Transcript

A (0:00)

You made it weird.

B (0:01)

You made it weird. You made it weird.

A (0:04)

Oh, yeah, you made it weird. Yes, you made it weird.

B (0:12)

You made it weird with Pete Holmes.

A (0:15)

What's happening, weirdos? I am in Canada and I'm freezing. It's very, very cold here. But also the heat is in. My apartment is not working. So I'm recording this fully clothed and in bed with all the blankets on me. Little update. It's also why I had to move, reschedule my Chicago dates, which was a bummer. Those shows sold out, which meant so much to me. Thank you to everybody that got tickets. We're looking to announce the date later today, so we'll have the new date today. But I do apologize that I had to move, that the schedule here on the movie shifted around and there was nothing I could do. And I'm also very cold, if that makes makes you feel any sympathy for me. I also have other dates coming up. Not too many, but I'll be in Tempe, Arizona for New Year's. If you're in Arizona, come hang out with me on December 30th and 31st, and then January 5th and 6th. I'll be in Brea, California, at the Brea Improv. This episode. Boy, I just started blabbing about myself. What episode is this? This is Glenn Howerton, always Sunny BlackBerry, which we talk a lot about. If you haven't seen the movie BlackBerry, I gush about it in this episode. And that is all completely legit. I've seen it two or three times now. I'm blown away by him. By Jay Jay Bearshaw. The performances in the movie are incredible. The director is incredible. We talk a lot about him as well. But check that movie out. It's awesome. Really, really, really love that movie. And obviously love Sonny and love everything that he does. So this is one of those did we just become Best Friends episodes. I love it. I'm so glad you're here. Just a couple things to plug up. Top my Netflix special I Am not for Everyone is is on right now. My YouTube channel is going to be shifting, so if you want to keep watching this podcast on YouTube and seeing that I Cut My Hair a movie, for example, it's going to be you Made it weird on YouTube. We're slowly shifting that over. I think this one will still be on Pete Holmes, but in the new year we're going to shift over. So you Made it Weird will be its own channel, so be sure to subscribe to that. We're going to start uploading some old episodes to that so you can find it. And please subscribe to that. And if you like the show, why not try. You know this by now. Why not try a Pete's Pick. This show is brought to us by one of our oldest Pete's picks, which is Alpha Brain from our friends at On It. Obviously I'm doing this movie right now. Alpha Brain. Alpha Brain. Alpha Brain. I have it in my pockets. I tell cast members about it because I need to learn lines, I need to stay sharp, I need to stay focused, I need to be able to concentrate. I also need need to be able to just as I can't talk, talk to people, talk, relate, connect, access my vocabulary, access my verbal centers. Alpha Brain is like fish food for your ideas, for your cognition, for your brain function. It is not a stimulant. It's not like caffeine. It doesn't get you all jacked up, just gives you earth grown ingredients that you need to function at your optimum. It's. It's brain stuff. It's a nootropic. It's like a brain. It's like a brain. It helps with memory, focus, concentration. I wish I knew about it in college. I'm so glad I know about it now. Absolute game changer. I haven't done a podcast, a standup show, acted in anything, or just gone out to dinner without taking a couple Alpha brain 15, 20 minutes prior and you absolutely notice the difference. Go to onit.com weird for 10% off and support the show. Support your brain. On It. O N N I T.com weird we're also brought to us by our friends at Blueland. Did you know we're eating and drinking roughly a credit card's worth of plastic a week? That's correct. The products we're using every day are ultimately contaminating our water supply, generating hundreds of microplastics that we end up ingesting. Luckily, our friends at Blueland set out to do something about it to eliminate the need for single use plastics in the products we use the most, like hand soap. Did you know that an estimated 5 billion plastic, hand soap and cleaning bottles are thrown away each year? If that's not bad enough, most cleaning formulas are 90% water, which is heavy to ship, leading to excessive carbon emissions, not to mention the nasty ingredients in them like chlorine and ammonia. But Blue Land is reinventing cleaning essentials for a better you and a better planet by offering endlessly refillable cleaning products with a beautiful cohesive design that looks great on your counter. I can Attest to that. We have their hand soaps in all of our bathrooms. It looks great and you put the tab in and you add the water and it fizzes up and turns into a foaming hand soap. Looks great, works great, and you're doing something good for your body, for the planet. It's awesome. Help. Just fill the bottles with water. As I mentioned, dropping the tablets and the hand soap, toilet bowl cleaner, laundry tablets, all with clean ingredients you can feel good about and you subscribe so you don't run out. I'm always running out and forgetting. Before I had Blue Land. So I recommend their clean essentials kit, which has everything you need to get started and comes in beautiful light scents like iris agave, fresh lemon, and eucalyptus mint. Blue. Blueland has an offer just for weirdos. Get 15% off your first purchase of any product and get cleaning products that I love the look of and love that they're good for you. And the plan for 15% off your first order, go to blueland.com ym you won't want to miss this. Bland.com ymiw that's blueland.com ymiw all right, everybody. Enjoy Glenn Howerton. I'll be here. Very cold. Get into it.

