Transcript

Amy Poehler | SmartLess

From SmartLess · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 4 min · 12,385 words · 83 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Amy Poehler | SmartLess", an episode of SmartLess published April 21, 2025 (1 h 4 min, about 12,385 words). It mentions 73 people, works and ideas, including Chicago, Second City, Archie and Abel, SmartLess, Amy Sedaris.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: Archie and Abel, Chadwick's, Chenzano, club foot
  2. – 20:00: Amy Sedaris, Bronx Beat, Plaza Hotel, Sketch comedy
  3. – 30:00: Chicago, Archie and Abel, Comedy Central, Orlando
  4. – 50:00: Chicago, Second City, Bucket of Truth, Cast Away
  5. – 1:00:00: Maple and Franny, Ernest Borgnine, SmartLess
  6. – 1:03:31: Archie and Abel, Josh Shotland, Michael Grant Terry

Notable quotes from "Amy Poehler | SmartLess"

  • Ferrari Montal Puff screaming down the strata. You have a Chenzano with ice. Okay, now you feeling the vibe, huh? Listen, let me ask you something.
    about Chenzano · at
  • Was really easy to hide it. Nobody was asking if I was doing that. Do you think Archie and Abel Do you think Archie and Abel would have been able to keep the secret? Did you…
    about Archie and Abel · at
  • That's a very funny story. So, and I think I maybe told it once but before, but great Amy Sedaris.
    about Amy Sedaris · at
  • Dates you want to talk about? Yeah, we have Orlando, we have Detroit, we have Chicago, Boston. we're playing Red Rocks. Wow. No [ __ ] Red Rocks. Yeah.
    about Chicago · at
  • The name of the movie. And he totally bought it. And he goes really close into the DV player and he goes, Cast away. And he looks at the screen and it didn't come up. And the second time, cast away.
    about Cast Away · at
  • Place was lousy with talent. Everyone was so great. and then moved with and then UCB Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, Ali Ferinaki, great guys. Yes. Yes. Yes.
    about Matt Besser · at
  • UCB. So it's Amy Walsh, Besser and Ian and they do their show Bucket of Truth which was an amazing show is so funny. It was a sketch show that improv and sketch etc. And they're doing it downstairs at the West Bank on 42nd Street and Peter.
    about Bucket of Truth · at
  • Which I which is going to hurt. No, which is you've been Jason's been so nervous and anxious about Franny going to college for a few years and he's talked about it and so I see…
    about Maple and Franny · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Archie and Abel — Person · 3 mentions · first at
  • Amy Sedaris — Person · 2 mentions · first at
  • Matt Besser — Person · 2 mentions · first at
  • Maple and Franny — Person · 2 mentions · first at
  • Regina George — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Today, she's a comedic force in Hollywood. Hilarious colleague and the world's favorite cool mom to Regina George. It's our ridiculously funny friend, Amy Polar. No way. Truly, I didn't. I guess that Well, well, well. Wait a second. Holy.
  • Meredith Walker — Person · 1 mention · first at
    And I couldn't. Me and Meredith Walker.
  • Steve Carell — Person · 1 mention · first at
    At Second City in 93. And the seniors to my freshman were on the main stage of Chicago, Amy Sedaris, Steve Carell, Steven Coar. Amazing. Mike Meyers and Chris Farley had just…
  • Chris Farley — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Chicago, Amy Sedaris, Steve Carell, Steven Coar. Amazing. Mike Meyers and Chris Farley had just left to go to like stardom in at SNL. I rented Chris Farley's old apartment in Chicago.
  • Ian Roberts — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Was so great. and then moved with and then UCB Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, Ali Ferinaki, great guys. Yes. Yes. Yes.
  • Matt Walsh — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Was so great. and then moved with and then UCB Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, Ali Ferinaki, great guys. Yes. Yes. Yes.
  • Adam McKay — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Adam McKay, all those guys. Neil Flynn, they were all part of a big improv group called the family that we would go and watch and they were incredible. And then they also had UCB. I joined in 93. And.
  • Neil Flynn — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Adam McKay, all those guys. Neil Flynn, they were all part of a big improv group called the family that we would go and watch and they were incredible. And then they also had UCB. I joined in 93. And.
  • Brian Stack — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Writers, a lot of whom were performers from Chicago, you knew like McCann and Glazer and all those guys, Brian Stack, one of the all-time greats and like and all those people.…
  • Ernest Borgnine — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Exactly. I don't want to be that. And I don't want to be Marjorie. Remember Ernest Borgnine had that great he had this great advice on how to live forever which was to snap one…
  • Josh Shotland — Person · 1 mention · first at
    What I mean? but it's it's it's great. I feel really lucky and I do. Does Josh Shotland get jealous at all or He does, but she is somebody that I still run a lot of stuff by if I'm thinking people get jealous if Josh is not available. My.
  • Michael Grant Terry — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Smart glass. Smart list is 100% organic and artisally handcrafted by Michael Grant, Terry, Rob Armjarve, and Bennett Barbco.
  • Ali Farahnakian — Person · 1 mention
  • Amy Poehler — Person · 1 mention
  • Andy Richter — Person · 1 mention
  • Conan O'Brien — Person · 1 mention
  • David Sedaris — Person · 1 mention
  • Dax — Person · 1 mention
  • Jason Bateman — Person · 1 mention
  • Kate McKinnon — Person · 1 mention
  • Maya Rudolph — Person · 1 mention
  • Meryl Streep — Person · 1 mention
  • Mike Myers — Person · 1 mention
  • Peter Principato — Person · 1 mention
  • Rachel Dratch — Person · 1 mention
  • Sean Hayes — Person · 1 mention
  • Stephen Colbert — Person · 1 mention
  • Tina Fey — Person · 1 mention
  • Will Arnett — Person · 1 mention

Companies & orgs

  • Second City — Company · 4 mentions · first at
    Yes. I want to talk about that because I did Second City too and you did too.
  • The Wizard of Oz — Company · 1 mention · first at
    But she's a prolific comedian. She's an author, superhero producer, really great director. She played Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when she was 10. And I more recently, I think…
  • Chadwick's — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Way that I thought Well, I knew that you worked at Brighgams, but I didn't in Boston. Chadwick's will. I worked at Chadwick. No, sorry. Unbelievable.
  • Plaza Hotel — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Good There must have been a very robust afterparty for this one. Robust afterparty at the Plaza Hotel. Whoa. Was there an after with the little There may have been. I didn't I…
  • Comedy Central — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Early improv show I ever did live. They like had a big watch party for me when our show launched in 1998 on Comedy Central, UCD. They just are very, very big fans and they are…
  • Solo Arts — Company · 1 mention · first at
    People live. What was that first space you guys had when you started? We had a Solo Arts was the name of a Yeah. was like the walk up theater where we would improvise there and…
  • Brigham's — Company · 1 mention
  • Koi — Company · 1 mention
  • Sony — Company · 1 mention
  • Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB) — Company · 1 mention
  • West Bank Cafe — Company · 1 mention
  • William Morris Agency — Company · 1 mention

Products & tech

  • SmartLess — Product · 3 mentions · first at
    Of them saw our youngest saw my schedule on the kitchen table and said, You're doing smartless. Oh, wow. Does dad know? I said, No, don't say anything. Kept the secret. It's so…
  • Cast Away — Product · 2 mentions · first at
  • Bucket of Truth — Product · 2 mentions · first at
  • Chenzano — Product · 1 mention · first at
  • Smileless — Product · 1 mention · first at
    If you want to do one thing in this year, get smileless. 250.
  • Wicked — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Wizard of Oz when she was 10. And I more recently, I think she played Alphaba in the movie Wicked. I don't know. A Boston She didn't. A Boston native. Her summer job was working at an ice cream parlor where she'd sing happy with kazoo.
  • SNL 50 — Product · 1 mention · first at
    You would call it, a pee. And wait, Amy, how was Can we talk about Can we How was the was SNL 50 fun? Cuz that show was great. It was so fun. It was kind of great. It was kind…
  • Bronx Beat — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Amy, tell a little bit. Wait, just you guys and then you and Maya did Bronx Beat, which is an all-time fave.
  • Armchair Expert — Product · 1 mention
  • Good Hang with Amy Poehler — Product · 1 mention
  • Mean Girls — Product · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

