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
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King of Queens Writer/director Michael Weithorn - Learning to be THE BOSS
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 • Duration 54:57
Michael J. Weithorn knows a thing or two about making television work — and about what happens when it doesn’t.
The creator of The King of Queens joins Jay Kogen to talk about the years of trial, error, difficult actors, canceled shows, and hard-earned lessons that eventually led to one of television’s most successful sitcoms.
Michael shares how Jerry Stiller initially turned down The King of Queens, what it was like having Charlie Kaufman in the Ned and Stacey writers’ room, recognizing Bryan Cranston’s talent long before Breaking Bad, and what he learned about running a television show from Family Ties creator Gary David Goldberg.
They also get into the strange reality of creative success: after you finally make the hit show, are you allowed to stop trying? Jay and Michael compare The Simpsons and The King of Queens, talk about why writers keep creating long after they have something to rest their laurels on, and wonder whether any of it ever actually feels like enough.
Plus, Michael discusses directing Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick in his new film The Best You Can, the disappearing world of old-school TV writers’ rooms, and why comedy writers may simply be incapable of leaving a perfectly good dramatic moment alone.
Michael J. Weithorn is an award-winning writer, producer, director, and creator of The King of Queens, with credits including Family Ties, Cheers, Ned and Stacey, True Colors, and The Wonder Years.
Bio: Michael J. Weithorn is an award-winning writer, producer, and director with over four decades of experience in Hollywood television and film. He is best known as the creator and executive producer of The King of Queens, the beloved CBS sitcom that ran for nine seasons and 207 episodes, and has brought numerous other series to life across major networks, including Ned and Stacey, True Colors, and Weird Loners. Earlier in his career, he honed his craft as a producer and story editor on Family Ties and earned a WGA Award for his Cheers script and an Emmy nomination for The Wonder Years. His feature work includes A Little Help (2011) and the upcoming The Best You Can (2025), starring Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Judd Hirsch, and Ray Romano. Beyond his creative work, Weithorn is a dedicated educator, teaching screenwriting as an adjunct professor at Columbia University's MFA program and UC Santa Barbara, while also leading comedy writing workshops for organizations including the Ghetto Film School and Inside Out Writers, an L.A.-based anti-recidivism program.
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Does Nerve Run in the Family? Comedy Siblings Allan & Phyllis Katz on Risk & Spit Takes
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 • Duration 55:57
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 different paths that took two siblings from the same Chicago household into legendary careers in comedy.
Allan's story sounds almost made up. While working in advertising, his work on Screaming Yellow Zonkers caught the attention of Laugh-In producer George Schlatter — who tracked him down and offered him a job. Allan, having no idea who was calling, hung up on him. More than once.
Phyllis's career began with an equally unlikely encounter. After walking into Second City and asking Joe Flaherty if they bought song parodies, he handed her a flyer for their workshops. As Phyllis remembers it: "My life changed forever."
From growing up with a former vaudeville hoofer for a father, to Laugh-In, M*A*S*H, Second City and The Groundlings, Allan and Phyllis talk about where funny actually comes from, surviving rejection, taking creative risks, finding your way into "the zone," and why sometimes an entire career can turn on one completely unexpected moment.
And beneath all the comedy is something even more personal: the strange bond between siblings who share a lifetime of memories, inside jokes, and a language nobody else quite understands.
So... is comedy genetic?
Jay tries to find out.Subscribe to Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen for more conversations with writers, comedians, actors, creators, and thought leaders exploring life, creativity, politics, and the human experience.
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Harper Steele Found Her Authentic Self While Jay Is A Total Fake
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 • Duration 59:13
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 parenting, writing, and comedy. Trying to fight off who she really was for years. Her fears of being judged. How finding her true self saved her life. How road trips are different. How being macho was an odd priority before. How that reflected her comedy. How a teacher started her writing. How the movie “Will & Harper” has affected other transpeople and how she has been mostly accepted by the world and completely accepted by her friends. Her love of thrift stores and vinyl records. And our mutual love of The Eurovision Song Contest.
