Jamie Denbo: Why I Walked Away From Grey's Anatomy

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: The Gist
Host: Mike Pesca (Peach Fish Productions)
Episode: Jamie Denbo: Why I Walked Away From Grey's Anatomy
Date: March 5, 2026
Guest: Jamie Denbo – Comedian, writer, creator of the “Beverly Podcast,” former Grey’s Anatomy writer/co-executive producer

This episode dives deep into Jamie Denbo’s experience as a Jewish comedy writer and producer working on Grey’s Anatomy, her decision to step away from the show following the October 7th attacks and the resulting wave of antisemitism, and how these experiences shaped her creative direction—including the revival of her comic character Beverly in her new podcast. The conversation covers Hollywood’s selective approach to marginalized communities, the unique sensitivities (or lack thereof) around Jewish identity in progressive spaces, and how Denbo uses comedy as reclamation and healing.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hollywood, Progressivism, and Selective Advocacy (00:00–17:00)

• Antisemitism vs. other -isms: Pesca opens with a reflection on society’s approach to antisemitism, drawing contrasts with the support extended to other marginalized groups.
  • Quote: "...there is a way to do a little bit of it. You just don't call it anti Semitism... You call the Jews the Zionists, you get away with just about anything." (03:00)
• First Amendment, Speech, and Harassment: Explores complexities of free speech vs. harassment, especially on university campuses in incidents involving Jewish students.
• Pesca’s analytic “inversion” exercise: Is the treatment of Jewish concern about microaggressions equivalent to others’? Pesca ultimately argues there’s a real discrepancy.

2. Jamie Denbo’s Career & Identity (12:39–16:23)

• From Comedy to Grey’s Anatomy:
  • Denbo explains her route from alt-comedy stages to writing and co-executive producing on Grey’s Anatomy—a stark shift from her comedic resume.
  • Quote (joking): "I was not McJewey. I should have been McJewey. I pitched McJuey, but that's just how anti Semitic." (12:55)
• ** Jewish representation on Grey’s Anatomy:**
  • Only one significant Jewish character over a decade, which Denbo says is an improvement but still lacking.
  • "They do have a record of doing...some really great episodes centered around Jewish themes and culture. Yeah. But they have not kept up, imo." (14:13)

3. Hollywood Response Post–October 7th and Denbo’s Departure (16:23–29:26)

• A “Molecular” Change after October 7th:
  • Denbo discusses how after the attacks and resulting antisemitism, she “woke up and, holy balls, everybody hates us” (16:22).
• Contrast to other identity-based advocacy:
  • Example: The cast attended mandatory, company-wide, GLAAD-led training to support a trans guest actor, which Denbo describes as “fantastic.”
  • By comparison, her requests for Jewish education or acknowledgement post–October 7th were stonewalled or ignored.
  • Quote: “Let me give you one example...when A director, producer, could not get the pronouns right for a lead actor...company wide summons to a zoom. That was mandatory from glaad...I thought, that's what we need for Jews right now, Period. Thus began a series of meetings at hr. Like long story short, there were obstacles at every turn.” (18:20)
• Attempted Storylines on Antisemitism Blocked:
  • Denbo tried to develop scripts about Jews experiencing antisemitism in realistic, nuanced ways—none were entertained.
  • Quote: "There was very little discussion period. And it was just framed as, 'We don’t have time in the episode.'...I could give you more examples of how I felt that this was just a constant roadblock, but it would get very...This would be a four hour long episode." (23:18)
• Double Standards:
  • The American Jewish Committee was subjected to extensive HR vetting—something no other educational partner had experienced.
  • A director who posted inflammatory anti-Israel/antisemitic content kept his job, while Denbo was sent to HR for raising concerns.
  • Quote: "When I wanted to bring in the AJC...the vetting process...by HR whereas no other organization or expertise was ever put...It was absurd." (24:18)
  • Quote: "When I raised flags about this, sent to HR to have a conversation, it's just. It's endless..." (25:06)
• Resignation for Mental Health:
  • Denbo ultimately resigned, citing the toll on her mental health after persistent disregard for Jewish experience in the workplace.
  • Quote: "I resigned from Grey’s when I could no longer...my mental health could not take it anymore. And I thought I need to do what I need to do, which is bring back this Jewish, queer, friendly character that makes me so happy." (26:19)

4. The Return & Joy of “Beverly” (27:23–41:10)

• Reviving the Beverly Character:
  • Beverly blends Jewish mother archetypes and progressive, queer sensibilities—aimed at healing, laughter, and community.
  • Quote: "Beverly is something that I channel from all of the great matriarchs, but she's not...like your typical Jewish mother shtick, because I think that that's played out." (28:25)
• The Podcast’s Structure and Spirit:
  • The new podcast is improv-driven, balances monologues, mini-arcs, and playful irreverence (e.g., “AI Talmud” bit, ding-bell for problematic jokes).
  • Quote: “If I have a goal, it's to make 22 bingeable comedy specials...I want someone to take a six hour road trip and just play them all the way through...” (33:02)
• Tone and Compassion for Queer Jews:
  • Denbo says targeting the queer Jewish community is “targeting with hugs and approval. Yes, they do need some love right now.” (26:46)
• Humor as Survival and Solidarity:
  • The comedy is explicitly for those feeling alienated in progressive spaces and anyone with a “lunatic aunt” in the family.

5. Denbo’s Take on Mel Robbins, Glennon Doyle, and Self-Help Gurus (36:27–43:14)

• Lampooning Self-Help Influencers:
  • Beverly aspires to self-help “guru” status, poking fun at the popularity and seriousness of Mel Robbins, Brene Brown, Glennon Doyle, etc.
  • Quote: "Let me tell you something. There are so many older women, and they kill me. And I don't not feel this way, that I'm like, okay, Brene Brown, Robin, what's her face? Mel Robbins and Glennon Doyle, like, what makes you so special?" (36:42)
• Satirical “Accountability” Bits:
  • Beverly claims responsibility for everything from Chappaquiddick to JonBenet's name and Bill Cosby’s crimes—turning confessional comedy into a form of healing and parody.

