Label Queen with Guy Branum

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Label Queen. I am so excited that you're back and along for this ride. It's really been fun and it's growing, and it is all because of you. And as always, this podcast is sponsored by no one yet. So here we go. This episode is really fun for me because unlike so many of us out there, it's kind of a difficult time to find some humor, Right? We're all sort of looking for the thing that's going to make us laugh, give us a little bit of a distraction, as it were. And for me, it's always been comedy. I love comedy. I probably think that I'm funnier than I am, but it's something that has always gotten me through. And as we know, comedy has changed through the years. And obviously, things that were funny 10 years ago, maybe even five years ago, 20, 30, 40, of course, are different, and there's many different reasons for that. And some things you kind of wish, well, maybe are we going a little bit too far? So I have a great guest today who is, of course, in the comedy world, in many ways, shapes or forms, from hosting to stand up to podcasting, to acting and writing, and just has a bunch of accolades and is a great, great person to talk to this. To talk about this with. And comedy is just something that I love. I don't particularly love stand up, especially kind of the average kind of hacky stand up, but when it's good, it's good. And I do love seeing Wanda Sykes and Kathy Griffin in the day. And, you know, obviously a lot of female comedians I find Amy Schumer I find very, very funny. And, yeah, so it's just always been a distraction for me. So I'm happy to talk about comedy today and, you know, have that be the focus because it is something we all need. We all need to laugh. And it does help. Which brings me to my highs and lows in comedy. And these are interesting because I found myself, listen, there's a lot of funny stuff out there, but I found myself kind of looking backwards for what I thought was funny or not. And. And interestingly enough, well, we'll. We'll get to it. But let's start with the low in comedy. And. And I feel like this particular movie was right at the precipice of maybe that wasn't a good idea in retrospect. And sort of looking back, you're kind of like, yeah, that was not a good idea. And I'm gonna talk about this because both actors have come out and Said, yeah, this was not a good one. The movie Shallow Hal. So it came out in 2001. Now I'm kind of laug now because I remember at the time thinking a not only is it a bad movie, it's not funny. I do remember thinking, this is not gonna age well. And anytime you look at anything and say, this is not gonna age well, you know you have a problem. So Shallow Hal is Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black. It's by the Farrelly brothers, who I think famously did. There's Something about Mary which was hilarious maybe, I don't know, two years prior. It's about this guy who's kind of always looking for, like the perfect woman. And he meets Tony Robbins, that guy, self help guru guy, and he gets hypnotized and starts to look for the inner beauty of people. And that comes in the form of, unfortunately, Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit. Now I mentioning this movie because at that time, the fat suit was a little bit of a trope. And it was used on talk shows, it was used in prank things. I remember Tyra Banks famously, you know, the beautiful model on her talk show did this fat suit thing where it was like, what's it like being, you know, an obese person in America today? And I remember thinking, okay, so it's Tyra Banks, she's a beautiful girl, but she's in this fat suit. And how convincing can this actually be? I don't know what the tech. Maybe the technology is better now, but then wouldn't it just look like a bunch of latex and foam and it would just look weird? So if you were walking down the street in a fat suit, maybe, yes, people would be looking, but only because you just looked weird. You probably look like you were wearing some sort of costume or Halloween costume or just something wasn't quite right. Anyway, I'm diverging, but that was a little bit of the plot of Shallow Hal. And the other thing that annoyed me about this movie is this idea that Jack Black, who, he's a great actor, he's hilariously funny, but he's not Brad Pitt. So this idea that of course, this straight white guy who's pretty average could actually even get somebody like Gwyneth Paltrow or that, that idea that, that makes sense always has irritated me. You know, this idea that just for the fact that I am a man, a straight white man, I deserve whatever. The movie is a disaster. It's not funny. It is a comedy low. And listen, watch it. If you Want maybe I'll rewatch it and find some, some more terrible jokes. My Comedy high and I referenced this earlier and we talk about it a little