We're Obsessed With You
Emily Hymes and Kyle O'Donnell are two best friends and late night television producers. When they aren't working, they're texting, DMing, and voice noting each other about everything they're obsessed with – both online and in NYC.
On We're Obsessed With You, Emily and Kyle invite their favorite personalities to dive into the things they can't stop thinking about. This is an interview show about hyperfixations, served with pop culture expertise and just a little bit of brain rot.
We're Obsessed With You
Obsessing Over Stoners, Spray Tans & Jeffrey Keller
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Emily and Kyle are back and unpacking why the best conversations always seem to happen on walks. Plus, Emily shares her surprising makeup obsession and Kyle reveals his secret for great hair.
Then Comedian Jeffrey Keller brings the laughs when he pops by the WOWY Offices. He talks about growing up on the East Coast of Florida, getting spray tanned, getting stoned, and his 40-city stand-up tour. They close things out with his ~GAY~ obsession and play an all-new round of Obsessed or Over It, where Jeffrey gives his very clear takes on dates, lakes, and everything in between.
00:00 – Welcome to WOWY
03:36 – Emily’s Obsession
05:40 – Kyle’s Obsession
10:14 – Jeffrey's Interview
24:34 – Jeffrey's Obsession
35:18 – Obsessed or Over It
New show, new obsessions, every Wednesday.
Hosts: Emily Hymes and Kyle O'Donnell
Guest: Jeffrey Keller
Executive Producer: Julia Aubuchon
Producers: Drew Downing and Ben Gottlieb
Graphic Designer: Maddie Jones
Original Music: Reuben Alexander
For RaffHouse Productions: Haleigh Raff and Glenn Raff
Keep in touch:
Instagram » http://bit.ly/4p5Dsxm
TikTok » https://bit.ly/47YvkbR
Email » wereobsessedwithyou@gmail.com
This Week's Obsessions:
Emily: Jones Road Beauty The Face Pencil
Kyle: Wavy Everyday Curl Crème
Jeffrey: Musical Theatre
We're Emily and Kyle. We started as coworkers in late night television and now we're best friends exploring NYC and our FYPs.
SPEAKER_01This is an interview show about obsessions. Ours, theirs, and maybe yours too. Welcome to We're Obsessed With You. I hope this email finds you before I do. What's up, Emily?
SPEAKER_04Uh, nothing much, you hi everyone.
SPEAKER_01Welcome to We're Obsessed With You. I'm Kyle O'Donnell.
SPEAKER_04I'm Emily Himes.
SPEAKER_01We're two best friends working in late night television. I'm at Watch It Happens Live.
SPEAKER_04I'm at late night with Seth Myers.
SPEAKER_01And this is our show where we talk to the people we're obsessed with about the things there obsessed with you wanted to talk about something.
SPEAKER_04Yes. I went for a walk today.
SPEAKER_01Love. Love a walk.
SPEAKER_04And I went for a walk with my friend Vicky. We do Friday walks. We tape this on Fridays, even though this is released Wednesdays. A little peek behind the curtain. But um it was nice to get out. You know, it's cool, it's warmer out, so people are just like out and about. And I think like going for a walk with your friends is so important because everything gets so busy. Like I'm so busy during the week. I haven't seen Vicky really. I've seen her like here and there. But to like actually go for a walk and have like an hour dedicated to us walking the beautiful streets of Brooklyn around Prospect Park was like so nice. And then you forget, like when you're at work, you're talking about all this work stuff and TV shows and all this stuff. And when you're talking to a friend, you're like, oh yeah. Like you're just like, I don't know. You're just like learning so many fun new things from that.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think it's similar to being in the car with someone, and because you're being distracted by if you're driving the road, but if you're in the passenger seat, there's other things. Yeah, you're also not making direct eye contact with someone this that whole time. And I just think it does open you up to deeper conversations.