Bio: Harper Steele is a comedy writer who launched her career in 1995 at the renowned show "Saturday Night Live." For over thirteen years, she served the show in various capacities, eventually ascending to the position of head writer for four years. This period of her career was marked with a notable achievement, with Steele earning a Primetime Emmy Award in 2002. Following this, her creativity found a new platform at Funny or Die, where she assumed the role of creative director.
Steele's writing prowess was not limited to television, as she contributed to the scripts of several films, including "Casa de mi padre," "The Ladies Man," and "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga." Alongside her writing career, she also served as an executive producer of HBO's "Funny or Die Presents." Her multifaceted career in comedy writing and production was depicted in the 2024 Netflix documentary "Will & Harper," which also explored Steele's gender transition and its impact on her friendship with longtime friend and collaborator Will Ferrell.
The documentary "Will & Harper" received critical acclaim, premiering at the 40th Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 and earning a nomination for a People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Steele's comedic and political viewpoints, often referred to as "purple-haired woke," advocate for humor as a catalyst for positive change. Such viewpoints have earned her accolades within her industry circles, with Jimmy Fallon describing Steele as "one of the funniest people I think I've ever met in my lifetime."
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Comic Fahim Anwar Knows Jay’s Stand-up Will Fail
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 • Duration 50:16
Comic and writer Fahim Anwar and I talk about failed TV shows, Afghan and Ukrainian treats, performing at Largo, comedy today, working for Boeing, disappointing your parents by being a comic, the power of Margo Robbie, YouTube vs Netflix, crowd work, not playing sax for The Roots, having a great bit you can’t put online, hecklers, comedy persona, dancing in clubs, and convincing your parents you have value by wearing a tie. Bio:Fahim Anwar is a Los Angeles-based standup comedian, actor and writer. Fahim is touring on the heels of his third stand up special, “House Money.” His previous special "Hat Trick" filmed at the World Famous Comedy Store was named one of the best specials of the year by the LA Times. The New York Times has listed Fahim as a "Most Promising Future Star." He's appeared on CONAN, LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS and performed at the prestigious Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. His recent FILM/TV credits include WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT opposite Tina Fey, NEIGHBORS, DRUNK HISTORY to name a few. Fahim served as head writer and starred on a sketch show special for Comedy Central with his comedy group (GOATFACE) which includes Hasan Minhaj from THE DAILY SHOW, Aristotle Athari of SNL and Asif Ali of WANDAVISION. Off the success of the sketch show special, Fahim was named by Variety Magazine as one of 2019 Comics to Watch, and has been a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast as well as WTF with Marc Maron.
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Showrunner Jonathan Groff Questions Why Jay Would Book Him & Not the Broadway Star Jonathan Groff
Tuesday, November 5, 2024 • Duration 52:15
Jonathan talks about growing up the son of a minister, not ruining other people’s shows, not doing stand-up comedy, not staying with Conan, and not being the Jonathan Groff, the Broadway superstar!Bio:Jonathan Groff is a television writer, showrunner and executive producer, with over thirty years of experience. Recently, he was an Executive Producer alongside Fred Armisen on the HULU comedy THIS FOOL. He was with ABC's BLACK-ISH for all eight of its seasons, serving as Executive Producer/Showrunner for four seasons. Also at ABC, Jonathan was the EP / Showrunner on HAPPY ENDINGS for three seasons. From 2007-2009, Jonathan was a Consulting Producer on the CBS hit HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. Preceding that, he executive produced and ran his own series ANDY BARKER P.I. for NBC, which he co-created with Conan O'Brien. He also spent five years as Head Writer on LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN. Jonathan co-wrote two animated holiday specials for Dreamworks/NBC: KUNG FU PANDA HOLIDAY SPECIAL, and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: HOMECOMING.
