What's Our Podcast? with Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney
Episode: Matt Rogers
Date: October 29, 2025
Podcast Description:
Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney (SNL, former roommates) continue their comedic quest to discover "what their podcast should be about." This episode features comedian, writer, singer, and podcast prince Matt Rogers (Las Culturistas, Have You Heard of Christmas?, The Culture Awards). The trio banters about childhood, performance anxiety, sketch comedy roots, the intensity of SNL, and pitch a new podcast concept — "Adrenaline." Expect self-deprecating humor, deep dives on adolescence, plenty of asides, and unexpected sincerity.
Main Theme and Purpose
The episode explores the ongoing central conceit of “What’s Our Podcast?” — Beck and Kyle’s cluelessness about what their show is really about and calling on guests to help figure it out. With Matt Rogers as guest, they drift through childhood memories, comedic inspiration, and finding your lane creatively, culminating in the proposal and play-acting of a potential podcast centered on "adrenaline." Throughout, they touch on themes of self-acceptance, performance pressure, and embracing their own weirdness.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Introduction, Recap of Premise, and Banter
- The show opens with the hosts once again discussing their confusion about what their podcast is about, their tradition of explaining the premise, and joking about "tiny gods" around the house.
Quote:- Beck: “But we don’t need to say that every episode, do we? … Our producers are saying yes.” [00:55]
- Kyle: “We host a podcast but we don’t know what our podcast should be about … We invite guests to come on and pitch an idea...” [01:20]
Personal Updates and Parenting Mishaps
- Beck shares he got a minor black eye from roughhousing with his 3.5-year-old son, who’s now “into wrestling” and surprised him with his strength.
Quote:- Beck: “I was roughhousing with my son … he popped up and headbutted me … it was well worth it.” [04:21]
- Matt and Kyle reminisce about old-school pro wrestlers and joke about wrestling with “tiny gods.”
Quote:- Kyle: “I will sometimes wrestle the tiny gods.” [05:32]
Admitting Vulnerability & SNL Memories
- Kyle reveals ongoing stomach issues tied to anxiety, dating “back to SNL days or before.”
Quote:- Kyle: “My stomach has been hurting for about three months … Since SNL, I was, or even before that.” [02:20]
- The three reflect on the anxious, competitive, and sometimes hostile environment of adolescence, forming cliques, the pursuit of popularity, and how weirdness can be both a challenge and a superpower.
Early Comedy and "Weirdo" Energy
- Matt, Beck, and Kyle swap “cringe” stories from middle school:
- Matt’s failed “That’s So Raven” classroom bit
Quote:- Matt: “One bit I did was I just wrote that’s so Raven on a piece of paper and held it up in the front of class.” [18:48]
- Kyle’s Wario puppet voice at 7-11, unappreciated by the cool kids
Quote:- Kyle: “I was just like, I’m a Wario, I’m gonna win. And Dave was cracking up … [the cool kids] were not feeling it.” [21:40]
- Matt’s “Lorianne passed away fourth period” deadpan prank, which sometimes bombed
Quote:- Matt: “If anyone ever wasn’t [at roll call] … I would just go, Lorianne passed away fourth period.” [24:10]
- Matt’s failed “That’s So Raven” classroom bit
- They bond over feeling like outsiders in adolescence, how odd humor or personality could either make or break social prospects, and how code-switching as humor was a crucial tool.
The Roots of “Satirizing Commercialism”
- Matt recounts college awakening to the omnipresence of advertising, influenced by peer Sudi Green, and how it formed his comedic voice.
Quote:
- Matt: “I saw … how much we were being advertised to all the time. I was like, wow… in America, you can’t walk around without a targeted ad coming at you.” [30:58]
- This sensibility underpins his work (including the satirical Culture Awards), as he relishes exaggerating and parodying commercial culture.
