What's Our Podcast? with Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney
Episode: Skyler Gisondo
Date: November 5, 2025
Host: Headgum
Overview
In this lively and offbeat episode, Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney—longtime friends, collaborators, and SNL alumni—invite actor Skyler Gisondo onto the show. The podcast's recurring conceit is on full display: Beck and Kyle don’t know what their podcast is about, so each guest is tasked with pitching ideas and, in this episode, participating in a “podcast-within-a-podcast” based on their favorite concept. The three dive into Skyler’s acting origins, behind-the-scenes stories from "Superman," life as a working actor, the intricacies of white lies, and plenty of comedic tangents. The tone is loose, self-deprecating, and packed with authentic, meandering humor.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Catching Up and Reflecting on the Podcast (00:00–09:40)
- Beck and Kyle recap personal happenings, such as parenting struggles, drop-offs at summer camp, and their waning enthusiasm for school parent-volunteering.
- They openly critique their own podcast’s lack of structure, joking about whether it’s “a steaming pile of doo” or actually “fun and different.”
- The meta-conversation continues about what their show could become (e.g., short 15-minute chats, no guests, more focus on candid conversations between the two hosts).
- Beck: “I think it’s a trash. It’s a steaming pile of dooo.” (06:17)
- Kyle: “If it was just this and it was just like 15 minutes, it would be so much easier.” (07:11)
2. Introducing Skyler Gisondo & Birthday Party Anxiety (09:41–19:54)
- Beck introduces Skyler as an incredible actor (“Superman”, “Righteous Gemstones”), sharing a story about attending Skyler’s birthday party and feeling anxious as the “old guy” at a house party full of younger people.
- Skyler confesses that it was his first podcast appearance and he was nervous following “the godfather of podcasting,” Marc Maron, who was the previous guest.
- Skyler: “So the last guy was like, the godfather of podcast. And then me who’s never done one…” (17:16)
3. Behind the Scenes of "Superman" and “Righteous Gemstones” (19:55–32:51)
- The trio swaps stories from the Atlanta and Macon, Georgia set, describing dinner outings, inclusive cast dynamics, and an especially wild local wrestling event.
- Skyler: “It was like summer camp from the first day...one group chat, every night...the most inclusive and fun.” (20:34)
- They discuss how director James Gunn is a hardcore wrestling aficionado, offering a reality check on their excitement after seeing their amateur match footage.
- Skyler heaps praise on Beck and Kyle’s “Good Neighbor” sketches, crediting them as shaping his and his friends’ comedic voices.
- Skyler: “Literally 90% of...the general just voice of me and my friends growing up was just the stuff that you guys were doing.” (23:10)
- Kyle asks about Skyler’s roots—born in Florida, parents are oceanic engineers, moved to LA at age six, and began acting after being an “obsessed movie kid.”
4. Hollywood Anecdotes: Promposals and Monkey Acting Legends (24:38–28:24)
- Skyler recounts his famed “Night at the Museum 3” promposal video, featuring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, and “Crystal the Meryl Streep of animal actors,” noting how genuinely supportive Stiller was (even gifting a limo for prom).
- Skyler: “Crystal is so good. Yeah, that next to her, Squirt (her brother) like...he’s not getting it.” (25:46)
- Beck asks if the grand romantic gesture made Skyler a school legend; turns out, no—“wasn’t cool for some reason” among his peers.
5. Career Highs, Typecasting & The “Rizz God” Phenomenon (28:47–32:45)
- Discussion of Skyler’s upcoming role in the new “Meet the Parents” sequel ("Focker in Law") and how online fandoms react to casting.
- Skyler: “Why won’t they ever put her (Ariana Grande) with somebody hot?” (referring to a viral fan comment, 30:09)
- The hosts rib him about his growing “Rizz God” reputation and recurring roles as the charming sidekick.
- Amusing detours about what it would mean to be "the king of donkeys."
6. Acting Journey: Child Roles, Speech Impediments, and Meeting Heroes (32:53–36:49)
- Skyler recollects his first acting break—a Pizza Hut commercial at age 6, which leaned into his then-speech impediment (“couldn’t pronounce my R’s”).
- Cites his early movie obsessions—“Happy Gilmore” and “West Side Story”—and meeting Adam Sandler at the Comedy Awards.
- Extended riffing on favorite line deliveries from “Happy Gilmore.”
7. Navigating Fame and the Actor’s Insecurity (36:53–42:03)
- The group explores how ongoing success, even major blockbusters like “Superman,” doesn’t erase the anxiety about what’s next.
- Skyler: “You start to get older and like...can I do this as a livelihood?...there’s a lot of people who are really good who, like, don’t work all the time.” (38:49)
- Real talk about the “letdown” after a major project releases, and the never-ending parade of imposter syndrome—actors at every level rarely feel fully secure.
8. Skyler’s Filmography, Licorice Pizza, and The Art of Lying (42:13–46:31)
- Beck praises Skyler’s performance as “Lance” in “Licorice Pizza” and they discuss the all-too-common actor fib: telling a director you have a skill (e.g., piano) and then frantically cramming to learn it before filming.
- Skyler: “Without missing a beat, I said, ‘oh sure, I’ve been playing my entire life.’...I played six hours a day for two and a half months.” (43:48)
- The actual piano scene was cut, but Skyler jokes he now has no residual skills to show for his intense crash course.
9. Air Buddies, Surfing, and Disc Golf Epiphanies (46:43–54:01)
- Beck brings up Skyler’s long-running participation in the Air Buddies franchise (voicing “B Dog” and, at one point, playing both kid and dog).
