, give us a call and leave us a voicemail at 212-4333, TCB or shoot us a text. One more thing. Check out our website, tcbpodcast.com, where you can find all of our audio and video and even Request a new sticker from the contact Us form.

[Fortune Feimster]

Bye.

[Brian Green]

Fortune. Thank you so much for joining us today. We really appreciate it.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Hello, Fortune.

[Fortune Feimster]

Hi, you guys. Thanks for having me. It's lovely to be here.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, our pleasure.

[Brian Green]

So this. This episode will be airing at. Right after the Thanksgiving holiday. So tell me you're. I'm assuming you're Just spend some time with family over the Thanksgiving?

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, I'm gonna.

[Brian Green]

I.

[Fortune Feimster]

It's hard to try to, you know, with two families to. To get to. You can't do the. The holiday with both of them. So I try to go close to the holiday and see my family.

[Brian Green]

Yes.

[Fortune Feimster]

But then I go to Jax's, my wife's family, because they're better cooked and they're better hosts. No shade to my mom. She provides me a lot of fun, quirky material, but cooking is not her thing.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, my mom either. It's all I was telling Chrissy the other day. We were talking about gravies and sauces. Like, are you a gravy and sauce person? I am definitely a gravy and sauce person. I think that comes from my mother, who was just a terrible cook, and she may have known it, and then she smothered everything in sauces and gravy.

[Fortune Feimster]

That barbecue sauce.

[Brian Green]

God forbid they taste the actual pork.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Right.

[Fortune Feimster]

My brother used to smell the food to see if it was. If it was expired, and it drove my mom crazy. But he. He knew. He knew what was up.

[Brian Green]

He had a detect. He had a detector.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah. He's like, something's not sitting right about this barbecue chicken. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

So when you do, you got. Do you do, like, the holiday, like, round table? Do you, like. Okay, this year we got to spend the actual Thanksgiving Day with my family, and then next year we're going to spend it with your family. Or is there, like, a set schedule? I always get fascinated by this with people who. I mean, a lot of people have partners.

[Fortune Feimster]

We did that for a long time. Many, many. Because we're 10 years in now.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Congratulations.

[Fortune Feimster]

Thank you. Our first, like, six, I think we tried to do the, like, we'll go to your families and my fit, because that's what my brothers had set up. Yeah. And then we realized that we don't have kids and what are we doing? We don't have to be there.

[Brian Green]

That's right.

[Fortune Feimster]

And the pandemic kind of did that, you know, where we. We stayed home for the holidays, and we were like, oh, this is actually kind of nice because we travel all the time for my tour. So. Yeah, unfortunately, One of the things that went by the wayside was going to my family. But when you don't have kids, I feel like it's different, you know?

[Brian Green]

Let me tell you something. One of the advantages to being, to being a breeder over here is that when you have children, then you determine. And I have. There's four boys in my family, so I'm one of four. I'm the only one with children, so I get to dictate exactly how the holidays go. And if you don't like it yourself, I mean, you know, you're not gonna.

[Fortune Feimster]

You're see the kids, you're not gonna.

[Brian Green]

See your nieces and nephews for the holidays.

[Fortune Feimster]

And I would be like, fine.

[Brian Green]

Some of my brothers do. Some of my brothers, you don't threaten.

[Fortune Feimster]

Me with a good time. You mean I can, I don't have to spend my family holiday at home watching people rip through presents in five seconds, right?

[Brian Green]

Yeah, it can. It can certainly get annoying. Fortune, you're on a bit of a tear right now, I would say. You, you certainly. If I feel like you're everywhere. Like when they said, hey, you want to. You talk to Fortune? And I was like, oh, my gosh, that of course, is everywhere you are.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

But we've been. I've been a fan for a long time, Chelsea, lately.

[Brian Green]

And then another indie project.

[Fortune Feimster]

Oh, that's so cool.

[Brian Green]

How are. I know that when we talk to people, sometimes I get. Sometimes even I feel like, oh, people just popped out of nowhere. But there's a lot of work that comes behind. Oh, yeah, there's 10 years of work to get to have your moment in the sun, whatever it is. So. And you got your start. You were doing comedy when you were in college, is that right?

[Fortune Feimster]

I did some theater in college. No comedy, but it was in the south, in North Carolina, you know, so it was like us trying to do Shakespeare with these crazy ass Southern accents. And it just. Yeah, we had. I hadn't really been exposed to the comedy part yet other than like growing up watching Saturday Night Live and the reruns of the Carol Burnett Show. So, like, I knew comedy, I loved it, but I did not know you could do that for a living. So I moved to LA 21 years ago, which seems wild now.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Wow.

[Fortune Feimster]

And not to pursue comedy, just. I had a. I had a job that I was gonna do and it was just kind of a life experience. And I had a really hard time making friends because, you know, in the south, you go into a gas station and chat with people.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Exactly.

[Fortune Feimster]

It's not like that in la. Everyone kind of keeps themselves. You don't really talk to your neighbors. A little. A little more isolating. And so I started taking classes at the Groundlings, where, like, Will Ferrell and, of course, McCarthy, all these people had studied at Kristen Wiig, and the dream was to be on snl. But again, it was like, I. I think that's the only way to do comedy is if you get on snl.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

So that was my path for a long time. Once I took these classes just to really. Just to make friends. It. It quickly grew into a passion, and I kept getting encouraged to continue. And, yeah, it was like discovering that was, I think, the greatest gift, because then my life had a. Like a path now.

[Brian Green]

Yes, I get this. My personal opinion is you can't be as talented at what you do. And it just seems to come so natural. The animations, the voices that you go in and out of. The comedic style that you have, I think is just like, you're born with that, and now you pr. You can practice it, and people can help it kind of bloom. Right, by being around other people who have certain sensibilities they can share and you learn and all that. But that's something you're born with. Was this in you always? Did you feel like this sense of these comic sensibilities, this timing was always part of who you were?