SPEAKER_04You know what's interesting? I read something once that talked about um read something once means I don't know. I actually don't even know if it was from I don't know where I saw this, but how many women have more face-to-face conversations and men have shoulder to shoulder because they're usually at a bar oh interesting watching like the game or something. And I asked Mike about it and he was like, he got defensive. I was just like, I'm not trying to be defen, like I'm just but I thought that was interesting.
SPEAKER_01I also think there's no reason to in my mind, there's no reason to get defensive about it because at least you're having a conversation.
SPEAKER_04Mike has very great conversations at the bar.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04But um Yeah, I don't that doesn't have anything to do. I mean, uh Vicky and I are two women and we just walked side by side.
SPEAKER_01Wait, but I think there's something about like the you can engage in a deeper conversation because you're doing something else. Like you're not you're not so caught up in maybe the anxiety of having a conversation. I don't know.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, just easy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I love going on a walk with and having a convo with someone. Do you like not I don't want to go on a walk and have a phone call.
SPEAKER_04Oh, wow. Wow. Don't offend Laura. You just offended Laura. How does that make you feel?
SPEAKER_01Fine. Gluten, gluten, gluten, gluten. Laura? Um, I don't care about a phone call. That's like the straight man in me, I think.
SPEAKER_04Yes, one thousand percent.
SPEAKER_01Don't come at me with a phone call.
SPEAKER_04I'm like, oh, I have 45 minutes to kill. Like, how many people can I call?
SPEAKER_01No, not me.
SPEAKER_04Well, I didn't, I don't call you. I just voiced note you was the same freaking thing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, I wanted that to be my obsession, but it's not. What is your obsession?
SPEAKER_04My obsession is looking beautiful.
SPEAKER_01Always.
SPEAKER_04Um, always, which I don't know if it's really coming across right now, but I was having a really bad day last Friday. And after I left here, I was walking to the subway and I stopped into Jones Road Beauty because I was like, oh, maybe makeup would make me feel better. Of course. Honestly, if there was a Sephora there, I would have just gone ham for some for a girly who doesn't like to wear makeup. Yeah. I spent a lot of money at Sephora. Um, but I ended, I just like walked in, I was like, I just need something to like, um, I don't know, like maybe just like hide some dark spots. And I have this like one little spot I have to get zapped. Um and she was like, You need the concealer, the face pencil. And I was like, Yeah, yeah, I do. And so she brought me, it's basically a concealer. Jones Road is a brand, Bobby Brown's. I don't really know what it is to Bobby Brown. It's like the more minimal vibes of Bobby Brown. Yes, it basically owns it because she sold Bobby Brown to L'Oreal.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and she had a non-compete, so she worked on this for years. Yeah. And she basically says, like, this is the like the modern makeup brand. It's minimal.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it's super minimal. I have a lot of stuff from um Jones Road, because it's just they keep it simple for a simple girly like me. So I spent about $68 and I got three things. I had to get the pencil, obviously, but then I had to get the accoutrements, which includes a sharpener. Did I need it? No. But you know what, girls? I'm obsessed with just buying things if you wanna. Absolutely. And boys, and women and men and whatever.
SPEAKER_01Life is too short to not spend money.
SPEAKER_04Then I got the brush. So what we like about this pencil is typically with concealer, it's like messy and it's like not easy for on the go. You have to use your fingers, and or it's like a little wet. This is just a pencil.
SPEAKER_01Fine.
SPEAKER_04And it's really cute. You can probably write with it, but I put it under my eyes, I put it in my little spots. I put it on the other day to show Laura, and she goes, Wow, it really is brightening your under eyes. Oh, really?
SPEAKER_01Yes. You are shade eight.
SPEAKER_04And if I get a little tanner, I skip to ten.
SPEAKER_01Great. What I do like about this is it it has a 24-month expiration date.
SPEAKER_04And it's a like also it's a tiny pencil.
SPEAKER_01Yes. This connects to my obsession as well. Because my is also beauty related, but it's also about We love being beautiful girls. We love being beautiful girls.
SPEAKER_04Okay, what is it?