bit in the podcast with my guest is Foul Play. Now, the reason I'm talking about it is because it's one of the first movies. I was probably 10 years old when it came out. It is written and directed by Colin Higgins. It stars Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. Yes, Chevy Chase, who I think was later canceled for his own brand of comedy. And it just, I don't know why I. It's almost like a comfort thing, I guess, but. Or a nostalgic thing where I'm thinking about this film. It made me laugh out loud in the theater. It's kind of this convoluted sort of screwball comedy which Goldie Hawn was playing, playing a lot in those days. And it worked. I mean, it was just ridiculous funny. It centers around the attempted assassination of a pope. And I have a feeling there's a lot. Then don't come for me because I haven't seen it in a long time. But I'm sure there's a lot of inappropriate things in it. There's Dudley Moore is in it, Billy Barty, I mean, Burgess Meredith. Wow, I'm really sounding like I'm 354 years old. It's definitely, probably, probably problematic now, but it's really fun. And it's kind of like all of those comedies in the 70s like Neil Simon was doing. And I don't know, it's just fun and it's a romp. And if you watch it, let me know what you think in the comments. By the way, email me at Label Queen Pot gmail.com Leave a comment, a question and I will answer. It's a lot of fun. Anyway, okay, so those are my highs and lows in comedy. And by the way, there are a lot more. As we know, there's hysterically funny things. These highs and lows are just things that pop in my mind that I don't want to overthink because then it becomes boring. So my guest today, I'll preface this with saying. And it will make sense when he comes on, he was not born in India. I'll just say that he is a stand up comedian, he is a producer, he is a writer, he is a podcast host, he is a television host, he is an actor. He has appeared in Bros. He has been a writer on the other two, which is one of my favorite shows, which is definitely something to watch. If you haven't seen it. Fantastic. He has been a writer on the Mindy Project. And by the way, Mindy Cowling also wrote the foreword for his book called My Life as a A Memoir Through Unpopular Culture. He is an Emmy award winner and yes, he shows me the Emmy for season I think three of Hacks, which is the great show on hbo. Max, as we know, he's just really side splittingly funny. We are gay men of a certain age and we talk about that and we talk about the Minnesota State Fair, we talk a little bit about pop culture and housewives. Anyway, my guest today is the hilarious side splittingly funny stand up comedian who is out on tour and you can catch him in cities. Coming to you, the fabulous Guy Branham. Stay tuned. Okay, so Guy, you have been on my list as a guest that I've wanted since I started the podcast and I'm so happy this is happening. So thank you for taking the time. [00:10:18] Speaker B: Thank you so much for having me. [00:10:20] Speaker A: There's a couple of reasons why I wanted you on the podcast and the first is we're both gay men of a certain age and I love this because I'm actually like, I think I'm like 10 years older than you. So I was scrolling through TikTok the other day and there was this, I don't know these queens, they were third in their 30s and they were putting up content about how old they are and you know, jokes about like, we used to do Molly, now our dog is named Molly. And you know, stupid shit like that. And it made me so angry because, you know, I go to bed and I say to myself, what weird shit am I gonna wake up with? Like, that's kind of like what? You know what I mean? Like what am I gonna wake up with? What weird appendage, what rash, what spot, what thing is gon. So tell me about before we get into your life and your comedy, what is it like being a gay man of a certain age telling jokes out there and what is the audience like for you? [00:11:31] Speaker B: Well, I mean, it's just the magnificent thing that all of these 34 year olds who imagine that their lives are so settled and that they are so domestic, don't know what the future brings and don't understand that their relationship is going to implode three years from now and they're going to be doing far more drugs at 41 than they were at 27 before. You know, they fall into something stable again. I think it's just the peace that comes with like having lived a life and seen things Go down before and understanding that things change and they stay the same. You know, like, do I periodically show up to a restaurant and then discover that I am completely incapable of reading the menu with the given lighting? 