[Fortune Feimster]

I think it. I had moments of it. I was a little shyer than people would have assumed I was. I had times where I was the class clown and making everyone laugh. And then other times I was a bit of a wallflower, just kind of watching people. But I kind of came into some of my personality in high school, and I started watching SNL and would, like, memorize these sketches and, like, perform them for people. So I started to learn to make people laugh by using other people's sketch. I would learn, like, Adam Sandler's, you know, Thanksgiving song or Hanukkah song and sing that to people. So I was learning by mimicking at first and just kind of watching and. And absorbing. And then I'd be really shy, then have, like, the spurt of funny. And then when I got to college, that started to come out more. And even though I had terrible stage fright, so my. My performance on stage was not successful. It was when I moved to la. I had, I think, like you said, that natural ability, but I didn't know how to bring it out of myself. So, yeah, the one thing I did learn from classes and years of. I think it was at the growling seven years is I learned how to hone it. And. And when I started stand up in 2007, that was at the Comedy Store. I didn't know what I was doing there either. I knew I was comfortable on stage. It seemed like people liked me. And those are two hard things to overcome right off the bat. Yeah. I was like, okay, I've done those right away. Let me work on what is my voice? What am I trying to say? How do you tell a story? And that's the thing that gets better over years and evolves, because this is my third hour that's coming out on Netflix, and I can see my. Thank you. I can see my voice and my storytelling evolve in each one.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, I think, you know, I forget who said this, but it's like, you know, 10,000 hours, right? There's an old saying, 10,000 hours to become a master and expert. The people who do things in this world the best have 10, on average, 10,000 hours of doing what they do. I think you. When you're as gifted as you are comically and as an actress, it's like that energy is there. It's just either stuck inside or it's very wily. And you don't know what to do with it until you start to get those hours, get those reps under your belt. I mean, Chrissy and I are 38,000 hours into this podcast, and I've said this to her before, and I mean it, and I think it's true, and it'll probably be true a thousand hours from now, but I don't think Till episode number 400, did I actually feel like we knew? What the fuck?

[Fortune Feimster]

Oh, really? Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. It's just repeated, you know, it's getting in there and trying to figure out what works and what your voice is like, what's the personality of the show.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And those two things, I think if you're not creative or you're not in a creative endeavor, it sounds like, well, that's silly. Your voice is your voice. Not really. Like, you know, you have to. It takes a lot of time to figure out how you convey that appropriately or how you use that energy. In a way, I love your type of storytelling because it's just.

[Fortune Feimster]

It's.

[Brian Green]

I don't know. To me, it scratches an itch in comedy. There's other storytellers out there that do this really well also. I think of, like, Kyle Kanane or some of these other people. They. They're really good at this, but you're extraordinarily talented. At taking your life and turning it into something really funny and entertaining. Do you fear family get together? Sometimes. Because all the material.

[Fortune Feimster]

Well, if anyone watches Crushing it, this latest one, you'll see. I talk a lot about my mom, so she gives me a wealth of material alone. And I talk a lot about my wife, Jax, too. But, yeah, I kind of always am hoping that my mom will say something crazy.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, for sure.

[Fortune Feimster]

I'm, like, writing. I'm, like, quickly writing it down because there's one story in my special I talk about my mom falling in a cemetery. And. And a lot of the stuff I. I write, I will. I'll amp it up. I'll, like, write punch lines. And I do a little bit of that in that story. But, like, 95 of that story is just what she said. And I was like, this doesn't seem real. Like, you don't. This doesn't seem like what a normal person would say. Yeah, but that's what makes it so fun. So, yeah, I take these, like, moments in my life and people are familiar with my mom now, and. And I just try to spit them back out in a way that's like, how can I. Because my stories are long, too. I'm like, yeah, how can I keep someone's attention for eight whole minutes of a story? And that's been my biggest thing to try to work on. And hone was like, my every story is like, you know, six to 10 minutes. So it's like, I gotta keep your attention on each one of these stories for a whole hour.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

But it forces me to, you know, work hard at coming up with the through lines and punch lines. And I always try to have a narrative that's sort of a grander theme of the special. And I always try to bring it back around so that there's payoffs from the early things.

[Brian Green]

They're now being a season of television. It's like writing a season of Breaking Bad for your special. It's like themes within the themes, keeping people entertained. But at the end, you know, it always comes back around.

[Fortune Feimster]

But it's my job to be like, I'm just coming up with this just now right off the click.

[Brian Green]

It seemed natural.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, that's a great ability, honestly.

[Brian Green]

But you go out on the road a lot, and I'm sure that that's where you say, okay, I have this idea. Let me see if I can punch it for the next five minutes. And I'll take notes in my head about what's landing and what's not. Do you still. When you get up in front of an audience at like a small club and you're working on new material. Just have that fear of the train coming off the truck, I guess.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah. Oh yeah, I'm writing a new. Every time you put out a special, you have to write a whole new hour. Which is like the worst part of this. I'm like, can I just sing Cheeseburger in Paradise? What? Like musicians have it made.

[Brian Green]

That's crazy. Sam Morrill says the exact same thing. And yeah, he says, listen, the worst part about being a comedian is that.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

He can't play the hips.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. Unlike Guns and Roses, I can't play Sweet Child of Mine every time.

[Fortune Feimster]

I know.

[Brian Green]

That's why people come. If you see my special, they it's old, they no longer want to hear it. Yeah, there's like something new.

[Fortune Feimster]

They. I still have people wanting me to tell the. This, the Hooters story from my Sweet and Salty Special. So I'll do something like that at the end. But yeah, you gotta write a whole new hour because people want to be surprised every time. Otherwise they're like, ah, we've heard this. So, yeah, I was at like, I'm in New York right now. I was at the Cellar last night. The hardest part is like, I like to write everything out like a story on paper. I like to know where it's going and like add some structure to it. And then I put it on its feet. So for me, the panic is I have to now memorize.