  • club foot — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    It'll probably heal the wrong way and you'll be club Do you know the term club foot? Dead foot. well, but fortunately, it's not going to take anything away from your life. Usually, it means that you can't be playing.
  • Sketch comedy — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Show. but wait, but Amy, yeah, I was going to ask you if you ever wanted to do sketch comedy again because going back to what I was saying before, you're one of the all-time…
  • SAG card — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Then I started getting some bits on Conan because of Andy Richtor and that's where I got like my SAG card.
  • consultant parenting model — Concept · 1 mention
  • empty nest syndrome — Concept · 1 mention
  • longevity science — Concept · 1 mention
  • parentification — Concept · 1 mention
  • short story metaphor for parenting — Concept · 1 mention
  • SNL afterparty — Concept · 1 mention
  • therapy as self-improvement — Concept · 1 mention

Places & events

  • Chicago — Place · 8 mentions · first at
  • Orlando — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Last year. We're going back out again in March, April, and May for if you're in Orlando, do you have some dates you want to talk about? Yeah, we have Orlando, we have Detroit…
  • Red Rocks — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Have Orlando, we have Detroit, we have Chicago, Boston. we're playing Red Rocks. Wow. No [ __ ] Red Rocks. Yeah.
  • Washington Square Park — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Slogged for a while in New York and handed out flyers in Washington Square Park and everyone I was a waitress and just thinking okay, and then I and then I started getting some bits on Conan because of Andy Richtor and.
  • 30 Rockefeller Plaza (30 Rock) — Place · 1 mention
  • La Brea Tar Pits — Place · 1 mention

Sponsors

  • Smileless — Sponsor · 1 mention · first at
    If you want to do one thing in this year, get smileless. 250.

Full transcript with timestamps

Do you know that this year this count is we're coming up on five years? I know. Isn't that amazing? Right. So then how many episodes is that? We've been doing one. We're going to be 250 episodes in I don't know. And 25 is the silver, 50 is the gold. Is there anything for 250? Is that triple silver? It's But what is it? What is it? Centennial, wasn't it? Wait, wait, guys. This is the This is our 250th episode, also known as Chinuimo. Bravo. Brao. Bravo. Welcome, guys. So nice to be here. Oh, you came from the back of the theater.

Yeah, I came. I finally made it my way to the front. Nice to see you guys. Look at you guys. 200. Anyway, hey, listen. Do you mind if I drop uh some beats on you? That'd be okay. Okay, let me tell you something about just close your eyes. Okay, now imagine imagine Italian Rivier 1982 white Ferrari Montal Puff puff screaming down the strata. You have a Chenzano with ice. Okay, now you feeling the vibe, huh? Listen, let me ask you something. When you're making a podcast, everybody wants to know what's that oldfashioned recipe. But one thing, one favorite. What I'm trying to say is smile. Hey, whatever.

I love you. If you want to do one thing in this year, get smileless. 250. Shnie, have you been It's been a minute. Um, my nephew and his girlfriend and three friends are visiting in town this weekend, which is super fun. Wait, are we going to see them tonight? No. Uh, I'm I know. I think uh it's too many people, right? You're not You're not going to go. Am I going to see you tonight? No. What? I know it's going to be bad, but you know, but I don't get to see my nephew and everybody for now. I feel bad. You saw them last night, right? Why not Why don't you come over here afterwards? That'll happen.

Oh, yeah. That'll happen. Hey. Yeah. Why don't you come over there afterwards? Right around 8:30 or something. drive across the city and spend another two hours. This will happen. This will happen for sure. Yeah. But last night I I took him to Koi, right, last night. Sure. And I was Oh, yeah. Your favorite seafood restaurant. It was so good. And um I was walking back to the car and there was a pothole that I thought was just like a surface like uh puddle and it was a massive pothole and I completely twisted my ankle. It was so [ __ ] painful. Look at this. Ow. Is it all swollen? Let's see. Come here. I can't see it. It's huge. No, I can see that. Did you Did you iced it? This is going to heal fast, right? Like I freaked out last night. Probably not.

It'll probably heal the wrong way and you'll be club Do you know the term club foot? Dead foot. Um well, but fortunately, it's not going to uh take anything away from your life. Usually, it means that you can't be playing basketball or doing all the jogging and all that. Luckily, you don't do any of it. Yeah, this is true. Is that what you're getting at, Jason? Yeah, you'll still be able to shuffle into chin chin for lunch and koi for dinner. Shuffle. What What if you What if you What if you go to the doctor and you're like, "Will this affect my ability to watch TV all day?"

Well, no. I just prop it up on the couch. That's what I've been doing. Will I still be able to chop celery into my egg salad? No tuna salad. Well, will I have to cut Will I have to cut my sloppy joe intake? You know what, though? Here's the deal. They went to the tarpets, you know, the labrea tarpets near the museum. They being your your nephew, my my nephew and girlfriend and their friends tourist attraction here. It is. They've never been. And they bought crickets. They bought a bag of crickets and they ate them. Sour cream and onion crickets and they pull them out. What does that have to do with the What? Okay, go ahead. Because they're saying the dinosaurs used to eat crickets back in the tarpit days. Why they sell those? No, no, no, no. They sell them in the gift shop. They sell them in the gift shop. Why? I have no idea. The museum? Yes. And they pulled him, "You want one?" I'm like, "No, I'm

not going to eat a cricket." Oh god. Why not? The last time I heard crickets was Good Night Oscar. It was right after the curtain went down. But that's a Look at him. He's on fire today. He's on fire. Who would do Who would do the worst at some sort of like outdoor survivor type of show where you got to get No, but I think I would I think I might do even worse. Well, you would call your lawyer and say, "Am I obligated to eat this?" Imagine if we took the word obligation out of your vocabulary. You weren't allowed to use obligation. Yeah. I need I need new stick. I'm sick of my own [ __ ] voice. I'm going to be silent today. We love your voice. I miss both you guys a lot. I haven't seen you tonight. I've been in New York and I've been with lots of friends and lots of people and with obviously with Bradley, but I really miss you guys a lot. I know. Likewise this morning. I'm so jealous. I can't see you. Anyway, here

we go. Speaking of can't wait to see people, I can't wait for you to see our guest today. Oh, great. Open. This person is someone we all se Thank you. Thank you. Uh she's someone we all know well. So much so I'm not sure what I can say about her that won't give it away, but she's a prolific comedian. She's an author, superhero producer, really great director. She played Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when she was 10. And I more recently, I think she played Alphaba in the movie Wicked. I don't know. A Boston She didn't. A Boston native. Her summer job was working at an ice cream parlor where she'd sing happy with kazoo.

Today, she's a comedic force in Hollywood. Hilarious colleague and the world's favorite cool mom to Regina George. It's our ridiculously funny friend, Amy Polar. No way. Truly, I didn't. I guess that Well, well, well. Wait a second. Holy [ __ ] Well, well, well, wait a second. First of all, how many levels am I I know this is of course my first question is, did you know about this? And of course, no. Okay. Not not a glimpse of recognition on Will's face when you said all of those things. Well, I there's no way that I thought Well, I I knew that you worked at Brighgams, but I I didn't in in Boston. Chadwick's will. I worked at Chadwick. No, sorry. Unbelievable.