100%. Do I feel terrible and dumb to have to pull out a pair of readers? Ah, there we go. Yeah. [00:12:23] Speaker A: Yes, they exist. [00:12:26] Speaker B: Yes. But it's, you know, it's just part of life. And you know, I think part of it is just we've had for a long time we didn't represent queer people in media and then we had a very, very narrow construction of what it meant. And I think that, you know, having more queer people and queer people getting to live longer lives out means that we're just seeing more colors of what life can be. [00:12:51] Speaker A: Right. Well, listen, I came across you in many different ways and before we get to that, I do this sort of like lazy research. I don't know, I mean, I just sort of like the lowest form of research I can possibly do. And this has really bitten me in the ass many times. So I researched you and it says you were born in India. And before you answer this, hold on, wait, wait. I was like, India? Maybe that's Indiana or where. Talk me through that. [00:13:25] Speaker B: So truly, in like 2007, when I was like 36 or something, like, wait, no, 2007, you know, I would have been like 31 or 32. I was like self conscious about being older than the other comedians and stuff like that. And so I was just like, I'm going to lie about my age on the Internet. I'm gonna tell like Wikipedia and IMDb that I'm younger than I am, but I want to put another lie there with it just to see if the two lies will travel together. And then truly everyone I did trivia with in college jumped like, were like jumped on those keyboards to say, no, he can't possibly be this age. I knew him in college. And so the lie about my age, what at this point would still make me very middle aged, was destroyed. But the guy was born in India, has like persisted in a way that is really impressive. [00:14:24] Speaker A: Well, it's so exotic. And I really, I will say I was like, India, wow. What am I gonna ask him? You know, are we going to trade recipes or something like that? I mean, I love it. [00:14:36] Speaker B: I mean it was just an homage to those ladies from the past who I respect so much, who did the good work of lying about their age early so that we always have to be like, Catherine Zeta Jones was starring on the West End when she was 14. Listen. [00:14:50] Speaker A: And by the way, she's still 32. [00:14:52] Speaker B: She looked amazing at the Emmy. She looked amazing at the Emmys. [00:14:56] Speaker A: All right, let's go there. Did you watch the Emmy? [00:14:58] Speaker B: I did watch the Emmys last year. I was there. And this year I didn't work for Hacks for season four. So all of my coworkers were nominated, but I wasn't nominated. And so I got to actually watch on a plane while they were glammed up and there. And so, you know, I love an awards show. I love an evening of glamour. Though I do say the trend of always trying to cast a, like, mainstream. I love Nate Bargazzi and he's the funniest guy, but how come we can never have a woman or a queen hosting an awards show, you know? [00:15:32] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a good point. I mean, well, you had Ellen a few years ago. I don't know if she counts, but you're so right. And by the way, congratulations on the Emmy award. And where is it, by the way? Is it behind you? Right? [00:15:47] Speaker B: Where is it? There we go. There we go. [00:15:49] Speaker A: Yes. There she is. That's so great. And by the way, you wrote on probably the best season of Hacks not to put anybody down, but I think this season had a little bit of a narrative shift that was a little. [00:16:03] Speaker B: Bit like, I think it's been such a consistently amazing show. And the real. It was unfortunate that we didn't win for show or some of the other things, but Hannah Einbinder and Jean both being recognized was really awesome. Hannah's done such great work. She was a little girl, a baby when she came on that role, and she has filled it up and gone toe to toe with Jean every season. It's been amazing. [00:16:28] Speaker A: It's so funny. Like, I can't work out the math with her that she's the daughter of Lorraine Newman who was on Saturday Night Live in the seventh. Like, I can't work out the math. [00:16:37] Speaker B: Okay, what you need to do is you need to go watch. Hannah has a really funny set from before Hacks. She was either on the Tonight show or I think it was Colbert. And she's the funniest comic, but she goes. She tells a lot of jokes about her high powered mom, you know, being around sometimes. And it's just such a. A lovely and funny view of Lorraine, who is an amazing talent. I actually, I was at the table read for the studio, and for some reason, Catherine o' Hara couldn't be there. And so Lorraine read that role for the studio. And I'm still just lost in my mind about how good she was at that. And like the slightly different show where Lorraine is the co star. [00:17:20] Speaker A: Yeah, well, listen, I mean, that needs to happen because, you know, she is such a talent and that is a long time ago. And I don't know, I just feel like those