Therapuss with Jake Shane

Session 102: Rachel Sennott
October 23, 2025
Guest: Rachel Sennott—Actress, writer, creator of HBO’s “I Love LA”

Overview:

This episode of Therapuss features Jake Shane in conversation with the multifaceted Rachel Sennott. The discussion is a vibrant and rapidly paced exploration of creativity, anxiety, the journey to self-acceptance, and the realities of making art and navigating life in your 20s and 30s. Rachel opens up about her new HBO comedy series “I Love LA,” the emotional pressure of releasing such a personal project, and plenty of candid, comedic insights about dating, social media, and therapy. The episode’s signature segment, “Tell Me What’s Wrong,” sees Rachel and Jake giving their unfiltered takes on listener-submitted dilemmas.

Main Discussion and Insights

Tri-State to LA Vibe Shift

[01:39 – 04:10]

• Rachel and Jake bond over their East Coast roots and the distinct, rapid-fire conversational style they share.
• They discuss how the East Coast can amplify anxiety, while Los Angeles offers a “chill out” buffer.
  • "Me with the edge taken off is still, like, other people at their worst." — Rachel Sennott [03:00]
• Both express a preference for LA’s indirectness versus NYC’s bluntness:
  • “In New York, you know what everyone’s thinking about you because they’ll tell you. I don’t want to know.” — Jake Shane [03:13]

Talking Shit as Social Glue

[03:13 – 06:10]

• Candid debate about “talking shit” and why it’s not as toxic as people think—often more about community and venting.
  • "Talking shit to me feels like I have to do it. It's like working out." — Jake [04:01]
• Rachel notes in LA, talking shit is less serious and more lighthearted—"just basic details of life said in an off-putting tone."

Emotional Toll & Vulnerability of Creating

[06:10 – 09:18]

• Rachel reflects on the emotional journey creating “I Love LA”—describing a year of non-stop writing, directing, editing, and not feeling anything until the trailer dropped.
  • "I couldn't cry. I'm cancer moon, so wet...but I just couldn't feel anything." — Rachel [07:16]
• She describes the backlog of emotions catching up: "All of a sudden…manic high, then super horny, alone in my kitchen at 2pm…I think it's just this backlog of feelings and emotions." [08:33]

Casting “I Love LA” and Audition Trauma

[09:44 – 13:22]

• Rachel praises cast members, especially True, for their unique comedic timing (“She’s Meryl Streep of comedy”).
• Candid behind-the-scenes about auditions:
  • “Every actor, you go into a room, give your soul, and then you find out you didn’t get it because you see a headline on Instagram.” — Rachel [11:51]
• She relates her first “grown up” audition heartbreak and how being nice in auditions can be misleading.

Finding a Voice in Comedy

[13:22 – 18:29]

• Rachel outlines struggling to fit into NYU’s acting program, never getting cast in school shows or improv, and finding her way through open mics and writing.
  • "I never got cast at any of the school plays…I just started looking for other opportunities. That's how I found stand-up." [13:32]
• She still has the recordings from her first open mics.

The Value of Outgrowing College

[18:29 – 21:04]

• Discussion of why life improves with age; both agree they never want to go backwards.
  • “I like life more and more every year. I’ve never wanted to go backwards.” — Rachel [18:34]
• Rachel credits learning, experience, and, humorously, “Accutane and better sex” as life improvements.

Skincare, Accutane & Alcohol

[21:04 – 24:33]

• Rachel recounts her brutal struggle with acne, her transformative (and harrowing) six months on Accutane.
  • “Basically…it made every pimple I was ever going to have come out in six months.” [22:18]
• Accutane made her less able to drink alcohol; now prefers weed (with caveats).

Chilling Out, Weed, and Sleep

[24:33 – 27:18]

• Shared stories about their complicated relationships with weed—paranoia, needing just the right people, finding that perfect 20-minute creative high.
• Acknowledges the “not that serious” approach to pharmaceutical aids for sleep and anxiety.
  • “I just need to time it right so that the second I turn evil, I’m asleep.” — Rachel [25:18]

Show Business, Titles, and Internet Culture

[27:18 – 56:25]

• Rachel describes the restlessness of Gen Z, the existential crisis and striving that color the “climbers” mentality.
  • On show titles: “There was this name that I liked, ‘Climbers,’ but I didn’t want it to feel like we’re making fun of these characters before you meet them.” [51:17]
• She wanted “I Love LA” to capture the complexity of being young, extremely online, and ambitious, without judging or condescending to characters.
• Entourage, Atlanta, Girls, and Sex and the City were touchstones; Rachel particularly admired how “Entourage” portrayed the industry as a backdrop.