But we went to Brighgams with with your dad and he asked the people if they like their I can't. Wait, Amy, did you have to did you have to because of kids stuff, did you have to like say, "Oh, I can't" or whatever, or some schedule stuff and lie or something? You know what? It was it was really easy to hide it. Nobody was asking if I was doing that. Do you think Archie and Abel Do you think Archie and Abel would have been able to keep the secret? Did you not tell? Well, I think one of them knew. One of them knew. One of them saw um uh our youngest saw uh my schedule on the kitchen table and said, "You're doing smartless." Oh, wow. Does dad know? I said, "No, don't say anything." Kept the secret. It's so cool. way. And and also Amy and I were texting last night about something else.

Zero. That's that is unbelievable. I can't Amy, I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to introduce you without them knowing. I'm so honored to be your guest, Sean, of all three. Likewise. First of all, first of all, I've asked her to do it and she said no. And then she said yes to I wanted to wait until you had done 250 episodes to see if this thing was real. I know. We've been trying to get you on for so long and it's so kind. I usually give something five years before I try it. Sure. Sure. Um uh wait, Will, how many times have you asked her to do it? A couple times.

I asked you to do it on tour, I think. Right, Aim? Yeah, I I think so. Yeah, but you know, um I just had to I just was waiting I was waiting for my buddy Sean to give me the go-ahad. Here I am. Here I am. I gave her the green light and she showed up like a race car. Hang on one second. Hang on, Amanda. Get over here. What? Um, but wait, Sean, did you think for a second like, wait, should I Is this cool? Like, should did you ask Bennett or Rob to like kind of float it by will to see if Yeah. No, I mean, Amy's been on my What are you guys talking about? Why do you have to float anything past anybody? Well, we kind of do that every once in a while, guys.

Nice. By the way, great welcome. Nice to see you all. I mean, Jesus, you're all talking about how weird it is that I'm here. Hi, I'm your guest. Nice to see you here. Good lord. First of all, you can't take over our podcast. You can't The only way to talk on this podcast is to completely take it over. Believe me, it's unbearable if the guest doesn't because you make me you make us sit and listen to you in the beginning anyway. And it's torturous. It's torturous. It's unbelievable. What do you think? What do you think about that? Every single time I hear you guys talk about how much you miss each other. And am I wrong that you talk to each other every week? No. It's We don't get We don't get to see each other. We don't get to see each other.

First of all, slow down. I'm outraged like five outrages ago. Okay. Uh this is so great. Wait, but for Tracy, just so just to really air right for my sister, of course, you guys were married and now you're not and it's been years and years and everything's going swimmingly. What a great way to put it. Anyway, let me be the first to say welcome to Smart. Thank you. Thank you. We're We're 17 minutes in, but thank you for that. Amy, great. Great crickets joke by the way, Will. That was a really good cricket joke. Thank you. Very, very smart. Very smart.

Thank you. Jason, you okay with your mic? Yeah, I'm having a real mic issue this morning. Is it Is it bad for you guys? Is this bad for me? No, it sounds great. Okay, good. It sounds fine. Now, um so, uh a Amy, Will, how did you guys first meet? Yeah, we're going to get into it. No, we're definitely not first start to fracture. No, we're definitely not. We're definitely not. Amy, can I tell this story about uh that you and I were talking about about uh Sedaris the other day? Oh, yeah. That's a good Yeah, that's a very funny story. So, and I think I maybe told it once but before, but you know, great great Amy Sedaris.

So, Amy Sedaris, who's working with us on the film. I was hanging out with her the other day and she years ago uh uh Amy Polar and Amy Sedaris would often get mixed up for each other because they're both comedians and they're both sort of blonde and kind of you know uh cute and funny and talented and charming. So they get mixed and and I've been with with Polar a million times where people like would people would say to remember him they'd go like I'm such a fan of your brother and and you're like oh he's a lawyer thank you he'll really appreciate So, so, so I guess it happened to Sedaris, too. And one time year, like 20 years ago, I read this article in a magazine where Sedara says, people come up to me all the time and say, "Oh my god, I love you so great." And I'm such a, you know, I just love you and Will.

And Sedara says in the interview, and I usually say to them like, "Yeah, Will and I are having a lot of sexual problems," which is so funny. Yeah, that is really funny. Oh, look at Blast. He's really having an issue. Really having It's so fascinating that he's having microphone. Will Sean, tell her what it's like when I have technical issues. Not good. I'm going to slam the laptop in a second. We had to close it. Amy, we had we had MCA on once and he was trying to get and he was in the in the blind and Jason was having issues and it took 20 minutes and he got so mad and he was like, "Fuck."

And he's starting freaking out and McConna starts laughing with his camera covered and Jason goes, "Oh, it's really funny, is it?" Who's laughing? Who's laugh? That's not helpful. And he slammed and I slam my laptop like a [ __ ] Yeah. Yeah. Wow. It was not all right. All right. All right. Is what you're trying to say. It was not all right. All right. So, Amy, how did you start in comedy? Yeah. Oh, believe me, we're getting into that. We're getting into that. Oh, Lord, you guys with your questions. They're so good. First of all, your questions are always so good.

So thought out. We're up. We're up for a, as you would call, we're up for, as you would call it, a pee. And wait, Amy, how was Can we talk about Can we How was the um was SNL 50 fun? Cuz that show was great. It was so fun. It was kind of great. It was kind of out of body like it was kind of too It was It was almost too big like celeb fatigue almost. Yeah. Um, but it was uh so fun and I think it was a big success. Yeah, it was a great show. I started thinking about all the SUVs that must have been choking out Midtown. Like you want me to give you a You want me to give you a scoop? You want me to give you a smartless scoop? Like a Yeah.

Making news. Um, uh, breaking news. People had to share dressing rooms and I shared mine with Merryill Street. How cool is that? Okay. Is she a dirty bathroom girl? Fantastic. top off the toothpaste. Well, SNL you don't have your own bathroom. You have like a you know, it is a straight up everyone uses like a a hall bathroom. You don't have your own bathroom in your own dressing room at home. Do people still smoke back there? No, I don't see anybody smoking vaping, but I but but yeah. Uh but yeah, maybe you could if you just did it. I bet no one would stop you. Was she a good dressing room partner? The loveliest. We were kind of two ships, but I took a picture of of the door cuz it was nice to have my my my um I love that sketch she did. I know. So funny.

Her and Kate Kate is so I mean, could she have hiked those jeans up higher? I mean, it was it was just tough. Just tough. But it was fun. It was so fun. It felt like a high school reunion. Everybody regressed a little bit back into their old roles. Isn't that fun? And it was fun. It was, you know, I I I I can't believe I was there to be very honest. Like it was you and Tina were great in your Yeah, you and I loved it. You guys, that was a great bit. That was so good. For Tracy Tina F. So, listen Amy, when you I think I think Tracy's got it, bro. Sean is you treat Tracy like she's getting dumber. Like, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Amy, tell tell a little bit. Wait, just just you guys and then you and Maya did Bronx Beat, which is an all-time fave.

Hilarious. Can you tell every these guys probably don't know where Bronx beat came from? the origin story of it because it's oh yeah the the story of that is there's a amazing um uh hair the head of the hair department Jod Manuso is from the Bronx and she has that accent and she would just work with us in the hair and makeup room and um we just started talking like her. So Jo there's a real Jod. So when we do the show we always go into the hair room and just have Jod get you on be like our vocal dialect coach. Yeah. Get us there.

