Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen
Don’t Be Alone with Jay Kogen is a comedy/advice podcast trying to fight the isolation of modern life. Each episode, Award winning TV writer/comedian/philosopher Jay Kogen has a conversation with a friend about how to solve the problems on Jay’s mind. These friends happen to be famous comics, musicians, actors, artists, writers, and sometimes even his family. It’s an entertaining, fun, and thoughtful show meant to bond us through humor, experience, and empathy.From Straw Hut Media
Episodes
159 episodes
Does Nerve Run in the Family? Comedy Siblings Allan & Phyllis Katz on Risk & Spit Takes
Can comedy run in the family? M*A*S*H and Laugh-In writer/producer Allan Katz and Groundlings pioneer Phyllis Katz join Jay Kogen to compare the wildly differen…
When Should You Push? When Should You Back Off? | Christian Duguay (Valley Heat)
When does pushing for what you want become pushing too far? Jay sits down with comedian, writer, performer, and Valley Heat creator Christian Duguay for a conve…
Why This Arrested Development Writer Hates Having a Boss
From Arrested Development to insubordinate rebels: John Levenstein tells all. Long before podcasting was cool, John Levenstein (Arrested Development, Kroll Show…
Can America Still Be Saved? | PoliticsGirl
Is America really doomed or is there still a path forward? In this episode of Don't Be Alone , Jay Kogen sits down with Leigh McGowan, better known as Politics…
Writer/Life Coach, Barbara Heller Turns An On Stage Panic Attack Into A Life Quest
Barbara Heller talks about walking away from the perfect man just before her wedding and breaking down with a mid-life panic attack on stage and committing to b…
Writing Legend Don Reo Makes It Look Easy. Jay Makes It Look Awkward
Show Notes: On this episode legendary writer and show creator talks about being the first white guy on stage at the Apollo, getting a show about alcoholics canc…
Leah Rudick Succeeds at Acting, Stand-up, Writing & Jay Doesn't
Brilliant comic, Leah Rudick, talks about growing up in Ohio, being a drama kid, writing and doing sketch comedy, and eventually moving out to LA and becoming a…
Claudia Lonow & Jonathan Schmock Pioneer Making Films While Jay Pioneers Eating Snacks
What happens when two people with complicated pasts — failed marriages, sobriety journeys, and a chance meeting at a 4th of July party — fall in love but decide…
Re-Broadcast: Directing Legend James Burrows Explores Why Jay Lacks “That Certain Magic”
In memory of the great James Borrows we rebroadcasting this episode of "Dont Be Alone with Jay Kogen". We talk with James Burrows about his reign as Hollywood's…
Harper Steele Found Her Authentic Self While Jay Is A Total Fake
Harper Steele talks about transitioning and the differences in how she experiences the world as a woman and how the world experiences her. The differences in pa…
Screenwriting Legends Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski Love Movies but Don’t Love Jay
Screenwriting Legends SCOTT ALEXANDER and LARRY KARASZEWSKI discuss their origin stories of being film nerds, drive-in movies, how looking on the back of Variet…
Friends/Co-writers Peter Farrelly & Bennett Yellin Talk About Lifelong Connection & How Jay Has None Of That
Bennett Yellin and Peter Farrelly talk about meeting each other in school and immediately connecting over their shared sense of humor. Bennett talks about subst…
Actress/Writer Cheri Oteri Is Optimistic About Everything But Jay
Cheri talks about growing up in a rough house with a lot of kids and a young mom and pretending to escape and maybe grab some attention. She talks about imitati…
Michael Elias wrote "The Jerk", Jay IS The Jerk
Writer, Michael Elias, talks about growing up in the Catskills, where you had to make your money in the summer to survive the winter, and how that created a lot…
Author/Actress Annabelle Gurwitch Has Cancer Yet Jay Is The Worst Thing That Ever Happened to Her.
Actress/Author Annabelle Gurwitch talks about living with stage 4 cancer, dating a hard rock tour manager, making each day count, the search for cures, ketamine…
Actor/writer Paul Greenberg Gets Along With Everyone But Jay
Actor/writer talks about being in The Vacant Lot, the sketch show immediately after Kids In the Hall and how the CBC tanked it, what it takes to be a bad waiter…
Stand-up Great Wendy Liebman Says Jay Should Keep Performing, Just Not Around Her.
Wendy Liebman - talks about her joke prompts as a help for writing, people who want to be picked on in the audience, being an actress as and turning to stand-up…
Comic Al Madrigal Is The Pride Of His People. Jay Is The Pride Of Nobody.
Comic/Writer/Actor/Podcast-Entrepreneur Al Madrigal talks to Jay about representing our culture in our work. We also chat about the dangers of a guest based pod…
Arrested Development's Jim Vallely Has Boyish Charm While Jay's Just Creepy
Comic/Writer Jim Vallely talks about dignity, flirting, young people, being a joke guy, Arrested Development, Golden Girls, My Wife & Kids, Don Reo, our mutual…
Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons Doesn’t Think Jay is “Friend” Material.
