My Opening Line

Siobhan O'Loughlin, host of the news-making traveling bathroom show Broken Bone Bathtub, discusses what it was like growing up in a family that supported the arts (WHAT?!) and the shows and situations that led to a documentary about her global immersive theater project about trama, vulnerability, and connection.

With 20 years of hard-learned experience and advice, stand-up comedy staple Joe DeVito talks about his work as a journalist, advertising writer, praised comedian of stage and screen, and funnyman on cruise ships.

Summer House's Hannah Berner began her entertainment career studying drama in a performance arts middle school before creating her own viral sketch videos and memes. After her intense work with the popular media company Betches, she joined the Bravo reality show and recently began performing stand-up comedy. While making her own way and creating her own rules, Hannah became a force to be notice...

Keith and The Girl legend and Redacted Tonight correspondent John F. O’Donnell shares his stand-up beginnings at age 12, taking his show on the road, and being a featured act on Comedy Central. Even mental breakdowns couldn’t stop John’s creation of 50 First Jokes from taking off in multiple cities, and he reminisces about the highs and lows working as a political correspondent on television. T...

Keith’s girlfriend (and a comic who has performed worldwide for over a decade, including multiple military tours) discusses early stand-up influences including Rita Rudner and the blatant sexism that has carried over from then to now. Guest Kyle Ocasio talks about her first performances as a new mom in a miserable relationship with newly deceased parents. She talks about Keith’s yearly stand-up...

HBO stand-up veteran Gina Brillon is here to discuss her early days performing in front of fellow students into a hairbrush, professionally starting stand-up at 17 with her identical twin sister, and the lesson on how she became comfortable in her own skin. Gina describes the worst heckling of all time, her mistake in trying to handle it, and the host that literally ran to the stage to dismiss ...

Whether it’s starring in commercials, acting in voiceover work, entertaining an audience through improv, written sketches, or songs, Katharine Heller is as well-rounded an artist as they come.  But she’s on this show now, so you know you’re about to hear about her insane beginnings. This time The Beginnings include an artistically jealous and competitive father and, unrelated, unknowingly eatin...

After her first stand-up experience (at an open mic night while plastered), Andrea Allan still knew she wanted to perform stand-up comedy. After a roast battle (where she bombed on stage while literally being completely naked), she still knew she wanted to perform stand-up comedy. After this and that (all heartbreaking and jaw-dropping), she still knew she bla bla bla. Despite established creep...

From putting together a bringer show of 60 people to performing multiple times on late night TV, Lenny Marcus covers the highs and lows of his decades in comedy, including his first televised standup show and writing for SNL’s Leslie Jones. And find out why he wouldn’t do it all over again.

Whether it’s stand-up, TV, books, or music, Dave Hill’s fun and quirky personality has branched out into so many avenues of comedy and art. Dave talks about self-doubt, believing in yourself, and what Twitter called his permanent ban. Spoiler: the last involves your mother.

It’s all fun and games until Chemda’s in the hot seat. It’s the greatest singing voice Keith has ever heard, and Keith wants to know how it formed, how Chemda discovered it, and the places it took her. From famed producers and albums to worldwide tours, Chemda shares with us the highs of her musical career as well as the lows of creeps and how singing affected her life and family.

We delve into how innocuous childhood situations shape an artist in the biggest ways as Mike Cannon covers the George Carlin line that changed his life (spoiler: it involves an anchovy’s cunt), how club owners abuse their performers, barking for stage time, and instigating hecklers.

Comic and actress Jessie Jolles joins us to talk about her start and rise in entertainment from her childhood performances to being the spokesperson for major TV commercials and the wide-spread success of her web series It's a Date! She gets vulnerable as she shares her family dynamic including being directed by her actor/comic brother, getting over panic attacks and becoming comfortable with h...

From his big break in The Music Man to being a multiple Emmy and Peabody award winner, Josh Gondelman regales us with stories on his school musical triumph, teaching pre-school, his first time on stage, his late night stand-up debut on Conan, and his writing/producing career that includes HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and now Showtime’s Desus and Mero.

Actor, writer, and producer Dan Hartley shares his career stories including his first stage performance at age 10, humiliating himself in front of Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, and being his own stunt man on Law & Order: SVU. The gang discusses how to be yourself, how to sit on the toilet without a phone, and the implications of personal sex tapes. Be nice to waiters.