Yeah. Did you have you ever thought about bringing her in on the sketch? Yeah, but you know, it's funny that we you know, we brought um Donna, the dresser, um on for that moment. And those the crew like they're so you know, real professionals like don't care about being on camera, right? Yeah. Like a really actual good professional could give a [ __ ] if they're like an if they're acting except for Wall-E. Wall-ally loves it. Wallally does love it. Wally loves it. Yeah. Wallally the st the stage manager. I said professional. I said professional.

But Amy, being back doing that 50th like that, like you said, it's like a reunion. I think I asked you a long long long time ago when you uh departed the show and you you decided to leave that. I was like, won't you miss like that? I I thought you were kicked off. Sorry, I had a different I was asked to leave. I was making people uncomfortable. That's why you were given the opportunity to retire. Well, I had a very uh gentle HR meeting where a man in a suit um put me on an elevator sever style and I don't remember what happened since. Do they have an HR on the show? Cuz if so, that's got to be a really high trafficked office. Well, they do. They do have an HR and they do like all of the shows that we've all worked on, you know. I mean do you remember and we still have to go through the you know all that training every time which is very good to do but yeah it is I I believe um I believe that they do that

still and should yeah it's probably a very different environment than I was there 20 plus years ago for all of us but but when you like there's you're one of the all-time greats to ever you know be on SNL and it is true it's true I mean everybody's great but there's breakouts we all the breakouts style. Oh, somebody fantastic. What about the afterparty? Was there a good There must have been a a very robust afterparty for this one. Robust afterparty at the Plaza Hotel. Whoa. Was there an after after with the little uh There may have been. I didn't I didn't hang that long. I I you know I I love bedtime. Yeah. I I used to be a vampire and now I love bedtime. I think about bedtime all day. Yes. Do they still do the little like the little sort of um the size of like a a fortune in a cookie? The hand a little address for the after after party. Is that still something that's done? I feel like like

one of the things that was different is you know things are texted and emailed and and you know I didn't have any of that when I was there wildly. We didn't even have phones that we carried around on the floor. I mean, maybe we did occasionally, but we would kind of leave them in the dressing room, but now everything is texted. So, I imagine maybe it's a text now. Maybe it's a a Snapchat or some kind of YouTube channel people subscribe to. It's maybe it's probably a podcast that tells you what where the after. Speaking of pods, you've got a new pod on, Amy. Oh my god.

Thank you so much for that. Tell us about your new pod. Oh, that's why she's here. Hi. What's it called? And where can we find it? Good Hang with Amy Polar. It's called Good Hang and it's on Spotify. Yes. Can't wait. And um I'm very excited. It's been really fun. We've been recording and getting ready for our launch. I don't know when this show is going to come on. When when this one drops. How far ahead are you guys? July 2026. Okay. July 2026. So, it's been going for about a year. And it's been good. This is a good bump. This will be a good bump.

We'll be right back. And now back to the show. Um, but wait, but Amy, um, yeah, I was going to ask you if you ever wanted to do sketch comedy again because going back to what I was saying before, you're one of the all-time greats and you, um, it's hard to find people that can do what you do and Kristen Wig does and Maya and Tina and all these, you know, really breakout people can do. And so, but every time I see you do it, I'm like, "Ooh, I just wish you would go like do more sketch comic because how like what do you mean like do a sketch show? That's a lot of work." I know. But so you're like nap time, bedtime. It just it just feels like I know what you mean, Sean. I love doing it. I just don't know if I could get back launch back into a actual fulltime sketch show.

It's so much work and creating the material, generating the material is so is so timeconuming. But I love it. As a fan, I think I speak for a lot of people like, "Oh, when can we see you and everybody together like Well, we're not really taking questions from fans right now. But let me Hey, Amy, do you don't still do you don't really still do like Ask at There's no version of that anymore, right? No improv, right? But, you know, Tina and I have been on tour. We've been uh we've done our show a bunch of cities last year. We're going back out again in March, April, and May for you know, if you're in Orlando, do you have some dates you want to talk about? Yeah, we have Orlando, we have Detroit, we have Chicago, Boston. Um, we're playing Red Rocks. Wow. No [ __ ] Red Rocks. Yeah.

Yeah, that's cool. Is it Is it written or is it improvised? Yeah. So, it's impro It's it's it's written. It's a like a long uh variety show. We have special guests come in. We do um we kind of go through the history of our 30-year friendship, but there's a section in it that where we talk about Chicago and how we met. And so we improvised there which is really fun. Yes. I want to talk about that because I did Second City too and you did too. Yeah. And I never performed on the main stage but you same. Oh wow. So people people think you're probably from Chicago all the time but you're from Boston. Yeah. People think I'm from the Midwest a lot because also with Parks and Wreck their head goes to Indiana. So they think I'm like a Chicago. Would you consider yourself like a Boston home girl? I mean I'm definitely a homie.

How is Bill? Tell us how Bill Paula is. Let's talk about Bill. Can we talk about Bill for a minute? Oh god, he'd love it. So this is He'd like us to talk for an hour. This is He would So this is the reason I got Chad Wix and and Brigham mixed up. I just want to tell this story if I could. We can always cut it. A by the way, which is We don't cut anything on this show. We went to We went to Well, I can tell there's no editing. This is super baggy. We go to Brighgams, which is an ice cream store in the mall in Burlington, Mass, which is where Amy's from, uh, with her mom and dad.

Well, with her dad. And there's this girl. She's like, I don't know, 17, working there as like her afternoon weekend job scooping ice cream. This is when Amy's first on SNL. And her dad goes like, you know, 25 years. He goes goes to the girl who's kind of silent and he goes, "You like your job." And she goes, she's like scooping ice cream. She's like, "Yeah, I guess so." And he goes, "You know who really likes her job?" My daughter teed himself up, huh? He was so good. That's great. But But he's so proud. He's proud.

He will get on the elevator with people and he'll say, "Do you like TV and movies?" That's his question. Like like has anyone And you're on the elevator with him. We played golf. We played golf with these guys years ago and and and we Bill and I were playing with some random dudes and he gets back in the cart and he looks at me, he goes, "Well, I told him, I can't help it." He's so He's so proud though in the best way. Both her parents. My parents are like Boston strong, very proud. They like came to teachers. They Yeah. They watched every SNL. They came to every early improv show I ever did live. They like had a big watch party for me when our show launched in 1998 on Comedy Central, UCD. They just are very, very big fans and they they are they're the definition of supportive parents. I'll give you what you do. Were they the ones that were that were the first funnies in your family for you? Like is that is

that where you got your I think like Well, I I throw this back out to you guys cuz I think that you have probably have families like this too. You know, you have to kind of keep up. Like for me, teasing is a love language. If I like you, I can tease you. And and manners are kind of for people you don't know or you don't like. Yeah.

And so we would tease each other. There was a lot of laughs at the table. Like it's very like Boston Irish. Um and some families I learned as I went to college and like are not that which is always so shocking to me when families are families don't get to like poke each other. It's like oh okay this is a different set of rules. You would you would often accuse Well, first of all, I would say when you say sitting around the table, let's be honest, it's sitting around the kitchen. Uh well, let's be honest, it's sitting around the TV. It was sitting around the TV. But also, you would accuse me of playing too hard that Jason and I would play too hard. Yeah.