6. Comedy as Healing, Audience Response, and “Evergreen” Content (43:15–45:56)

• Multi-Generational Appeal:
  • Denbo delights in the new audience exposure, especially as her children and their friends grow interested in Beverly’s outlandish, loving worldview.
• AI and Authenticity:
  • She emphasizes that real, improvised “live comedy cannot be replicated by AI.” (44:43)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On antisemitism after October 7th:
  “I woke up and, holy balls, everybody hates us.” – Jamie Denbo (16:23)
• On Hollywood’s selective empathy:
  "The rules did not apply to me as a Jew." – Jamie Denbo (25:24)
• On workplace double standards:
  “When I wanted to bring in the AJC...the vetting process...by HR whereas no other...organization... It was absurd.” – Jamie Denbo (24:18)
• On comedy as reclamation:
  “I resigned from Grey’s when I could no longer...my mental health could not take it anymore. And I thought I need to do what I need to do, which is bring back this Jewish, queer, friendly character that makes me so happy.” – Jamie Denbo (26:19)
• On inclusion, targeting the queer Jewish community:
  “They do need some love right now...They have felt incredibly alienated over the past couple years in their progressive spaces.” – Jamie Denbo (26:46)
• Pesca on satirical “permission structure”:
  “I realize now that ding is a permission structure, isn’t it? You give yourself.” – Mike Pesca (37:56)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–10:00 – Pesca’s monologue: antisemitism, inversion with other marginalized groups
• 12:39–14:19 – Denbo on starting in comedy, writing for Grey’s Anatomy, Jewish representation
• 16:23–29:26 – Denbo on October 7th, Hollywood's response, blocked storylines, her resignation
• 27:23–28:25 – The Beverly character: who she is, comedic roots, not a typical "Jewish mother"
• 33:00–35:20 – Podcast structure, humor mechanics (“ding” for problematic jokes)
• 36:27–41:10 – Satire of self-help influencers, Beverly’s “accountability” bits
• 43:13–45:56 – Audience response, improvisation vs. AI, evergreen podcast goals

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a heartfelt and sharply funny exploration of identity, advocacy, and the power of comedy in the face of exclusion. Denbo’s experiences take center stage as she details the contrast between Hollywood’s response to antisemitism post–October 7th and its response to other workplace diversity issues. The conversation is deeply personal, wryly self-aware, and consistently imbued with both righteous anger and comic relief—anchored by the hope that humor can unite, heal, and reclaim dignity where institutions fall short.

Transcript

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[Mike Pesca]