SPEAKER_01Okay, so my product is well, I must say that my hair does 74% of the heavy lifting of my personality.
SPEAKER_04Like your hair is important.
SPEAKER_01Everyone just calls me out for my hair, and I'm happy that I have a full head of it, and it's naturally very curly. And I fought a lot of my life with my curly hair. And then one day I found this product, which I've used for a while, so but I'm obsessed with it because it now ships to the United States quicker. This is wavy everyday curl cream, which you may have seen on Instagram because it was created by Ayal Booker of Love Island.
SPEAKER_04Oh, who has the best curly hair on television?
SPEAKER_01He has the best curly hair, and he developed this product with his brother to just create the perfect everyday curl cream for men.
SPEAKER_04I also love brands that siblings work on together.
SPEAKER_01Yes. So this is Wavy.
SPEAKER_04Very cute branding. Yes, very cute.
SPEAKER_01And I bought it. Um, this is good for 24 months.
SPEAKER_04I is it like you have to have that on every product?
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_04Wow.
SPEAKER_01So I bought it like six months ago, and um I loved it so much, but it took a long time to deliver to the States. But now it's like three days. They just got a better distributor. What I love about it is that it does not smell. It has, I mean, the scent is like it's all natural. It's 98% natural ingredients. The smell, the fragrant are lemon, pepper, clearly, clearly, I don't know what that is, and geranium. But it doesn't really smell like anything.
SPEAKER_04Which no, it just smells like clean.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Yeah. But it is the I'm telling you, I'm obsessed. It is the best.
SPEAKER_04So what do you do? You put it in your hair wet or dry?
SPEAKER_01Well, Emily, you have two options.
SPEAKER_04Ooh, fun, fun, fun.
SPEAKER_01What I do is that I get out of the shower and I take a like a hair turban, put it on, let it dry a little bit, like get it to about like 70% dry. A little damp.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Put it in my hand.
SPEAKER_04Like a dot, like a quarter?
SPEAKER_01Like between probably like a dime.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_01And then put in my hair and like kind of scrunch the curls in. Yeah. And it just has a natural hold. But what you also could do is if you want like that wet curly look, I don't.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01You just leave it in and you don't touch it or anything on in like wet hair. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But then if you want matte texture like mine, you let it wait for a little bit and then you put it in and it just like it really accentuates the curls and it's more like manageable. Yeah. I don't know. It's it's the per I'm telling just telling you, it is the perfect curly hair product for men. I have used sea salt sprays. I have used every single product. This is the best one, and I do think it helps. Like sometimes I don't want to shower in the morning, and with curly hair, you kind of have to, and I'll just put this in instead. And it just tames the mane. Yeah. Yeah. We gotta talk about our guests today.
SPEAKER_04We have to.
SPEAKER_01We have Jeffrey Keller, who is a dream.
SPEAKER_04So funny.
SPEAKER_01He is so funny. He is on TikTok where he gets absolutely stoned.
SPEAKER_04He takes the gummy and he does things. Yeah, he cooks, he goes for adventures in the city.
SPEAKER_01He's so hot.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he's really cute.
SPEAKER_01And he's in the middle of a huge tour. He has 40-something dates for the rest of 2026. So crazy. We're so excited to talk to him.
SPEAKER_04I know, I can't wait.
SPEAKER_01If you are listening to us, we are on YouTube, so you should check us out.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And you absolutely should go to our ShopMai on our Linktree.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it's the only way you can buy this product, actually.
SPEAKER_01It just gives us a little money back and helps us to continue to do this podcast. So if there's any product you like that we talk about, go on our ShopMai, buy it, tell them that we sent you their way. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04We have really good taste.
SPEAKER_01We have really good taste. We're trying everything. Taste makers. We're not getting paid by these products.
SPEAKER_04Like we these are things we're I actually spent $70 on all this.
SPEAKER_01We're spending our own money to try these things out. And we are telling you about these things because we love them.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, so that's that.