Comic, Writer, Podcast Greg Fitzsimmons talks about growing up in a the son of a well known radio personality who lived large but was a tough dad, learning how…
Dan Castellaneta & Deb Lacusta Talk About Being Real Artists vs Jay’s Fake Art
On today’s AUDIO ONLY show we talk about the value of anonymity, how to try and not let The Simpsons take over your life, being writers and actors, bad audition…
Simpsons Showrunner, Al Jean, Won’t Say a Bad Word Against Anyone But Jay
Emmy Award-winning producer/writer Al Jean has worked on THE SIMPSONS since it became a series in 1989. He has a credit on over 600 episodes and been showrunner…
BONUS EPISODE! Author David Wolinsky Discusses Why Jay’s Podcast Ruins America.
Author David Wolinsky talks about whether the internet is helping or hurting more, AI destroying movies and TV, dopamine addiction, The Onion, going cold turkey…
Comic Alex Edelman is always thinking. Jay is not Part 2
Alex Edelman is an outstanding stand-up, writer, and creator of Just For Us talks about making his acclaimed broadway triumph, the death of his friend and colla…
BONUS EPISODE! Debbie Kasper Helps Jay with His One Woman Show
Comic Writer Debbie Kasper discusses her tumultuous life and what it would take for Jay to make his one woman show. Bio: Debbie Kasper is a multiple Emmy-nomina…
Alex Edelman is always thinking. Jay is not Part 1
Alex Edelman is an outstanding stand-up, writer, and creator of Just For Us talks about trying to be an artist, how Greg Daniels is the best writer/showrunner/t…
Writer Josh Corey Becomes A Boxer While Jay Does Not
Josh Corey talks about the journey to become a boxer and why he needed to challenge himself and turning that into a podcast called “From Writer To Fighter.” He…
Writer/Creator Liz Feldman Tells Jay How She Makes Art From Tragedy & Jay Just Makes Tragedy
Liz Feldman talks about turning tragedy into comedy and drama by being open. She also talks about being a young stand-up, writing for other comics, sexual haras…
Comic/Actor Jamie Kaler Is A Face You Know. Jay Is A Face You Want To Forget
Actor comic and writer Jamie Kaler talks about trying to manage a career while still making dinner for his girls, how's staying home to be a dad forced him to f…
BONUS EPISODE! Comic Jay Mandyam Loves Comedy But Not Jay’s.
We talk with Texan/South Asian stand-up, writer, director about his journey from Texas, his love of comedy and its connection to his father’s love, a family of…
Firesign Theater Legend Phil Proctor Discusses How Jay Has Changed The Face of Nothing
Comedy and radio legend Phil Proctor talks about the origin of the Firesign Theater, his love of radio, his many careers as an actor, reporter, writer, comedian…
Writer/creators Kohan & Mutchnick Compare Their Success with Jay’s Failure Part 2
The conversation continues and we talk about being more confident as we get older, learning to be happier in the writer’s room, Linda Lavin, bad table reads, de…
Writer/creators Kohan & Mutchnick Compare Their Success with Jay’s Failure Part 1
Max and David talk war stories about working on “The SIngle Guy” including Ernest Borgnine, playing poker, NBC screwing Jay over, Buz Kohan, David Bowie, The Ga…
Performer/Writer Jim Wise Has 40 Years of History with Jay but Still Has Questions
Writer/Actor/Singer/Improviser Jim Wise talks with Jay about meeting as runners on The Garry Shandling Show, song Improv, acting, writing for Mad TV, Jay Leno,…
Screenwriters & Scriptnotes Podcasters, John August & Craig Mazin, Wonder If Writing’s Really the “Right Fit” for Jay
Writing legends John August & Craig Mazin talk about their journey to screenwriting, podcasting, & writing a book. They talk about how to boil down 15 years of…
Michael McKean Says "Dignified & Beloved" May Not Be In Jay's Future.