Summary

Podcast Summary: "You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes"

Guest: Glenn Howerton

Date: December 6, 2023

Episode Overview

This episode of "You Made It Weird" features comedian, actor, and writer Glenn Howerton (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, BlackBerry). Pete Holmes and Glenn dive deep into secret weirdness, neurodivergence, creative catharsis, and the essential role of satire and venting in art. The conversation is rich, candid, and winding, blending personal anecdotes, discussions about the creative process, and philosophical musings, all punctuated by Holmes’ signature humor and warmth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Neurodivergence, ADHD, and Creativity

Timestamps: 20:00–31:00; 124:50–126:55

Glenn reveals he was recently diagnosed with ADHD, discussing both its challenges (difficulty changing gears, reading, managing distraction) and potential as a "superpower."
Pete relates with shared struggles in focus, reading, and how neurodivergence feeds into their creative energy.
Both observe how their need for stimulation (hectic movies, loud music for Glenn) is tied to a restless and overactive mind.
They discuss the exhaustion that comes with ADHD and the importance of finding healthy outlets (comedy, snowboarding, acting).

“I think I’m burning more calories than the average person because I’m just fucking exhausted, man.”
— Glenn Howerton (125:01)

2. Catharsis through Comedy & Satire

Timestamps: 41:00–49:00

The comedians discuss how venting frustrations through comedy is a form of personal sanity—transforming rage, irritation, and everyday annoyances into laughter.
Glenn describes channeling his pet peeves and "worst impulses" into characters like Dennis Reynolds and Jim Balsillie, making them simultaneously repulsive and relatable, thus cathartically exorcising those parts of himself.

“I would also be an absolutely insufferable person had I not found comedy.”
— Glenn Howerton (135:42)

Pete points out the societal necessity of satire: "It’s not just a theory that the human animal needs satire. It’s a fact. Your brain satires... in your mind..."

3. Social Contracts, Inconsiderate Behavior, and Personal Boundaries

Timestamps: 33:08–41:01; 54:00–59:00

A poignant section explores misophonia and the deep anger triggered by inconsiderate behaviors (loud gum chewing, playing music in quiet spaces, etc.).
Pete narrates a story about craving peace at a luxury resort, only for another guest to shatter it with loud music—spawning a fantasy of passive-aggressive retribution.
Glenn shares the story of confronting a couple for sloughing dead skin into the resort pool and the group discusses the satisfaction and risk of standing up for etiquette.

“What if we all did what you’re doing? That’s what a society is.”
— Pete Holmes (39:30)

4. The Role of Satire, Artistic Vulnerability & Pushing Limits

Timestamps: 44:51–48:50; 57:54–77:00

Glenn and Pete reflect on why audiences crave "grotesque" satire and dreamlike exaggeration in art, especially to process life's complexity and their own intrusive impulses.
They find catharsis in watching and making "awful people behaving in awful ways and getting their comeuppance" (It's Always Sunny).
Both agree artistic vulnerability—leaning into shame, awkwardness, and even anger—is essential for creative authenticity and emotional health.
They discuss "playing out" negative impulses through art as an act of emotional hygiene, arguing suppression is unhealthy.

5. BlackBerry, Acting Process & The Force of Brutal Honesty

Timestamps: 59:31–77:00; 88:13–91:53

Pete lauds Glenn’s role as Jim Balsillie in "BlackBerry," gushing over the energy of decisive, sometimes harsh honesty—"Dad energy"—and how it's sometimes the only cure.
Glenn discusses channeling wish fulfillment into Balsillie: "There are times in my life where I wish I could be more like Jim."
They discuss iconic scenes (the “Waterloo, where the vampires hang out” line and smashing a payphone) and the process of trusting initial creative instincts.