comedians, especially the female comedians of different seasons of Saturday Night Live have had a pretty rough road in the earlier days. And now I think it's changed a lot. [00:17:42] Speaker B: I mean, having guys like Mike White and Chris Kelly come along and just like, celebrate someone like Molly Shannon, who is, of course the funniest, but can be the funniest in a thousand different ways. And like, most recent season of Only Murders in the Building, where she's playing high status Hollywood bitch, it's like, you know, it's a color of her you never thought you would see. Truly any. Anytime Adam Sandler lets Rachel Dratch do anything, I am thrilled. [00:18:08] Speaker A: Yeah, well, I thought the Emmys were. Were interesting. I'm not sure they were the most successful in terms of entertainment. [00:18:14] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:14] Speaker A: However, Jeffrey Hiller's winning. I posted on my Instagram because it started to annoy me because the headline there was the surprise win. The surprise win. And I wrote that. Stop saying this is a surprise, because this is a guy that has been there all along. You know what I mean? He has been on showing up, doing great work, and to sort of like, say, oh, it's a surprise, almost diminishes it. Instead of like, celebrating the thing that has always been there that all of a sudden you're just saying is a surprise. [00:18:49] Speaker B: Well, it was also an Emmys with no surprises. Like, even, like, Hannah's win, which was exciting, had been predicted. And he was, you know, in a category with Harrison Ford, who, to be fair, has won almost nothing in his very, like, respected career. And, you know, Ike Barinholtz, who is my great friend and is so talented, he, like, was on the studio, which was a juggernaut all night long and winning every five minutes. And, like, I get that, you know, it's like your point that it's like, not respectful of Jeff. But the thing I love about Jeff Hiller so much is, like, he's been doing the work on the ground. He's been funny on stages. He's been funny at ucb. He's been, you know, popping up in, like, little guest roles where he destroyed it and then moved along. And, you know, like, there's a difference between handing an Emmy award to someone like Harrison Ford who Would love the accolades, but is already, you know, cemented in the firmament. And somebody like Jeff Hiller, where it's gonna change and improve his life. Like somebody somewhere was such a great show, but it was a little show and a lot of people weren't aware of it. And this is just gonna be a rhyme, a reminder to this industry that they don't get to let go of Joe Hiller. And also, you know, I think also is just such a great tribute to Bridget. Like, Bridget's the greatest entertainer of our day and she got to make this amazing show. And I'm so glad that they honored it in that way. [00:20:21] Speaker A: Yeah, it's true. And kudos to the director, who sort of immediately camera panned to every gay person in the audience. Cheering like, that was really some good sleuthing. [00:20:32] Speaker B: No, it was a really beautiful moment. The look on Michael Urie's face, the look on Bowen's face and just sort of realizing, like, when one of us wins, all of us win. It was such a great moment. [00:20:43] Speaker A: Yeah, I totally, totally agree. You know, listen, funny people, funny women, I just. I just love it. And you've had the opportunity and the chance to work with many of them. That's really where I sort of started to see you, which was on Chelsea Lately. Now, unfamously. I actually appeared on Chelsea Lately, I think two or three times. I was horrible. And I will tell you why. Because I think in those days, and you would know better, it was sort of like, there was the roundtable thing and it was two comedians and they would probably like, try to pair that with like an expert, you know what I mean? And I was sort of the expert, like the style person or the fashion person or whatever. Listen, I'm not funny. Like, that's not my thing. So whenever I spoke, it just flatlined it. It was like ba. [00:21:34] Speaker B: It was like. And that panel could be really rough because you usually had at least one person on that panel who was from the writing staff who knew the vibe of it so intimately. You had so many recurring people, like my really good friend Nick Stoller, who directed Bros. And he directed Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He came and I had completely forgotten about it, but he did one panel and was just like, I tanked. I tanked. [00:22:01] Speaker A: I mean, I did. I did it a few times. And I will say there was one time I vibed and it was great. And it was only because Lonnie Love and I think Natasha Leggera were the. The other two. It was like two women who were like, yes, that worked. Put me with straight comedians. Yeah, no, two of