Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out

This week Mike welcomes to the podcast comedian, and fellow Massachusetts native, Joe List. Joe talks about what it’s like to be married to and raise a chid with another working comedian, Sarah Tollemache, and Joe tells a story about how he worked through a panic attack moments before doing stand-up on Conan. Mike and Joe also discuss Joe’s documentary feature that he directed about a comic who dropped out of traditional show business to run a comedy club in Key West, Florida. Plus, they work out new jokes about the military history of M&Ms, strange childhood memories, and the worst thing you could say to a child.

Please consider donating to the Holbrook Fire Department

Text BIRBIGS to 917-444-7150 for updates

Find Mike:

Website: https://birbigs.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/birbigs/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/birbigfans

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mikebirbiglia

Find Joe:

Website: https://www.comedianjoelist.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joelistcomedy/

Hosted and Produced by Mike Birbiglia

Producers: Peter Salomone, Joseph Birbiglia, Mabel Lewis, Gary Simons

Sound Mixed by Shubh Saran

Supervising Engineer: Kate Bilinski

Video Consultant: Graham Willoughby

Special Thanks: Marissa Hurwitz, Josh Upfal, David Raphael, Nina Cwik, J. Hope Stein, Oona

Music: Jack Antonoff and Bleachers

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(Recorded December 2025) Mike started this podcast so that one day Michael Che would come on. Today is that day. In this all-timer episode, Mike and Che work out tons of jokes and discuss the advice Lorne Michaels gave to Che that he’ll never forget, how Che went from designing and selling t-shirts on the street to being a stand-up comic, and what keeps him coming back to SNL. Plus, the time Che nearly did something to Colin Jost on air that he would really regret.

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This week Ron Funches joins Mike on the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about finding your comedic voice vs. faking it, Ron’s recent autism diagnosis, and Ron’s stint on the reality show, “Traitors.” Plus, Mike and Ron work out tons of new bits about remaking famous Black movies with all-white casts, death by chocolate, and the problem with a haircut Ron got in Budapest.

Please consider donating to The Ed Asner Family Center

Text BIRBIGS to 917-444-7150 for updates

Find Mike:

Website: https://birbigs.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/birbigs/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/birbigfans

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mikebirbiglia

Find Ron: 

Website: https://ronfunches.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronfunches/

Hosted and Produced by Mike Birbiglia

Producers: Peter Salomone, Joseph Birbiglia, Mabel Lewis, Gary Simons

Sound Mixed by Ben Kruse

Supervising Engineer: Kate Bilinski

Video Consultant: Graham Willoughby

Special Thanks: Marissa Hurwitz, Josh Upfal, David Raphael, Nina Cwik, J. Hope Stein, Oona

Music: Jack Antonoff and Bleachers

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, the hilarious Chloe Troast joins Mike to answer listener-submitted questions. The two discuss what to do when an improv scene goes off the rails, Chloe’s relationship to comedy after SNL, and how being around other talented people makes everyone better. Plus, Chloe shares the “truth “about the Please Don’t Destroy boys.

See Chloe in Pepper Slit Live in Her Living Room

Please consider donating to Jenni's Rescue Ranch

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Working It Out favorite Jo Firestone returns for a triumphant fourth appearance, this time pregnant and rocking a Phantom of the Opera Toronto production t-shirt. Jo talks with Mike about pregnancy, her “shotgun wedding” at city hall, and her new book Sex on Murder Island, the sequel to Murder on Sex Island. Plus, much talk of Lord of the Rings, including why Jo relates to Frodo and why Mike sympathizes with Gollum.

Subscribe to Working It Out Premium on Apple Podcasts for a special *extended version* of this episode!

Please consider donating to Baby2Baby

Buy Jo's book Sex on Murder Island

Mike's tour dates: https://www.birbigs.com/tour-dates

Text BIRBIGS to 917-444-7150 for updates

Find Mike:

Website: https://birbigs.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/birbigs/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/birbigfans

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mikebirbiglia

Find Jo: 

Substack: https://jofirestone.substack.com

Website: https://www.jofirestone.com

Hosted and Produced by Mike Birbiglia

Producers: Peter Salomone, Joseph Birbiglia, Mabel Lewis, Gary Simons

Sound Mixed by Ben Kruse

Supervising Engineer: Kate Bilinski

Video Consultant: Graham Willoughby

Special Thanks: Marissa Hurwitz, Josh Upfal, David Raphael, Nina Cwik, J. Hope Stein, Oona

Music: Jack Antonoff and Bleachers

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.