Showing titles in Audio Performances & Dramatizations

[Contains explicit content] Host Eugene Mirman sits down with comedian and writer Sara Benincasa (Agorafabulous!: Dispatches From My Bedroom) to discuss all of the details behind the story she told at a RISK! show in New York. Her featured story deals with one of the funniest conversations anyone could have at a funeral. Learn more about the unusual Benincasa family trade and discover which glam rocker's family actually owns a funeral home.

[Contains explicit content] Josh Gondelman, standup comedian and writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, sits down with Eugene Mirman to go behind the scenes of a story about a post-show dalliance gone awry. In this tale from Bad Date Great Story, Josh’s unplanned hookup leads to a quest to prevent an unplanned pregnancy and things get a little weird along the way.

[Contains explicit content] If you tell a performer like Mary Lynn Rajskub to "hold that thought" while they're telling a funny story, you might get kicked out of the show you're attending. Not so if you're Eugene Mirman holding up Mary Lynn's hilarious live story. He didn't get kicked out of the Just for Laughs Montreal recording of Hold On with Eugene Mirman — in fact, he was allowed to ask as many questions as he wanted about Mary Lynn's unintentional brush with the oldest profession.

[Contains explicit content] Jean Grae is a rapper, actress, and comedian who is probably the only living person that can boast that she's guested on tracks with Immortal Technique, Talib Kweli, Wale, and Lil B, and has shared the stage with John Hodgman. Her eclectic career has taken her to many strange places, which means she has some stellar stories like the one about a crazy ride home that she shares in this live episode of Hold On at NYC PodFest.

[Contains explicit content] “Queen of Mean” Lisa Lampanelli has an innate ability to put people in their place with her barbed wit, but behind that sharp comedic talent there’s a lot of heart. You can hear some of that heart – and some of those barbs – in Lisa’s story about a wonderful, memorable man she dated and the health concern that drove her away. Where do comedians go when they want to answer questions about stories they’ve told? They come right here, to Hold On.

[Contains explicit content] Since this is a show about sex and relationships, we figured maybe in at least one episode we'd talk about the part that involves baby making. We'll also talk about what happens when you want a baby, but don't want to sex it into existence. Plus, a surprising revelation: babies eventually turn into teenagers. Get ready for two hilarious live stories about baby makery, curated by host Dan Savage.

[Contains explicit content] Comedian Jen Kirkman's mother had a sign in her kitchen that said "Kissin' don't last, Cookin' do." Hear how that sign and all it represented affected Jen's romantic life, in a funny and touching story she told on Don't Tell My Mother! in Los Angeles. Plus, Jen is our special guest in studio! She and Dan Savage talk about love, lust (particularly for that hot 1970's look), and what it's like to grow up horny in a religious household.

[Contains explicit content] In the effort to find a perfect partner, we end up falling for people who fall short. Some of these shortcomings are, of course, inevitable, but this episode of Hot Mic with Dan Savage, features two storytellers who reach their breaking points. First up is comedian Michelle Buteau with her story "Fly Girl," told live for RISK! in San Francisco. Then, Sandi Marx shares the perks and drawbacks of being nice when a relationship isn't so great.

[Contains explicit content] The adolescent quest to obtain alcohol is a tale as old as time. Now, you can hear Chris Gethard (Broad City, The Chris Gethard Show, Don't Think Twice) tell a hilarious story of getting drunk in a New Jersey basement from his younger days. Even better, you can hear Eugene Mirman's quest to get all the details surrounding Chris' tale of underage mischief in this awesome episode of Hold On!

[Contains explicit content] Andy Richter is no stranger to sharing a stage with someone, but never before has that stage been at the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco. Andy has also never before shared a stage with Eugene Mirman for a special San Francisco Sketchfest live recording of the always-inquisitive audio show Hold On with Eugene Mirman!