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Jennifer Tilly Explains Why Jay Is Clueless About The Plight of Actresses
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 • Duration 50:53
Jennifer spills the beans on what it takes to be an actress in Hollywood. We talk "Beverly Hills Housewives", how your gal pal will cover your problem spots in lesbian love scenes, poker, glamour, getting hit on by producers, and the indignity of promoting yourself by going on to podcasts like this one.Bio: Jennifer Tilly received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” for her memorable portrayal of the terribly untalented Olive, actress wannabe, and gangster’s moll. Her performance in “Liar Liar” as Jim Carrey’s gold-digging client earned her an American Comedy Award nomination, as well as a Blockbuster award nomination as Favorite Supporting Actress.Tilly is perhaps best known from the indie noir film “Bound”, which has earned her a cult following. “Bound,” directed by the Wachowski’s follows two lesbian con artists trying to rip off the mob. The film garnered many accolades including a GLAAD media award, and a Saturn award nomination (Best Actress) for Tilly. Other film credits include “The Getaway,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” “Let It Ride,” “The Cat’s Meow,” “Intervention,”(Winner-Best Actress-San Diego Film Festival) “Dancing at the Blue Iguana,” “Made in America,” “Bride of Chucky,” (Saturn Award nominee-Best Actress) “Seed of Chucky,” “Curse of Chucky,” “Cult of Chucky,” “The Crew,” “The Wrong Guy,” “Inconceivable,” (Winner-Best Actress-WIFT) “An American Girl,” “Edie and Penn,” “Hide and Seek,” “Saint Ralph,” “The Doors,” ”Relative Evil” (Winner-Best Actress-DVD Exclusive Awards) “Second Best,” “Tidelands,” and many more. Other notable TV appearances include “Modern Family,” “Drop Dead Diva,” “Moonlighting,” “Cheers,” and “Frasier.” She had recurring roles on “Hill Street Blues,” “It’s Garry Shandling’s show (Ace award nomination-Best Actress) and “Out of Practice” (CBS). She was a series regular on “Key West” (Fox) and “Shaping Up.” (NBC) Tilly is in great demand as a voice over actor. For the last twenty-two years she has delighted audiences as Bonnie on “Family Guy.” She played the snaky haired Celia in Pixar’s classic movie “Monster’s Inc.,” as well as the Disney+ series “Monsters at Work,” Grace, the new age cow in Disney’s “Home on the Range,” a con mouse in “Stuart Little,” and Madame Leota in “The Haunted Mansion.”Theatre credits include "Tartuffe," (LA Public Theatre) "Boy's Life" (LAAT) and "Baby With The Bathwater," (LAPT) and “Vanities,” (Dramalogue Award-Best Actress) She received a “TheatreWorld Award” (Best Newcomer) for her performance in Second Stage's "One Shoe Off" at the Joseph Papp Theatre. Tilly is also a regular performer in the smash hit comedy revue, “Celebrity Autobiography” and Illeana Douglas’ “Living Room Show.” These days Jennifer is dividing her career between acting and poker. In 2005 she astounded the Poker world when she bested a field of over 600 women to win the coveted gold bracelet at The World Series of Poker. She followed that up by capturing a WPT title, winning Ladies Night 3.
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Writer/Philosopher Eric Kaplan Dumbs It Down For Jay
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 • Duration 51:34
Blurb: We talk about Philosophy, comedy writing, agreeing with the show runner, not being afraid of the truth, the power of walking sticks, trying to figure out if God exists is dumb, Brooklyn as a place to grow up, and whether to lie to your kids about Santa Clause.Bio: A native of Flatbush, New York, Eric Kaplan began writing for Spy magazine and the Harvard Lampoon before getting his first television-writing job on The Late Show with David Letterman. Before THE BIG BANG THEORY, he worked on other shows including Futurama (for which he won an Emmy), Flight of the Conchords, Malcolm in the Middle, and Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Kaplan created "Zombie College" for icebox and co-created "The Drinky Crow Show" and "Mongo Wrestling Alliance" for Adult Swim through his company Mirari Films. Kaplan has his PhD from UC Berkeley in philosophy on the comic in the philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard. His book Does Santa Exist: A Philosophical Investigation was published by Dutton in 2014 and has been called by Matt Groening "the funniest philosophy book since...well, ever." His science fiction and philosophy have appeared in the New York Times.
