Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out

Sam Morril tells well-crafted jokes but sometimes they make people angry. Sam is known for dealing with provocative subject matter but he doesn’t consider himself a provocative comedian. He and Mike dissect the difference. Then, on the heels of Sam’s new hit Netflix special “Same Time Tomorrow,” the two comics pollinate the seeds of new jokes about mink coats, resistance coffee shops, disappointing your religious relatives, and why Elon Musk has eight kids.Please consider donating to City Harvest

Mike welcomes his wife, the poet J. Hope Stein, a.k.a. Jen, a.k.a. Clo, on the release day of her new book of poems "Little Astronaut.” Mo and Clo have a deeply candid chat about poetry, creativity, and what it’s like when two artists are married to each other. The couple offer a sampling of their live “Jokes and Poems” show, discuss why Jen kept her poetry secret for years, and Jen gives tips for dating a comedian. (Spoiler: don’t.) Plus, Jen’s side of Mike’s “Who did?” story, and the truth about Mike’s household chores record.Please consider donating to Everytown

Larry Wilmore’s credits are endless. In Living Color, The Bernie Mac Show, The Office, The Daily Show, Insecure, and more. Now the legendary writer and performer sits down with Mike to share some of the wisdom he gained from working on all of those classic shows. Larry explains why writers never argue about endings, why his family calls him The Oracle, and why conflict was the driving narrative force behind The Office.Please consider donating to Autism Speaks

Sarah Sherman a.k.a. Sarah Squirm is the first and only Working It Out guest to show up wearing a t-shirt of the band Cannibal Corpse. The breakout SNL star sits down with Mike and the two comics cover everything from Kaufman-seque performance art to Sarah’s Weekend Update segments where she mercilessly roasts Colin Jost. Plus, jokes and stories about infrared saunas, getting chased by tweakers in the desert, fish eating fish, and a one-time only duet of Fran Drescher impressions.Please consider donating to Food Bank For NYC

This week Mike literally picks up Jimmy Fallon in his car and drives him to the studio for this joke-filled and joyful episode of Working It Out. The two friends share stories about everything from camping out with their daughters to impressions of Rodney Dangerfield to Jimmy’s early days of standup when he shaved his face on stage. Plus, Jimmy explains why he couldn’t stop laughing in the legendary Cowbell sketch on SNL with Will Ferrell and how watching comedy when he was injured in the hospital led him to a revelation about the healing power of laughter.Please consider donating to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Mike welcomes his longtime collaborator and lifelong brother Joe Birbiglia. They discuss what it’s like to work together as family—from differentiating between work and family phone calls to Joe being mistaken for Mike at the merch table. Joe explains the differences between “Joe Bags” the character and Joe in real life and Joe and tells his story of trying to break into the comedy world in the early 2000s, crossing paths with The Onion and The Daily Show. Plus, a fly-on-the-wall joke writing session that mirrors the way Mike and Joe write together in real life.Please consider donating to The Rhode Island Community Food Bank

Jessi Klein is an Emmy-award winning comedian, writer, actor, and author, with a resume that includes Inside Amy Schumer, Saturday Night Live, Transparent, Kroll Show, and the voice of Jessi Glaser on Big Mouth. On top of all that, WIO listeners may remember her from Mike’s film Sleepwalk With Me where her character places a pizza pillow around Mike’s neck and then sprays him with tomato sauce. In this episode the two old friends punch up jokes and discuss why writing about being a parent can be a third rail subject. They also go deep on Jessi’s New York Times-bestselling book “I’ll Show Myself Out” and Jessi explains why the title of two of her book chapters are “In Defense of Drinking” and “Your Husband Will Remarry Five Minutes After You Die.”Please consider donating to Moms Demand Action

Comedian Zarna Garg immigrated to the U.S. from India at age 16 and started performing stand-up comedy in her forties. As Zarna’s daughter Zoya explained in her New York Times-published college essay, it was not an easy path. Zarna sits down with Mike to discuss how humor has always been a strategy in her life, from escaping an impending arranged marriage to navigating life in a new country. Plus stories and jokes about upgrading her husband, trashing her mother-in-law on stage, and why Zarna approaches stand-up comedy like hosting a dinner party. Please consider donating to The Comedy Cures Foundation

This week Ben Stiller joins Mike  to talk about everything from leaving the SNL cast within weeks of joining to early nerve-racking test screenings for his film “Zoolander.” They also break apart Ben’s genre-bending hit series “Severance” on Apple TV plus. Ben aces the slow round with stories about growing up the child of two comedy greats, not making the high school basketball team, and the magical feeling of being backstage at “The $10,000 Pyramid.”Please consider donating to the UN Refugee Agency.

This week Mike welcomes one of his all time heroes, Michael J. Fox. Not only is Michael a five time Emmy award winning actor who has starred in ‘Family Ties’ and ‘Back to The Future,’ but his foundation has raised over 1 billion dollars to help fund Parkinson’s research programs. This week Mike and Michael work out material about not getting the Hugh Jackman treatment at the airport and Michael offers profound wisdom like: “You have to accept the truth of the situation before you address it.”For a written transcript of this episode, click here.Please consider donating to: The Michael J. Fox Foundation