SNL: The Dream, the Process, and the Reality Check
- Matt details his SNL audition: prepping signature comedic characters, the deep pressure of “impression lanes” and why he ultimately didn’t get cast, even as close friends did.
Notable Quotes:
- Matt: “It was a death march toward SNL for me…that is what it will be. That’s where I belong.” [33:33]
- “They put us in the same [waiting] room for our [Bowen and Matt’s] screen test, which felt like a manipulation.” [34:28]
- “I went in and I was just, I didn’t have the sauce that day…the je ne sais quoi was not there… I should have just done me.”
- He’s candid about the disappointment, describing the ache of “not being in it together" with friends, and how envy is less about fame or money than missing out on the creative camaraderie.
Quote:- “It was never jealousy for me…It was more that I wasn’t a part of the experience with them.” [49:09]
Embracing One’s Creative Lane
- Matt discusses letting go of comparing styles with alternative comics, and that owning his “commercial yet satirical” lane was essential.
Quote:- “I stopped picking on myself about that and was like, ‘No, this is just your sensibility.’” [33:14]
- The hosts encourage Matt’s journey, and share their own stories of “manifesting” creative dreams — including Beck crying after a transcendent early theater experience and Matt having an epiphany after an SNL taping as a college freshman.
The Power of Community, Collaboration, and Fate
- They reflect on “chance meetings” that yield lifelong creative collaborators (Hammer Katz/Las Culturistas, Good Neighbor), marveling at how serendipity and “codes” of taste solidify trajectories.
- Rachel Bloom is called a “bellwether” for their scene, with anecdotes about her viral rise and supportive friendship.
Lightning Round
Kyle initiates a "quick" Q&A so they can fit in even more questions before time runs out:
- Matt recounts the process of getting into NYU’s Hammer Katz sketch group, seeing Rachel Bloom perform, and knowing “I’m going to get in.”
Quote:
- “I looked myself in the mirror and I was like, you’re gonna do it. You’re gonna do it.” [46:05]
- Discussion of early musical inspiration (Mariah Carey as both comedic and musical idol), how Have You Heard of Christmas? was built around the “bit” of a Christmas album that didn’t exist, and the crowded but joyful field of making Christmas music.
- Mock competition over Christmas titles: “King” (Jimmy Fallon), “Prince” (Matt), and the others being “in the court or jesters.”
Quote:
- Matt: “You can all be in the court … I love that. I think that’s a great Christmas brand for you.” [52:22]
- They riff on how the holiday’s materiality offers endless comedic raw material.
Podcast-Within-a-Podcast: "Adrenaline"
[55:36–87:44]
Matt suggests a podcast built on stories of adrenaline and physical extremity. The trio riffs, improvises an episode, and each shares a story:
- Matt’s Skydiving Ordeal [65:57–74:31]
Matt’s story of going skydiving at 18: signing scary waivers, being strapped to a “Ninja Turtles-villain” instructor, nearly blacking out with anxiety, and ultimately dry-heaving mid-descent.
Quote:- “Now it’s like, I have it caught on film, the minute I stopped being a person who likes any of it. I’m afraid of heights now. I get vertigo as a result of that experience.” [73:53]
- Kyle’s “Confrontation at the Pizza Place” [76:48–80:44]
A slice-of-life take on adrenaline: the mounting anxiety and internal pep-talk before confronting a server about a long-delayed pizza order. Quote:- Kyle: “I started freaking out … I could just feel my body—like, I’m gonna have to say something about this pizza.” [77:29]
- Beck’s Football Pump-Up [81:10–83:28]
Beck describes channeling adrenaline before games by imagining his younger brother being harassed by the rival team, using the scenario as emotional fuel to dominate on the field. Quote:- “I always said it was my first acting experience because I would imagine the other team beating up my younger brother … and I would just get so amped up.” [82:12]
They riff on "fight, flight, or freeze," staged scare pranks, and performance anxiety after SNL tapings.