The gist is brought to you by Progressive Insurance Fiscally Responsible Financial Geniuses, Monetary Magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. Hi, it's Mike and I'm here to plug the show how to and to solicit some questions. Do you want any of your how to questions answered? I want some how to questions asked. If you're out there and you're wondering, how do I become a dominatrix? I can answer that. If you're wondering, how do I get into sports as a gay man, I've got an expert who can answer that. If you're wondering, how do I become a competitive eater? If you're wondering, how do I become less distracted? If you're wondering, how do I become less awkward? If you're wondering, how do I stop being angry at things you can't control, like promos that go on a long time, we want you to ask us that question and to be on our show. Email us@how toikepesca.com any how to question can be turned into a show segment, but those are all ready to go. We just need you, the question asker, to apply how to@mike pesca.com. It's Thursday, March 5, 2026 from Peach Fish Productions. It's the Gist. I'm Mike Pesca and I've been thinking a lot about anti Semitism. Anti Semitism, as it's sometimes called. I'm against it. Some people aren't. Well, everyone says they are. But then, as I've noted on the show, there is a way to do a little bit of it. You just don't call it anti Semitism. We like the Jews. Jews are good. Just the ones in Israel. The ones who like Israel. The ones who know anyone in Israel. The ones who lived in Israel. And yeah, maybe that's a lot of Jews, but it's not about the Jews. It's about the Zionists. And you call the Jews the Zionists, you get away with just about anything. You could yell at a temple. You could yell at students and scream at them until they lock themselves in a university Library could tell them to get off the lawn, you could tell them to get off the platform or the actual subway car. This has all been done. Now in some of those incidents, you can't do it anymore. Cooper Union, where Jewish students were chased inside by people who had no problem with the Jews but were anti Zionists and rattled on the glass doors of the library, which the administration advised the Jews, maybe the Zionists, but also the Jews, to stay inside the library. That was their tactic for dealing with this political protest that had absolutely no ethnic or racial valence. Now, codes at that school, which is a private university, have been rewritten after a case went to a very open minded, actual First Amendment judge who noted this is not Germany in the 1930s, this is New York City in the 2000s. And he, he said that the case against Cooper Union could proceed because it seemed that Jews as Jews, Jews quad Jews had not been kept safe enough. And now if you look at the codes of conduct, you could protest Israel, you can protest Zionists. You at Cooper Union, however, cannot harass Zionists for being Zionists because someone quite wisely noted that has a very, very deep connection to the Jews. You wind up harassing people who have a political ideology that is we don't want Israel to be wiped off the map. In essence, you're protesting and harassing a lot of Jews. And isn't the point really don't do all of this harassing? I think it is at Cooper Union and I'm a pretty much First Amendment speech absolutist, but I also know there is a time, place and manner restriction and harassment, real harassment. Not to be confronted with different ideas, but real screaming and made to feel threatened, legitimately threatened. That's not something that the First Amendment is about. I think about this as I give you my conversation with a very funny performer and for many years a very talented writer for the show, Grey's Anatomy. Jamie Denbo did work on that show. And I haven't watched Grey's Anatomy in a while. You'll hear on this show, wait, hasn't it been on the air for 83 years? Yeah, almost as much. And this is the kind of show that would often have plot lines about social issues. And through the prism of their characters who are very diverse, they would confront or talk about things going on in society. Wasn't exactly Law and Order ripped from the headlines, but the issues that American society is dealing with, the show wants those to be the issues that their characters are dealing with. Except when it came to the Jews. I mean, this was at least what Jamie Denbo told me, and I was the first person she told it to. She eventually don't want to step on the story, but had a real problem with how the showrunners and how the network and how the power structure at Gray's Anatomy treated her and her experience as someone who is Jewish, who is experiencing a post 10-7-Anti Semitic backlash. And it was entirely different than everything she ever witnessed about what any other group experience. Now, I thought about all of this. I was. I didn't know going in that Jamie would tell me this, because the purpose is she does this really funny, genuinely funny character that she had done for a long time and kind of the improv scene. And she's done Curb youb Enthusiasm, and she's done so many shows where she was an improv performer. So the point of the interview was to talk about her bringing back this great character, Beverly. But I asked and she got into the whole backstory of what gave rise to it. Now, I have to say I like to do inversion, which is if the shoe were on the other foot. And I'd like to ask myself, well, while it is true that we were very sensitive for the last few years to the plights of very many marginalized community, the LGBTQ community, the Asian American community, after the Stop Asian Hate Crime campaign, after people were harassed during COVID of course, the black community, the Latino community, very sensitive. And in many cases, we should be. Now, in some cases, I was not critical, but I thought about concepts like microaggressions, and I was fairly dismissive of them on the show. I said something like, some of them are just shouldn't be done, and they're not micro. And then the ones that are micro are pretty much slights and often can just be written off as the not poorly intentioned, perhaps ignorant utterances of others. So using inversion, I wanted to ask myself, is, are the Jewish people or the people who are claiming a different attitude towards the anti Semitism, are they saying, we want our indulgence for essentially offensive microaggressions? These are questions I ask myself. Maybe you do too, as a thinker, and I think not. On the one hand, we could just stop and this works rhetorically, and we could say, everyone gets their safe and protected space. Why not the Jews? Well, I would say maybe not everyone should have had their safe space. You know, this gets exaggerated, of course, but the entire coddling and idea that all our feelings must be wrapped in bubble wrap. I know there is a good for the goose, good for the gander argument, but I don't think it was good for the goose. So if we don't want microaggressions to be something we fall apart about when the aggressed party is a non Jewish is it really virtuous to say that's what we want when the microaggressed against parties the Jew? And I say probably not when it comes to microaggressions but when it comes to the real. Here's a word lived experience, the real feelings, the real threats, the real workplace or schoolyard or public setting experience of people whose who are being criticized and attacked for their immutable characteristics for an ethnicity or religion that either they couldn't choose or that they could choose, but it is still their creed and religion when others enjoy those benefits, even if there are societal benefits, even if they're attitudinal benefits, is it the case that Jews and Semites somehow don't deserve those protections or those attitudes? And therefore I say this is not a case of everyone needs an equal coddling, this is more a case and it seems to me that there is plenty of evidence of true anti Semitism and also power structures not caring about it that much and power structures for many years didn't care about it when it happened to all manner of ethnic groups, notably blacks and Latinos and the LGBTQ community. But it is not a good thing. It is a bad thing when this is now being visited upon the Jews. Was this a funny buildup to Jamie Denbo? It was not. But that is how funny Jamie Denbo is and also how deep and how honest she was in this conversation. Jamie Denbo of the Beverly Podcast Enjoy

[Jamie Denbo]

Foreign.

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[Mike Pesca]

The Gist is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and Save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progress, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations so you know Beverly Ginsburg. Even if you've never met Beverly Ginsburg, she's Massachusetts through and through. She is the Mass pike. And yet somehow now she lives in California and parks herself around and outside the Oprah estate and begs Oprah to come back. She is the star of the Beverly Podcast. She is played by a great comic actress and improviser, Jamie Denbow, who's been on Grey's Anatomy and Curb youb Enthusiasm and Wet Hot American Summer and now her own Beverly Podcast. Welcome to the Gist.

[Jamie Denbo]

It's great to be here. Thank you so much. I have to give you one small correction though. I actually wrote and was a co executive producer on Grey's Anatomy, which does not fit with the rest of my comedic resume.

[Mike Pesca]

Interesting. Were you ever on the show?

[Jamie Denbo]

Never. Not once.

[Mike Pesca]

You were MickJoy.

[Jamie Denbo]

I was not McJewey. I should have been McJewey. I pitched McJuey, but that's just how anti Semitic.

[Mike Pesca]

But when you say you pitch it like every meeting for two years.

[Jamie Denbo]

They did get tired of it. They did get tired of it.

[Mike Pesca]

Were there. Were there. I guess I missed Grey's Anatomy because it was only on for 23 consecutive years and may still be on now. I don't know. 22.

[Jamie Denbo]

22. It is still on and who's counting?

[Mike Pesca]

That's awesome. And it's one of those shows where 22 seasons doesn't mean they did six a year. Like survive for 50. It's literally been on 22 years. Is that right?

[Jamie Denbo]

That is 100% correct. It is the longest running network medical drama.

[Mike Pesca]

Right? Right. And number two is Meet the Press. So were and how many Jews have been on Grey's Anatomy. It's a Seattle hospital. So in real life, that would be like at least 11% Jews. Did you keep up with the numbers?

[Jamie Denbo]

I sure did. They had one Jewish character who was on for a little over a decade.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay, that's good. Was he a good. Was he a doctor or she a doctor?

