Explore every episode of the podcast MAD REWIND with Brandee Stilwell

Welcome back to Part 2 of my hilarious interview with the incredibly talented, funny, and badass women of MADtv: Mo Collins, Stephnie Weir, and Debra Wilson! We talked for so long that we had to give you a Part 2.

In this episode, we unpack the origins of your favorite characters—from Dot and Whitney Houston to Mrs. Campbell, Doreen Larkin, and Lorraine. The ladies share untold stories from the set, including embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions, how they pulled off massive sketches on a shoestring budget, and the hilarious sketches that were completely scrapped. You'll also hear Deborah’s incredible story of manifesting a guest appearance from Mark Hamill, their honest advice for navigating the comedy scene as women, and their definitive answer on whether MADtv will ever get a reboot.

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Join host Brandee Stillwell for a nostalgic and hilarious reunion with three comedy legends from the iconic sketch show, MAD TV. In part one of this special episode, Mo Collins, Stephnie Weir, and Debra Wilson gather in the same room for the first time in years to reflect on their careers and the lasting impact of their work.

Key highlights include:

• The Impact of MAD TV: The guests discuss the "weight" of being women in comedy and their reactions to a new generation on TikTok claiming the show "raised them."
• Origin Stories: Each guest shares their "first laugh" and the pivotal teachers or family moments that set them on the path to professional comedy.
• Character Deep Dives: Hear the stories behind fan-favorite characters like Lorraine, Dot Goddard, and Bonifa, plus live voice demonstrations of Trina and Dot.
• The Creative Process: The trio explains the art of improv, the importance of "possessed" commitment to a character, and the challenges of navigating the "meaner" comedy landscape of the early 2000s.
• The Vault: Debra Wilson stuns the room by reciting a complex, verbatim medical jargon speech from a sketch performed over two decades ago.

Don’t miss this deep dive into the "grounded craziness" that made MAD TV a cultural phenomenon. Stay tuned for Part 2!

Welcome to Season Two of Mad Rewind! In this exciting premiere, host Brandi welcomes her comedy crush and original MADtv cast member, the incredibly hilarious Nicole Sullivan. Nicole dives deep into her iconic six-season run on MADtv. She shares her early days of thinking she would perform regional Shakespeare to finding her comedic voice.

Episode Highlights:

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  The LA Hustle: Nicole recounts moving to Los Angeles with just $1,000. She shares her experience temping at Nestle during the day and working late-night shifts at Domino's Pizza.

  
  

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  The MADtv Audition: She reveals how she navigated the audition using rudimentary characters and Post-it notes stuck to her legs.

  
  

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  Character Origins: Learn the real-life inspirations behind fan favorites, such as a Lancome counter employee inspiring The Vancome Lady. She also explains how her cat Sissy inspired the voice of Antonia.

  
  

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  Memorable Sketches: Nicole recounts her favorite moments on set, including playing Justin Timberlake in a squirrel wig while Will Sasso played Lance Bass. She also discusses the rare times Michael McDonald made her break character.

On this episode of Mad Rewind, funny man, Michael Hitchcock stops by the Studio Venue to talk about his early start as a writer/actor at the Groundlings, how he got involved in some of Christopher Guest's films, discusses his favorite characters and sketches he wrote while on Mad TV, and why he prefers just acting now.

#madrewind #madtv #michaelhitchcock #thegroundlings #sketchcomedy #comedypodcast #improvcomedy #comedywriter #bestinshow #improv #comedy #christopherguest

On this episode of Mad Rewind, Mad TV's Co-Creator, Adam Small stops by the Studio Venue to talk about the beginning of time with Mad TV, working with Quincy Jones, assembling the original cast and writing staff, his past work on In Living Color, and when it was time to leave and hand over the reins.

#madrewind #madtv #adamsmall #sketchcomedy #improvcomedy #inlivingcolor #comedy #comedypodcast #anotherstateofmind #socialdistortion #mgm #doreschary #madmagazine #dccomics #bigtickettelevision #comedycentral #dickblasucci #sctv #snl

Multitalented comedic actor Paul Vogt stops by The Studio Venue to chat about his time on Mad TV, the incredibly long journey to get cast on the show, Gay Hulk, finding his voice as Edna Garrett, and his time working with the great Garry Marshall. Another must-listen. 