SPEAKER_04That's that.
SPEAKER_01We'll be right back with Jeffrey Keller.
SPEAKER_00Yay.
SPEAKER_01Jeffrey Keller, we're obsessed with you. Welcome. So obsessed with you guys. Thanks for having me. We're so excited. I'm such a huge fan.
SPEAKER_03I'm so pumped. Thank you so very much.
SPEAKER_01I don't know what the first TikTok I saw, but as a stoner, I was like, this is perfect. I love this so much. I'm so glad. You are unbelievable. Thank you. I appreciate that. What made you start recording yourself while stoned out of your mind? Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02No, I um uh stoned right now. No, I wish. I can't do anything. I can't do anything high. Like, that's why I do it alone. And now we're doing these things where I'm like out and about with my producer, will follow me. And sometimes she's like, you're being silent for like, we'll be filming for 30 minutes. She's like, You haven't said anything. I'm like, I'm scared. I'm petrified right now. But no, I um I've been doing stand-up for years. And uh I'm sure you guys know this. I don't need to explain it to you, but um, anything in the arts, you can't do it anymore unless you have a following. Yeah, yeah. And uh every day I'm like, Can I get on stage? Can I get on stage more and more and more? Can I get more stage time? They're like, you don't nobody knows who you are. And I was like, oh, fuck you guys. Yeah. Right. And so it was April of last year. It's coming up on a year. I started uh talking like I would. First of all, if you me if you if you didn't want to if you hold on, shut the fuck up. If you mention my shitty tanned knuckles in the comments, I'm coming for you. Okay? I will come for you. Resume, okay? I didn't want to say anything, but because it was last night and I fell asleep before, you know, when you gotta like loach and then watch the nuts and I fell asleep. Um, I was way too high. Um fuck. But I have a show tomorrow. It'll look fine tomorrow. Fuck you, come. Yeah, you want to see these tanned knuckles. And it's because I'll be holding a mic on stage and oh, and I'll see pictures and I'm like, I'm gonna jump, dude. Um but no, I uh I've been doing stand-up for years. Um, and everyone was like, you can't, you're not allowed, you don't have followers. And it was a year ago I started pressing post on um like talk to camera videos, and I was trying not to burn material, so I would just write these like little silly whatevers. Um and then I don't know about you guys with socials, but TikTok to me is fake. I don't know why. Please I don't know why. I treat it like my shit posting, and like no one's seeing you. Yeah, it's almost like a private story where you're like, I just don't really care what's going on there. And there was one day I I was just taking an edible because I do that. Um, and I cooked, and I was like, what if I just like pressed record today? And I posted it on TikTok, literally not thinking anything of it. And in one day it hit like two million. And then and then the next day I woke up, I was like, I should probably post that on Instagram. Yeah, and then it hit a million. I was like, I should probably do that again, and then again and again, and now we're here. Um, which is weird because not everyone knows that I do stand-up and we're trying to obviously incorporate that. That's the whole goal. Yes. Um, but it is really nice that it is um, I feel like my my my followers like feel like we're just hanging out, which we are. Yeah, and so they still are coming out to shows just to hang out. So the fact that I have like any jokes, they're like, oh, this is like a thing.
SPEAKER_03And I'm like, no, it's like a thing, guys. I do that. Yeah, like and then we're having fun. They're like, it's so much fun. I'm like, yeah, we're having fun.
SPEAKER_02Um so it really has been awesome because it's it's um the same, like my stand-up for years has always been like my my voice on stage is me but elevated, because like I'm just a performer and that's what I'm doing on the when I take an edible, it's me but a little elevated. Um, so I I I feel like it's a lot of the same guy. So it's awesome. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Did you what came first? Were you like, I want to get on stage and be a comedian, or were you a stoner in high school? Like what?