[Brian Green]

Right.

[Fortune Feimster]

Eight minute story that I just wrote. And it's easier once you've been on tour because you're doing it every. Every stinking day. Yeah, it gets in your bones. But in the beginning you're like, wait, what did I write? What was that? And so you're kind of in your head on stage. Yeah, I like it when I get to the point where it's just flowing freely. But both these last, especially this last couple, two specials. The last three years, I've been on two tours back to back. 100 cities with 150 shows each. How does that material, I think was honed as much as I could possibly hone it.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, I think. But I see what you're saying, like when you first go out there and you're working on material. Okay. You've, you know, you spent the last, whatever, however many days or weeks or whatever writing this out in my head. This feels good. It's got a flow to it. I'm trying to memorize the beats and the notes so that I can at least get from point A to point B. Yeah. And at first you're, like, literally seeing the paper in your head, trying to remember those beats and those notes so it doesn't come as naturally. And maybe some of the comic timing and the other things, the accents that you might put on it aren't there yet, but as it starts to get deep into your bones, then you can. It's like improv. It's like the Grateful Dead, right?

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, I know.

[Brian Green]

I'm gonna go. You'll get this as a Charlotte. It's like a Widespread Panic song. I'm gonna go from here to here. But in between, I don't know. I'll throw in some.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

We'll figure It Out.

[Brian Green]

Brother song or seven.

[Fortune Feimster]

But it's part of the journey. You know, it's. Yeah, it keeps me on my toes. Because, honestly, if you did. If people didn't force us to do this, I would want to just tell hooter stories every night.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

So it does, by nature, force me to be better at my job than I might have wanted to be.

[Brian Green]

And comedy really is. See, is. Is kind of in a golden age, I think, right now with. And I've said this before, and I'll give them about all of their live. Live. Their live shows. Netflix. But Netflix and Amazon, and to some degree, I guess, Max, they. They've kind of put their weight behind comedians and their. Their success, really. They see this as a vehicle for fresh material. It's great content. They can put it out. There's multiple people need to. Voices people. Yes. And so therefore, now the comedy is really seeing a huge revival.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

My understanding is, because I was just a kid back then, but my understanding is not since the 80s, has comedy really been as hot as it is right now. And you're selling out. Like, I love your Instagram post. It tells where you're going to be for the next five weeks, but then it just says sold out. I mean, here's what I'm gonna be. But you, if you want to.

[Fortune Feimster]

I mean, it's a blessing because selling tickets is so hard. You know, of course, you're in so many cities, and there's so many people out there. There's so much entertainment you're competing with. I think part of the boom is that people aren't going to the movies as much anymore, and. And studio studios aren't putting out comedies in theaters anymore, and people still want shared experiences. You know, we've been isolated a lot via social media. You think you're surrounded by people, but you're alone in your room, scrolling.

[Brian Green]

And.

[Fortune Feimster]

And I miss those days of like being in a theater laughing at like a bridesmaids movie. It. It's funnier when you experience it with people. So people are getting that by watching live comedy. And, and it shows me that there's still a big demand for it. And so I'm. I'm lucky that I'm in. I'm an actor and I'm a stand up. So we're acting is dipping a bit. They're finding their way in this new world of media. Yeah. The stand up partially thriving. And you know, it's a dream. You want to. You work so hard on this material, you want people to see it. So I've gotten to perform in like these amazing theaters. The Chicago Theater, the Beacon Theater. Last tour were like bucket list ones for me.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, the Beacon.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

So like to walk out in the Chicago theater. I grew up in Chicago, by the way, so I know that's right. Well, you, you walk out on that stage and there's just a throng of people.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, it's crazy. 3,000 seat theater.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, I think it's like 3,200 or something like that. That's a lot of people.

[Fortune Feimster]

That's a lot of people. And we almost added a second one. And I was like, could I possibly? I don't know. And I got two chicken to try. I'm like, let's quit while we're ahead. So the goal, this tour, I think would try to do two. It was incredible. My wife, I met her in Chicago, an early day. She took me to the Chicago theater to see Carol Burnett in.

[Brian Green]

Oh, wow.

[Fortune Feimster]

Like in a Q and A. And I just remember being at theater just like, whoa, this is like next level. And Carol was such a influence on my comedy. It just felt very much like coming home one day. I'll be here where Carol sat. Yeah. So that was a really neat thing to experience. I love that that's her city. And I filmed my last special there. And the. That everyone in Chicago's like, been so crazy supportive of me because I think they feel kinship because Jax, that's her city. And we have a lot of love and respect for Chicago, so. Yeah. And the. All the ushers are in like these like cloak. What do you call them? Capes.

[Brian Green]

It's very old school, but like, cool.

[Fortune Feimster]

They're making events of it, you know?

[Brian Green]

Yeah. When you go to the Chicago theater, you're at a theater, right. I mean, it's like you're out of Theater from 1920. And it's just an experience in and of itself. But then the room, such majesty and like entertainment royalty has come through that theater for a hundred years. Yeah, okay, you're a comedian. We know that. But really, you're also a model. You're a model. I'm a comedian, a model. I'm a pragmatic pragmatist. But also, you've done. You've done very well for yourself acting also. And so tell me of the two passions. I know that probably comedy pays the bills on a regular basis.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yes.

