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Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen

Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen

Written by: Straw Hut Media
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About this listen

 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 MediaStraw Hut Media Art Performing Arts Stand-up Shows
Episodes
  • Comic Al Madrigal Is The Pride Of His People. Jay Is The Pride Of Nobody.

    Comic Al Madrigal Is The Pride Of His People. Jay Is The Pride Of Nobody.
    Apr 21 2026
    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 podcast, the pleasures of morning golf vs lunch, how Neal Brennan’s podcast “Blocks” is better than Jay’s, ADD, Vyvanse, roadrage, comic on comic anger, leaving the parent’s staffing company business to be a comic, the reality of show business having no guarantees despite everything looking great, never buy a car until the show is being picked up, good work ethics, trying your best, mentors from school and comedy clubs, writing more, his comic book PRIMOS - connecting with comic book giant Axel Alonso and developing a diverse character, superhero for Jews, latinos has no representation on TV, The trouble getting latino ensembles on TV, writing every single day, fighting ICE, digging in, making peace with people who disagree, clubs vs cults, standing up now is when it counts, gardening, and the dangers of wearing a pilgrim outfit, murder and turkey throwing in his family’s past. Bio: Al Madrigal broke out of San Francisco’s vibrant comedy scene with a sharp wit and an even sharper sense of timing — talents that would take him from stand-up stages to television screens and writers’ rooms. Al Madrigal cut his teeth in San Francisco’s stand-up scene, drawing on his Mexican and Italian roots to shape a comedic voice that’s sharp, self-aware, and distinctly his own. Madrigal’s star began to rise when he won a Jury Award for Best Stand-Up Comedian at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, leading to multiple appearances on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Conan O’Brien. In 2011, he began a five-season stint on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as the “Senior Latino Correspondent,” a role he recently revisited following the inauguration of Donald Trump in January 2025. His first one-hour special, Why Is the Rabbit Crying?, premiered on Comedy Central in 2013 and was named one of the top 10 comedy specials of the year by Westword and The Village Voice. His follow-up, Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy, released two years after his award-winning 2015 docu-comedy Half Like Me, was recognized in Decider and Vulture’s Top 10 Lists. Rolling Stone Magazine praised him in an article titled “The Best Stand-up TV Right Now,” saying, “The Daily Show alum spins comedy gold.” As an actor, Madrigal boasts a diverse IMDb page, with roles in Lopez vs. Lopez, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bob’s Burgers, St. Denis Medical, Single Parents, About a Boy, Lucifer, Rutherford Falls, and feature films such as Air and The Way Back with Ben Affleck, and Night School alongside Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish. Madrigal has lent his voice to a range of television projects including Jim Carrey’s I’m Dying Up Here and Broke with Jaime Camil. He is also developing an extensive slate of TV projects under his current deal at CBS Studios. But his writing isn’t limited to just TV. In 2022, Al teamed up with AWA and former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso to publish his Mexican and Mayan-influenced comic book, Primos. Behind the camera, Madrigal has executive-produced stand-up specials for Demetri Martin, Ronny Chieng, Neal Brennan, Shane Gillis, Whitney Cummings, Mae Martin, and Bill Burr, his partner in the number one-rated comedy podcast network, All Things Comedy. He was appointed to the board of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers where he provides industry access and helps amplify underrepresented voices to champion stories rooted in cultural authenticity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • Arrested Development's Jim Vallely Has Boyish Charm While Jay's Just Creepy

    Arrested Development's Jim Vallely Has Boyish Charm While Jay's Just Creepy
    Apr 14 2026
    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 love of The Rockford Files, how being broke is good motivation, having a daughter who's working while you're unemployed, jokes vs emotional engaging of the characters, casting is 1/3 of a show, boyish only lasts so long, trying to not be an asshole, Sit N Spin, late night rewrites because the show runner has "heard that one before", Bea Arthur and Betty White could do no wrong, mentors, bad notes, the business working itself out, & watching Carl Reiner transform into Alan Brady.Bio Jim Vallely was in a comedy duo in 80’s, who were good enough to the tonight show three times in the eighties…Then he wrote for The Golden Girls, Two and Half Men and Arrested Development for which he won an Emmy and a Writers guild award. He hasn’t had to borrow money from his relatives in forty years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons Doesn’t Think Jay is “Friend” Material.

    Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons Doesn’t Think Jay is “Friend” Material.
    Apr 7 2026
    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 to be a fighter, being a Boston comic when being brave was more important than being funny. The power struggles on Ellen. Being on the road. Having kids and dealing with them differently than his family did. Actually living past the age of his dad’s death. And why the Rizzler is a spokesman for his generation. Bio: Greg has achieved success as a stand-up, an Emmy Award winning writer, and host of the hugely popular FitzDog Radio podcast. He is a regular on Conan and Jimmy Kimmel Live, and has made more than 50 visits to The Howard Stern Show, 20 trips to The Joe Rogan Experience and has become a regular on “Lights Out w/ David Spade”.Greg’s one-hour Netflix special, Life On Stage, was named a Top 10 Comedy Release by LA Weekly. His 2011 book, Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons, climbed the best-seller charts and garnered outstanding reviews from NPR and Vanity Fair. Greg was recently seen in the hit Netflix series, Santa Clarita Diet, he co-starred on the Emmy-winning FX series Louie, spent five years as a panelist on VH1’s Best Week Ever, hosted Pumped on The Speed Channel in 2012 and he starred in two half-hour stand-up specials on Comedy Central. Greg wrote on the hit Judd Apatow HBO series, Crashing, HBO’s Lucky Louie, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, The Man Show and many others. On his mantle beside the four Daytime Emmys he won as a writer and producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show sit “The Jury Award for Best Comedian” from The HBO Comedy Arts Festival and a Cable Ace Award for the MTV game show he hosted called Idiot Savants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    56 mins
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