SPEAKER_02You know what's so funny? I did not try weed. I was such a like weed and alcohol was not my, they were not my things. Um I tried, I had really bad, I always have really bad anxiety, and during the pandemic, I tried um uh edibles for the first time. Yeah and I was like, oh, this helps a lot. Yeah, and then you take too many, you don't take a break for too long and you're like, this makes it worse. But then you keep coming back, you know. Um but no, it was uh it was fully like in my adulthood, and then I was doing it like three, four days a week, and then now I'm a full blown pothead, which sucks. It sucks. Also, my background is in musical theater, so I never smoked, and now that's like I'm doing stand-up full-time, which was always the goal. I was doing stand-up and musical theater, but now I don't have to worry about singing, so I'm smoking like a chimney. I'm such a bitch, dude. I'm like, oh, I gotta go outside with my knuckles. We have orange joints here. Sorry. Honestly, this could be a brand opportunity for you. Dude, I want to get sugared and bronzed. I have a proposition for you. Yeah, no, I'm I'm fully. Sugar bronze and stoned. I think we're on the stone thing. I tried, dude, I've tried. I have you guys gotten spray tans? He has. I'm upset, dude. I fucking love a spray tan. I've started, here's the thing I'm like, I'm like the straight guy who's like, uh-uh. And then I tried something and I'm like, yes. You know what I mean? Like, we're gonna queen out. You know what I mean, brother? Uh, but it, but dude, I one time it was uh I I started doing it for um it was a production of legally blonde, and I was the UPS guy. Short shorts, you know what I mean? And I'm like buffed up. And so I like, you gotta be tanned. Yeah. And dude, it was one type. I always try to go to sugared and bronze as late as humanly possible so I can sleep in it. So it's like 10:30 appointments they have. Yeah. And I went and I popped an edible before. And this girl is fully like spraying my dick. And she's like, So what do you do?
SPEAKER_03And I'm like, I don't know. What do you do?
SPEAKER_02She's spraying my back.
SPEAKER_03I'm like, what?
SPEAKER_02And you know they're not allowed to have men work there, which I support. I want it all, I want everyone to be safe and lovely. Like, I support it, but it's weird for me. Yeah, right. And it's fully, and I'm like, what are you doing?
SPEAKER_01It is an absolutely mortifying experience to bed to go to sugar.
SPEAKER_02Oh my god, they're like, turn out and bend your leg, and I'm like, oh, and then it's cold and my bulge has never been smaller, and I'm high, and I'm like, she thinks I have a micro penis. I hate it, but I love it. My favorite part.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, of course.
SPEAKER_01I just knew we need to figure out how to make it warm. I love when they get involved in like the small talk aspect, but what's the reason for the spray tab? Yeah, I'm like, I just wanted one. Like, oh do you got them off then? Yeah, of course.
SPEAKER_02And then there was this one time, I'm not trying, this sounds very braggadocious. I genuinely don't mean for it to be, but but she was some girl started flirting with me.
SPEAKER_03She was like, Who are you? I told her it was illegally blonde. She was like, who are you? And I was like, the UPS guy.
SPEAKER_02And she fully, I swear, I it made me so uncomfortable. She was being so sweet, but she goes, I could have never guessed.
SPEAKER_03And I was like, and I'm hiding in my mind. I'm like, did you think I was gonna say Paulette in the mix? Like, what the fuck are we doing right now?
SPEAKER_02That is too great. She was so sweet. Whoever you are, I'm just being high and anxious. Oh my god. Where are you guys from?
SPEAKER_04I grew up in Orlando, Florida.
SPEAKER_02Can you believe? Amazing. Fort Lauderdale.
SPEAKER_04Amazing, way cooler than Orlando, way gayer.