[Brian Green]

But acting has got to be also just as exciting. It's kind of a quick hit, in and out. You work for whatever, a couple months or unless you're on a series, you work for a couple months, you make a bucket of money, and then you can take a couple days.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, yeah, it's funny. Acting was like, such a, like, goal of mine for so long when I was on Chelsea lately. I remember Chelsea would say, what do you want to do? I was like, I want to act. I want to be on a show. So I wasn't even on the path to be, like, doing stand up to the extent I am right now, that I kind of just fell into that as far as when the acting, you know, I'm a specific type. I can't just fit into, like, every role in every project. So I think I started doing a lot more stand up to fill the time between acting. But for me, acting was like, oh, that's my goal and that's what I want to do. And I've been lucky to. After I left Chelsea lately, I went and did a couple pilots with Tina Fey. Those didn't get picked up, but, you know, all these no's lead to yeses and that doing that. That project with Tina Fey led to working with some 30 rock people, which led to Mindy Kaling's best friend, Lang Fisher, who they write together. She was on 30 Rock, and she recommended me for the Mindy Project and that. And the Mindy Project is what opened the doors for my whole acting career. So I got to do, like, you know, cool, like, recurring characters in this show called, like, Life in Pieces. And I did this movie, Office Christmas Party. And I'm basically hired to come into a film or TV show and act like a crazy person and then leave.

[Brian Green]

You do seem to have kind of this. But that's my favorite version of you is when you're kind of like, I don't want to say clueless, but you're, like, so incredibly confident.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah. So Overconfident. Yes.

[Brian Green]

There's like this weird, vulnerable obsolescence, and I love it. I think it's. You play it so well.

[Fortune Feimster]

Oh, thank you. And, yeah, now I'm. You know, I did some sitcoms for a while. That was kind of my world, and those are obviously getting made less and less. And now I'm in this crazy action comedy world. I'm doing fubar with Arnold Schwartz saying.

[Brian Green]

Which is great, by the way. I watched the first. I watched the first couple of episodes over the last week. It's really. That's crazy, because comedy with, you know, it's.

[Fortune Feimster]

It's one of those. Those shows, you don't have to think too much. We're gonna entertain you for an hour and try to make you laugh and have some cool explosions.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

And I think season two, which will come out in the spring, is. Is we amp up the comedy even more. I think it's a better season because we. We didn't really know what we were shooting first season.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

And now we have. You know, we just have fun with it, and there's a lot of talented people on that show. And Arnold's just fun to watch. You know, he. Yeah, he knows what he does, and he does it well, and he gives you what you want so good. He's just a very kind, like, generous guy. Funny. He likes to. He loves comedians, so he loves to tease people and crack jokes, and there's nothing. There's no diva, you know, about him.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

He.

[Fortune Feimster]

He carries himself in a way that's. He knows his stature in life. He's been famous for, like, 50 years. He's world famous, which is a different kind of fame. But we went road bikes in Toronto. People are like, arnold. Every corner, Arnold, Arnold. And he's just like, hello. He just lives his life. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

It does seem very kind. Like when you watch him on interviews.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

He seems like he's kind. He seems like he's wise.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

You know, I've said, like, I don't love every bit of Mike Tyson and his life story. He's. He's obviously done some things that are terrible, but when you listen to him now in his older age, he seems like he's learned a few things along the way.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And he doesn't seem pretentious about it. Right. Yeah. He's not precious about who he is as a person. He gets all his foibles and he understands it. And Arnold seems. Seems very much the same way. I don't.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, but that's. That's in a documentary. On Netflix. He's. You reach an age where you start reflecting on. Yeah, that was successes and mistakes, and he owns a lot of those. And. But he's. He's still, like, so active. He. He kind of lives his life like he's a governor still. He volunteers at organizations more than anyone I've ever met. He. He hands out, you know, food to veterans and he, he's has an after school program for kids that's raised like something like a billion dollars. I mean, he's always. If there's, like, people are still calling them to help fix problems. Yeah, I mean, I, Yeah, I've. I've passed his iPad and there's very important people on those iPads. And I'm like, oh, my God. And he's just smoking a cigar, chatting with this very powerful person.

[Brian Green]

Wow. Yeah. I think, I think also when once Apollo, like when you're world famous, like you said, you do kind of become a politician in a way. Right. And whether we like it or not, entertainment in politics is often wrapped up together. And we see that how that played out in this last election, for good, bad or indifferent. But, but I think once you're a politician of a state of like a governor of a state like California, people will always see you as someone who can either fix a problem or be part of a solution. Right.

[Fortune Feimster]

They think it's pronounced California.

[Brian Green]

Do you think this is like a question to the left? Do you think sometimes that people's names have to do with their destinies? Like, Fortune is a very interesting name. I know you got it from your great grandmother, is that correct?

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, it was my great grandmother's maiden name.

[Brian Green]

And so it's great grandmother's maiden name. But there's like, the name Fortune seems to fit you so well, and it also describes like, a little bit of your. Like, you're a fortunate person. You. You've probably had your sense of troubles, but you really have had a lot of success also, especially over the last number of years.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And I was having this conversation with a friend of mine about three weeks ago. I think sometimes when you name a child, it's almost like that name either comes from the universe or you're placing some kind of destiny on them. I don't want to, like, make it sound all hooky pookie.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, yeah, Hooky Pookie.

[Brian Green]

But when you name a guy Brian, right? You're pretty much, you're like, brian Chicago. Chicago, yeah. You're going to be a mediocre podcaster.

[Fortune Feimster]

For the rest of your life.

[Brian Green]

No, but what a name Fortune is. Do you feel fortunate to have the name Fortune?

