Guy Branum was eight years old, curled up on his family's farm in Yuba City reading about Greek goddesses while other boys played outside. A gay Jewish kid in rural California drawn to stories about divine beings who didn't quite fit the mold either.
Today he's an Emmy-winning writer and producer for Hacks, a co-star in Bros, and one of the sharpest voices in queer comedy. In this conversation, Guy talks about the Secret Service showing up at his college apartment after a student newspaper column got misquoted—and how he's still on their list decades later. He shares why law school was the best wrong turn of his life, what working for Joan Rivers taught him about writing stand-up that actually feels real, and why his Instagram series "What the Old Gays Remember" keeps surprising him with what lands.
This is about remembering you're a goddess, and why the strangest detours make the most interesting lives.
What We Talk About:
The Berkeley years, the Secret Service incident over a Chelsea Clinton column, and why he's still on their watch list thirty years later
Coming out in law school in Minnesota and why the "wrong turn" of going to law school gave him the clearest possible view of what he didn't want
Writing stand-up for television—why it's one of the hardest things to do, and what working with Joan Rivers and Chelsea Handler taught him about perspective and specificity
The "What the Old Gays Remember" Instagram series with Tori, and why the most obscure stories end up being the ones that blow up
Be Fruitful: confronting what purpose looks like as a gay man who won't participate in evolution, and why his best friend's note about getting personal changed the entire show
About Guy Branum:
Guy Branum is an Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer, known for his work on Hacks, The Mindy Project, The Other Two, and Billy on the Street. He co-starred in the groundbreaking queer rom-com Bros and served as an on-set punch-up writer. He is the author of the memoir My Life as a Goddess and a working stand-up comedian who has written for Joan Rivers and Chelsea Handler. He is currently touring with his solo show Be Fruitful. He lives in Los Angeles.
Connect with Guy:
Website: Instagram: @guybranum TikTok: @guybranumcomedy
Resources Mentioned:
My Life as a Goddess (memoir)
Hacks (TV series)
Bros (film)
Be Fruitful (solo show / Netflix Is a Joke Festival)
What the Old Gays Remember (Instagram series)
Joan Rivers
Chelsea Handler
Cole Escola & Jeffrey Self / Jeffrey and Cole Casserole
Roxane Gay / Bad Feminist
The Daily Californian
Lido and the Lycian Peasants (Greek mythology)
Top Chef
Great British Bake Off
Connect With Us:
Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com
Instagram: @thenewmaturity
Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com
Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com
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