In our series finale, we check back in with Chris Gethard (Beautiful/Anonymous, Space Force) who recently came close to committing himself for the first time in almost a decade. We talk about being on the downslope of success, where he fucked u

Seven Years Later: Lauren Lapkus

Aug 18th, 2020 1h 28m

In our final episodes of The Need to Fail, I will be checking back in with my original guests from seven years ago. Next up: Lauren Lapkus (The Wrong Missy, Big Bang Theory) who talks about not booking 90% of the roles she goes out for, how her

Seven Years Later: Abbi Jacobson

Aug 11th, 2020 1h 26m

In our final episodes of The Need to Fail, I will be checking back in with my original guests from seven years ago. Next up: Abbi Jacobson (Broad City, Disenchantment) who talks about ending Broad City and the pressures of adapting an iconic mo

Seven Years Later: Josh Patten

Aug 4th, 2020 42m 44s

In our final six episodes of The Need to Fail, I will be checking back in with my original guests from seven years ago. Next up: Josh Patten (SNL) who talks about how things have changed over his eight seasons at SNL. We talk about craft relate

Seven Years Later: Josh Ruben

Jul 28th, 2020 1h 6m

In our final six episodes of The Need to Fail, I will be checking back in with my original guests from seven years ago. Next up: Josh Ruben (Scare Me, Werewolves Within) who talks about his frustrating journey auditioning for SNL, the star-stud

Seven Years Later: Benjamin Apple

Jul 21st, 2020 47m 32s

In our final six episodes of The Need to Fail, I will be checking back in with my original guests from seven years ago. First up: Benjamin Apple (The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, The Onion) who talks about how a year after our original c

Episode 150: Edgar Momplaisir

Jul 14th, 2020 1h 52m

Edgar Momplaisir (Culture Kings, What Just Happened) gets candid, opening up about his personal demons, regrets, and rock bottom moments. We talk about not fully processing his best friends death, his frustrating audition process for the Daily

Episode 149: Anna Salinas

Jul 7th, 2020 1h 33m

Anna Salinas (badcomixbyanna, Sugar & Toys) went from a kindergarten art teacher to an assistant in the Reality TV department of a big agency working with someone who no one wanted to work with. We talk about the origins of her comic, badcomixb

Episode 148: Joey Greer

Jun 30th, 2020 1h 9m

Joey Greer (Good Night, Alchemy This) got screwed up taking on the business side of Hollywood. We chat about how he applied his degree in theology to his creative pursuits, being sick and tired of feeling like he needed the industry's help to c

Episode 148: Joey Greer

Jun 30th, 2020 1h 16m

Episode 147: James T. Robilotta

Jun 23rd, 2020 1h 58m

James T. Robilotta (Leading Imperfectly, TEDx) is now a life coach and public speaker, but it took a lot of ups and downs to get there. We talk about how writing his book was the most polarizing thing he has done in his life, why the brain alwa

Episode 146: Ellen Haun

Jun 16th, 2020 1h 10m

Ellen Haun (How to Get Away with Murder, Cinderella & The Glass Ceiling) was never cast in a show in all four years at USC. An accidentally dropped headshot ruined her final chance. We also chat about how she moved to NY after two agencies were

Episode 145: Michael Cruz Kayne

Jun 9th, 2020 1h 34m

Michael Cruz Kayne (Late Night with Seth Meyers, High Maintenance) booked an off-broadway Stomp-like show called Hoopz, produced by Disney, and it was quickly cancelled after Michael Eisner saw it. We chat about testing for SNL, searching for v

Episode 144: Charlie Todd

Jun 2nd, 2020 1h 16m

Charlie Todd (Improv Everywhere, Pixar IRL) tried for years to get Improv Everywhere on TV with lots of ups and downs along the way. We talk about how he wound up in handcuffs after an Improv Everywhere prank gone awry, seeing a network steal a

Episode 143: Robyn Schneider

May 26th, 2020 1h 42m

Robyn Schneider (The Beginning of Everything, You Don't Live Here) sold her first book at 18. It was the best and worst day of her life. Straddling a life between writing and medical school, Robyn overcomes trauma, book flops, book cancellation

Episode 142: Jordan Klepper (Part 2)

May 19th, 2020 1h 13m

In Part 2 of our conversation, Jordan Klepper (The Daily Show, Klepper) talks about filling in as host of The Daily Show when Trevor Noah was sick, the joys of getting your own TV show and the gut-punch of it being taken away, and the life chan

Episode 141: Jordan Klepper (Part 1)

May 12th, 2020 1h 7m

In Part 1 of our conversation, Jordan Klepper (The Daily Show, The Opposition) talks about his decade of ups and downs in Chicago, what led him to NY, and auditioning for The Daily Show. We chat about how frustrations led to Jordan creating his

Episode 140: Julie Buxbaum

May 5th, 2020 1h 4m

Julie Buxbaum's (Tell Me Three Things, Admission) worked on her third novel for over two years, after giving birth to her first child, and made the painful decision to shelve it because it was capable but not exciting. We talk about her transit

Episode 139: Sam Pancake

Apr 28th, 2020 1h 30m

Sam Pancake (A Million Little Things, Arrested Development) got the dream call that he was getting his own TV show - but the deal was so bad he had to walk away, which actually opened up unforeseen acting opportunities. We talk about battling h

Episode 139: Sam Pancake

Apr 28th, 2020 1h 37m

Episode 138: Amy Spalding

Apr 21st, 2020 1h 23m

Amy Spalding (We Used to Be Friends, The Summer of Jordi Perez) secured a literary agent, but it took another three years to get her first book published. We talk about the benefits of having a day job she excels at, burning her childhood novel

Episode 138: Amy Spalding

Apr 21st, 2020 1h 30m

Episode 137: Mark McConville

Apr 14th, 2020 1h 12m

Mark McConville (SuperEgo, Talking Tom & Friends) went to college to study music and was denied after his audition freshmen year. We talk about the formation of SuperEgo, the value of intention, landing a job at Disney after working 16 hour day

Episode 137: Mark McConville

Apr 14th, 2020 1h 4m

Episode 136: Paige Weldon

Apr 7th, 2020 1h 6m

Paige Weldon (Heathers, The Late Late Show with James Corden) had a humor website she co-created hacked and destroyed. Five years of writing and artwork from herself and her friends went down the drain overnight. We chat about how messing up in