[Fortune Feimster]

Well, I kind of had to finagle it a bit because my. So my grandmother, who I was super, super close to, she lived right around the corner, was a big part of my childhood. And you know, my parents were so crazy busy and had three kids. She really stepped in and, and was like another mother. And she, when I was born, she really, really wanted my mom to name me Fortune. She's like, that's the name, I'm telling you, like that her name's supposed to be Fortune. Then my mom really resisted it and she said I would have to be Miss America to live up to a name like that. So I'm like, how dare you think I couldn't? And my mom loved the name Emily. And to her that was like the quintessential little girl name. And my part of my mom and I, our journey is that, you know, she, for so long in my life, wanted me to be that pre little lady. Had dresses all over the place and just makeup. I was always being given makeup. And for her, Emily was like, that's my daughter. And I was never Emily. You know, Fortune was my middle name. And so I kind of grew up being who my mom had hoped I would be. And my grandmother died when I was 18. And when I got to LA a couple years later, I had known that she'd always wanted me to be named Fortune. And I just felt like my grandmother knew me before I knew myself. And she really instilled a lot of confidence and self worth into me. And so I decided when I started taking growlings that I would go by my middle name as a nod to her. Like, this is in honor of her. Anytime someone calls me Fortune, it will be like my little like, ear pull that Carol Burnett did. That's my version of it. Thinking like, you could be, you know, I'll be Emily in life and Fortune on stage. And quickly I knew I was like, oh, I was always meant to be called Fortune. Like, I don't resonate at all with the name Emily. Yeah, it never fit. It was never who I was. And I. And so I kind of had to, I did have to kind of step into the shoes of Fortune. But now it just, just fit so well. And it just felt like that was a gift my grandmother gave me.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Absolutely.

[Brian Green]

I think that's, that's a such a lovely and endearing story. And like your grandmother knew you were fortunate before you knew you were fortunate. Right? She understood it. She got it for Some reason, whatever the universe talking. Sometimes I think our doors are open to the universe even though we don't know what the. Is coming out of us until many years later or maybe not even at all. And it's just like, you know, that's just one of those stories that I think indicates that there are greater forces at work. A lot of times, you know. There are.

[Fortune Feimster]

Oh yeah.

[Brian Green]

In life. Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

I do feel like I'm on some kind. I know it's, you know, what did you call it? I do kind of feel that in a weird way it's weird to like say it out loud. But it does feel like I, I'm on this path and I don't know where it's going or why it's going. Certain places. I just kind of, I'm big on trusting my gut. I've had some, many forks in the road where I go. I have to make a really hard decision here. And one decision will lead me down this way, other path and this one will go here. And I just, I, I have to trust that kind of inner thing. And it, I feel like it keeps leading me to, to where I'm supposed to be going and I just do the hard work and show up and do. Do my part of it and see where it goes.

[Brian Green]

Well, I think, I think you two have a very unique voice. You've never been, at least not in your public life, like since you've been, you know, been notable for entertaining people. You've always been who you are. You're always saying it out loud. And you probably like, you do have a path and I would imagine that path is intersecting with so many other paths and you're affecting those people in ways that you, you probably will never know. And I'm sure you hear it here and there, like oh my gosh, because of you, you know, I'm free to be who I am or I tell my own story or I, you know, I got the confidence. But you're so confident about it and funny about it and that. I mean, I guess we all do this in certain ways. You know, sometimes we get an email here like, oh, because you, you know, because you said this, it told me that I should do that or whatever. And that's the story of humanity. We're all just kind of guiding each other in weird ways. Yeah, but your voice is amplified.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Your mom called you from the cemetery.

[Fortune Feimster]

I think that's the coolest part of my job, especially being a stand up because my actor friends, they don't get to like meet the people watching as much. They'll, you know, occasionally meet the people out and about, like in LA or wherever. I'm in, like I said, 100 cities. Every year and a half, I'm meeting a bunch of people, you know, that from the airport, the airplane to the hotel to the Uber to the. I mean, I am meeting people.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

And it is. And I kind of stick out like a sore thumb and I have for a while. I'm tall, I'm a larger woman. I have this crazy ass hair and this accent. And so I do a lot of high fives during the day. And I've just been in a lot of. I've basically been on TV since 2010 every year. So there's a lot of different things people know me from, but the byproduct of that, which I never knew could be a thing, is having people come up to me and telling me these really amazing things that, that the. That a story or a special helped in some way, like, provide levity and, you know, really intimate. You're with people in very intimate, vulnerable times sometimes that you don't even realize. Like, yeah, Sweet and salty came out during, like a month before the pandemic. And you. You know, I'm getting emails from people talking about being in the hospital or being with loved ones dying or. I also got a lot of people writing me, talking about my coming because that. That special is a lot about coming out. And I had parents who were, you know, kids were now with their parents again. When I say kids, I mean, like.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, like four and over.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah. They're hanging out with their parents more during that time. And the. Some of the emails would say, like, I would get from parents saying, my kid, put on your special to see how I would react.

[Brian Green]

Wow.

[Fortune Feimster]

And if I liked it. They got the courage. We kind of knew, but that they were gay, but they never said, and they got the courage to tell us. And I'm like, holy cow, that's. I mean, it blew my mind that. That it could be because it is so hard to have that conversation. I mean, I can't believe that special is part of people helping ease that journey a bit. And I had. I had people say, yeah, I didn't know how to tell my family or friends or whatever. And. And that helps me. And so, yeah, I. I never knew it could have that kind of effect. And I'm just like. Because I just set out to, like, I'm gonna tell my truth, I'm gonna tell my stories. This is who I am. I'm Gonna try to make you laugh. And to think, like, you can also help in these, like, little subtle ways just really means so much to me. And I. I take it means a lot to me. I don't take it for granted in that moment.