The Acting Tangent: Crying on Cue [84:37–89:29]
- Discussion shifts to acting technique: “using” personal memories to trigger emotion, ethical qualms with “emotional borrowing,” and the artificial aids (tear sticks, menthol) used on set.
Quote:
- Matt: “If it’s in the script, I want to emotionally prepare…They kept saying, ‘You could use the tear stick’…out of pride, I was like, ‘I don’t need it,’ then eventually I was like, ‘Just blow the wind in my eye, whatever.’” [86:06]
- Matt jokes about NYU drama’s “lemon sense memory” exercises and how “some people are good and some people are bad” at acting. [89:29]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On embracing your type:
Matt: “I used to feel like what [the alt comics] were doing was so much cooler, more auteur than what I was doing. … At a certain point, I stopped picking on myself about that.” [33:14] - On SNL disappointment:
Matt: “It was never jealousy for me…It was more that I wasn’t a part of the experience with them.” [49:09] - On comedy roots:
Matt (about his “That’s So Raven” bit): "I think I’m ahead of y’all. I think this That’s So Raven bit I’m doing just, like, advertising…." [18:56] - On the birth of creative chemistry:
Kyle: “[It’s] wild that the chance meeting where you met your crew...has lasted as long as it’s [gone].” [46:36]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 0:45–2:15 – Show premise; “tiny gods” riff
- 4:21 – Beck explains face injury from playing with his son
- 13:25 – Matt’s childhood stories; fighting, “clique” dynamics
- 18:48–22:05 – Middle school bits: Matt's “That’s So Raven,” Kyle’s “Wario” voice
- 24:10–24:50 – Matt’s "Lorianne passed away" substitute prank
- 30:58–31:21 – Ubiquity of advertising in American comedy
- 33:14 – Owning your comedic sensibility
- 34:28–37:11 – Matt and Bowen’s SNL audition experience
- 49:04–49:46 – Matt’s reflection on creative FOMO about SNL
- 55:36–87:44 – “Adrenaline” podcast: stories and tangents
- 65:57–74:31 – Matt’s skydiving adrenaline story
- 76:48–80:44 – Kyle’s pizza-place confrontation
- 82:12–83:28 – Beck’s football adrenaline/acting memory
- 84:37–89:29 – Acting, crying on cue, “lemon” method
- 91:03–91:42 – Where to watch the Culture Awards
Tone and Style
- Playful, self-deprecating, and surreal: Full of meandering riffs and absurd side-bits, but grounded by honest admissions of anxiety, vulnerability, and creative aspirations.
- Camaraderie: The guests and hosts support each other's stories, poke fun at their own awkwardness, and express genuine admiration for one another.
- Reflective: Willingly dig into their own self-doubt, teenage misery, and weirdness as a source of both pain and pride.
Conclusion
The episode encapsulates the core chaos and fun of “What’s Our Podcast?”: delightfully directionless but grounded in camaraderie, creative self-discovery, and sincere appreciation for each other’s work. Matt Rogers is open about both his triumphs and failures, sharing vivid stories about chasing his dreams and reconciling with the ways in which they manifest — sometimes differently than expected. The “Adrenaline” segment offers a meta, comedic take on finding a niche, with mock sincerity and total commitment to the bit.
Final takeaway:
Sometimes the best material comes from embracing what makes you weird — and collaboration, no matter the context or medium, is what shapes creative lives.
Where to Find More
- Matt Rogers' Culture Awards: Now streaming on Peacock [91:03]
- Matt Rogers: @MattRogersTho on all socials [93:54]
- Las Culturistas podcast, Have You Heard of Christmas? special
- Watch more episodes of What’s Our Podcast? on YouTube
For listeners who haven’t tuned in:
Expect loosely steered, highly imaginative, and often vulnerable conversation with a core of big-hearted silliness. The show’s “non-theme” is its greatest asset — every episode can become something new, as long as the chemistry stays alive.