[Jamie Denbo]

He was a doctor and he was fantastic. And he was played by Jake Borelli, and he was gay, Jewish, fabulous, nebbish. Nebbishy in all the right ways. And they. They do have a record of doing in the past, and I emphasize in the past some really great episodes centered around Jewish themes and culture. Yeah. But they have not kept up, imo.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, that's because. That's because Jamie's no longer with them.

[Jamie Denbo]

Well, why.

[Mike Pesca]

Why is now the time for Beverly and we're going to talk about how you develop that character and everything to have her own podcast. And I agree. I'm not questioning you and saying it's not at all.

[Jamie Denbo]

It's not a challenge.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes. Is your reasoning the same as why I needed it now?

[Jamie Denbo]

Yeah, it really is. So after sort of, I spent most of my career in the comedy world improvising character work, sketch comedy, sort of the career that usually lends itself more to the, you know, the writing on SNL or Office or Parks and Rec kind of world. Not that I had that level of success, but that was sort of where I swam. And I had done this character as a duo for. Back almost 10 years ago, back at the beginning of podcasting. And it was a real joy. She really hit in the Jewish community, in the queer community, in the women's community. She was like an alt comedy character in that sort of straight white male comedy space. But she sort of. What was beautiful about the character back then is she really did sort of speak to the not necessarily typical alt white boy comedy, comedy, bang, bang audience. So it was great and we had a following and everything else. Put the character on ice for a few years, went into television writing and producing, kind of fell backwards into writing on Grey's Anatomy for four seasons, which was totally bizarre. And it was a great job for a long time. And I started to get really antsy about bringing back my Jewish joy and my comedy roots. And right around that time that I was thinking about Bringing Beverly back, October 7th happened and everything changed for me, molecularly, as a. As a typical cultural American Jew is how I would have described myself before. And Now I'm in October 8th. I woke up and, holy balls, everybody hates us.

[Mike Pesca]

And so is this a Way to get them back. I mean, not. Okay, by get them back, I don't mean exact revenge. I mean to invite them back into the fold.

[Jamie Denbo]

Am I motivated by revenge? Oh, sorry, you don't mean get back at Grizzly. Yeah, this is a way to. This is a way to go back into what I really want to do passionately at this point in my life and career. And it is not work on a medical drama that's 22 years old where they didn't really respond in the way that I felt they should have after October 7th, if we're being honest. So why.

[Mike Pesca]

But I don't even know if there's. Yeah, tell me why.

[Jamie Denbo]

Let's talk about it. I played by the rules of Hollywood. The rules did not apply to me as a Jew. I was a good soldier in the progressive circles in Hollywood. And this is not an unfamiliar story. There was just a really great op ed about PEN America, the writing organization. Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Jamie Kirchuk wrote it.

[Jamie Denbo]

Yep, yep. And Ari Engel wrote one too. So there's, you know it. That was pretty much my experience. I, you know, as in Hollywood, you know, as Jews who invented Hollywood know. Dave Chappelle. We don't run Hollywood, we invented it. So yes, there are a lot of Jews here. There are a lot of black people in hip hop. There are a lot of Chinese people own restaurants. No one ever goes into a Chinese restaurant and says, gosh, so many Chinese people. So anyway, whatever. It was fascinating to work on a show at that moment that had a real social justice drive and didn't exactly pull stories from the headlines, but definitely pulled vibes and zeitgeist and issues. You know, there was not something that we didn't talk about that was front page news except October 7th. And that's when I woke up and realized that there were those amongst those I worked with who understood a completely different history than what I knew to be true about the state of Israel, about what a Jew is. I mean, I was asleep. I was a Gen X October. You know, I had grown up. The re education of the Middle east started after I graduated college, feels like the day after. And I started hearing the words apartheid and colonial. I truly did not know what people were talking about and realized I must educate. And thus began a year and a half long or a season and a half long effort on my part to be backed by Jewish organizations, bring in education into the space. Let me give you one example of sort of the hypocrisy that was laid bare in my experience, which was when A director, producer, could not get the pronouns right for a lead actor on the show, a guest actor. We company wide summons to a zoom. That was mandatory from glaad. And by the way, I went kicking and screaming to that because I thought, I know RuPaul's Drag Race, I'm a fan, I've been to DragCon. I don't have anything to learn. And you know what? It was a fantastic hour. I understood what it was to be trans in that moment. I understood what it was. It was. It was actually a fantastic experience. And I thought, that's what we need for Jews right now, Period. Thus began a series of meetings at hr. Like long story short, it was. There were obstacles at every turn.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh, so was there some sympathy in a week after 12 days after.

[Jamie Denbo]

And then occasionally behind. Behind closed doors, always quietly, and only from several people.

[Mike Pesca]

Interesting.

[Jamie Denbo]

So no is the answer.

[Mike Pesca]

And there were.

[Jamie Denbo]

There were. There were kafiyas in the camera department.

[Mike Pesca]

Uh huh. Yeah. And there was no. Or would you be in the position to have pitched a story idea or a script and you just knew not to.

[Jamie Denbo]

Or I decided that that was going to be what I would do to make this, put it in the context of the workplace. And thus began a eight month, nine month effort to do that. And I was faced with obstacles at every turn. And ultimately I was not allowed to do that.

[Mike Pesca]

Right. In a way that was different from a similar circumstance with the other.

[Jamie Denbo]

Felt. Felt real different to me. Right, yeah. And these were not controversial stories, you know, these were, oh, it wasn't Israel based.

[Mike Pesca]

It was just maybe a victim of anti Semitism.

[Jamie Denbo]

Correct. One of them was. Well, for example. One was based on a real. We often took things that had happened in the medical community. So I thought, well, there was just a huge protest outside a cancer ward at Sloan Kettering. This was whatever it was three years ago because there was a Zionist quote, unquote, donor to the hospital disrupting cancer treatment for children's patients. What a great real thing that happened to spark discussion. This was not about an agenda. This was about sparking discussion with our Jewish doctor character who was there at the time. There was no reason to think that he couldn't have that discussion with all the other doctors. So there was that.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Jamie Denbo]

Then that.