[Brian Green]

Like, in that moment when you're reading those or when that. When you think about those moments happening across the screen or on the other side of whatever. On the other side of a podcast or whatever it is, it's like every. All the struggle. Right. Becomes worth it for a second. It's like, okay, this is what I was. I'm obviously here to. I'm obviously here for a reason. And if this helped one person or got one person through something, I mean, we. We had. I remember one time we had somebody write in and said that they were really low, they had a terrible job, their boss hated them. You know, it was just a really shitty, like, kind of cock in, clock out warehouse job. And they said, I had a really. I had a moment during the pandemic where I thought I. This was just it. Like, this is the end. And then I found your show for some reason, and I'm all 180 episodes in, because we have a thousand of them, and I'm 180 episodes in, and it's kept me at least from jumping off the bridge. And I couldn't believe it. First of all, I was like, who the fuck is listening to this show? Second of all, a lot of people. I was like, wow, that is incredible. You know, it's just a silly podcast, but to some people, it intersects with their lives in meaningful ways that you could never understand. And in that moment, every struggle and every shitty show and every tired eye. Not like we did dig ditches for a living, but it becomes worth it and it becomes a little bit clear.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

That your voice, amplified, has purpose. And I. I think for you, that must. That. I don't know. I can only imagine. I had one. Yeah, you have 33,000. I mean, it must feel good.

[Fortune Feimster]

It does. And it's just, you know, it makes me. That's why I think I've really leaned into even more, like, putting out positive stuff. I know that's. It feels so Pollyanna, but it is my natural personality. I'm not putting on a thing where I'm like, you know, the. Be positive. And then I'm just like, the world's worst. I genuinely wake up with a feeling of the glasses half full, which I know is like, such a luxury. I know people that can't want to feel that. And can't be it chemically or whatever is going on in your body. And I'm so grateful that for the most part, and not that I don't have days, I'm seeing things through that lens. So when I put out comedy and material, even clips online, I try to do it with the bend of being on the positive side because there's just a lot of negativity, really. It's just kind of counteracting what all we're considering consuming. That's so doom and gloom and fear based and negative. I'm like, I don't. Who needs that? Right? Any. Any more of that. Let me go in this other lane. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

We, you know, I've tell my children this, and this is my language, not the one that I use for them. But I said, the world is full of. We don't need another one. Right. And that what I'm saying to them is there's lots of bad in the world. Be the good guy, be the hero in small interactions and big interactions because there's plenty of negative people and there's a bad guy around every. Around every corner. You don't need to be that bad guy. Bad girl, whatever.

[Fortune Feimster]

Right.

[Brian Green]

And so I kind of poo poo heads. Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

Don't be a poo poo head.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. The other day the dog was barking and I just lost it and I was like, shut the up. And I didn't realize my young, young, young daughter was at the other end of the house. And she walks out in the hallway. Shut up. Oh, no. That's it. Okay, so real quick before we let you go, Jax, how did is Jax doesn't like the limelight at all.

[Fortune Feimster]

No.

[Brian Green]

Assuming from what you've said in the past. And what.

[Fortune Feimster]

And it's getting worse. Worse and worse. She wants to be in it less and less. Not worse. As far as, like, it's bad. She just does not want to be famous.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Right.

[Brian Green]

And so I'm the same way.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

Chris, some people, I mean, people in LA can't fathom it. They're like, what?

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

I'm like, yeah. Not everyone's a lunatic.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. Chrissy wants to have nothing to do with it. She. If she goes her whole life without anybody recognizing her outside of this studio, and that's fine.

[Fortune Feimster]

You know, like I. With Jax, I. I say the same thing. I'm like, yeah, I chose this.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

Career. I love it. It brings me so much joy. Like, I work all the time. I am definitely a workaholic, but I love it. But if she doesn't want.

[Brian Green]

I've.

[Fortune Feimster]

I've had to be more conscious of, like, I don't post as much about our personal lives or, like, her. She'll be in things here and there. But, yeah, I try to be considerate of not throwing her into the limelight too much.

[Brian Green]

Like, unintention, like.

[Fortune Feimster]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And I get it. Like, sitting behind a microphone, it's like you want to tell a funny story about something that happened during your day or you want to, I don't know, do something. And. And then I have. I've also learned there are guardrails. Right. You have to protect the people around you because they're not choosing to be behind this microphone. And that can be hurtful. And I think even some ways, scary. Like, I. I don't want to be a part of that. Like, does Jax travel with you?

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, she. Trav. She travels a lot.

[Brian Green]

I mean, for.

[Fortune Feimster]

God, for the first eight years of our being together, she was, I think, at, like, 90% of shows.

[Brian Green]

Wow, that's great.

[Fortune Feimster]

And then that last. That first Hundred City tour, I wore her out. And so by the time we got to the second Hundred City tour, she was like, you know, you have a tour manager now. Jack's, like, selling merch in the beginning, and just. She's very shy, so I. I forced her to be out of this comfort zone in so many situations just because I needed help. I was a one woman. She wanted to support you, man. Team.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah. And she wanted to support me, and she did. And she's a. She's a producer on both or all three. Yeah, the last three specials, and is very active on my team, and, you know, she helped come up with the design of the stage for this last special. She's just very smart, and so she's very active and involved, but I'm fine with her not wanting to be in the limelight. If I. If they're. If I was with someone like. Like, that couldn't stop filming themselves, that was crazy.

[Brian Green]

The two of you would be obnoxious together. Yeah, yeah. We've. Chrissy. Chrissy and I have had this conversation a lot about, like, famous people and famous relationships. Like, two entertainers in a relationship.

[Fortune Feimster]

It's a lot.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. I think we were talking to Poppy Leo about this. She was like. We were talking about if we were in a bunker, what would be your thing? Right.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

If you went down into a bunker, Everybody kind of. Everybody had their lane.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

They're laying.

[Brian Green]

And we agreed that the two. Poppy and I should never be in the Same bunker. Because we just fight for attention. Bad news.

[Fortune Feimster]

Oh, anytime I start posting a lot. Jack still kind of. She likes to joke with me. She's like, do you get enough attention? Is that good? I'm like, yes.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

That'S great.