#paulvogt #madtv #madrewind #disney #mgm #waynebrady #secondcity #mocollins #gayhulk #phillamarr #stephnieweir #paulwilliams #carolburnett #cabanachat #willsasso #happydayslive #garrymarshall #thestudiovenue

Debra Wilson swings by the studio to chat with Brandee and Kiff about being an original cast member on 201 episodes of Mad TV from 1995 to 2003 for eight seasons.

She talks about creating impressions like Whitney to Mariah to developing original characters like fast-talking Bunifa Latifah Halifah Sharifa Jackson to her current day voice-over work in video games and classic Disney characters like Daisy Duck to the maniacal Villian, Ursala.

Connect with Debra on Cameo at:

www.cameo.com/debwil818

And Debra's episode of ALL OVER VOICEOVER:

https://open.spotify.com/show/6FoYEDOEMBRUQ2UW4vLPrB

#madrewind #madtv #debrawilson #sketchcomedy #improvcomedy

On this episode of Mad Rewind, part two of two with Mo Collins. Mo continues to chat about Mad TV, “How we’re not the monsters you thought we were,” the benefits of circus school, and how to kill a walker on Fear the Walking Dead.

#madtv #madrewind #comedy #sketchcomedy #funnywomen 

The insanely talented and hilarious Mo Collins stops by to talk about attending circus school early on in her career, Her five seasons on MAD TV where she created characters like the confused mid-westerner, Lorraine Swanson, the always unlucky, Trina, and became fan-favorite, Doreen Larkin, Stuart’s mother.

She also chats with me about appearing on Parks and Recreation, Fear the Walking Dead, and her upcoming solo show.

Please welcome, Mo Collins!

Part 1 of 2

#madtv #mocollins #comedy #sketch #improv #clown #classictv #funny #actoirslife #advice #art #improvisation #parksandrecreation #groundlings

Blaine Capatch stops by the recording studio to chat about his early days of stand-up, some regrets, and some lessons learned while writing on the first two seasons of Mad TV getting 48 episodes in under his belt.

Dick Blasucci was the backbone of Mad tv as the executive producer /showrunner for 228 episodes. If you are a fan of MAD TV, SNL, SCTV, or the history of late-night comedy, you definitely do not want to miss this episode. Dick Blasucci drops some serious knowledge and history about the origin of not only SCTV but SNL as well and shares some of his favorite moments while on the set of MAD TV.

This is a must listen.

Dick Blasucci was the backbone of Mad tv as the executive producer /showrunner for 228 episodes.

In this part one interview of two, Dick discusses his early days at Second City – Chicago, working on SCTV from start to finish, to being on the job for only a month and being told by the network that MAD tv was about to be canceled in season four.

If you are a fan of MAD TV, SNL, SCTV, or the history of late-night comedy, you definitely do not want to miss this episode. Dick Blasucci drops some serious knowledge and history about the origin of not only SCTV but SNL as well and shares some of his favorite moments while on the set of MAD TV.

This is a must listen.

The multitalented Stephnie Weir stops by to talk about catching the performance bug early on in Texas, studying improv comedy in Chicago. Her five seasons on MAD TV where she created characters like Dot Goddard, Dorothy Lanier, Angela Wright, and Mrs. Campbell, writing and creating pilots, as well as her upcoming solo show, The West Texas Weirs.

Jim Wise talks about his comedy journey, his time at The Groundlings, and some hilarious moments that still stand out to him in the 155 episodes that he was a part of from seasons seven to 14. 

In our pilot episode, Brandee welcomes original cast member and legendary character actor PHIL LAMARR (Pulp Fiction, Samurai Jack, Green Lantern) to the show where they do a deep dive into Phil's career and the challenges of creating sketch comedy for the fledgling show and reaching America despite the lack of network support. Rewinding the tape for an enlightening, hilarious, and fascinating look into the magic that was Mad TV with one of the best to ever do it, Phil LaMarr.