Whether it's being born in The Big Easy (New Orleans), talking about his bathroom habits (wiping with dryer sheets), performing his first set (after drinking half a pitcher of Jack and Coke), working as a professional dog walker (only to have a client's dog murder a stranger's dog on a walk), or finally giving stand-up its due (a month after 9/11), Sean Patton’s journey is informative, hilariou...

Dante Nero talks about how he leveraged his (male) stripper work into a stand-up comedy career. From his introduction and close friendship with Patrice O’Neal to starting the podcast that took his career to the next level, Dante gets naked with us.

Jesse Joyce, writer for the Oscars and Comedy Central Roasts, discusses his very first jokes as a child, alcoholism, and discovering stand-up. Jesse remembers when he learned The Big Stand-Up Trick, and he talks about the difference between old and new-school comics. He shares his experiences watching comedians have breakdowns on stage, the death of his best friend Greg Giraldo, and his heart-t...

Jon Laster, comedian and actor, talks Def Jam, roast battles, and where it all began. The gang discusses legacy, the reason Eddie Murphy quit stand-up, the death of an absentee dad, and the joy of making your mom smile. Enjoy, and check your daily habits.

Frank Liotti joins Keith and Chemda to talk about his acting and stand-up career. They talk about the rarity of getting to see comedy performances as a kid, misunderstandings coming from people always assuming comics are joking, and taking advantage of raw talent. Frank then explains that when the show is not working, it's your fault. You, specifically.

Shane Mauss, comedian who made it to national television by year 3, shares his ups, downs, and secrets to success. From him calling up his local club and saying, “I want to be a comic,” to headlining, to late night TV and his own Comedy Central special, Shane shares the joys and devastations of his chosen profession.

Road Dog Paul Hooper is this episode’s guest. After visiting 10 countries and 42 U.S. states, Paul talks about life as a comedian on the road for over 2 decades. We chat about how audiences differ from place to place, the changes in how comedians have been treated over the years, and the appeal of living out of a suitcase. Find out, from this 2-time high school drop-out, if the classroom is act...

The hilarious and energetic Mehran Khaghani joins us to talk about his beginnings as well as his confrontations with Joe Rogan and Roseanne Barr. The gang talks about using laughter to combat physical violence, the comedy that changed their lives, and the hypocrisy of morality. Mehran describes the cocaine use on Last Comic Standing and how that show led to him regularly performing at the world...

Abbi Crutchfield shares how it all started, including her cultivating her own comedy… group? club? in college. Abbi talks with Keith and Chemda about small town living and everything that led to her hosting TruTV’s You Can Do Better.

Mark Douglas is the creator of the extremely popular YouTube channel The Key of Awesome, which has over 5.4 million subscribers. The channel features musical parodies of some of the biggest songs in pop culture including Kesha's TiK ToK (with over 160 million views). In this episode, Mark talks about his first time on stage in high school and his innate ability to lampoon. He addresses the horr...

Roast Battle Grand Champion Mike Lawrence worked at McDonald's for 7 years before landing multiple TV appearances. Mike discusses the effects of growing up with a comedian mom, discovering his comedy skills while working the fast food window, his move to The Big Apple and its financial burdens, and his rise to success.

Carmen Lynch talks about being in the Top 20 on Last Comic Standing within 2 years of performing stand-up before regaling us with stories of how she learned the secrets of stand-up comedy, her attendance at a Learning Annex stand-up class while ignoring her psychology degree, the lust of David Letterman, and her recent appearance on America's Got Talent.

Overwatch’s Mercy joins us to talk about her break in theater, television, and one of the biggest video games of all time. Lucie Pohl talks about her first times performing, getting a role taken away from her, taking away a role from someone else, and navigating the next level world of video game fandom. From her debut of jumping on a restaurant table and flashing her family and their friends a...

Bonnie McFarlane talks about starting her comedy career in Canada, making her way to clubs in the U.S., and the differences between the audiences in the two countries. From her first time on stage to her first moment on television, Bonnie shares the unconventional ways she got passed at clubs and landed an agent.

Jimmy Pardo, host of Never Not Funny, talks about what he experienced in 30 years of stand-up , from soup to nuts. Jimmy covers the fear of the art form, the secret to success, the audacity of it all, and advice on how to begin a comedy career in the current climate.

Allison Raskin, of Just Between Us and the comedic soap opera GOSSIP, talks about getting fired from her improv group, her #MeToo moment, and leaving BuzzFeed. She explains why constantly performing could cause more harm than good.