[Fortune Feimster]

Did you get your face? She keeps me grounded.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. Oh, Fortune's brand new special on Netflix number three. Congratulations. I think that.

[Fortune Feimster]

Thank you.

[Brian Green]

Not everyone can say they've got three Netflix specials.

[Fortune Feimster]

Three hour specials, two half hours. A lot of content out there.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Thank you.

[Brian Green]

Let me ask you.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Keep it going.

[Fortune Feimster]

Thank you.

[Brian Green]

Produce them and then sell them to Netflix. Or at this point does Netflix come to you and say, give us another hour.

[Fortune Feimster]

I'm in the Netflix family. Just from. I'm on a radio show with Tom Papa for them. We've done the last five years.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, we had him on too.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, he's awesome. And so right now they've been through Netflix, so. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. Well, congratulations.

[Fortune Feimster]

Who knows? Yeah. So far it's. It's nice to be part of that family. And it's such a, you know, that worldwide platform is so cool.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Fortune Feimster]

So, yeah. December 3rd. Crush.

[Brian Green]

December 3rd, which is this upcoming Tuesday. So while you.

[Fortune Feimster]

I talk about crushed ice.

[Brian Green]

Yes.

[Fortune Feimster]

Southerners love crushed ice.

[Brian Green]

Yes, we do. So real quick, real quick story. So we're take. The family wants to go on a vacation right before school starts. It's like a last minute thing. Right? Okay, let's go. Let's take the kids and get them the last giggles out or whatever. And the only place that we can find is a place in Panama City beach at the Margaritaville.

[Fortune Feimster]

Oh, yeah, you're gonna have to go.

[Brian Green]

Oh, my God. Fortunate. It was.

[Fortune Feimster]

You're gonna have. You've been. Or you already went.

[Brian Green]

So here, here, here's. We walk in, there's these beautiful brand new, like, bungalows, right? They're brand new. They've been open for like a month. And we go in and I'm like, okay, this isn't that bad. I thought Margaritaville. Surely I'm in for some kind of special treat. Redneck Arama. But it was. The places were lovely. And in every bungalow they had a crushed ice. Those little pellets.

[Fortune Feimster]

Come on now.

[Brian Green]

They just kept making. It was a whole bucket Sonic. Yes. And they had a margarita machine.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

It was like cherry limeade with that crushed ice.

[Fortune Feimster]

There's nothing better than crushed ice. So when you watch my special, you will see the significance that crushed ice comes into my journey.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Okay.

[Brian Green]

All right. So December 3rd, this upcoming Tuesday, Fortune's brand new special is out. FUBAR will have another season. Watch the first season. Another season coming out, release date.

[Fortune Feimster]

Oh, and I announced a whole new. I'm announcing a whole new big tour that's starting April 1st, so another 100 cities. I also have a podcast called Handsome Podcast.

[Brian Green]

Yes, the Netflix is a joke with Tom.

[Fortune Feimster]

That's a lot. Yeah, you should see my. You should see my calendar. It will make it. You throw up.

[Brian Green]

Well, I'm just glad you showed up here.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Thank you.

[Fortune Feimster]

This is so cool to talk with you guys.

[Brian Green]

It's been our pleasure. And of course, you're welcome back anytime. I tell you what, when you get ready to go on the next tour and you need to sell a couple tickets, you're welcome to come back.

[Fortune Feimster]

A thank you for two pages of.

[Brian Green]

Questions of which I asked three. So there.

[Fortune Feimster]

I love it. I will. Atlanta is a good. A good spot. I did the Cob center last time.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, that's huge.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, it was that. That show was incredible. So it'll. I' definitely be back.

[Brian Green]

We'll be there.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I can't wait.

[Brian Green]

We'll be there.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yes. We'll eat some biscuits. That's right.

[Brian Green]

All right, Fortune Baby mates, thank you very much for joining us. We love you and congratulations on all this.

[Fortune Feimster]

Thank you. Guys.

[Podcast Announcer]

Have you been missing something from your life? Of course you have. You listened to the commercial break and what you've been missing is me, right?

[Fortune Feimster]

No.

[Podcast Announcer]

Damn. Well, if what you're missing is a little giggle, you should follow us on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTok CVpodcast, because, you know, we're posting clips, we're being silly. You'll get a little laugh out of it, I promise. If what you're missing is communication, text us or call us and leave us a voicemail at 212-433-3822 and someone will respond, definitely. Unless you're being creepy or mean, in which case we won't. And lastly, if what you're missing is a jaunt through the Internet, check out our [e-mail] and explore to your heart's desire. And those are really all the ways I can help you. So maybe you're missing something from our sponsors. Let's find out.

[Brian Green]

Well, thank you to Fortune. We are fortunate to have Fortune come in and share a little, spread a little joy with us.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Sprinkle some of her fortune dust.

[Brian Green]

She's so sweet, you know, you people on the earth. I know.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

She's so sweet. She's so funny. She's so Talented.

[Brian Green]

I mean, we've said this About 75% of the guests who are on some meteoric rise, which seems to be the only reason to come to the commercial break. You're there on the way up or on the way down. So let's say 75% of our guests have been on the way up. And they're all taking it so well. Such in stride. I think maybe they're learning some. Yeah, they're not no brat packers here. Of course, we didn't have Rob Lowe in 1991. Do you remember when Rob Lowe got busted sleeping with some underage girls here in Atlanta?

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brian Green]

After going to Club Anytime or something. Wasn't it Club Anytime or Backstreet or one of those. Rob's learned the lessons. Yeah. And a few facelifts later, and he's doing okay. Poor Rob.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I don't think Poor Rob.

[Brian Green]

What's that?

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I don't think Poor Rob. I think he's doing quite well. He's everywhere. He's in, like, all these new shows.

