You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes – Lamorne Morris (Dec 11, 2024)

Main Theme / Purpose

In this episode, Pete Holmes sits down with Lamorne Morris—Emmy-winning actor best known for "New Girl," "Fargo," and "Bloodshot"—for a candid, hilarious, and surprisingly philosophical conversation. They cover Lamorne’s career, comedic process, celebrity encounters, personal "weirdness," parenthood, spirituality, and what it means to live and work authentically. The tone is breezy and joke-filled, but the conversation dives into deep topics like faith, creativity, vulnerability, the reality of fame, and finding meaning.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Celebrity Gossip, Comedy, and Confidence

[02:00–07:15]

• Pete and Lamorne riff on rumors and celebrity scandals, using Trump as a jumping-off point to examine public personas.
• They discuss the irresistibility of doing Trump impressions—how the “grotesque confidence” is inherently funny on stage and in daily life.
  • Quote:

    "Grotesque confidence doesn’t mean gross confidence. It means absurd confidence, which is funny. Charlie Chaplin’s tramp is absurdly confident.”
    – Pete Holmes [04:00]

• The two joke about the comedic impulse to poke at whatever's in the zeitgeist, and why comedians mimic dominating voices (“If we had a president that talked like Elvis, we’d all be doing Elvis” [03:45]).

2. Fashion, Insecurity, and Perception

[08:20–13:10]

• Pete admits to feeling intimidated shopping for clothes and asks Lamorne about his own sense of style and confidence.
• Lamorne shares that fashion is all about confidence, not necessarily taste or price — effort can sometimes signal insecurity.
  • Quote:

    “The least confident person is the best dressed because they’re trying to stop you at the door—don’t go sniffing around my personality.”
    – Nick Kroll, quoted by Pete Holmes [11:44]

• They analyze why overperforming (“too put together”) reads as “corny,” connecting it to jealousy and effort in art.

3. Comedy Craft, Freestyling, and Performance Realities

[13:35–19:50]

• Discussion turns to comedy as deliberate practice and performance—nobody starts out perfect.
• Pete reflects on the “illusion of effortlessness” among musicians, standups, and actors.
  • Quote:

    “We just roll out of bed—shut the fuck up. You learned your scales, you practiced, you polished. That took decades of practice.”
    – Pete Holmes [13:36]

• Lamorne laughs about his claimed status as “one of the greatest” freestyle rappers—leading to a spoofed mini-freestyle (“I’ve been around to a lot of cities doing all your ditties. No Diddy. But yes.” [14:01]).
• They discuss acting on TV—editors’ power to make chaotic or unpolished performances seem tight (“The editors really did it.” [16:54]), and how improv sometimes makes the wildest actor look best on set.

4. Lessons from Big-League Co-Stars—Vin Diesel, Nicolas Cage, and More

[19:54–46:44]

• Lamorne reveals what he learned from working with Vin Diesel on "Bloodshot": Vin is always thinking like an editor, giving multiple versions of the same take to maximize the post-production options.
  • Quote:

    “I'll tell you, he—one time in particular...he goes, ‘That's the trailer.’ And I was like, huh, Vinnie.”
    – Lamorne Morris [21:16]

• Pete and Lamorne compare this approach to theater acting (pure, in-the-moment), versus film (building performances out of fragments).
• On set with Nicolas Cage, Lamorne is amazed by Cage's total script mastery:
  • Quote:

    "He knows the dialogue, he knows the lines from front to back and even back to front. If you say one, he knows exactly where in the script that is.” – Lamorne Morris [43:38]

• Cage offers the tacit advice: know your script to the point where acting becomes second nature.

5. Fame, Connection, and Weirdness

Vin Diesel, Gifting Stories, and Social Media
[29:06–41:41]

• Pete dives into Lamorne’s working relationship with Vin Diesel—playful insecurity about whether Vin “likes” him (“Doesn’t follow me on social media...no number…” [33:24]).
• Hilarious story: Lamorne trolls Vin on Instagram hoping for a sequel; receives an ambiguous gift—a giant box containing only a phone charger (“That’s why I was like, oh, he doesn’t like me.” [39:46]).

Jon Hamm, Shrooms, and Celebrity Summer Camp
[46:44–51:33]

• Lamorne describes meeting Jon Hamm for the first time—while tripping on shroom tea at a Dave Chappelle comedy retreat (great storytelling, funny paranoia).
  • Quote:

    “Maybe you should get some water.” …“I immediately, in that moment, thought he is Satan and he is trying to kill me by drowning me.”
    – Lamorne Morris [49:29]

6. Creativity, Weirdness, and "The Thin Veil"

[55:47–65:38]

• Pete introduces the idea (inspired by “The Telepathy Tapes” podcast) that highly creative people sometimes resemble shamans—“the veil is thinner” for them. Lamorne shares a story about being read by a “healer” who gave eerily accurate insights.
• The conversation meanders into the possibility of psychic abilities, animal telepathy, and why we’re drawn to the mysterious.