the. [00:22:18] Speaker B: Two of the funniest women I know, but also two of the kindest performers, like Loni Love has done everything in this business and been successful at all of it, just because she is a generous, extremely intelligent person who is always trying to make things work. And sometimes, you know, like, comedy has different vibes. And there are sometimes people who are like, well, for me to succeed, other people have to fail. And then there are other people who are like, the better this panel is for one of us, the better it is for all of us. [00:22:48] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. I'm happy that it existed a little bit before. Not the Internet, but sort of that, like, clip thing where this thing lives forever. Because they're kind of gone. Those. Those. Those roundtables. I'm sure they exist somewhere, but it was a little pre. [00:23:04] Speaker B: It's interesting because I do think, like, quick and easy takes, quick and easy jokes. We find that more on TikTok and Instagram reels now or, like, for a period of time, Twitter and, like, you know, at midnight and then after midnight did a great job of trying to capture the way that, like, everybody is a comic now. Everybody is a critic now, and letting everybody get in the game. Though I do think absolutely everyone on Chelsea lately, particularly Ms. Handler herself, should be very pleased that there are not clips of that running around, because what comedy was in 2007 or 2009 is largely, you know, we're not so forgiving for some of the jokes some of the people were making on that panel. [00:23:46] Speaker A: Well, listen, you bring up a really good point and kind of where I wanted to go with you in a little bit more of a serious tone, because I had Julie Klausner on here, who I know wrote for Billy on the street, and you also did as well. [00:23:59] Speaker B: Julie and I had breakfast last week. [00:24:01] Speaker A: Okay. So again, somebody who I just adore, and I just reached out to her via dm, and she said, yes, and we had such a great time. I've never met the woman. We had such a great time. She's so hilarious. Anyway, she said I asked her if difficult people could be made today, and she was like, no, nothing could be made today. So I guess my question to you is, how do you wrap your head around comedy today? And I'm not gonna say in this time we're living in or these difficult times or whatever, because it's not just that. It is that time changes and people change. So how do you wrap your head around a joke or comedy now? [00:24:40] Speaker B: I think people have different needs. And, like, I think for a while there, a lot of people who had been ignored and voiceless for a long time were getting their voice, and they were getting their voice in comedy. And, you know, Bowen and Jeff and Bridget and so many of those people who were represented at the Emmys is reflective of the last 10 years and these people finding their voice and being heard. But I also think it meant that a lot of people who wanted to say, you can't do that about various things and, like. And are figuring out how to respond to that and whether. How much we needed to listen and how much we needed to say, but this is Funny has sort of evolved, but I think people are hungry for it. And right now we're at a weird point in time when some really big things are going on, terrifying things, and we don't really have the tools to make jokes about it or talk about it or engage with it. And I think we have to find that if we're gonna process what we're going through. Right now, we're kind of ignoring in so many ways what we're going through. The answer is, like, either be worried or just bury your head in TikTok. And there's gotta be another path. [00:25:52] Speaker A: So it's funny because I found myself. And for me, you know, I have to laugh. I just have to. And I found myself kind of revisiting the things that made me laugh that I remember sort of growing up. You know, the screwball comedies of Barbara or Foul Play is one of those movies that I just love, which is wildly, probably inappropriate today, but, you know, sort of revisiting those things that made me laugh then. And why. And are they still funny and. [00:26:25] Speaker B: Well, also, like, what stuff is true? What stuff are we pretending? Like we're pretending it shouldn't exist because it shouldn't exist, but also is true and needs to be acknowledged in some way. You know, it's like the way that your grandparents met each other is now illegal, just uniformly for every American. He was probably her boss. She was probably 14, and he was 37. Like, you know, but it was true how. [00:26:54] Speaker A: Or he. Or he ordered her from a catalog, right? [00:26:57] Speaker B: And so we need to be able to acknowledge that stuff. And I think one of the things that, like, one of the different perspectives that queer people have is just that