Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch

Episode Title: Michelle Buteau: I'm a Good Ghost Host
Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Rachel Dratch
Co-host: Irene Bremis
Guest: Michelle Buteau

Episode Overview

This episode features comedian, actor, and author Michelle Buteau, star and creator of "Survival of the Thickest." Rachel Dratch and Irene Bremis join Michelle for a conversation that mixes the "woo woo"—the unexplained, the spiritual, the ghostly—with candid discussions on forging your own path, the realities of show business, family, and building supportive creative communities. The group also shares several personal anecdotes, including psychic misfires, ghost stories, and an exploration into the power of belief. The episode balances heart, humor, and “woo,” resonating with anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider or sought their “tribe.”

1. Building Friendship, Comedy Roots & Creating Your Own Seat at the Table

[03:00–12:00]

• Michelle & Irene’s Origin Story

  • Irene and Michelle recount meeting 23–24 years ago through comedian Becky Donahue.
    • Irene: “The minute I met Michelle, I absolutely fell in love with her. Hence pursuing her like a dick for that piece of butt, sweetie, I need to have that ass.” [04:16]
  • Irene was Michelle’s first personal trainer, which doubled as therapy and helped Michelle overcome anxiety around fitness spaces.
    • Michelle: “You really set me off for the rest of my life to feel comfortable enough to do moves that I never even knew I could do and then also do those moves in public... health as well.” [05:12]
  • Rachel and Irene reflect on how Irene’s positive energy led even non-fitness people into enjoying her workouts during the pandemic.

• Supportive Friendship

  • Irene highlights Michelle’s tenacity and path: “There was not a gatekeeper. There was not a coattail. There was nothing. There was a table. She created a seat. She created a road.” [09:00]
  • Discussion of comedians needing to forge their own paths, and how strenuous and non-linear that road is.

2. Paving a Path in Comedy, Facing Obstacles, and Finding Purpose

[12:00–20:30]

• Michelle’s Early Career & Breakthrough

  • Started wanting to be an entertainment reporter; was told by a college professor she was “too fat to be on camera.”
    • Michelle: “I believed him because it was the 90s and I didn’t see anyone like me... I saw Oprah and then like, nobody else.” [12:30]
  • Found acceptance and community in standup comedy. Bounced between unpaid gigs and working overnights to survive.
  • Pivotal moment: being dismissed by a show runner (“Where are you going to go? Who’s going to want you?”), but supported by Irene and Becky to forge her own way.
    • Michelle: “The way you do one thing is the way you do everything, right?... But I had these two badass, strong women point fingers at me and be like, I will kill you if you don’t do this.” [14:15]

• Lessons Learned

  • Michelle stresses the importance of embracing the process, the “slow simmer,” and rough patches to appreciate success.
    • “A lot of people now want to cut half that time. They want to get twice as many followers... If you’re going to be doing this for the rest of your life, you still need all the education, you need the slow simmer.” [16:29]
  • Writing her book as a new mother: “I didn’t have time to take a shit. What was I talking about?... Imposter syndrome again. Why am I writing a book? I don’t even finish books.” [17:00]

• From Book to Show

  • The book Survival of the Thickest led to the Netflix series.
    • “It’s just like my love letter to marginalized communities... Joy really is our act of resistance.” [17:39]
  • Michelle discusses the importance of streaming, where there’s more space for stories that defy easy categorization. [20:00]

3. Manifesting, Multiplicity, and a Psychic Snafu

[21:00–28:00]

• Holding Space for Dreams

  • Irene recounts Michelle expressing both excitement and terror about becoming a mom to twins:
    • “You looked at me and you go, ‘How am I going to do this? How am I going to do my career? And twins, they're coming. The twins are coming.’” [21:35]
  • Michelle shares advice from a friend about fleeting bad thoughts, and repurposing anxiety as a creative and empathetic force.

• Psychic Story at the Show Premiere

  • Irene’s psychic, Jacqui, predicted she’d be at a Netflix premiere with “African American cast, you are there, you’re celebrating.” Irene thought she was starring in something—turns out it was Michelle’s premiere.
    • “I was there. Yes. I was in the back, the very last row. I was cheering you on... It just wasn’t Irene’s. She was in the audience.” [26:00]
    • Michelle responds: “That says to me...my angels and your angels are also friends on the other side looking out for us.” [27:34]

• On Community & Collaboration

  • All agree on the importance of genuine support:
    • “We truly, genuinely...are happy for each other with every accomplishment. There’s such unconditional love and celebration.” [27:54]
  • Rachel ties this to her SNL days, underscoring the value of ensemble support in high-pressure, competitive environments. [28:47]

4. Resilience, Boundaries, and Approaching Adversity

[29:00–32:30]

• Dealing with Setbacks and Remaining Positive
  • Irene reveals her recent cancer experience and the necessity of letting go of toxic feelings for healing and moving forward.
  • Discussion about limits:
    • Michelle: “At this point, it’s easier for me to...cut people off. If we’re having the same conversation and arguing about the same thing and you make me feel the same way, then I can’t.” [31:37]
  • “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” becomes the unofficial motto. [32:15]

5. Michelle’s Woo Woo: Ghosts in the Bronx

[32:34–38:30]

• Michelle’s Woo Woo Story
  • After moving into a 100-year-old Bronx home, Michelle saw people in her peripheral vision—initially chalked up to exhaustion, but later shared with a medium.
  • The medium identified the spirits as “just wanting to hang out; they think you’re funny. Are you a host?” [35:00]
  • Rather than feeling scared, Michelle reframed it: “The perspective was so nice. I was like, good deal. I am good company. So I don’t care what realm you’re in, you’re gonna hang out, bitch.” [35:23]
  • Michelle’s twin son once spoke of ghosts “John and Devin” who jumped out of a burning building—a historically plausible scenario given the area’s background with mass graves and factory fires.
    • “You can say hi to people and wish them well, and then we just move on... Sometimes when you walk too far, you don’t know your way back.” [36:39]
  • Michelle expresses belief in the importance of telling, and being open to, untold stories.

