The Gist: "Funny You Should Mention: Ariel Elias"

Host: Mike Pesca
Guest: Ariel Elias
Date: October 24, 2025
Podcast Description: Mike Pesca’s “Funny You Should Mention” brings a comic into focus for an in-depth, wry, and revealing conversation about the roots and processes of their humor. Today’s guest, Ariel Elias, is a Jewish stand-up comic from Kentucky, discussing identity, her special "A Jewish Star," and the infamous beer-throwing viral moment that changed her career.

Overview

This episode dives into the complexities and comedy of cultural identity, outsider experiences, and the evolving art of stand-up with comic Ariel Elias. Pesca explores Elias’ Jewish upbringing in Kentucky, her journey through New York and the comedy circuit, her new special, and the viral incident that catapulted her into the national spotlight. Along the way, the conversation touches on concepts of belonging, voice, and honesty in comedy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Ariel’s Southern Jewish Identity

• Contrasts Growing Up Jewish in Kentucky vs. Living in New York

  • Elias describes how in Kentucky she had to explain Judaism, often fielding naive questions like "but you still have Jesus, right?"
    [06:25]
  • In New York, she finds herself explaining Kentucky and "how Jews ended up in Kentucky" to baffled city-dwellers.
  • Observation on Kentucky’s cultural identity:
    • “If you have to specify that you want your tea unsweetened, you're in the south and that's Kentucky. And like, any soda is a Coke." [07:32]

• Cultural Stereotypes and Ignorance

  • People in Kentucky were generally ignorant rather than malicious regarding Jewish customs and stereotypes.
  • Elias recounts learning about antisemitic slurs from classmates who were equally unaware, learning together "without malice." [09:36]
  • “I feel like we were all just kind of learning about antisemitism together… we're all just ignorant together.” [09:36]

Family & Jewish Heritage

• Immigrant Roots
  • Elias’ mother’s family hails from Russia, Poland, Lithuania; her father’s from Spain and Greece, making her “little Sephardic.”
• Spanish Citizenship as Jewish Backup Plan
  • Gained Spanish citizenship through a law for descendants of Jews expelled in the Inquisition.
  • Oath ceremony notably on Jan 6, 2021: “Every January 6th I just get a reminder of how happy I looked on January 6. And the caption that I wrote was, 'today we have righted one of history's greatest injustices.’” [14:01]
  • Discusses the emotional and practical value (“peace of mind”) of “always having a backup plan” as a Jew.

Navigating Comedy and Outsider Humor

• Comedy as Anthropological Outlet

  • Pesca describes Elias as both observational and explanatory, using her status as “outsider” for comic effect.
  • “You spend so much time explaining yourself growing up, that inevitably you're like, oh, well, how do I take this thing that…feels a little bit like a burden and turn it into a career, basically?” – Ariel Elias [34:41]

• Approach to Material & Delivery

  • Explanatory style: “I just want to explain to you how I got here.” [35:46]
  • Discusses clean vs. edgier material:
    • Details on writing cleaner jokes for synagogue gigs, especially conscious of older and more conservative audiences.
      “I have a little bit of a lack of comfort with [sex jokes]…aware of my audience and how they see me.” [44:20]
    • Example: Jokes about circumcision do better with “Reform” temples and in social halls than in sanctuaries. [42:48]

Airline Bits

• Airline Preferences and Bits
  • SouthWest Airlines: “If you've ever asked the question, can an airline have clinical depression? Southwest is here to answer.” [19:25]
  • Why she avoids Spirit Airlines: “I don't like feeling duped. And I think Spirit's whole thing is they want to dupe you into thinking that you're paying less…” [21:27]
  • Tom Takar’s Spirit Airlines joke referenced for being “so cheap, that even if the plane crashes, you're like, still pretty good deal.” [21:59]

The Viral Beer Incident

• Recounting the Moment
  • A Trump-supporting heckler threw a beer at her; captured on video as Ariel picked it up and drank it, calmly returning to her set and selling merch.
  • On thinking in the moment:
    “I remember thinking, would it be funny if I picked it up and drank it. Only one way to find out.” [64:28]
  • She clipped and released the video herself, which quickly went viral.
  • Catapult to Late Night: Used the viral fame to directly ask (and receive) a spot on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “And he said, definitely. And then they were going on hiatus for like two weeks, but then he was like, yeah, come out.” [68:40]
  • Reflects on viral fame: “Are you remembering watching the video of you or are you remembering actually being on stage?” [70:52]