- Skyler: “For like, five or six movies I was B dog...then in one of the movies, I’m the lead kid and the voice of B dog—talking to myself!” (47:05)
- Skyler describes his passion for surfing (prefers sunsets to sunrise surf sessions) and the culture of surf “locals” and territorial waves. Favorite overheard fight: “Hey lady, why don’t you go to www.shh.com?” (50:02–51:47)
- Disc golf is discussed as a “quarter-life crisis” hobby that makes you question your productivity and direction.
10. Podcast-Within-a-Podcast Pitches (52:13–57:27)
- The highlight: Skyler presents an eclectic gauntlet of possible podcast ideas: disc golf, fast casual dining, backgammon, going to parties alone, swimming, white lies, Settlers of Catan, spike ball, vulnerability, surfing, and basketball.
- Light debate about which topic to do, settling on "White Lies" for the episode’s meta-podcast.
- Skyler: “I wrote down, you got pitches, I got pitches...11” (52:33)
- Beck: “White Lies.” (57:21)
11. Podcast-Within-a-Podcast: “White Lies” (57:28–79:37)
Premise:
A playful exploration of “white lies” in daily life—why we tell them, where the line is, and whether they’re truly harmless.
Segment Highlights:
- Discussion of name mispronunciations and rolling with it (e.g., “Scott” instead of “Skyler”).
- Skyler: “I just don’t know, I can’t come to terms with doing that...it doesn’t feel necessary.” (60:16)
- Parenting stories about kids’ names/genders being mistaken, and not bothering to correct people out of politeness.
- Confessions about being mistaken for other actors (Skyler vs. Will Poulter in “We’re the Millers”) and going along with fan confusion in person.
- Skyler: “I'm too complicit now...I've answered questions for Will Poulter that I hope I've answered well.” (62:37)
- Uber/Lyft small-talk strategies: do they tell the driver the truth about their jobs?
- Skyler: “Now more than ever, it's really fun to be like, this is—I do that.” (64:20)
- Beck & Kyle admit to sometimes minimizing their showbiz backgrounds (“comedy writer,” “I work in advertising”) to avoid the questions.
- Dining out: the classic “How’s everything?” moment and why we almost always say “Great!”—even if not true.
- Kyle: “These are really good [Mai Tais].” (71:15)
- The ultimate bad-white-lie hypothetical: “Everybody’s just kind of jerking it on the food...” (73:19), with laughter spiraling into absurdity.
- Admitting that most white lies are for convenience and to smooth social interaction—a “social lubricant.”
- Beck: “They’re kind of a...I hate to say it...social lubricant.” (79:37)
- Skyler: “The world's built on them.” (80:03)
12. Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up (79:38–85:30)
- Reflection: The hosts agree, “White Lies” could be a listenable recurring podcast-within-a-podcast segment.
- Kyle: “That felt listenable to me.” (77:55)
- Honorable mention to other pitches (notably "Disc Golf Discourse"), but “White Lies” gets the group’s overall vote.
- Skyler plugs “Superman” and jokes about potentially reviving his embarrassing “Dark Jester” Halloween costume.
- Recalls being overdressed as a “Dark Jester” at a party where everyone had outgrown costumes: “No one had to say anything...I blew it. Maybe I bring that back this year.” (85:00)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On the anxiety of structureless podcasting:
- Beck: “I think it’s great. I. I’m having a great time. ...It does make me a little uncomfortable sometimes, this whole getting a suggestion and rolling with it.” (06:27)
- On acting insecurity:
- Skyler: “You start to get older and like...can I do this as a livelihood?” (38:49)
- On parenting out-of-place moments:
- Beck: "His name. What's, oh, what's their name? Ruby. Oh, she's so cute...Truly? He's three. Oh, so sorry." (61:05)
- On white lies in dining:
- Kyle: “How are the Mai Tais? These are really good.” (71:15)
- On white lies as social lubricant:
- Beck: “They’re kind of a...I hate to say it...social lubricant.” (79:37)
- Skyler: “The world’s built on them.” (80:03)
- On skyler’s notorious promposal:
- Skyler: “Ben [Stiller] had gotten. He wanted it to be a surprise, but he got like, a limo for me and my friends for prom.” (27:42)
- On podcast topics:
- Skyler: “I long ago made peace with the fact that I wasn’t gonna achieve greatness athletically in any conventional kind of sport. ...I relegated myself to...barbecue sports.” (54:43)
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Segment Description | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------------|------------| | Catching up and podcast state of the union | 00:00–09:40| | Introducing Skyler & birthday party anxiety | 09:41–19:54| | Behind the Scenes of “Superman” and camaraderie | 19:55–32:51| | Hollywood anecdotes & promposal | 32:53–36:49| | Navigating fame and self-doubt | 36:53–42:03| | Licorice Pizza, lying for roles | 42:13–46:31| | Filmography: Air Buddies, Surfing, Disc Golf | 46:43–54:01| | Podcast pitch gauntlet | 52:13–57:27| | Podcast-within-a-podcast: White Lies | 57:28–79:37| | Reflection, remaining pitches, costume talk | 79:38–85:30|
Takeaway
This episode is a blend of warm camaraderie, vulnerable industry insights, and flat-out silly digressions—perfect for fans of unscripted comedy and those interested in the idiosyncrasies of life as a working actor. Skyler Gisondo proves a game and charming guest, and the trio’s meditation on “white lies” evolves from gentle conversational therapy into earnest (and often ridiculous) confessions on the value and pitfalls of fibs in social life. Though the podcast-within-a-podcast may just be a bit, “White Lies” unexpectedly feels like a show you’d want to hear again.