“A lot of people are watching that character and going, yeah, finally somebody fucking saying something.”
— Glenn Howerton (64:44)

They explore the cathartic nature of acting (and literally breaking things on set), linking it back to the need to discharge emotional intensity healthily.

6. Art, Authorship, and Creative Hustle

Timestamps: 80:06–84:50

Discussing career paths, they emphasize the necessity of self-generating creative opportunities rather than waiting for permission or roles—"building your own gate."
Glenn admits he doesn't overtly identify as a writer, even after years of writing, because his compulsion to act is far stronger, but recognizes the necessity-driven hustle in the industry.

“If somebody else could write it, I would love that. ...I just don’t identify as a writer because I don’t have this desire to write.”
— Glenn Howerton (77:54)

7. Mind, Spirituality, and the Mystery of Consciousness

Timestamps: 110:00–124:30

The conversation shifts to philosophical reflections on dreams, the mind, and spirituality, including lucid dreams/possible visitations (Glenn’s sleep paralysis entity).
Pete explores non-dual philosophy and the “witness” or “watcher,” referencing Rupert Spira and Eckhart Tolle, and discussing how presence can provide rare peace in a distracted, overstimulated world.

“I think I’m burning more calories than the average person because I’m just fucking exhausted, man.”
— Glenn Howerton (125:01)

Glenn expresses his agnosticism and humility in the face of the unknown, rejecting both atheistic and religious certainties.

“The certainty of [atheism] is just as ridiculous as the certainty of actually believing that your religion is the right one... I don’t know, and I’m okay with that.”
— Glenn Howerton (117:02)

8. Relationships, Acceptance, & Healthy Partnership

Timestamps: 128:16–134:47

Both recount the value of long-term, accepting romantic relationships and how being loved (and loving) in the face of their own intensity and flaws is transformative.
They emphasize the importance of not reenacting past trauma in relationships, and how true partnership is not based on fear or pain.

“The majority of the time that we are together, we are happy to be in each other’s presence... she is definitely my best friend.”
— Glenn Howerton (132:29)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On ADHD & Focus:
“Every single sentence I read makes me think of something else. Then I start researching that thing, and then that makes me think of something else.”
— Glenn Howerton (21:56)
On Artistic Catharsis:
"Comedy is like taking five Xanax."
— Pete Holmes (40:09)
On Satire and Society:
"It’s the only way I can stay sane is to satirize it."
— Glenn Howerton (41:53)
On Fantasy Confrontations & Social Contracts:
"My fantasy is always to go out, put out a bigger speaker... Do you see? What if we all do it?"
— Pete Holmes (39:00)
On Role of Brutally Honest Characters:
“Now we are entering into Ed Harris Glenn... dramatic, fierce, kick ass, steely blue.”
— Pete Holmes (60:55)
On Artistic Instincts:
“Why would I ignore that first feeling that the script gave me? That’s the bible for the thing.”
— Glenn Howerton (97:24)
On Misophonia:
"I have dog hearing. Once I hear it, I can’t unhear it. And if it continues, I can’t do anything else well until it goes away."
— Glenn Howerton (30:05)
On Relationships:
"She is definitely my best friend... She brings me comfort and joy, and I like to think that I bring her those same things."
— Glenn Howerton (132:29)

Segment Timestamps

[05:59] Show begins (post-advertisements, entering content)
[20:00–31:00] Deep dive into ADHD, focus, stimulants, and creative energy
[33:08–41:01] Social contracts, misophonia, and etiquette fantasies
[41:00–49:00] Catharsis, comedy, and the vital role of satire
[54:00–59:00] The “pumice stone in the pool” story
[59:31–77:00] BlackBerry, honesty, acting, and catharsis
[80:06–84:50] Creative hustle, authorship, and self-made opportunities
[110:00–124:30] Dream experiences, philosophy, and spirituality
[128:16–134:47] Relationships, partnership, and genuine connection

Final Thoughts

This episode is a masterclass in how comedy, personal eccentricities, and creative obsessions intermingle to create both art and wellness. Holmes and Howerton navigate the blurred lines between annoyance and inspiration, suffering and performance, offering real talk about their weirdness, coping mechanisms, and the high-wire act of modern focus. There’s vulnerable honesty, plenty of laughs, and unvarnished wisdom about art, the mind, and how to "keep it crispy" when life gets weird.

"Well, everybody, keep it crispy." — Glenn Howerton (143:10)