[Mike Pesca]

I bet, knowing how you do your craft, you wrote a scene that showed how the Jewish doctor was himself conflicted over what was going on in Israel. Because that's interesting. Dramatically.

[Jamie Denbo]

And this was part of the pitch. Part of the pitch, absolutely. As was. As was the. The other one that I suggested, which was that after I went to the NOVA exhibit, you know, I pitched an idea that two NOVA survivors were. One breaks their leg in the forest in the Pacific Northwest, trying to heal from nature after this. And then goes to the hospital and they pretend they're Yemeni because they're. Or they're speaking. That they're speaking Arabic because. But then the Jewish doctor overhears, is like, you're not Yemeni. And they're like, well, we're Israeli, but we don't wanna say it out loud. You know, this is not. These are not anti Palestinian narratives. Okay. There was one another idea that there was a family with a kid going off to college, as I was during this time, you know, worried about what their kid was gonna encounter at college if they wore their Star of David as a medical story. These were not what. Doesn't matter. None of them, none of them made it.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. And so I'll just channel the person who hears this and has the obvious rebuttal. I'm sure most of your pitches don't make it. And I'm sure that there are legitimate reasons or they would surmise there are story reasons or reasons not to do that or maybe even reasons of the audience. And what would the answer to that objection be?

[Jamie Denbo]

The answer would be, in my experience, no one who had a personal experience and stake in something that felt real to them as a marginalized community would have been so ignored ever and beyond that, you know.

[Mike Pesca]

So you're saying not. Of course not every pitch from the perspective of a marginalized community got approved. But there'd be more hearing it out, more respect that would go further down the line of development. Okay.

[Jamie Denbo]

There was very little discussion period. And it was just framed as. We don't have time in the episode. We don't. I mean, I was the funny thing. I could give you more examples of how I felt that this was just a constant roadblock, but it would get very. This would be a four hour long episode. You know, the other, the other thing that I will say is beyond all of that, we had a practice of bringing in educators on various topics, whether it was about reproductive health or systemic racism within the medical community with it, no matter what it was, we were custom to bringing in experts. When I wanted to bring in the AJC, the American Jewish Committee. This is 120 year old, non controversial nonprofit Jewish

[Mike Pesca]

organization positioned very well within the progressive world, by the way.

[Jamie Denbo]

Correct. And not. This wasn't the adl. This was not hot button, the vetting process that they were Subjected to by hr whereas no other organization or expertise was ever put. Subjected to that. It was absurd. Yeah. Not to mention, you know, the long path I went down when I was encouraged by various Jewish organizations to suggest that perhaps one of the directors who was coming back to direct had been posting horrendous. Horrendous things beyond pro Palestinian. We support the people. This or even from the river to the Sea. Posting Zionism is terrorism. Posting the IDF rapes Gazan women, trains dogs to rape Gazan women. Okay. When I raised flags about this, sent to HR to have a conversation, it's just. It's endless.

[Mike Pesca]

And you were sent to hr.

[Jamie Denbo]

Correct.

[Mike Pesca]

And that director got the gig.

[Jamie Denbo]

He sure did.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay. And I'm gonna guess, knowing how these things work, he had a couple back channel communications by people I don't know who are executives, but up in the show and they. Jamie, we know how it goes and you're not wrong, but leave it alone. Something like that.

[Jamie Denbo]

The rules did not apply to me as a Jew. That is what I've determined. People can disagree with that if they want to, but I was there. So I will tell you that this was my experience. My experience does not matter as much as other marginalized communities. I think we know why I am white. I look like I'm Karen from central casting. I look like I'm yelling at you in Trader Joe's parking lot. I don't know what it is, but I know that the narratives about Jews and Israel are so unbelievably twisted. And my experience was that there's not a lot we can do to change that. Not in Hollywood right now.

[Mike Pesca]

But the great thing is you have the opportunity to turn this into something really funny and joyous. And unless you listen closely, there's no way for the listener to pick up on the real anger or grievance that. Not that. Not that the character was born of. She preexisted. But why you brought her back.

[Jamie Denbo]

That's right. I. Let me. Let me be very clear. I resigned from Grey's when I could no longer. My mental health could not take it anymore. And I thought I need to do what I need to do, which is bring back this Jewish, queer, friendly character that makes me so happy. Not to mention the fact that, like, I'm not targeting the Jewish queer community, but in terms of targeting, by the way, targeting in a good way, like.

[Mike Pesca]

But targeting with hugs and approval.

[Jamie Denbo]

Yes, they do need some love right now. You know, there's a lot of. I don't. They have felt incredibly alienated over the past couple years in their progressive spaces. Because who's more progressive than the queer community in Los Angeles and New York? You know? And I just feel like this character does something positive for them and so many others. Listen, Beverly's for everybody. Everybody has a mother or an aunt who's unhinged, who thinks she's Mel Robbins, which is essential what this version of Beverly is, which is why she moved from Massachusetts to Glendale, California to start her new life, because she loves sunshine and, you know, she still thinks it's the era of free love.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Jamie Denbo]

So she's very excited, but she's not

[Mike Pesca]

without her opinions on the difference between the residents of Glendale. You have your Persian residents.

[Jamie Denbo]

Oh, sure.

[Mike Pesca]

You have your Armenians. Very different.

[Jamie Denbo]

Absolutely. Listen, the Armenians. Let me tell you something. This Beverly would tell you the Armenians of family people. Hairy people. Not as good looking as Persians, but Persians, they're doc on the inside. You know what I'm saying?