Memorable Quote:

• “I just hate when you see a show about Gen Z where the characters are all, like, ‘I'm stupid, I love phone.’ I’m like, no, we’re stressed out, we’re depressed, we’re medicated—it's not fun to be young!” — Rachel [51:28]

Saturn Return, Growth, and Chaos

[37:22 – 45:01]

• Extended conversation on the chaos of the “Saturn return” (late 20s astrology milestone): “You either decide, ‘this is my life forever’ or you blow it up and change everything.” [39:57]
  • Rachel describes emotional breakthroughs, confronting old patterns, learning to trust her intuition and let go of control.
• Both agree the hardest part of adulthood is relinquishing control over your narrative.
  • “I need to lose control of my narrative. I need to appreciate the good things that I have…and know I’ll get forks eventually.” — Rachel [66:30]

Real Talk: Going Viral, Social Media, and Group Chats

[61:22 – 65:06]

• Rachel misses Twitter’s hater energy but knows it’s not good for her now. Both love TikTok, group Facetimes, and the thrill of collaborative, funny content.
• On TikTok:
  • “When you get a group together, have a vision, execute, that feels really special.” — Rachel [64:52]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On LA vs. NYC Mentality:
  “You can use your East Coast mentality on the West Coast and fly. The East Coast already exacerbates my anxiety.” — Rachel [02:31]

• On Talking Shit:
  “Talking shit is part of community building. It’s totally important. Something I learned in LA: talking shit isn’t that serious.” — Rachel [04:08]

• On Releasing Her Show:
  “I pushed everything down because I didn’t have time to feel —and then, at home, I just crashed.” — Rachel [08:33]

• On Open Mics:
  “The first time you do standup everyone supports you—then you suck for three years.” — Rachel [15:40]

• On Gen Z Entertainment:
  "I'm not trying to make fun of Gen Z for being online. We're all climbing; it never feels enough, nothing feels certain." — Rachel [51:28]

• On Saturn Return:
  “Everything that I thought I’d already learned came back—quicker, faster, lightning round.” — Rachel [39:16]

Audience Q&A: “Tell Me What’s Wrong”

[71:03 – 89:00]

Standout Dilemmas:

• Dating a “PR Boyfriend”: Both agree PR relationships are mostly a myth; “Either someone can be in a relationship with you or they can’t.” — Rachel [73:19]
• Bridesmaid Wearing White: Deliberate attention-stealing: “That feels purposeful and weird.” [74:47]
• Should I Break Up With My High School Sweetheart?
  “Breakup is an automatic glow up—a realigning of your values with yourself. Do a breakup.” — Rachel [79:19]
• Bad driver shame: Rachel: “Own it. Become the girl who’s a bad driver. Make other people pick you up always.” [89:23]
• Empathy for boyfriends’ insecurities: “Invite straight men into the joy of insecurities. It’s communal!” [88:18]

Rachel on Flirting, Therapy, and Self-Acceptance

[84:42 – 86:58]

• Rachel claims she’s a confident flirt and loves the playful “giggle energy” in flirting.
• On therapy: praises her own therapist—“I always stop going when I’m filming, but after a month, it evens out again.”

Rachel on Psychics, Astrology, and the Future

[90:34 – End]

• Rachel reveals she’s had at least three psychics and two astrologers, and shares a story of a psychic correctly predicting she’d have her own show.
  • “She looked at me and said, ‘Your boyfriend isn’t your soulmate.’ And then we broke up.”

Closing Thoughts

• Both Rachel and Jake reflect on the themes of connection, control, and growing up. Rachel will be watching for Jake’s own Saturn return.
• Rachel’s advice for the anxious young creative: sometimes, you have to release control and ride the chaos.

Episode Guide/Timestamps

• 01:16 – Tri-State Area fast-talking connection
• 03:13 – Talking shit: NYC vs LA philosophy
• 06:10 – Emotional backlog from “I Love LA” production
• 09:44 – True and the casting journey
• 13:22 – Rachel's comedy/NYU struggle
• 18:29 – On college and getting older
• 21:04 – Skincare, Accutane, changing routines
• 24:33 – Weed, chill, sleep aids
• 27:18 – Show development, Gen Z, and series themes
• 37:22 – Saturn return and life upheaval
• 51:14 – Show titles, "Climbers" vs "I Love LA"
• 61:22 – Social media habits
• 71:03 – “Tell Me What’s Wrong” audience dilemmas
• 86:00 – Flirting, therapy, and insecurities
• 90:34 – Psychics, astrology, and letting go

Final Note:

This was a high-energy, wildly honest, often hilarious episode that captures the freewheeling, self-aware angst and brilliance of millennial and Gen Z creatives. Rachel and Jake’s chemistry kept the conversation moving, always circling back to the twin themes of vulnerability and embracing the messy, unpredictable process of growing into yourself—and sharing it all online.