Michael McKean talks about going from goofball to respected dramatic actor, how his high school drama teacher, NYU and Carnegie Mellon pushed him into a lifetim…
Gammill & Pross Disparage Kogen & Wolodarsky
Writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross discuss being comedy writing partners and then not being partners on SNL, Gary Shandling’s Show, Seinfeld and dozens of great…
UnCabaret Founder, Beth Lapides, Says Creativity Belongs To Everyone But Jay
UnCabaret founder and host, Beth Lapides, talks about creating the show to have a place to perform then how it shifted to a place where she nurtured Taylor Negr…
Shane Black, Fred Dekker, Jim Herzfeld, & David Silverman of “The Pad O’ Guys”, explains why I’m not “Pad O Guys” Material
Shane Black, Jim Herzfeld, Fred Dekker, and David Silverman look back on their formative years at UCLA and the shared house that became a creative hub and lifel…
Rebel Comedy Writer/Director Larry Charles Chats About Jay’s Lack of Courage
Larry discusses his brilliant autobiography Comedy Samurai, becoming a writer, Friday's, arsenio, seinfeld, mad about you, borat, curb your enthusiasm, and all…
Universally Loved Actor/Writer Michael Hitchcock, Explains Why Jay Isn't
The always in demand, Michael Hitchcock, talks about how children's theater led to adult theater which led to a career of acting and writing with the groundling…
TV Legend Dave Thomas Talks About A Life of Creating and How Jay Just Can’t
SCTV legend Dave Thomas reflects on the bold choices that shaped his life and career, from growing up in Canada to navigating success and uncertainty in Hollywo…
Comedy Legend Dave Foley Believes In Aliens More Than Jay’s Career
Actor/Writer/Kid-In-The-Hall Dave Foley talks about what to do with the next 20-30 years of our lives, finding love, making comedy he’s proud of, aliens, conspi…
Kathy Griffin Tells Jay He’s Not Worth Gossiping About
Kathy talks about surviving Trump, the Groundlings, Stand-up, her parents who loved show biz, Sia, Joan Rivers, relationships, dating younger guys, saving every…
"BONUS EPISODE! Author/Director Rick Beren Says Jay Would Learn More In Jail "
Rick and Jay talk about stupid mistakes, shoe money, James Burrows, Cheers, directing people, not getting the girl, and the moment you reveal your big secret an…
Intellectual Influencer Douglas Rushkoff Says A New Society Will Save Everyone but Jay
Douglas talks about trying his hand at theater and seeing how technology and society were changing so he became an expert in navigating the future instead. We t…
David Koechner Says Jay Is Too Old To Get Laughs
Comedian David Koechner talks about growing up in a big family in a small Missouri town, and developing the need to be heard and seen by taking the attention, t…
Writer Mike Rowe Says Jay Should Have Been Run Out Of Hollywood Years Ago
Mike Rowe talks about not being the “dirty jobs” Mike Rowe, planning for the future, being funny in high school, becoming an electrical engineer and giving it u…
Friends Helen Hunt & Helen Slater Tell Jay Why He’s Not Friend Material.
Actor/Director Helen Hunt & Actor singer/songwriter psych/mythology PHD phd Helen Slater discuss a deep friendship and love, growing up in art, the beginning of…
Actor Gary Anthony Williams Can Get Alone With Anyone Except Jay
Gary Anthony Williams talks about his remarkable ability to fit in when he wants to, how growing up poor in Georgia gave him optimism for everything else, how h…
Ken Marino: Being Present Works For Everyone Except Jay
Actor/writer Ken Marino talks about The State, how cases of booze made him popular at college, the best way to be present when you are acting, opening your hear…
”Wicked” Scribe Winnie Holzman Attributes Her Success To Mentors, Drive, Luck, & Not Working with Jay
The amazing writer Winnie Holzman talks with Jay about hard word and being lucky, Wicked the Musical, Stephen Schwartz, My So Called Life, laying in bed depress…
Political Guru, Mike Murphy, Says The People Have Spoken & They Don’t Want Jay
“Hacks on Taps” political guru, Mike Murphy, talks about growing up in Detroit, studying ads, becoming a political consultant by being the only one to raise his…
BONUS EPISODE! Writer Rob Kutner Encourages Jay To Be Anti-Anti-Semitic
Writer Rob Kutner talks about being anti-anti-semitic, “The God Gang” cartoon, beards, and a lot of other “Jew talk.” Bio:Rob Kutner is an Emmy-winning writer f…
Writer/Showrunner Peter Murrieta Explains Jay Needs To Give Back Everything Now
Writer Peter Murrieta talks about how teachers pushed him to a better life, riding in the car with his grandparents, baseball, creating TV, college training him…
Simpsons Showrunner Mike Scully Confirms Jay Will Never Be Beloved
Writer/Producer Mike Scully talks about being new in a writer’s room, Yakav Smirnoff, how he learned empathy from a non empathetic childhood, being a boss, taki…
Joely & Tricia Leigh Fisher Remind Jay His Childhood Was Boring
Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher talk about being the kids of stars, Connie Stevens and Eddie Fisher—the allure of show business, putting on shows in their living…
Amy Brenneman Talks About “Normal” and How Jay Isn’t It.
Actress/writer/activist Amy Benneman talks about creating a TV show, writing plays, the pleasure of performing in front of people. Her kick-ass judge-pioneer mo…
For Writer Felipe Torres Medina USA Has Been An Amazing Journey Until He Met Jay
Felipe talks about his new book, coming to the USA under an EXTRAORDINARY ARTIST visa, writing for Colbert, growing up in Columbia, the beauty of curious Americ…
Jay’s Dad, Arnie Kogen, Talks About How Having Kids Held Him Back
Writing Legend, Arnie Kogen, talks with Jay and Jay’s son, Charlie, about his childhood, career, and what it’s like to be 91. Three generations of Kogens in one…