6. Comedy Industry Real Talk: Gatekeepers & Self-Worth

[41:13–47:44]

• Breaking Down the Comedy Industry
  • Michelle explains “bringer shows” and the predatory nature of some bookers who take advantage of up-and-coming comics.
  • “I always use Runaway Bride as an example... She didn’t know how she liked her eggs because she was just doing what everybody else did. That’s sort of the same thing with comedy, with acting, and also relationships, like dating…” [43:04]
  • On artistry, boundaries, and emotional labor:
    • “People will only meet you as deeply as they’ve met themselves.” [44:53]
  • Michelle and Irene stress the need to break rules, refuse to be boxed in, and support each other, especially as women and marginalized artists.
    • “No matter how nice you are or kind or sweet...if they want to see you as a villain, as a bad guy...they will. So you might as well just do it for you.” [46:42]
    • “I go, soul-sexual. That’s you, baby. 100%.” [47:44]

7. Creative Courage, Living Out Loud, and Family Life

[48:06–51:58]

• Specials, Touring, and Family
  • Michelle announces her upcoming “Surviving and Thriving” tour (30-40 cities, starting February 2026): “Thickest means like thick bodies, but also thick skin and like really getting over that fucking hill, whatever that means.” [49:29]
  • She plans to integrate her family more into her life on the road—“I’m tired of living this double life where I’m like, Mama goes. And they have no idea what I do.” [50:25]
  • Shares advice from Melissa Rivers: “It was hard if it wasn’t funny. But...my mom always said it’s a family business.” [51:20]

8. Fun with Woo Woo: Pendulum (“Penji”) Divination

[55:05–57:34]

• The Crew Does a ‘Penji’ (Pendulum) Reading
  • Each hosts a pendulum, Michelle gets to ask yes/no questions.
  • 1st question: “Will I write another book?” —Rachel gets a “no,” Irene a “yes.” After discussion, they realize the mixed answer reflects Michelle’s own ambivalence (her question was really: “Do I have time to write another book?”). [56:41]
  • 2nd question: “Will my home ever be organized in a way that makes me feel comfortable?” —All get “yes.” Relatable laughter ensues. [58:09]

9. Final Words: Where to Find Michelle and Lessons for Listeners

• What’s Next for Michelle Buteau

  • Season 3 (final) of Survival of the Thickest is filming—watch all the seasons, and catch Michelle on tour. [58:39]
  • Find Michelle on Instagram and other socials.

• Takeaways

  • “Make the world a better place. And wash your hands after you use the bathroom.” —Michelle Buteau [59:00]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Creating Your Own Path:
  • “There was not a gatekeeper. There was not a coattail. There was nothing. There was a table. She created a seat. She created a road.” —Irene [09:00]
• On Advocacy and Resilience:
  • “Joy really is our act of resistance.” —Michelle [17:39]
  • “People will only meet you as deeply as they’ve met themselves.” —Michelle [44:53]
• On Woo:
  • “They just want to hang with you because they think you’re really funny. Are you funny? Do you work at somewhere funny? Are you a host?” —Michelle’s medium [35:00]
• On Community:
  • “We truly, genuinely, and I mean this with an open heart, are happy for each other with every accomplishment.” —Irene [27:54]
• On Boundaries:
  • “If we’re having the same conversation and arguing about the same thing and you make me feel the same way, then I can’t.” —Michelle [31:57]
• On Labels:
  • “People always ask me what kind of black I am, how black I am...because they want to know how to offend me.” —Michelle [47:16]
• On Family & Career:
  • “I’m tired of living this double life where I’m like, Mama goes. And they have no idea what I do.” —Michelle [50:25]

Key Timestamps

• 03:00 – Michelle introduced; friendship with Irene
• 05:12 – How Irene’s training sessions empowered Michelle
• 09:00 – Irene lauds Michelle’s career innovation
• 12:30 – Michelle’s early career, body-image lesson
• 16:29 – The value of slow growth in comedy
• 17:39 – Writing her book and the message of joy as resistance
• 21:35 – Manifesting motherhood, career fears
• 26:00 – Irene’s psychic premiere story
• 27:54 – Celebrating friendship and support
• 31:37 – Michelle on boundaries
• 35:00 – Ghosts in the house; “good ghost host”
• 44:53 – “People will only meet you as deeply as they’ve met themselves”
• 49:29 – Surviving and Thriving tour announced
• 56:41 – Pendulum game, question about second book

Summary Tone & Feel

The episode is candid, raunchy, warm, and empowering, rife with laughter and bold truths about the entertainment business and the “woo.” With Michelle’s humor and honest self-reflection, and the group’s decades-long friendship, listeners are welcomed into an unfiltered space where spiritual weirdness and the grind of showbiz coexist. The tone is irreverent but sincere—encouraging listeners to both forge their own path and stay open to the mysterious.

For More

• Michelle Buteau: Instagram | Watch “Survival of the Thickest” on Netflix
• Irene Bremis: Instagram | Special “Sweetie” on Amazon & Apple TV
• Rachel Dratch: Instagram

Don’t forget to check their YouTube channel for video extras!