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Singer/Songwriter Steven Page Explains Why Jay’s Writing Partner Was Right To Leave Him
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 • Duration 59:27
Steven sings some amazing songs and talks about The BareNakedLadies, Trans-Canada Highwaymen, the creative process, blowing up your life, breaking up with your partners, repairing your life, finding freedom working for yourself, being a self starter, zoom shows, Brian Wilson, Yoko Ono, band camp, and getting pelted with mac & cheese. Bio: Over the last thirty-five years, Steven Page has established himself as one of the most recognizable and enduring voices in music. The release of his latest album, Excelsior, shows that he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Since its release, Steven has toured Canada, The US and the UK with The Steven Page Trio, and has performances planned well into 2024. As a co-founder, vocalist and songwriter for Barenaked Ladies, Steven sang and wrote classics like “Brian Wilson,” “If I Had A Million Dollars,” “What A Good Boy,” “It’s All Been Done” and many more. With the band, he sold over 15 Million albums and scored multiple Junos, Billboard Music Awards, SOCAN awards, Gemini Awards and two Grammy nominations. After leaving the band in 2009, Steven embarked on a solo career that has produced five solo albums, including 2022’s Excelsior, and has seen him tour worldwide, from folk festivals to cabarets and theatres, all the way to packed arenas on his recent string of dates opening for rock legends The Who. Steven performs in many configurations, from solo to full band with horn section, but, since 2016, he has been playing most often with his pals in The Steven Page Trio, Craig Northey of Vancouver legends Odds on guitar, and Kevin Fox on cello. The trio configuration provides the right amount of portability, intimacy and power to fill just about any venue imaginable. Steven has performed arrangements of some of his best-loved songs from his long career with orchestras including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Symphony New Brunswick and has more symphony shows on the horizon in the next two years. A passionate mental health advocate, Steven has been in demand as a public speaker since 2011, sharing his own story with audiences across North America. In 2018, Steven was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame with his former bandmates in Barenaked Ladies, at the Juno Awards Ceremonies in Vancouver. In 2020, when work on the musical he wrote with playwright Daniel MacIvor for Canada’s Stratford Festival, Here’s What It Takes, was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Steven began performing weekly livestream concerts over Zoom, Steven Page Live From Home. These Live From Home shows, sometimes selling 1000 tickets at a time, cultivated a tightly-knit community of music fans from all over the world, and kept them feeling connected when it was most needed. Steven continues to perform Live From Home shows on Saturdays when he’s not on the road, with the 100th episode planned for early in 2023. The Governor-General’s Performing Arts Awards approached Steven in 2021 about writing a song as a surprise tribute to his friend, Ryan Reynolds, and the result was “Canada Loves You Back,” a song as poignant, humourous and Canadian as the actor it honours. Steven is a frequent collaborator with Toronto’s Art of Time Ensemble, made up of some of Canada’s best classical, jazz and pop musicians. With them, he released an album of covers, A Singer Must Die, in 2009, and also appears on their Sgt. Pepper and Songs of Leonard Cohen albums. Along with Chris Murphy (Sloan), Moe Berg (The Pursuit of Happiness), and Craig Northey (Odds), Steven makes up a quarter of The Trans-Canada Highwaymen, four lead singers of classic Canadian bands, whose first album of Canadian covers is set to be released in the fall of 2023.
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Tim Bagley Counsels Jay On Why His Bad Self Image Is Still Too Positive
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 • Duration 49:47
Tim & Jay talk about connecting, being in the moment, getting fired from “Friends”, the Groundlings, being brave enough for relationships, laughing during improv, Frosted Mini Wheats, auditions, serious acting vs not, The Playboy Mansion, being gay, coming from the middle of the country to Los Angeles, good pizza, and angels.Bio:Tim Bagley is currently on the 2nd season of Peabody Award winning "Somebody Somewhere" for HBO, streaming on MAX, with the 3rd season coming out soon!