[Brian Green]

I know, and I. And I love Rob. I think he's a great actor.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

But he thought a biography was good.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, but the one too many facelifts, that's all good. That's why. That's why. Reading about Arnold Schwarzenegger's anti wrinkle diet, I don't know how well it's worked, but you can also. You can do it for free. It's like put raw eggs on your face or something like that.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

No, And I actually subscribe to his newsletter.

[Brian Green]

Oh, you do?

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I get his newsletter every week and it's really interesting.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, he's an interesting guy. There's no doubt about it. That is like one of the quintessential American tales. Come over here from a strange country, don't know a fucking word, and then make the. Make yourself the world's biggest celebrity at one point and still is. Like Fortune said, he's world famous. That's a different kind of famous. But she's got to be world famous, too. Like Netflix is in every country. It's not like you can't see Fortune's shows or comedy specials if you live outside of the United States.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

That's right. So for those of you that don't live in the US Go turn on Netflix. Listen to her special. Watch it.

[Brian Green]

Listen to Chrissy. She's got all the advice that'll help you out. Heard the new Special comes out December 3rd. That's this upcoming Tuesday. If you would do us a favor and Fortune a favor, tune into that special. I think you'll find it to be crushing it. She's crushing it. And she is a very good storyteller. Like, she said, Those stories are seven to 10 minutes long.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

And she does a. I admire this so much. And you are a great storyteller.

[Brian Green]

Oh, thank you.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I think Jeff is. It's a gift. It really is, and something that needs to be honed. I mean, you know, it's like when I go to Mempho and I come back, you say, what happened?

[Brian Green]

And you're like, why do I have a drink? Yeah, okay.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, but you would get, like. We would probably have a month's worth of material if you would. If I would know how to do the storytelling.

[Brian Green]

Okay. Thank you very much. And I've heard this before from other people, right? It's. I don't know how it all started, but I just learned how to weave a tail. And trust me, like Fortune said, 95. 90 to 95% of it is true. But then you gotta learn how to twist some parts of it to bend to your comedic will, so to speak. That's what you have to do. And so thank you. I'm nowhere as talented as fortunate at it, but thank you very much. That's very kind. Jeff is a good storyteller, too. It's not. And that's not everybody's style of talking or style of thinking, but I. It resonates with me because I am a storyteller. So when I see somebody else telling a story in a really good way, and then I love it. You are so good at so many other things. Chrissy, storytelling doesn't need to be your thing. You are a lovely human being who always looks at the glass half full. You're empathetic to all your other friends and family members. You spread joy in this world. Your laughter is infectious. That's for sure. If we've heard that one time, we've heard it a million times on the commercial break. And quite frankly, people like you a lot more than they like me. So then that's okay. That's just.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

You put yourself.

[Brian Green]

I do put myself out there more. I give people more reason to dislike me. So. And that's okay. We all have our lots in life and our crosses to bear. And so let us think about that as we head into the Christmas season.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Look for those 12 days.

[Brian Green]

12 days of TCB carrying our cross. Okay, I'm not. I'm not even gonna get into it. Too soon. Too soon. 20, 24 years later. Too soon. It's too Soon. All right. Okay. I apologize if I offended anybody, but, you know, I'm a combo comedy show. What can I do? We got to make a joke here and there. Okay. Fortune's brand new special. Go check it out on Netflix. FUBAR season two coming up in the spring 100. Another 100 city tour on the way.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yes.

[Brian Green]

Get tickets fast because all of her shows are sold out. All of her shows are sold out.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

We've gotta get. We've gotta catch her when she's here.

[Brian Green]

For sure. We say that a lot, A lot of people. And then for one reason or other, we can't. We don't go or we can't make it. We've seen a few, but we can't make it to every show. But Fortune is one of those I would put on the map. Definitely Fortune. Well, I'm not going to name them, but Fortune, when Fortune comes, I. I would love to see.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yes. And Pete Davidson is out of. Is out of rehab or did he ever go.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

They said that he never went.

[Brian Green]

Well, that's very interesting, because right after he got off stage in Atlanta, all of a sudden, they said he was in Ria. I know, but he did tell us when we went and saw him when he was working on that new material, that he was getting all of his tattoos lasered off. And the tattoo removal is complete, apparently. So now you can see him. You can see his arms. There's no tattoos. There's a little. Little sign, you know, little tiny little ink marks here and there. But that had to been a very painful process to go through a long time.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Takes a lot.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. So all of Fortune's information will be down in the show notes, so you can go ahead and check her out on her social media at her website, links to tickets and all that other good stuff. Christina will put it in there. Hey, listen. Now, every single episode of the commercial break is available on YouTube.com the commercial break. And soon, if it's not already, every episode will be available on video on Spotify. Check that out. It's the wave of the future. Spotify makes another fantastic move to crush revenue in the podcasting industry. But I like it. I like the idea that we can have video on Spotify now. We just had to figure out how to monetize it. But, you know, who cares? We're not monetizing it anyway, so what does it even matter? Yeah, you know how it goes.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

We were getting paid by the people who's love.

[Brian Green]

Yes, we're getting paid in love. Unfortunately. Unfortunately, my landlord doesn't take love as a payment, but whatever. All those sponsors, no, I'm kidding. There's a lot of sponsors of the show and thank you to them. Also at the commercial break on Instagram, TCB podcast on tick tock and tcbpodcast.com for more information about the show. All the audio and video is there too. Your free sticker at the contact us button. 212-433-8212, 4333 TCB. Thanks for joining us on this special Saturday episode of the Commercial break. Chrissy, that's all I can do for today.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I think so.

[Brian Green]

But I'll tell you that I love you.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I love you.

[Brian Green]

Best to you. Best to you out there in the podcast universe. Enjoy your week and until next time. We always say, we do say and we must say goodbye. Saute in your brain. You're gonna have a softie in your pants, you know what I'm saying?