a time when we were written off entirely. Like, you and I both lived at a time when having gay sex was illegal in half the states, you know, and, like, we've gone from being there to being here. And that means you have to acknowledge that history happens and transitions happen and all of that. And I think being scared of even acknowledging that that stuff talks about. And I think, you know, I think being more sensitive of people is really good. But I also think people need to learn to have a little more grit for the fights that we're going to have. Like, there was a time when it was like, ah, I need to be accommodated. And sure, being able to request those accommodations are great, but also you need to be able to fight for them. [00:27:49] Speaker A: Right. Well, listen, I think what you say is absolutely true, and I think that. I don't think I'm bearing my head, but there is a sense of nostalgia that I'm kind of looking for to get me through. And you did something recently that kind of perked my nostalgia, which was you took a trip to the Minnesota State Fair. [00:28:10] Speaker B: I mean, it's the most decadent and magnificent experience possible. So I went to law school in Minnesota. It's where I came out of the closet. And I had just. I had some nice successes with some TikTok videos where I roasted fruit at the farmer's market. And so I was like, I need to roast something else. Oh, this is a perfect excuse to fly to Minnesota for a weekend and just eat all of the fried food imaginable. But the annoying part was, was because I was, like, had all of these plans to roast, like, traditional fair foods. I didn't get to have the exciting new treats of this year. Like, there were some Somali fries that were supposed to be amazing. There were some, like, lumpia that had French toast in them. [00:28:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:52] Speaker B: Yes. But it was just. It was absolutely. [00:28:54] Speaker A: Well, that's the, that's the fun thing about the fair. I mean, there always will be something. By the way, Minnesota has a huge Somali population, so it's. It's crazy. But, but, but that exists. So I, I. My husband is from Minnesota, so we go to the Minnesota State Fair, not regularly, but a lot. And I was hoping. Did you get to go into the dairy barn there? [00:29:18] Speaker B: Of course. But we didn't end up at the sculptures of Princess K. We did not. [00:29:24] Speaker A: Yes. [00:29:25] Speaker B: Like, there were things that I managed to not get to that were really stunning to me. But I think the thing that was most surprising to me as somebody who was there primarily to eat the things, is Minnesota is famous for. There is a booth with all you can drink milk. And it is the most disgusting idea imaginable that, like, on a hot August day, do you want to be pouring some, like, thick milk down your throat? It was so fucking perfect. Like, after a long day, it was ice cold. It was refreshing. It was amazing. [00:29:58] Speaker A: Okay, so you bring up something interesting. And I was gonna write this down, but I was like, maybe this is gonna take too much time. This year's Princess Kay of the Milky Way did an interview in the Minnesota paper. I don't know what it's called. [00:30:10] Speaker B: Sarsha Pune. I would im. [00:30:12] Speaker A: It was the Star Tribune and they interviewed her about being crowned. And those of you who don't know, you get your bus carved out of, I think a 60 pound block of butter. And it goes around in a refrigerator. You have to sit there for hours while they carve your face. Anyway, they said, what are you looking forward to? And she said, well, I'm so dehydrated, I can't wait to drink milk. And I was like, is that what you drink? And you literally just proved my point. [00:30:40] Speaker B: I mean, that girl is promoting the Minnesota dairy industry and I, I'm proud of her. Though let me say, never forget that California produces more milk than Minnesota or Wisconsin. This is the real dairy capital of the. Of America. [00:30:55] Speaker A: That's so crazy. So you are in California? [00:30:57] Speaker B: I'm California, yeah. And I'm from. From the like, rural, farmy parts. [00:31:03] Speaker A: Okay. Not India? [00:31:04] Speaker B: No. [00:31:06] Speaker A: Okay. And are you on tour right now? [00:31:08] Speaker B: So right now I'm finishing up the hacks room and then I am headed out on tour. I am going to be in Portland, October 23, Seattle October 24, San Francisco on October 20, and then I am doing dates in Philadelphia, D.C. and Brooklyn in the middle of December. [00:31:28] Speaker A: Okay, amazing. And then people can find you at Guy Branham. [00:31:32] Speaker B: GuyBranum.com is my website. And then my socials are Guy Branham on Instagram and Guy Branham comedy on TikTok. [00:31:42] Speaker A: Okay. So I do this thing where I stole this from Amy Poehler, who also has