SPEAKER_02Wilton Manners is so gay. It's so gay. If you don't know Wilton Manners in Fort Lauderdale, camera three, if you don't know, um, it's literally fucking fucking Hell's Kitchen, but in Florida. And I'll never forget my uh my college buddies rented a house in uh Fort Lauderdale for uh spring break uh one year, and they didn't know where they were, they were just like Fort Lauderdale, Airbnb. And I told them I would just drive because I would just stay at my parents' house. Yeah. Um and I drove into Wilton Manors and I was like, Do you guys know where you are right now? And they're like, Fort Lauderdale, baby. And I'm like, all the houses are pink, dog. And they're like, oh, that makes sense. We've seen so many Yorkes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, yeah, it's all like 50 plus muscle bears that live there. Yeah, hot dudes. Heaven on earth. I'm really okay. He's talking about Orlando. Um, so you're also just going, you're going on tour. 26. Actually, we're over 40.
SPEAKER_03Oh my god.
SPEAKER_02It's okay. It's okay. No, no, it's it on the website. No, you're so good. It's uh, it's uh, those are all just the links that are live. I'm the luckiest. When I tell you I feel like the luckiest guy in the world, I truly like I'm so grateful. I'm so lucky.
SPEAKER_04Is it your biggest tour yet?
SPEAKER_02It's my only tour yet. Oh my god, huge. Congratulations. Second half of the year, I think I'm on tour uh every single weekend, which I'm already dying. Yeah, but I'm super, super, super grateful. Of course. Um, very, very grateful, very, very happy, very excited. It's uh, like I said, I've been doing stand-up for years. Um and now I'm just able to sell tickets. Um it's really nice. Yeah, it it's crazy to me. Um literally, literally under a year ago, while I was still like garnering a following, me and my friends, um, we would run this monthly comedy show on the Upper West Side called Diner Dog's Comedy. When I tell you we would sit outside begging people to come for a week straight to get 35 people in there. Yeah, the fact that I fly somewhere and I walk out and there's like hundreds of people, I'm I genuinely feel like the luckiest guy in the world. That's amazing. I really am the like so, so, so grateful.
SPEAKER_04You've gotten good at editing too. Like, how long are these videos that you edit down to two minutes?
SPEAKER_02Oh, they're long. Yeah, they're long. People people think they're shorter than they are. Um, I get jealous of some, I know influencers who like will do like uh I have somebody who You don't have to hide your Zen. Okay, cool.
SPEAKER_04Thanks so much, there you go.
SPEAKER_02Thanks so much, you guys. Emily lives in a Zen house.
SPEAKER_04My husband's like Zen or death.
SPEAKER_02You know what sucks? I come I quit for over a year. I quit for over a year and I started like two days ago just to help me lock in real quick. I'm not making I promised my lady it's not gonna be a habit. Um uh it's like to lock in for things like this, and I I I do like one to two a day. When I used to I yeah, I used to be like a full Zen. Um, but no, it's it's actually really good right now.
SPEAKER_04When we go on vacation, like the amount he has just a full six pack.
SPEAKER_02Does he buy the logs?
SPEAKER_04He buys the logs.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, I've I never got there.
SPEAKER_04And by the end of the trip, he's like, you rationing.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_04Yes. Oh my god. And by the end of the trip, if he's out, he's like, we need to go get some rats.
SPEAKER_02And you're in Puerto Rico, they don't have them, and they're like, yeah. And now you're buying black market zins. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04We have some janky brands every now and then. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01So how many does he do a day?
SPEAKER_04Uh oh, I ask him a lot. I a lot. I mean he had two during the movie the other night when we were watching.
SPEAKER_02Like, I have buddies that like I thankfully I don't have a very addictive personality. I was able to quit very easily. I yeah, I can I I can really be like picky and choosy uh with this kind of stuff. But like I have buddies that they wake up every single morning with headaches, and so the first thing they have to do is like pop two.
SPEAKER_01Until recently, I thought it was just full-blown chewing tobacco. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
SPEAKER_04This is actually really actually good for me, Emily. No, I don't know.
SPEAKER_02We all love Andrew Huberman, but uh yeah, no, it's uh it's there there are studies that show like if if you know what I'm gonna shut up. I have a BFA musical theater and I'm gonna shut the fuck up. And I'm gonna shut the fuck up. You know what I mean? I know it's bad for me.