7. Relationships, Parenthood, and Fame

[66:12–76:57]

• They talk about Lamorne’s dating life, relationship philosophy (bento box vs PB&J approaches), and his daughter.
• Lamorne beams about fatherhood, his daughter’s personality and “tight five” of jokes—a language of playful familial pride.
• Discussion of fame’s impact on children—Lamorne’s daughter slowly realizing what he does for a living (“Daddy’s famous” [76:30]).
  • Memorable Moment:
    Lily, his daughter, uses the word “bitch” in context as a joke, leveraging her understanding for laughs and negotiation [73:25].

8. Improvisation, Comedy Roots, and Chicago Memories

[85:06–91:13]

• Lamorne and Pete reminisce about the Chicago comedy scene—Ed Debevic’s restaurant (rude servers), their interactions with TJ Miller, and learning improv from the best.

9. Spirituality, Religion, and Meaning

[99:06–121:32]

• Lamorne opens up about growing up Christian, shifting from traditional rituals to a personal, fluid, ongoing relationship with God:
  • Quote:

    “I communicate with God all the time, but it’s not necessarily in a traditional way...it’s not my job. I’ve been given a set of tools to go and try to attempt to continue to make people laugh... That comes from the foundation of the church.”
    – Lamorne Morris [109:08]

• They discuss spiritual growth—how “order->disorder->reorder” is essential to authentic faith.
• Lamorne’s view of the afterlife: more drawn to reincarnation, or energy returning to the universe, than to literal heaven/hell.
• Pete expresses how crisis and pain can deepen faith, “a God who protects [us] from nothing but sustains [us] in everything” [108:00].

10. Hardest Laughs, Preachers, and Cultural Impact

[114:41–119:32]

• Lamorne’s biggest laughs: “I used to laugh a lot in church. I used to mock the preacher a lot...he would drag it out like that.” [115:17]
• On black preachers and their storytelling stylings as a vital, dynamic, underappreciated contribution to culture and keeping faith communities awake!
  • Quote:

    “They made church interesting. You made church interesting.”
    – Pete Holmes [116:37]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “The least confident person is the best dressed...” (Nick Kroll via Pete Holmes) [11:44]
• “He’s in the edit bay. He’s thinking ahead. He’s thinking of the trailer.” (On Vin Diesel) [21:10]
• “He knows the dialogue, he knows the lines from front to back and even back to front.” (On Nic Cage) [43:38]
• “Maybe you should get some water.” (Jon Hamm as Lucifer to shrooming Lamorne) [49:30]
• “I believe in a God who protects me from nothing but sustains me in everything.” (Pete Holmes quoting James Finley) [108:00]
• “I want someone else writing something incredible that I can then elevate… Standup is amazing because they’re your laughs, but I like doing other people’s stuff. But then when you go and do standup and it’s all yours. But also the failure is all yours too.” – Pete Holmes [25:34]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:00] – Trump impressions & comedic confidence
• [10:05] – Fashion, shame, and personal style
• [16:53] – The editor’s hidden hand in on-screen comedy
• [21:16] – Vin Diesel and “thinking like the trailer”
• [43:38] – Nicolas Cage’s discipline and script preparation
• [46:55] – Lamorne on Mushrooms: Meeting Jon Hamm at Chappelle’s summer camp
• [55:47] – Shamanic creativity & psychic phenomena
• [73:25] – Lamorne’s daughter uses “bitch” as comedic leverage
• [99:06] – Lamorne’s spiritual journey and relationship with faith
• [114:41] – Hardest laughs: Preacher impersonation and black church
• [119:30] – Black church culture; “don’t worship the sign, go to Detroit” (spiritual metaphor)

Tone and Language

The banter is quick-witted, irreverent, heartfelt, and sprawling. Both speakers riff, self-deprecate, digress, and circle back to sincere reflections. Lamorne matches Pete’s playful philosophy with his own blend of standup rhythm and actorly insight.

Summary for New Listeners

Pete Holmes and Lamorne Morris go deep in this conversation that covers comedy as craft and coping mechanism, the insecurities beneath style and performance, the oddities of celebrity culture, parenting, creativity’s mystical side, relationships, and the evolution of personal faith. The episode is equally fun for fans of “New Girl,” “Fargo,” or comedy itself as for anyone interested in how driven, talented people stay human and weird amid success. The dynamic is open, entertaining, and vulnerable—rich with quotable moments and genuine connection.

Closing:
Lamorne keeps it “crispy” (and zesty), channeling Denzel in the show’s signature sign-off—ending on humor and heart.