Kamau chats with alternative comedy legend Maria Bamford, praising her artistry and creative fearlessness, recounting how fellow comedians have long considered her a genius. 

They bond over difficult, irritable fathers teaching practical skills like changing tires, and how the “vibe” made learning impossible.

Maria and Kamau discuss their sometimes complicated love of standup: both cherish the craft but often prefer being home, joking that the best part of a show is when it’s canceled. Maria talks about wanting comedy to bring bliss while recognizing it rarely changes the world, and Kamau says comics must write as if jokes will change the world but not actually believe that they will.

Kamau describes reshaping his touring life, early shows for older and parent audiences, bringing his daughters on the road, and credits Maria’s DIY coffee-shop and 9 a.m. shows as inspiration to make standup work on his own terms. Maria explains her pay-what-you-can neighborhood theater shows, and intimate Zoom sets for tiny audiences, which she prefers over “great crowds.”

They move into mentorship and money: Kamau leans on Dwayne Kennedy and others for artistic and ethical guidance, while Maria uses 12-step programs like Debtors Anonymous to manage work and finances, and openly discusses low opener pay and her efforts to profit-share with her openers, like Jackie Kashian.  Maria insists on paying friends well for show-business advice and stresses the importance of financial transparency.

They discuss her Judd Apatow-produced documentary, Maria’s ambivalence about being its subject, and its value in normalizing mental health within a sexist, racist, ableist comedy world.

Later, Maria critiques benefit shows and nonprofit “hustles,” recounting her disastrous schizophrenia benefit set and Howie Mandel’s success, and Kamau’s reliance on Pastor Mike McBride to vet which causes to support.

Support women living on Los Angeles’s Skid Row by donating to The Downtown Women’s Center at downtownwomenscenter.org

Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Part of the Pushkin Network.

Kamau chats with alternative comedy legend Maria Bamford, praising her artistry and creative fearlessness, recounting how fellow comedians have long considered her a genius.&nbsp;
They bond over difficult, irritable fathers teaching practical skills like changing tires, and how the &ldquo;vibe&rdquo; made learning impossible.
Maria and Kamau discuss their sometimes complicated love of standup: both cherish the craft but often prefer being home, joking that the best part of a show is when it&rsquo;s canceled. Maria talks about wanting comedy to bring bliss while recognizing it rarely changes the world, and Kamau says comics must write as if jokes will change the world but not actually believe that they will.
Kamau describes reshaping his touring life, early shows for older and parent audiences, bringing his daughters on the road, and credits Maria&rsquo;s DIY coffee-shop and 9 a.m. shows as inspiration to make standup work on his own terms. Maria explains her pay-what-you-can neighborhood theater shows, and intimate Zoom sets for tiny audiences, which she prefers over &ldquo;great crowds.&rdquo;
They move into mentorship and money: Kamau leans on Dwayne Kennedy and others for artistic and ethical guidance, while Maria uses 12-step programs like Debtors Anonymous to manage work and finances, and openly discusses low opener pay and her efforts to profit-share with her openers, like Jackie Kashian. &nbsp;Maria insists on paying friends well for show-business advice and stresses the importance of financial transparency.
They discuss her Judd Apatow-produced documentary, Maria&rsquo;s ambivalence about being its subject, and its value in normalizing mental health within a sexist, racist, ableist comedy world.
Later, Maria critiques benefit shows and nonprofit &ldquo;hustles,&rdquo; recounting her disastrous schizophrenia benefit set and Howie Mandel&rsquo;s success, and Kamau&rsquo;s reliance on Pastor Mike McBride to vet which causes to support.
Support women living on Los Angeles&rsquo;s Skid Row by donating to The Downtown Women&rsquo;s Center at <a href="http://downtownwomenscenter.org">downtownwomenscenter.org</a>
Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Part of the Pushkin Network.

Kamau Bell is known for embracing uncomfortable conversations that acknowledge differences, confront embarrassment, and change people’s perspectives. Throughout his career, Kamau has talked with everyone from KKK members to Oprah Winfrey to strangers on the streets. Each time, Kamau fills these conversations with humor, heart, and intellect, showing that a simple conversation can lead to surprising revelations and spark change, one person at a time.

Kamau brings all that and more to his new weekly podcast, Who’s With Me? Inspired by Kamau’s popular Substack newsletter of the same name, Who’s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times. 

In every episode, Kamau addresses what has caught his attention in the current cultural or political landscape. He also sits down with someone he admires deeply—a time for Kamau to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place. Kamau will talk to celebrities, his fellow comedians, his fellow Oaklanders, activists, and sometimes he will talk to someone like Daveed Diggs, who is all of that in one body. So… who’s with Kamau? New episodes every Wednesday. 

Kamau Bell is known for embracing uncomfortable conversations that acknowledge differences, confront embarrassment, and change people&rsquo;s perspectives. Throughout his career, Kamau has talked with everyone from KKK members to Oprah Winfrey to strangers on the streets. Each time, Kamau fills these conversations with humor, heart, and intellect, showing that a simple conversation can lead to surprising revelations and spark change, one person at a time.
Kamau brings all that and more to his new weekly podcast,&nbsp;Who&rsquo;s With Me? Inspired by Kamau&rsquo;s popular Substack newsletter of the same name, Who&rsquo;s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times.&nbsp;
In every episode, Kamau addresses what has caught his attention in the current cultural or political landscape. He also sits down with someone he admires deeply&mdash;a time for Kamau to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place. Kamau will talk to celebrities, his fellow comedians, his fellow Oaklanders, activists, and sometimes he will talk to someone like Daveed Diggs, who is all of that in one body. So&hellip; who&rsquo;s with Kamau? New episodes every Wednesday.&nbsp;

Who's with Me? with W. Kamau Bell

Who’s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times. Every Wednesday, stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell sits down with someone he admires deeply to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place.

W. Kamau Bell is a Peabody Award winner, 4X Emmy Award winner, documentary filmmaker, Celebrity Jeopardy! champion, Official Ambassador of the band Fishbone, self-proclaimed #1 Bruce Lee Expert (non-Asian division), part-time activist, and full-time family man. Kamau is also known for his CNN docuseries United Shades of America, his four-part docuseries We Need To Talk About Cosby, and for scrawling “HAHA!” over his enemies’ faces on his Instagram account.

Who&rsquo;s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times. Every Wednesday, stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell sits down with someone he admires deeply to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place.
W. Kamau Bell is a Peabody Award winner, 4X Emmy Award winner, documentary filmmaker, Celebrity Jeopardy! champion, Official Ambassador of the band Fishbone, self-proclaimed #1 Bruce Lee Expert (non-Asian division), part-time activist, and full-time family man. Kamau is also known for his CNN docuseries United Shades of America, his four-part docuseries We Need To Talk About Cosby, and for scrawling &ldquo;HAHA!&rdquo; over his enemies&rsquo; faces on his Instagram account.

Maria Bamford on Making Your Own Rules

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b2072212-4686-4601-bf99-b49501887c0a/transcript