Well, you guys you guys um was deep love. The love was too deep. You know how they call things a love tap? You guys are a love shove. That's nice. You love shove. I love it. That's good. But so it depends on the mood, you know, but but I I agree with you like people like you can meet people and it it there is that thing of like if I'm not teasing you talk about all the time then I'm not really interested in a way. Yeah. I mean but it but some people have a higher and lower tolerance like you know you have to just be a little gentle. But as far as your I I read too, Amy, that you say that you were parentified at a young age, meaning that like you became your parents because your parents were so young when they had you. Yeah, my parents were young and uh don't you feel that way like I don't know I I don't know. Uh but don't you feel and this might be just our generation too. I just feel like we felt

very old really fast. um like we felt we had freedom which gave us a sense of you know agency and then we had jobs really early and we we just it just felt like we grew up fast. I don't know if that's a generational thing but well Jason the thing about J this I'm not joking was out working when he was sweet little JB was working when he was seven or less so cute like with a little briefcase and security number had a small mustache. Yeah. So you guys, so you both what I'm interested in and Amy, your background and your your parents being school teachers and um and learning kind of from that like what did you take from them for Archie and Abel and Will, what did you take from your parents for Arch and Abel and how do you do that together? Let me try to bundle that for you. Amy, do you parent like your parents at all?

By the way, look at you. Oh yeah. No, I've been working on it. I've been working with a tutor. Um, and you've been working on bundling. Yeah, bundling is sort of a a gathering term that uh he suggested I use internally, but now I'm spreading it. Um, that actually you could sell a whole bunch of like a series of tapes just talking about bundling other people's questions. Let me bundle that for you. You could be so successful talking about bundling. If you jumped on a mini trampoline and and did a cold dip at the same time, you'd be you'd be a bundle bundle king. Uh I think I think um parenting is is a constant everchanging like thing, right? It's like u somebody said this to me once that I always loved which was parenting is like a series of short stories. So a short story starts and you think I don't know how this story is going to go. I don't know the characters. I don't even know what's

going to happen. And then you're in the middle of the short story and you think, "Man, I never want this to end. I love this. I love this. I got it. I'm in the groove. I know what I'm doing." And then the short story is over and you think, "Oh no, there's no way the next one could be better." It's just like a series of your kid is changing so much and the the world is changing so much and you have to stay kind of flexible, pliable, learn from your mistakes. Yeah. I think the difference for me is is uh from my own parents is I have to try really hard. Amy, you're really good at this and you help me do this in in concert with you. Um to try to be to remember to listen to what they're saying and and to not try to impose what I think they, you know, you need this, you need that, but to actually sit and listen to what your kid is trying to say like, you know what I mean? encourage them to as much as they can to speak and

to to really hear and it's not I don't come by it naturally because I that's not how I was raised. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. I I I I'm the same. I it doesn't always feel natural. Your instinct is to want to give them advice. Yeah. Um or tell them what to be aware of or afraid of or share your own personal stuff. Like that's so instinctual. Of course, because we want the best for our kids. And I remember reading somewhere that when your kid tells you something, you just repeat it back to them like you're doing a headline of a news story. It actually works really well with people, too. I bet you, it happens on this podcast, too. They say, "Oh, I had a bad I had a bad day in math." And then you go, "You had a bad day in math." That's all you say. Period. I mean, I'm usually thinking about what the bit is like. You know what I mean? But but no, but you're right. You're right. And and the other

day we again we were talking about something for with with one of our kids and and I said Amy and I were talking on the phone and I said, "Oh, I identify with that and I think that my own experience and and you said to me you're like they don't really want to hear about your experience. They want you to listen to theirs." Yeah. Yeah. And we all this happen. Don't you feel like this happens as adults too when someone talks about like well when I used to you're just like you know even in your 50s it still happens where someone talks about well I You know, in the business I used to be in, we would be able and you're like, "Oh, that's not the way it is anymore, old man." Right. Right. It's not that you don't understand. Like, yeah, Jason, you must get old man a lot. Right. A lot more recently. It's pretty shocking. Um, yeah. I find that that it's you you've I I'm I'm constantly battling like how

much should I be like leading this parenting thing or how much should I be reacting to this parenting thing? In other words, like should I be waiting to see what they need me to parent them at or should I initiate sort of parenting um based on nothing they're actually showing me? In other words, like should I wait to see until how they react to a certain situation and then talk to them about that? Boy, this could use a bundle. Yeah. Yeah, we could bundle this. Are we still rolling? I think what you're trying to say, let's bundle.

Let's bundle. Hey, wait. Let Amy try to guess what he's trying to say. I think I think the bundle here is how can I be best of service to my kids when they're teens. Yeah, that's the bundle. But you know, I read something and by read something I mean I saw it on TikTok. Um they're supposedly when your teen when your kids become teens, you go from producer to consultant. That's the difference. You're no longer producing their lives. You're there for them to consult. So you have to like kind of you have to kind of let them start producing their own lives which is not easy. Perfect use of the bundling concept, right? And I I've also heard that, you know, part of like I've heard you love therapy as much as I love therapy. I can talk about it all day long. I love it. I love going to therapy. And um because you go to therapy.

Yeah. And I'm always trying to make her laugh and she's like, "Hey, let's get back on topic." But um but she's so lucky to have you. You're so funny. Thanks. You're the funniest. You're the funniest. No, you're the funniest. And so uh but you I've I've heard which means I saw on TikTok that you identify as someone who's a natural like fixer or you want to get into action and problem solve cuz that's kind of how I am a little bit. But as you've gotten older that you've taught yourself how to pause and feel feelings and stuff like that and how barely got a lot of quote you got a lot of quotes out there. I do my research. I do my research. Uh talking out out loud.

You're really living out loud about I sent I sent Sean a bunch of needle point pillows with a bunch of stuff on it and took credit for it. He's got filled with pillows. I just regurgitate a whole conversation you had on your phone that I overheard. Um no, that how has that like shaped you today? Because I also read that you uh the best work that you've ever done is the work where you feel most present. Yeah. I think improv was really helpful with that. Like you have to stay super present just to be I mean I I imagine you guys feel that with this podcast too, right? Like you're actually where you are. Yeah. As opposed to being ahead or behind which is really hard. Um Yeah. I'm I'm still searching for that. Still every day trying to stay in the present moment. It's not easy for me like to not you know jump ahead.

Yeah. Will you talk to me about that? cuz I I've always been told that like it's best to just stay in the present, but like my brain tells me I know. But you go in there and your brain is like, well, I got like I got plans, you know, and like Yeah, I've got plans. I've got I've got a desire for the way I want this meeting to go or this week to go or something. I struggle with that, too. I know. JB, that's so sweet. It's true. You do. You do go in with that. Like, what are you But what are you supposed to do with that?

Wait, what is that? Is that me inhaling a bong head when you open inside your brain? Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Yeah. It's just And then and then a little plan flies by like like a bird like a little plan. So am I just supposed to react to things and not drive anything? I don't know. It's a great question actually. I don't know cuz I I'm struggling with that all the time. How much can I be prepared? Because that calms me down. preparation calms me down, but you know life you cannot control you cannot control things in life. I mean it it's just like you have to let go. You know what's a perfect example of that JB? Today what I just told you I sprained my foot really bad last night. It was so painful. I can't even describe it. And I woke and my old me would have been like, "Oh my god, I can't I got to cancel this. I can't do this. I can't." And I'm like, "This is what it is right now." and I surrender to it and I go if I can't do

this and I have to cancel that and I can't show up for then that's what it is and I used to it used to make me really depressed. I think there is that that is one of the benefits I've been saying uh recently. I've been saying in therapy um that that No, no. I I've been saying that Oh. Oh, wait. Will you're going that's great. And you're and you are 50 54. 54. Okay. Um very good. And and and what I've noticed at 54 is and and especially in the last 6 months that I'm uh I it just kind of occurred to me. I'm like, "Oh, I'm doing a much better job of this is what the situation is. this and I'm realizing it in real time and I'm not really in a panic about the outcome. I'm just accepting it for what it is. And I said this to you the other day like I got this this notion of like feelings are going to come. Feelings aren't going to kill you. Your feelings aren't going to kill you. That's a big one. And it really and I went, "Oh,

yeah." And I can let it I can let it I can feel it and then I can let it go. And I can recognize I think I used to, you know, you'd freak out and then you'd think about it later. Now I can in real time go, "Oh, this is where I am in a much better way than I for me anyway that than I've ever been able to do." And I think that that's the benefit of being older, having experience, etc. I find my 50s to be my favorite decade by far. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, really? Sweeter you get to your 60s. It's pretty cool. I'm having a great time. No. Yeah.