TV regular and stand-up veteran Julian McCullough discusses his first times on stage including when he performed stand-up immediately after seating customers and how it felt serving fellow comedians. As a comic, he explains why it's important the jokes you DON'T tell.

Comedy Film Nerds’ Graham Elwood visits NYC to talk about his stand-up beginnings that include Judd Apatow and Doritos, and we have the tape! Graham discusses the lows that included bankruptcy and divorce as well as the highs that now include success and starting the first nationally-syndicated Native American stand-up comedy show.

Today we visit with Comedy Film Nerds’ Chris Mancini, and we talk the beginning of podcasting and the early mistakes. We discuss his start in stand-up, his experience managing a comedy club, and what’s more important to him – his podcast or performing on stage.

Actor Jeff Meacham is doing very well with the show Black-ish, but, before that, Keith and Chemda worked with him as children’s party entertainers. We catch up with Jeff and go over his rise to success, the scary detours on the way, and his stint with QVC.

Comic and musician Nick Thune lets us know where and how it all began, the differences between comedy music and regular music to those in the business, and what he learned about women.

Actress, writer, and comedian Gaby Dunn discusses her first times in the spotlight. Yes, she has a massive following and videos with millions of views, but first, there was MTV audition-crying. Enjoy!

While selling the radio station records he was supposed to be playing, Dan Soder painfully learned how to write jokes, saw how alcoholism affected networking, and discovered the politics of picking an opener.

25-year stand-up veteran Ted Alexandro talks about breaking out from a stand-up duo and going solo to begin his illustrious career as well as sharing his first joke on stage ever, his performance that led to being cast as a rape survivor on HBO’s Oz, and his Conan debut.

Legend Gilbert Gottfried covers his first times in comedy while sharing his need for attention and being raised by television. The gang covers Gilbert’s early impressions, his breaks on TV, and the time Jerry Seinfeld sucked off Boris Karloff. This god of laughter is hilarious and personal as he chronologically covers his rise to stardom.

Comedian Alia Janine not only talks about her first time performing stand-up, which happened to be with Andrew Dice Clay, but she talks about other firsts as well, including her first dance as a stripper, her first time masturbating on camera, and her first porn scene with another person. Frank, honest, and as raw as it gets, Alia shares her various beginnings and behind-the-scenes secrets.

Kevin Allison, from MTV’s The State and host of the Risk! podcast, shares his monumental firsts on stage. From his first time performing with members of The State (with no clothes on), to his first catastrophic character work following the show's cancelation, and finally to his first story-telling experience which helped him decide his new career path, Kevin covers all the milestones in this hi...

Fletcher Christian Finnegan, Comedy Central staple and veteran stand-up comedian, talks about his performing debut at NYC's alternative art house Surf Reality, the same place where Keith and Chemda first met. Christian shares with us his thoughts on comedy and intellectualism, how he got his creative juices flowing, and the seemingly obvious mistake open mic'ers are making.

Myq Kaplan has had many successes in comedy from competitions like Last Comic Standing, @midnight, and America's Got Talent to his late-night sets and live comedy tours around the world. Listen to this episode about his start in comedy, and why failing might be the way to the top.

Wunderkind Ruby Karp, who was featured in a video on feminism with Amy Poehler at age 7, performed a TED Talk at age 12, and wrote a book at age 16, shares with us the first time she performed solo comedy on stage. She can do it all, including being a basketball if she wants to.

Emmy-nominated New York Times bestseller Laurie Kilmartin tells us when she first learned the shocking news that comedians don’t actually perform off the cuff onstage. With that knowledge at hand, and after seeing people floundering one after another, 22-year-old Laurie took the mic to show everyone how it’s done.

NPR host and award-winning storyteller Ophira Eisenberg joins us to talk about her very first time on stage. Was the $300 for the stand-up class a scam? The teacher said she had great stage presence, sooo...

With a little burlesque, some comedy, and a hint of opera, Matteo Lane finds his way to his opening line. Find out what Matteo’s first time doing stand-up was like in this episode.

When Adam first did stand-up, he chose to play a character of a tree doctor who healed trees while hating bushes. He was in a taco restaurant at an anything-goes open mic. Except this didn’t go. At all.

Jared’s first time doing stand-up was at an open-mic known for being super supportive of new performers. Unfortunately, his act was the least supported ever. Find out why in this episode.