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Paul Reiser Insists Jay Isn’t Nuanced Enough
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 • Duration 52:52
Paul Reiser talks about his new film, “The Problem with People”, deciding to be a comic, comedy and heartbreak being from the same well, His love of Peter Faulk, Jack Lemon, and Alan Arkin, fathers, getting out of the house, building a music room just in case Billy Joel dropped by, Writing “What A Fool Believes” with and about Michael McDonnald, “Diner” “Mad About You.” “The Thing About My Folks”, acting and writing seriously, his sons, and realizing you can’t write a standup act but just holding a pad and thinking to yourself…”What’s funny?”Bio: n Hulu’s recent critically-acclaimed comedy series “Reboot” from Modern Family creator Steve Levitan, Reiser plays Gordon, the original creator of the old sitcom being rebooted. Awards Daily says “Reiser truly excels, giving one of his very best performances…here, he reminds us just how very funny and experienced he is in the world of television comedy.” He also took his first step into bloody, superhero glory, joining Season 3 of Amazon Prime’s Emmy-nominated The Boys, playing “The Legend.” Also this year Reiser filmed “The Problem with People,” an original comedy feature film which he wrote, produced, and stars in alongside Jane Levy and Colm Meaney. Reiser currently stars in two hit shows for Netflix: Stranger Things—the company’s biggest series of all time—where he plays Dr. Sam Owens, a role created by the Duffer Brothers specifically for him; and Chuck Lorre’s The Kominsky Method, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in and Golden Globe-winning comedy ended in May 1999 and premiered 20 years later as a limited series on Spectrum Originals. All seven seasons of the original Mad About You and the re-visit are available for streaming on Amazon Prime. The multi-faceted actor also revived one of his most iconic roles in the highly anticipated return of Mad About You, the long-running hit 90s comedy Reiser co-created and starred in with Helen Hunt. The Emmy, Peabody and Golden Globe-winning comedy ended in May 1999 and premiered 20 years later as a limited series on Spectrum Originals. All seven seasons of the original Mad About You and the re-visit are available for streaming on Amazon Prime. Throughout his prolific career, Reiser has worked with both independent and mainstream filmmakers. Having earned acclaim for his supporting role in the Academy Award-winning film Whiplash, Reiser was also recently seen alongside Kevin Hart in the Netflix feature Fatherhood, John McDonagh’s War on Everyone and in frequent collaborator Jeff Baena’s “The Little Hours” and “Horse Girl,” which premiered at Sundance 2020, the fourth film the pair has worked on together. The veteran actor has garnered praise for notable performances in films such as Diner, Bye Bye Love, Aliens, One Night At McCool’s, Beverly Hills Cop I/II and The Thing About My Folks, which Reiser wrote for his co-star Peter Falk. Reiser is a fixture behind the camera as well. He co-created and co-produced There’s Johnny!, a seven-episode series which originally streamed on Hulu and now streams on Peacock. The show, a fictional story set behind-the-scenes of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show circa 1972, co-created with filmmaker David Steven Simon and co-produced with director David Gordon Green in conjunction with The Carson Company, premiered to critical praise, with Decider saying There’s Johnny! is “a television experience unlike any I’ve seen on TV in recent years” and “unfolds like a dream, a memory fondly recalled.” As an author, Reiser’s first book, Couplehood, sold over two million copies and reached the number one spot on The New York Times bestsellers list. His subsequent books, Babyhood and Familyhood, were best sellers as well. Voted by Comedy Central as one of the Top 100 Comedians of All Time, Reiser regularly performs sold-out standup at venues nationwide with dates currently booked throughout 2022 and beyond. A SUNY Binghamton graduate of its prestigious music...
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