[Mike Pesca]

And that gets a ding because there is a bell whenever something is problematic.

[Jamie Denbo]

I have a slightly younger producer and engineer who are there to keep Beverly, you know, on the right track.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Jamie Denbo]

So that she doesn't completely offend anybody. She grew up in a different time. She grew up in a different time. Michael, Michael, you would be so good looking if you had hair. That's what she would say.

[Mike Pesca]

What if I had a green hat that said garlic bread?

[Jamie Denbo]

Isn't that fun? Who doesn't love garlic bread? That's something everyone can agree on instead of a maga hat. I don't want to divide everybody. I'm bringing people together.

[Mike Pesca]

That's it. It's not maga. It's not pink pussy. It's right in between garlic bread.

[Jamie Denbo]

You show me someone who doesn't like garlic bread and they can't. They're literally not allowed to listen to the podcast. Screw them. They can go find something else. So, yeah, Beverly is. Beverly is something that I channel from all of the great matriarchs, but she's not, I also have to say, like, she's just not like your typical Jewish mother shtick, because I think that that's played out. You know, she's definitely like a boomer who is trying to adjust. Like, have you done hot yoga? It is so hot. You know, they used to have yoga with. What's her name? Jane Fonda, used to do yoga. She used to incorporate it in her workout, but now it's all hot yoga. And it's wonderful because you can get on dress completely nude. Well, I thought you could get Nude in the studio. You can't. I'm not allowed to go there anymore. But anyway, so, you know, Beverly's just trying all the things, you know, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok. Isn't that fun? TikTok. It's wonderful. It's killing our children, but I love it. It's wonderful. And you can learn. You can learn things from it.

[Mike Pesca]

And we'll be back in a minute with more of Jamie Denbo and more Beverly

[Jamie Denbo]

Foreign.

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[Mike Pesca]

The gist is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. We're back with Jamie Denbo, former writer for Grey's Anatomy and now host as Beverly of the Beverly Podcast. Okay, the Massachusetts accent.

[Jamie Denbo]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Do you have to put it on? Or in your daily life, do you have to reject it?

[Jamie Denbo]

I listen. I reject it. But my children will tell you if I have had a glass of wine or. Or I'm angry that Boston comes out and gets very, very vocal.

[Mike Pesca]

Is the Boston accent Jewish mother funnier than the classic New York Brooklyn accent Jewish mother?

[Jamie Denbo]

Absolutely. We're exhausted on which words it's been done. Car. Here's what. And can't. I can't go over. Listen to me. I can't go to Trader Joe's because that parking lot makes me want to kill myself. So here's what I do. I do instacart for just Trader Joe's. And I. And let me tell you something. And I won't do Lazy Acres because they want. They're somewhere between Erewhon and. Which is obnoxious. I want to kill myself. Although I do love that strawberry glaze smoothie. Here's what I do. I go and I get a strawberry glazed smoothie. I don't tell anybody, okay? But it costs $45. And I just. But I. And I tell them, I said, listen, I want to look like Hailey Bieber. So far, it's working. I look wonderful. I look terrific anyway. But yeah, so it is. For me, the Boston is funnier because it's more specific. Everybody loves Boston. It's new it's why we all like the pit, right? We love that nurse with her Pittsburgh authenticity.

[Mike Pesca]

Well, we are also the Jewish main protagonist.

[Jamie Denbo]

Whoa. Noah Wiley. Here's what I would do to him. I wish I could shrink him down and put him. Insert him like a tampon into my body. Like how Prince Charles wanted to do with Camilla. Remember that? That was a fun. That was a fun scandal.

[Mike Pesca]

A lot of people thought that wasn't that sexy.

[Jamie Denbo]

But now, to me, to me, I thought I. Please. That was the sexiest thing I'd ever heard. I said, they're right for each other. Go ahead, Diana. It's time to get out of this.

[Mike Pesca]

It's the crinkliness around the eyes, right? Isn't that what it is with Wiley?

[Jamie Denbo]

Of course he's crinkly and a little pointy, which I'd hate. I don't like it in Anna Kendrick, but I love it in Noah Wiley.

[Mike Pesca]

You know what I mean?

[Jamie Denbo]

If something works better on a man. Yeah. So she would probably get dinged for all of that, right?

[Mike Pesca]

I was gonna say, I heard a ding. Ding.

[Jamie Denbo]

I know you need a bell.

[Mike Pesca]

The ding is great because I've seen a lot of comedy where an older character says things and then they cut to. And this isn't bad comedy. They cut to the younger producer. Eyes are rolling. And this does a couple things. It maybe is in itself funny. It signals to the audience, we know which right side we're on. But the ding is literally Pavlovian. You go right ahead and it's an acknowledgement. It just itself is funny. Like,

[Jamie Denbo]

what's fun about this particular version of this character? And the way that I'm trying to do this project is, you know, I get a lot of people when I say I'm doing Beverly again, they're like, oh, who are your guests? And I knew I didn't want to do two things I didn't want to do, like email advice, like, you know, I love Sarah Silverman. That's what she does. I didn't want to do. I didn't want to do celebrity guests. There's five you want to. First of all, please, everyone can hear a celebrity guest. What I did instead is I. If I have a goal, it's to make 22 bingeable comedy specials. I'm going to do a. A Mel Robin if. If Beverly was hosting a self improvement podcast so I can bounce off in an improvised, improvisational, improvisational way with Dana and Brett, my producer and engineer. But I really wanted it to be monologues. Accountability. You Know the kind of thing that will. Someone can say once all these episodes are out? There's 22 episodes in the first season. Once they're out, I want someone to take a six hour road trip and just play them all the way through because there are long arcs updates on her totally dysfunctional twin adult daughters. You know, there's themes. There's AI Talmud, which is a bit that she. She. I came up with. You know, what does AI Talmud say about today's theme? Serial killers. Talmud. Talmudic take on serial killer? Nothing. They didn't say. They said, don't murder. That's what it says. Okay, well, we knew that. Thank you. Talmud. You know, so it's definitely Jew friendly, but it's also. It's kind of for everyone. It's for everyone that has a lunatic aunt in their family driving them crazy. Now, her daughters are Lainey, and Rachelle, Lanie and Rochelle. Listen to me. One of them. One of them's anorexic, the other one has an eating disorder. Ding. Let me tell you something. I'm telling you what it is. You know what they have in common? They both blame me for all their problems. That's what they have in common. Okay? They're four minutes apart, but you wouldn't know it because they're miles apart in the way they live their lives.