[Contains explicit content] The most unusual thing about comedian Moshe Kasher's mom is not that she's deaf. It's that she subscribes to some very liberal views in regard to sex. This, naturally, had a big impact on Moshe's childhood, as he detailed in his story from a Don't Tell My Mother show in Los Angeles. In this episode of Hold On, host Eugene Mirman digs deeper into how deafness, sexuality, and the 90’s rave culture informed Moshe's upbringing.

[Contains explicit content] Busy Philipps has been stealing scenes from when she was attending high school on Freaks and Geeks to when she was also attending high school on Dawson's Creek to when she was the ex-wife of a high school vice principal on Vice Principals. Nevertheless, there are certain times in life when you don't want to steal the scene, and one such time would be the wedding of your boyfriend's ex-fiancé.

[Contains explicit content] Moving back in with your parents is rarely a sign that your life is going in the right direction. On this episode of Hold On, host Eugene Mirman sits down with comedian Matt Braunger to hear a funny, but cautionary tale about a pivotal time in Matt's life. Hear why he was forced to live with his folks and what it meant for his relationship with them and his stand-up comedy career.

[Contains explicit content] If there’s one thing “Weird Al” Yankovic loves, it’s jamming out on his accordion. If there's one thing Eugene Mirman enjoys more than pausing comedians' pre-recorded stories for his hit show Hold On, it's pausing comedians' stories they haven't ever recorded before on his hit show Hold On! On this episode, "Weird Al” opens up about going under the knife on live TV for the surgery that redefined his iconic look and Eugene gets inquisitive about the whole eye-opening ordeal.

[Contains explicit content] Prostitution, phone sex, porn, stripping, pro-domination. Sex work is a diverse range of professions united by sex, money, and stigma. And as a consequence of the stigma, we hear a lot about sex work but we rarely hear from sex workers themselves. But in this episode of Hot Mic hosted by Dan Savage, two sex workers show their work.

[Contains explicit content] Elna Baker helped hundreds of babies get adopted at her old job. No, not human babies. Elna was a fake nurse at a fake adoption center in FAO Schwartz, where she helped place realistic baby dolls in the homes of wealthy Manhattanites. Hear how she got attached to a little bundle of plastic joy in her story she told for RISK! in New York City. Host Eugene Mirman digs into the details of Elna's unusual job in this episode of Hold On.

[Contains explicit content] Ghost stories aren't just for campfires and sleepovers anymore. They're also for those of us still doing the dating slog, especially those of us who think everything is going great with a new partner, when whoosh! They disappear like mist. On this episode of Hot Mic with Dan Savage, Nikki DaVaughn shares a very sexy ghost story from BedPost Confessions, and musical duo Reformed Whores honors us with a song.

[Contains explicit content] Maybe you couldn't make it to Portland for the 2017 Bridgetown Comedy Festival, but now, with the help of modern technology, you can have a virtual simulation of being in the audience for a live episode of Hold On with Eugene Mirman. Marvel at Guy Branum's sassy story of unsuccessful sexcapades, be star struck by Karen Kilgariff's Bill Murray encounter, bask in the inglorious origin of Kyle Kinane's comedy career, and weep with joy as Eugene Mirman asks all the questions he can.

[Contains explicit content] San Francisco in the late '80s was a real swinging place - sometimes literally, as was the case during the Loma Prieta earthquake. Seasoned improviser, actor, and comedian Greg Proops (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) remembers being in the city as it was thrown into chaos in this harrowing episode of Hold On with Eugene Mirman.

[Contains explicit content] The most hopeless of crushes are often the most powerful. On this episode of Hot Mic with Dan Savage we'll hear a studio story from Samm Levine, the actor whose breakout role was in the cult TV favorite Freaks and Geeks. Samm shares a story about his pre and post-fame crush on a girl with an intoxicating name. We'll also hear a RISK! live story from David Montgomery, who once nurtured a rather expensive crush on a rather unavailable man.