What if you guys find out you see Jason's license one of these days when you find out he's 62? Thought about that the other day. No, Willie, I like what you said about like not being attached to the outcome. Maybe that's a good hack for me. It's like it's okay to be prepared, but don't be like stuck on it has to end this way. Yeah. Again, it's it's a new concept for me. I've just been kind of going through it and it's and it's very freeing. Well, like Jason, for example, your mic hasn't been working this whole time and the audio hasn't recorded and you should be fine with that. Like just let that go.

It's going to be great. It's a great episode and just let let go of the outcome of that. Amy, any funny stuff happened on stage before with people any funny stories? No. Come on. Wait, Amy, why why is 50 best the best decade? I feel like I finally have a better sense of who I am. Um, kind of what we've been talking about. I have some of my priorities are, you know, like I just feel like there's a I'm a little kinder to myself. I definitely care less about how I'm perceived by other people as long as I feel like my side of the street is clean. And I have um a lot of wise people younger and older than me.

Like I'm in this sandwich of experience. So I learn a lot from people who are younger than me and I learn a lot from people that are older than me. And knock on wood, I still feel healthy. Like being in your 50s, you're like the youngest old person, you know? You're the youngest of the old people. You're the you're the freshman of old people. That's really true. And so we'll never be this young again, right? in our 50s because, you know, I'm looking to people in their 60s and 70s to seeing like how they're living life, how they're doing it, how they're keeping healthy, and then I still feel connected to people in their 20s and 30s. Like, it doesn't feel so far away. Yeah. I'm I'm on medication to reverse the aging process. What are you doing? I'll text you. I'll send it in the chat. I'll send it in. That guy who does all those crazy things to like stay in super Oh my god. Remember, did you watch that? Oh my god, that's wild.

Wait, Amy, remember when you used to come over and we we would watch Intervention and Oh my god, we would we would air play the We would airplay all the instruments in the opening theme. Great theme. Intervention. What a great show. I know. That show made me so uneasy. I I I I wanted to tell the story or for you to tell the story about remember the time that you told your friend that the um TV was voice activated. Oh jeez. Yeah. It's such an Have you told that story yet? I don't remember. Oh god. Um can I try to tell it? Yeah, it was it Sean was with a bunch of friends, right? Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead, Sean. No, no. I I was just going to help you out and and you guys were really We would get We would get stoned after after the an episode after taping an episode of Will and Grace and we would go we went back to his house one night. Will and Grace. That's the show you were on. I never got that is you

couldn't think of it. Yeah. Never going to get through it. this guy. A story that long will never make it on here. Go ahead. No, no, go ahead. No, tell it. It's good. It's really good. Just bundle it. All right. Well, bundle it. Bundle it. I'll try to bundle it. Okay. So, we would go back after his we would get stone and we just hang out and talk about the night and whatever after we tape an episode of Will and Grace. So, we go to his house. It was a brand new house and he has a brand new house and he has a brand new uh media system, this massive screen in this screening room. And I'm high out of my mind. I can't even see straight. And he's trying. He goes, "I just got the DVD of Castaway. We should watch it where the plane grows down cuz the effects are so cool, right?" I'm like, "Yeah, let's put it on and watch it." So he walks all the way to the front of the screening room and I'm way in the back and I'm start to

giggle. He's like, "What's so funny?" I'm like, "Nothing." And he can't get it to play and I go, "Is that a Sony?" And he goes, "Yeah." And I go, "Well, they're those are the new ones. You don't even know what you have. You're so rich, right? that you they're voice activated. And he goes, "What?" And I go, "Those are voice activated new screens." Like, you have to speak the name of the movie into the DVD player. And he goes, "You're making that up. That's not even true." I go, "Those are the new screens. You have to speak the name of the movie." And he totally bought it. And he goes really close into the DV DV player and he goes, "Cast away." And he looks at the screen and it didn't come up. And the second time, cast away.

And I couldn't. Me and Meredith Walker. Me and Meredith Walker say cast away into our remote control a lot. No way. A lot. And into our DVD a lot. Cast away. Cast away. Oh, Meredith. Let's say hi to Meredith. Hi. Hi, Meredith. We love. Are you guys still working together? It's a friend of all of ours. Meredith Walker. Is she still in Austin? Yep. Living in Austin. She's so great. I love We love Meredith. We love love love. Yeah, we say castaway quite a bit. Oh, that's great. I love telling someone something is voice activated when it isn't. I don't like a prank. I'm not a prank person at all. You might know it from anybody. That is a harmless funny.

That's harmless. We'll be right back. All right, back to the show. Um, okay. So, wait. Um, do you have any questions for Amy, your guest? That's okay. I mean, this is minute 46. I don't think we've had a legit one yet. I know. I've asked her a couple ones. Really? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and do we really need to? I mean, it's a conversation. Yeah, it's Wait, wait. I I do want to I do want to get into you touched on it before. talk a little bit about um when you were in Chicago AIM and how you knew your experience second city who was in that when you were on the tour toured with second city and improv uh improv Olympics Chicago all that stuff and then how you how that moved to New York and UCB and all that stuff just bundle it well I mean it is I'll bundle it because it is important as a storyteller to discuss my craft if you you will get kicked off this podcast if you story I love telling a story and I love crafting

story and I love my story craft to be about telling craft. Um, so the only thing we like on this podcast more than independent film is talking about independent film. Go ahead, Amy. Um, started out in Chicago and arrived at Second City in 93. And the seniors to my freshman were on the main stage of Chicago, Amy Sedaris, Steve Carell, Steven Coar. Amazing. Um Mike Meyers and Chris Farley had just left to go to like stardom in at SNL. Um I rented Chris Farley's old apartment um in in Chicago. In Chicago. I didn't know I was renting it, but you know um in the Hancock building. No, it was another earlier one. Yeah. Um, you know, back then in the 20s when we were in our 20s and we moved every year, like remember moving every year? Um, yes, that's true. And I think the apartment was probably like 3.90 a month. Yeah. And hard to make that rent. Um, yeah. And then Yeah.

studied and met Tina there very early on and met Rachel Dr. I was the understudy for at Second City and it was just the place was lousy with talent. Everyone was so great. and um and then um moved uh with and then and then UCB um Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, Ali Ferinaki, great guys. Yes. Yes. Yes. Adam McKay, all those guys. Neil Flynn, they were all part of a big improv group called the family that we would go and watch and they were incredible. And then they also had UCB. I joined in 93. And then in 96, which is not that much time now that I think about it, it was only 3 years, but we left and moved to New York, drove to the city, did a show, and just started. Um, well, at the time it was um and uh Will, I don't want this to be uncomfortable for you, but I was dating um Matt Besser at the time. So, I knew it. I [ __ ] knew it. No, no, truly I knew it. But but here's here's the thing. Here's a funny story, and Amy

knows this. So 96 and she knows how good I am with dates in this. Yeah, you're very good. 96 they come and they do uh uh UCB. So it's Amy Walsh, Besser and Ian and they do um they do their show Bucket of Truth which was an amazing show is so funny. It was a sketch show that improv and sketch etc. And they're doing it downstairs at the West Bank on 42nd Street and Peter Principado the beloved Peter Principado who we all love. my first my first agent first agent William Morris and Peter Principados and he was my agent at the time and he said to me, "Hey, I've just signed these new uh this new comedy group. You've got to go see them.