[Mike Pesca]

Now, the one with the eating disorder, who you try to help by telling her to lose weight, I mean, you give advice.

[Jamie Denbo]

Listen to me. I tell them both, there's nothing more important than your looks, okay? After that happiness, after that health, okay? That was what I was taught. Maybe it's not what they say now, but that's what they grew up on. And look where we are. This is where we are.

[Mike Pesca]

I remember Fernando said, it is better to look good than to feel good.

[Jamie Denbo]

This is. Listen to me. That's what I learned. It's basically tattooed on my brain. Okay?

[Mike Pesca]

Jiminy Glick had twins named Matthew and Modine. They know Rachelle and Haley.

[Jamie Denbo]

Listen to me. Here's what they don't know. My daughters. I wish they knew more of available men. It is a complicated world out there, but I can tell you that over the course of the podcast, Lainey may or may not find love, which is a hint. Hint. And Rochelle, you know, may or may not be incarcerated, but either way, they. They. Either way, they are fulfilling their destiny. You have to let. Listen to me. Let them. Let them. You heard it from Mel Robbins. Don't let them do too much, but let them a little bit. You know what I mean, which one

[Mike Pesca]

has the keffiyeh behind her?

[Jamie Denbo]

Oh, please. That was Lainey. Let me tell you something. Laney will jump on any trend, though. I mean, you know, she had the black square from Black Lives Matter up until, you know, 2024. So, you know, she's. She doesn't know what she's doing. You know, I feel sorry for. She's soft brained. She loved Covid. I mean, Covid for her was wonderful because she actually had a purpose, you know, and no. And she could wear face shields so you couldn't see either of her lazy eyes.

[Mike Pesca]

There are people like that. Now. Let me ask you, Jamie, what do you. Having analyzed it, you're right. You're commenting on how everyone wants to be Mel Robbins book. What makes her Mel Robbins? I kind of don't get it.

[Jamie Denbo]

Life experience. Life experience. Let me tell you something. There are so many older women, and they kill me. And I don't not feel this way, that I'm like, okay, Brene Brown, Robin, what's her face? Mel Robbins and Glennon Doyle, like, what makes you so special?

[Mike Pesca]

Right? But literally, what is it like, if you had to break down what their

[Jamie Denbo]

special sauce is or why they're special sauces, was timing. There was something in the timing. And Beverly is pissed and she's like, why don't I have timing? And so Beverly is challenging throughout the podcast, all three of them, to come on her podcast, which please, God, if there is a God, if Mel is listening, begging you, I promise it will be funny. There's also very little humor, especially Glennon Doyle. She's not funny. But lesbians aren't funny. Just kidding. Lesbians are funny. Ding. Anyway, as you were doing this, I

[Mike Pesca]

was thinking of Judy Gold. I'm like, judy Gold's hilarious.

[Jamie Denbo]

And so is Wanda Sykes and Rosie o'. Donnell. Not so much.

[Mike Pesca]

But I was thinking of the funny queer Jewish one.

[Jamie Denbo]

Yes, of course, of course. Yeah, of course she is. But. But even she. I think Judy would be like, yeah, most lesbians, not so funny anyway. But. But who's funnier, gays or lesbians? Let's be honest. Ding. It would be the gays. I don't want to get into it with you. So anyway, I realize now that ding

[Mike Pesca]

is a permission structure, isn't it? You give yourself.

[Jamie Denbo]

She does.

[Mike Pesca]

You get anything.

[Jamie Denbo]

She does fight it. She does fight them on it. And just be like, I'm going to take that bell away from you when I shove it up behind your big tush. Sorry, you're perfectly fat. Not fat. Shaming. Your tush. But I do think that, like, you know, it's crazy. I mean, Mel Robbins shot to fame because she lost all her money with Madoff. Right. Isn't she the one who lost her money with. Or it was maybe Brunei. I can't keep them all straight. They look exactly the same to me, by the way. Not unlike me without the wig on. Just blonde, white, like experts and I. You know, and so Beverly is just like this podcasting thing seems like the right thing to do. What makes me. I have life experience. One of the running bits that's now happening in the podcast, and it sort of finds itself after two or three episodes, is that Beverly has decided she's going to take accountability. This is something she thinks she has an edge over Mel, Brene and the other one, Glennon. Whatever. Anyway, so she wants to go ahead and say I'm accountable. So she's taking accountable for all of the things. And it turns out that it's more like a Forrest Gump situation. She was responsible for Chappaquiddick. She was responsible for JonBenet. Not the killing, the name. The name.

[Mike Pesca]

You know, the outfits, the little outfits.

[Jamie Denbo]

Listen, she is responsible for Bill Cosby's behavior, but that's all. That's the secret. She. It's complicated. Okay.

[Mike Pesca]

What does she call Bill Cosby?

[Jamie Denbo]

Oh, William Francis Cosby, even though that's not his name. Yeah, Maryland. That's right. He's a doctor. Okay. So listen, Phylicia Rashad, let me tell you something. This one's for you, okay? One time. One time, I had consensual unconscious sex with him and it flipped a switch. Okay? So if I had something to do with it, I apologize. I confidently.