Writing, Honesty & Comic Influences

• On Truth in Comedy

  • Committed to saying things she believes: “If I don’t believe in what I'm saying, why am I saying it?” [48:56]
  • Admits to occasional embellishment for comedic effect, but underlying point must ring true.
  • “I do think it's okay to lie in a joke…sometimes you'll get into the nitty gritty of the details where it's like, that didn't actually happen. But the point that I'm making feels true still.” [51:05]

• Influences and Finding a Voice

  • Started by emulating Sarah Silverman’s “saying the opposite of what you mean” character, grew into her own style.
  • Nikki Glaser credited with teaching her how to write a joke: “[She’s] how I learned how to write a joke.” [47:29]
  • Now focused on clear, explanatory, story-driven stand-up.

Navigating Contemporary Jewish Identity

• New Special: 'A Jewish Star'

  • Pushed back on reps who thought the title might be risky during a time of rising antisemitism.
  • “I think being Jewish played a big part in the empathy that I think I have and the social justice that I feel.” [53:06]
  • On audience or internet pressures: “It’s like…this group of people wants you to say this. This group…wants you to say this… But when I'm on stage…that, to me, feels like I'm conveying who I am. And I do think, like, who I want to convey to the world is that, like, I'm a fucking Jewish star.” [54:26]

• Balancing Identity with Comedy

  • Willingness to embrace her visible identity even if it brings negative attention: “I think I’m gonna get [antisemitism] anyway… Naming it something different won’t hide anything.” [52:48]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kentucky’s Southern Identity:
  "If you have to specify that you want your tea unsweetened, you're in the south and that's Kentucky. And like, any soda is a Coke." – Ariel Elias [07:32]

• On Jewish Stereotypes in Her Kentucky Town:
  “I feel like we were all just kind of learning about antisemitism together… we're all just ignorant together.” – Ariel Elias [09:36]

• On Having a European Backup Plan:
  “I think every Jew has in the back of their mind, like, where do we go in case...” – Ariel Elias [15:41]

• On the Value of Explaining Oneself:
  “You spend so much time explaining yourself growing up, that inevitably you're like, oh, well, how do I take this thing that kind of feels a little bit like a burden and turn it into a career, basically?” – Ariel Elias [34:41]

• On Airline Comedy:
  “If you've ever asked the question, can an airline have clinical depression? Southwest is here to answer. Yeah, we sure can. We sure can.” – Ariel Elias [19:25]

• On Her Viral Fame:
  “I remember thinking, would it be funny if I picked it up and drank it. Only one way to find out.” – Ariel Elias [64:28]

• On Truth in Jokes:
  “If I don’t believe in what I'm saying, why am I saying it?” – Ariel Elias [48:56]

• On Artistic Integrity During Hard Times:
  “I'm still very proud of being Jewish and, like, nothing will change that. I'm very proud of the community that I come from. … I do think, like, who I want to convey to the world is that, like, I'm a fucking Jewish star.” – Ariel Elias [53:06, 54:26]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [05:37] Start of substantive interview: Ariel’s Kentucky/Jewish background
• [09:36] Discussing ignorance vs. malice with stereotypes in Kentucky
• [14:01] Spanish citizenship story and January 6th connection
• [19:25] Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines comedy
• [33:33] Comedy and the explanatory style of telling one’s story
• [34:41] Roots of observational/comedy instincts
• [41:25] Clean vs. risqué material: tailoring for synagogue shows
• [52:48] Debating the risks and necessity of a Jewish-themed special title
• [64:28] Play-by-play of the viral beer-throw at Uncle Vinny’s and aftermath
• [68:40] How the viral moment led to Jimmy Kimmel Live
• [70:52] On remembering lived experience vs. the video

Tone & Style

• Pesca’s tone is conversational, dry, and keenly observational, regularly veering into wry meta-commentary. Ariel’s humor is quick, self-effacing, explanatory, and often centers on the dissonance between insider and outsider identity.
• The episode mixes lighthearted cultural digressions (e.g., on Hanukkah miracles and airline jokes) with personal reflections and subtle critiques of both anti- and philo-semitism.

Conclusion

This episode showcases how comedy can be both a means of navigating outsider status and a tool for resilience and self-expression. Ariel Elias’ special "A Jewish Star" and her now-famous viral moment reflect the power—and challenges—of owning your identity in a time of cultural and political tension.
Pesca and Elias’s conversation unpacks the art of building a comic voice rooted in honesty, anthropology, and the complex interplay between humor and heritage.