They're performing at the West Bank." So I went with Duff and and Amy, I was dating Missy at the time. I don't know if I told you that. Okay. So So I go So we go the three of us to the West Bank knowing nothing. go downstairs that little stage and watch them do bucket of truth and we're blown away. We go upstairs. You had not yet met Amy. Had not yet met Matt. We watch the show. We're blown away. We go for a drink after. We're talking about it. We talked about it for a few days cuz nobody was doing what they were doing and we were like, "God, that was so funny and it was so inventive and it was so cool and blah blah." And so that is January of 1996 and just like what the [ __ ] Continue. Sorry. A Yeah. that then we were there just slogging away and like Will said and we remember this too, right? Like people had to come see you live. They had to go actually see you.

We didn't have any like um now you can really deep dive on someone really fast on the on the internet, but we didn't have that. So you had to like go see people live. What was that first space you guys had when you started? We had a uh Solo Arts was the name of a Yeah. was like the walk up theater where we would improvise there and stuff. So, we just kind of, you know, slogged for a while in New York and handed out flyers in Washington Square Park and everyone I was a waitress and um just thinking like, okay, you know, and then um I and then I started getting some bits on Conan because of um Andy Richtor and that's where I got like my SAG card.

That's where I got my un you know, I got paid like an under five. And now you're in the building though, right? Like was it could you like taste the possibility of SNL perhaps? Did you allow yourself to start to dream that? Mhm. That's such a good question. I think you're right. I didn't really put that together, but you're right. Like walking in a 30 Rock, you are I always feel like with jobs and stuff like Chicago felt like where I was getting my training, but New York and Los Angeles and someone's like, you know, when you're having like a pickup game of basketball and someone's just standing around and you're like, "Hey, come play." Like, don't say sure. Your proximity to the to the game can be very helpful. like getting closer to the game, just being around. So that's what happened. When we moved to New York, we were just a little closer to the game.

So we got asked to do things. And you're doing and you're doing uh bits on Conan and uh and you did Andy's sister, RTOR's sister, and you started doing more and and all those guys were there who were writers, a lot of whom were performers from Chicago, you knew like McCann and and Glazer and all those guys, Brian Stack, one of the all-time greats and like and all those people. They're all there writing on Conan and you guys are all kind of part of this this group of people who are creating comedy, right? Yeah. My decision to move to Chicago was probably the best decision for me in my career because it allowed me to meet all these people really fast who then went on to do things that I got to be a part of. like I they remembered me for things, they put me in small things, they you know wrote things for me and it like was just this like concentrated feeling of comedy at the time that then

everybody went to LA and New York and you know and McKay was the head writer of SNL and then Tina got a job there like we all just started it was really really cool to to and I depended on the kindness of a lot of those people for a long time to have a job. M let me ask you like a tough question and I'll try to bundle here. Basic. It's basically after all of the accomplishment you you just walked us through the whole beginning and everything. It just seems like you've done or maybe even far exceeded what you allowed yourself to dream of at that age when you were starting. What's left? What would you love to do in your next Why do you still get out of bed, Amy?

Yeah. I mean that like you've just you've you've done it. You've like you've had like this incredible career already and you're still as you said a freshman. Like where would you love how would you like to use what you've done the success you've had? Bundle. Yeah. Sorry. Go ahead. Well, I um that's why I'm starting to wind down and this podcast is the beginning of that. Like I'm just starting to wind down away from show biz. Number two. who were the number two most downloaded podcast on the planet. So just I don't know her podcast she's talking about. Oh yeah, that is a windown. You're right. That is a wind down. No. Or are you talking about us?

Well, you know what that it remains to be seen. But no no I I I but honestly it is kind of why I'm excited to do a podcast because I'm actually Jason to genuinely answer your question. I am excited about what is the next I like thinking about what is the next thing to do. Like I like trying new things. That's what keeps me feeling engaged in the world and in our like creative. So, I'm very excited about this new podcast because I really like I'm a huge fan of podcasts in general. Listen to them. I saw that. I listen to them all the time and they're really replaced a lot of like media for me and I'm into the idea of exploring it because I really like talking to people and I'm curious about people and I learn a lot about myself and I like to have fun. Like I think what's happened in the space especially for women is that women are being asked to be like teachers and wise leaders and like a lot of and they don't get to [ __ ]

around and and like do very little research like you guys you know like yeah do not you guys do not know who the guest is which is the wildest conv by the way you could have bundled that insult if that would have been a lot nicer. Uh, but let me ask you a tough question. You know, Sean, shut up for one second. Amy, Amy, answer this question. Honestly, this is a tough This is a tough one. This is a hard-hitting. All right. And I know you're very serious for a comedian. So, that's okay. Her mom used to say that to her when they get into arguments. When we get in a fight, she'd say, "You're so serious for a comedian." So, so wait, have you ever listened to Smartless? Of course I have.

Okay, you have. Okay. It's a little high. I did go up on that. Pretty high. Of course, I love My favorite episode is the one with the lady and the other one with the guy. I love the one with the guy. Oh my god. Oh, I like the one with the Bradley. But so but in your answer to my unbundled question, it sort of gets into the area of there is a slight plan, but you still want to kind of stay in the present and not be too sort of strategic about what the next 5 10 years are, right? So like how do you find the balance there?

I guess it's just figuring out it's just kind of figuring out what is feels challenging. I like a challenge. Mhm. So, I like mixing things up to feel challenging. And also a big part of the my 50s has been balancing my relationship to work in general, right? And how do I make sure that there's real balance in my life like I I the last five you guys were talking about being on your podcast, right? Yes. like basically how to find ease and and enjoy. You know, the past five years have been wild wild. And you know, what you guys do here, what I've been doing is just like trying to just genuinely laugh with my friends. It's been actually, you know, how I've been keeping sane. And so, I want to just do whatever feels like that, which feels kind of fun and a little bit challenging. And so, I'm always trying to figure it out. I don't know. It's a longwinded answer. I don't I don't know.

No, but it makes a makes total sense. It's basically a combination of all the thing. And you're able to combine now because you're older and smarter and wiser. And it doesn't have to be like all go on career or or all go on just like no [ __ ] I don't want to do anything that we're we're actually able to merge both now finally at this age. I think and women women I think especially um have a often a burden to really pay attention to what everybody is doing and feeling and then if you have the luxury of turning it around and trying to figure out yourself it's like that is what can be great about getting older and women do really well I think when they like give themselves time to let me speak to that let me speak about women because I think yeah let's talk about women but well go ahead your thoughts on Um, but Amy, who who is that person that you bounce stuff off of or when you get like Oh, I I would say all of my all of

the women in my life have been like really really helpful mentors and teachers and friends and stuff like you know the women in my life that have been through it with me I think is really the the biggest resource for me among you know people who have kids and people who um you know who understand um what it's like to feel over overwhelmed and stuff and especially the past 5 years which has just been a complete insane hit after hit of of sci-fi nightmares a dream of mine what's it like what's it like being for you and Will being on the verge of being empty nesters it's not the verge but it's going to it's going to come sooner than Do you think about that? And like I do how that relates to what you're going to do. I know. I know. I haven't I haven't really But kind of in the short story metaphor, I haven't I'm like I don't I don't feel like the story that I'm I'm there yet. So I'm not quite I

don't know. I mean it's it feels so it I don't even I don't even know. I got one about to go to college and it's it's bleak, you know, because there's just it is there. It's sort mortality thing. It's like it's, you know, we all kick kick the kick it down the road. Well, but it's like it's the concept of the end of something that uh is just something you conveniently kind of pushed aside and then it then it's here. Can I can I can I say something about that that I've noticed and this is JB. This is I I've learned from you something that and I mean this I mean this gently and I mean this sweetly which I which is going to hurt. No, which is you've been Jason's been so nervous and anxious about Franny going to college for a few years and he's talked about it and so I see him going through the pain for so long and this is an example of not living in the present.