[Mike Pesca]

That was the true unlocked, not Glennon Doyle.

[Jamie Denbo]

Correct. So this is what I'm saying is Beverly finds that part of this podcast is a confessional.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Jamie Denbo]

Where she is taking responsibility for all of the things. And by the way, Beverly thinks she's better than Mel and Brene and Glennon because she's older and she's got more experience to speak about and she's got more accountability to demonstrate. So she would tell you. Those are all the reasons.

[Mike Pesca]

Let me take you on a little. I think it was Glennon Doyle journey, though. It could have been. It could have been any of them. I, Glennon Doyle or Abby Wambach, one of those two, drop Casey Wasserstein as her client, as her agent. And I really couldn't understand what he had done other than, you know, 25 years ago, flirted with someone who turned out to be a criminal, but he couldn't know at that. And her. Her public. Her public explanation was just things like, we got to stop giving a fuck, and it didn't make any sense. So I really did a deep dive on trying to figure out why, and it brought me back. And this wouldn't have explained it, since it predates by over a year, this decision, but she was on the Monica Lewinsky podcast, and I gotta tell you, I just went. There were statements made that I think to this day, if I tried to unpack it with talmudic fervor, I could not.

[Jamie Denbo]

This is Glennon or Glennon or Abby.

[Mike Pesca]

This is. No, this is all Glennon.

[Jamie Denbo]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

And. And Monica, who I like, I've always had this affection for. She said that she has. She listed four or five different kinds of therapists she has, including a friend therapist. I can't. I was much more confused than when I started, and I can't figure it out. I can't figure it out. I get their appeal, but I can't figure out why them.

[Jamie Denbo]

Okay, here's the thing. Monica gets a pass in life because Monica was the first victim of. Of having your life ruined before you were old enough to, like, you know, go on birth control regularly. Okay? The other one, Glennon, does not get a pass. She is a former, you know, Christian mom fluencer who discovered lesbian love with the most masculine. With a. With a man who's got a vagina, which is, by the way, what every woman.

[Mike Pesca]

Ding, ding.

[Jamie Denbo]

Oh, you know what? That'll turn me. I'm interested in Abby Wambach. I'd fuck that. Listen, what I'm saying is it's not. I can't with her. She is a performative. You know, first of all, I tried reading one of her books ages ago, and when I got to the part about what an incredible parent she was, I said, girl, wait till your kids are cooked. Please, before you start talking about what an incredible parent you are. By the way, that's my advice to everyone who's writing a book about what an incredible parent they are. Can we just see how the kids turn out? Let's just see how it goes. Let's just see how good you are in practice before we get there. But anyway, no, Glennon is. She's word salad and performative and not for me. Like, listen, I don't want to completely shame anyone who's gotten some good advice from her, but she's also raging anti Semite, so I'm not interested. It's like Everyone who has, you know, all of you guys with your. Go to Israel and then have a conversation. Just stop it. Go to Gaza or go to Israel, go to either and then maybe you'll have some information. But stop with your proclamations.

[Mike Pesca]

Sorry, I didn't even know. I didn't even know she was an anti Semite or she would be.

[Jamie Denbo]

Well, in Beverly's opinion, she is.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay, I see, I see. But it is funny that I don't know. It's funny. It's tragic that if someone had a scintilla of this around any of the other isms, it would be well known. Right. And it would attend to them a bit more.

[Jamie Denbo]

You want to get into this? We're going to be here for the next two days.

[Mike Pesca]

I know, I know. So what kind of reaction have you had from former colleagues, people in the improv community, Bell makers of America?

[Jamie Denbo]

I think people are excited to have Beverly back. I think that she's open and ripe for a whole new generation and audience. It's exciting because when I used to do her before, my children were not exactly sentient, and now they are, and they. They have played the little clips for their friends, and their friends are somewhat interested, which is making them somewhat interested, which is a lot of fun. She does appeal to multi generations. I think she's just recognizable and like, I do believe also, like, I had a live show the other night and it was such a blast. You know, there's something so organic about, really special, like full. Full podcast episodes and live comedy, which can't be replicated by AI. You know, AI doesn't get it right. You know, they can't. They just. They're not. They're not. I don't. I'd love to see AI try to replicate Beverly. Good luck. I don't know what I'm going to say, so I don't know how you're going to know what I'm going to say. It's been a joy so far. I hope that it grows and grows. Like I said, I'm trying. I'm trying to make this ultimately bingeable and evergreen. This isn't like, topics week by week. Like, this is exactly what happened this week. It's not like the gist. You don't have to worry about competition, Michael. But, you know, but it's more.

[Mike Pesca]

Not gonna start wearing a hat with a word on it.

[Jamie Denbo]

It is very much designed to be something that people can go back to. And by the way, in addition to the themes and everything else, I actually, I don't want to say I, I do have a smattering of guests, but they are not celebrities. For example, Beverly has a medium. Come on. And Beverly has a woman named Karen to explain the whole Karen phenomenon. And Beverly has like a mother, son, comedy duo. I'm just like, what are you doing? Why? How are you working together? You know, just randos. And so there's only like four or five of those throughout the season. But they're people that Beverly finds interesting and hopes that the audience will, as opposed to bringing in, you know, whatever, some random person to talk about their sitcom because they don't want to do that. I don't want to do that.

[Mike Pesca]

Beverly is Beverly Ginsburg. And the Beverly podcast is out now. Jamie Denbo is Beverly. We can reveal. Thank you so much, Jamie.

[Jamie Denbo]

Oh, Mike, thanks so much.

[Mike Pesca]

And that's it for today's show. Corey Warr produces the gist. Kathleen Sykes runs the gist list. Ben Astaire is our booking producer, and Jeff Craig runs our socials. Michelle Pesca oversees it all. Benevolently improve and thanks for listening.

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