a podcast, as I'm sure you know I've heard. And she asked the, you know, friends to talk politely about her guests. And I do the same thing. So I asked our dear friend, producer of Chelsea Lately and of talk show the game show the Fabulous Deb Cullen to ask you a question. Now, Deb is a great producer. I also think she's a hidden writer. [00:32:14] Speaker B: Yes. [00:32:14] Speaker A: So at some. Thank you. So at some point when you talk to her, please tell her to just write. And I think she's so afraid to, but I think she's a brilliant. Could be a brilliant. [00:32:24] Speaker B: The thing is, like, there are producers out there who are super capable for guests for morning shows and Stuff like that. And Deb can do all of that, but she's also a producer who just understands comedy so well and has been such an amazing godsend in any time I've gone to work with her. [00:32:40] Speaker A: Yeah. All right, so she asked the question to you, and she prefaces it with saying you've worked with some of the funniest women there are. There's Mindy Callan, Chelsea, of course, Chelsea Handler, Wanda Stone Rivers. Yeah, Joan Rivers. I mean, the list goes on. If you could have a night out on the town with any of those women, who is the most fun to have a night out on the town? [00:33:05] Speaker B: Hands down, Wanda Sykes. Hands down, Wanda Sykes. Now, I mean, Chelsea is a good time. She's a drinker. She can get in anywhere. Joan has always got a great story. Mindy Kaling is one of the most elegant, smartest, funniest people on the planet. Like, truly, if I needed to create a television show or invade another country, Mindy Kaling would be my first call. She would have the plan. But Wanda and her wife Alex know how to have a good time. Like, they are just, you know, her wife is French. They have excellent taste in wine. They have excellent taste in food. But also, Wanda goes out hard in a way that, like, you know, most people are not like, she knows how to work hard, but she also, like, she and her producing partner, Paige Hurwitz, have a production company, Push it. And the Push it Christmas party is just the best Christmas party of the year because it is a bunch of gay ladies turked. [00:34:04] Speaker A: I love it. I love it. And I will say Deb said she would be surprised if you didn't say Wanda. So. So, ding, ding, ding. You win. You win. You win, guy. Before I let you go, are you watching any Housewives of the moment? Do you do that? [00:34:20] Speaker B: So I am only conversant in Beverly Hills and New York. I just took down all of Vanderpump because I needed to properly understand that arc. But last night, I just had a dear friend of mine, Lindsay, was telling me how the next step needed to be Salt Lake City. No, Salt Lake City. That I needed to go for Salt Lake City. Yeah. [00:34:44] Speaker A: Okay. I would encourage you to maybe dip into OC because it's gotten really crazy. And of course, it's, as you know, the longest running 19 years. I wanted to tell you a story because I just remember this like it was yesterday, 19 years ago. I'm on a production van, I'm doing a show, and the audio guy, the straight audio guy, is looking out the window of the van and the bus goes by with that early, early poster of the Real Housewives of Orange County. It's like nobody had seen it before. It was the first time. And he's looking at it go by and he turns to me and he says, are they supposed to be hot? And I just thought it was the best line. It stayed with me. And it kind of still, like that still is relevant. Yes. [00:35:36] Speaker B: I mean, what these ladies, Are they supposed to be rich? Are they supposed to be married? There are so many questions that are inherent in these shows. [00:35:45] Speaker A: Are they supposed to be women? [00:35:48] Speaker B: Well, that's interesting because you and I, of course, both remember when Logo attempted their various sort of like, gay housewifey shows. [00:35:57] Speaker A: I auditioned for that disaster. [00:35:59] Speaker B: Surprisingly, they went with worse people. I would be delighted if they brought a gay into the main cast of one of those. But finding somebody with the right level of self awareness and lack of self awareness I think is really hard. Yeah, yeah, it's very hard for gay guys, I think, to not always be producing themselves in those situations. And also, like, no gay guy with a powerful enough husband to pay for that life would ever consent to bats. [00:36:32] Speaker A: Oh, you know what? Thank you. Thank you, Guy. I really appreciate this conversation. I will, of course, talk about all of your amazing credits before I introduce you. Thank you for taking the time. I would love to go to the Minnesota State Fair with you, so maybe we can plan. [00:36:51] Speaker B: That would be amazing. That would be amazing. Thanks so much for having me. [00:36:55] Speaker A: Thanks, Guy. I appreciate it.