So sometimes I think that you had a tough time enjoying the moment because you're just so you've been anticipating for years you've been putting that out and talking about it and I'm trying to separate myself from her so it doesn't hurt. Yeah, exactly. Which is by the way, which is so you like remember you do that like Jason's thing to not laugh when he's in a take is to think about people dying in a car crash. I'm not kidding. And then he doesn't and then he won't go up. Right. Well, we all know we all do that. Yeah. We all know Jason is sociopathic, you know. No, he's a robot.

But the thing is I But but I see that in you and I and I and I've said it to you before. I'm like it's okay. Like let that moment come when that moment comes and enjoy. So I've been using it. I keep reminding myself just enjoy it now. Enjoy it now. It's It's not again not easy. It is not easy. Well, raise your hand if you think you're going to live to 100 and if you want to live to 100. That's me. Okay, three of us are raising her hand. Sean is not raising. It's that ankle. Sean's like, I can't go on with that ankle. I can't with this ankle. No way. I think we got a shot. The ankle was the last straw. I think we got a shot. Yeah. No, it's truly Didn't Didn't one of these really smart scientists lately say uh that the person that's going to live to 120 or 150 or something is already born? Like that's going to be kind of common in this generation. Like 100 is like the new What kind of life do

you have at 120? Yeah, Sean, I hear you. Like as long as it feels like a fruitful life, but you know, imagine if you were like a little a little dude in a little in a cute little suit. But they cut they cut to the like in the news like the local news they cut to like Marjorie is 106 today and we're gonna we visited her and she can't talk or move or she eat and they're like Marjorie Margie what advice do you have to for people to live this long she's like make sure that and she's got cake cake falling out of her mouth every day. Yeah walk have a glass of wine and Exactly. I don't want to be that. And I don't want to be Marjorie. Remember remember Ernest Borgnine had that great he had this great advice on how to live forever which was to snap one off every day and you know and yeah and and you know where he lived in in Jason and Amanda's house. So I I always remind him to think about Ernest Borg walking

around that throwing goo all over the place. Bor he had bored nine lives. Oh nice. Very nice. Thanks guys. Amy, um, I have one last comment before we let you go because we've had you for too long and I want to thank you for your time, but Thank you, Sean. I told you, um, and both you and Will are I love Arch and Abel so much and they've and I love Maple and Franny, too, and both of everybody on this podcast right now. have you guys have done such a phenomenal job with between your journey between you two your kids are just unbelievable great human beings and it's the greatest uh compliment you know because to you guys yeah I I just love them and you guys and I wanted to remind people to uh listen to good hang with you thank you it's on Spotify and I have great guests coming out Tina Fay is my first guest that's great yep because you know why give the Give America what they want. And they get Dax on there. Dax

will give you some pointers. He did for us. Can't wait. Yeah. Any pointers, guys, now that you you're 5 years in. You can tell we've learned nothing. Zero people. I mean, if you if if you guys can do it, it's true. Anybody can do it. By the way, Amy, you won't be surprised that we haven't looked at comments forever. They'd always be like, "Their questions suck and they interrupt people all the time." And I'm like, "Yeah, of course we do. What are you talking about the conversation?" If you guys have taught me anything and you taught all individually and collectively taught me so much, it's don't overthink it. Don't overthink it.

Unbelievable. So glad you finally we finally got you. We love you. Thanks, guys. Thanks for having me on. It was so fun. Okay. Glad it was a fun surprise. It was such a good surprise. I'm bringing the boys over. Okay. Can't wait. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Aim. Thank you. Yeah, you got it. My pleasure. So, well, that was fantastic to meet her. I've been such a fan of hers for I don't know. Um Yeah. How funny. I had no You know what? When you were doing the intro and of course I was like, and then she was like, "Oh, you didn't." I was like, "It never occurred to me." You just thought it was coincidental that all Well, you know, Amy did all those.

How did you guess it, Jay? From what? because you said uh uh queen of Massachusetts or something like that. Oh wow. It's such a like Yeah. I love that you didn't know. I told Amanda last week. Oh yeah. And uh Yeah. She's Amanda could work for the government. She is very good about keeping a secret. But the kids Abel Abel's here right now. He never said a word. I love that. God loves him. I'm going to go drag him out of his bed. That was that was rad. Listen, it's uh not to get weird, but uh I I I hope you're as proud as you should be. Uh and she as well. I mean, like, yeah, that went beautifully. Like, the fact that you guys not only have raised these two kids so well, but that your relationship is so great and healthy and like that you could do a [ __ ] 1-hour podcast in front of millions of people and not have to fake anything. Like, it's just, you know, it's really admirable. I know it

took like full disclosure, it like any couple that goes through the journey you've gone through. It took a while, but you're there now. Yeah. You know, but you know, we I I am really proud of it and of course it takes a things take a minute because everybody's sort of adjusting to what it is, but I I'm also um very proud of uh certainly as parents what we've been able to do and and that um you know is has been really important to both of us. Um, and um, yeah, I I'm I'm really really lucky to have her as a partner in this way for us to to to How lucky Archie and Abel are too that you guys like worked out a brand new relationship that serves you both and them and it's uh, and I would say that I probably, you know, there there aren't many people I speak to more than I speak to her, which is weird because, you know what I mean? Um, but it's it's it's great. I mean, I I feel really lucky and

I do. Does Josh Shotland get get jealous at all or He does, but but she is she is somebody that I I still run a lot of stuff by if I'm thinking people get jealous if Josh is not available. My buddy Josh, you know that I face. Oh, Josh. I didn't hear what you said. Yeah. But I I still like she's the person I go like, "Hey, I'm thinking about doing this or hey, whether it's life or work and uh I really I seek her counsel because it's important to me because because I trust her in that, you know." Yeah. She's a sharp cookie. She's awesome. She's awesome. And um so what is the uh what did we what was the buy from the opening? It was a bsentennial.

Um like to hunt 250 episodes. That's right. So anyway, so guys um that was uh unbelievable. And uh enjoy the rest of your day. Um it's our 250th episode. I can't believe Yeah. You remember in 1976 United States? That was the 200th. That was the by everybody. Smart glass. Smart glass. Smart list is 100% organic and artisally handcrafted by Michael Grant, Terry, Rob Armjarve, and Bennett Barbco. Smart less.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Amy Poehler | SmartLess"?

Sean Hayes (Host), Jason Bateman (Host), Will Arnett (Host), Amy Poehler (Host), Amanda Anka (Guest), Meredith Walker (Guest).

What is discussed in "Amy Poehler | SmartLess"?

In order: 0:00 Archie and Abel, Chadwick's, Chenzano, club foot; 10:00 Amy Sedaris, Bronx Beat, Plaza Hotel, Sketch comedy; 20:00 Chicago, Archie and Abel, Comedy Central, Orlando; 40:00 Chicago, Second City, Bucket of Truth, Cast Away; 50:00 Maple and Franny, Ernest Borgnine, SmartLess; 1:00:00 Archie and Abel, Josh Shotland, Michael Grant Terry.

What is mentioned in this SmartLess episode?

73 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Chicago, Second City, Archie and Abel, SmartLess, Amy Sedaris, Cast Away. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Amy Poehler | SmartLess"?

The episode runs 1 h 4 min; the transcript is about 12,385 words in 83 timestamped sections.

More from SmartLess

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated November 19, 2025.