SPEAKER_01Mom, sorry. We'll pivot. Yeah. What is your dream comedy blunt rotation? Oh my god.
SPEAKER_02Um, I've never thought about that. That's a phenomenal question. Thank you so much. I don't know if this is my blunt rotation, but I have like Mount Rushmore people. So that's it's definitely there. I mean, obviously, you have um um uh small white Jewish kid, Sandler say. John Mulaney taught me how to tell a story. I think Shane Gillis is the funniest guy working currently. I think Kat Williams also told taught me how to tell a story. Separating, I love separating art from artist. I'm sorry. Louis CK, if you go watch like old Louis stuff, he's he's the goat. Yeah, all these people, you know, really um uh uh shaped me so so uh crazy. Uh uh Patrice O'Neill, R.I.P. I think Elephant in the Room is one of the craziest specials of all time. I don't know if you're how nervous. I don't know if you're familiar with that. It's so weird having like these two like I really queen out on like theater, and then like I was 14 and social media was a thing, but nobody was posting stand-up clips. But like the only people that were posting clips, uh I'm a 90, I'm a 96 baby. Um really? No. Okay. She wishes. She wishes. I'm a 96 baby. And so when uh I was I was like 14, and the only the only stand-up clips that were out there were uh the Laugh Factory LA would post, and I would just scroll and scroll and scroll. And so I've been obsessed forever. The first time I did stand-up, I was 17 years old. Wow. And so I was like obsessed, obsessed, obsessed. So when I say like, like um uh I could really please stop me and ask me more questions because I will talk for hours just on this. Um, but like a couple weekends ago I got to sell out um Denver Comedy Works, and like some of my favorite albums are recorded there, and I literally like at the end of the shows, I started crying on stage because I'm like, You guys have no idea. Dave Vattel recorded skanks for the memories here. Where he's it's fully like a 2001 special saying every bad word you're not allowed to say. And I'm like, it just means so much to me. He's calling the entire, the the entire audience the R-word, and I'm like, it just it's like it's just a wonderful piece of art.
SPEAKER_04I've never been to a stand-up show where someone starts crying on stage. I wonder what I would have done. I would have been like, oh my god, this is so sweet.
SPEAKER_03I'm like, you guys are really making my dreams come true.
SPEAKER_01We were in for a different kind of night.
SPEAKER_03I'm like, I know I'm a lot different than I am online.
SPEAKER_01Um we'll be right back with your obsession, but could you tease us with one word? I feel like I definitely already teased it, but the word the word is gay.
SPEAKER_00Now we know what it is. Now we know what the obsession is. Oh no.
SPEAKER_01Finally, something I can talk about. We'll be right back. We're back.
SPEAKER_00We're back.
SPEAKER_01You said gay. Cancelled.
SPEAKER_02Tell us about your obsession, your gay obsession. The BFA in musical theater. So we're the week and queen out now. Thank God, brother. Thank God.
SPEAKER_01I've been restraining myself this whole time.
SPEAKER_02As if you could have guessed with the knuckles, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Okay, musical theater, hit us.
SPEAKER_04When did you start?
SPEAKER_02My sister, my sister started, uh uh, she has a degree in theater as well. Um, and uh I was a you know a teenage kid and she was like, you know where all the girls are? And I was like, I know where all the girls are, you know. And then in high school, you're like making out with a girl backstage and you're doing rent and they're like talking about AIDS, and you're like, hold on, I need to kiss this lady, and then go out on stage, and you're like, I'm learning nothing from the art form. And then by the time you actually get into the art form, I'm like, I think I respect the art form. Get out of here, ladies. I'm too busy getting into character, you know. Um, but yeah, no, I uh my sister got me into it, and uh I was I was the uh I was the annoying douchebag kid who like I would uh I I didn't do theater how I how I say it is theater's like a sport, you do it all year. Kids now they start at like three and they're in voice lessons. You know what I mean? Like they're ready for Broadway at 16. Right. I was just doing the one musical a year and then I was playing football. And then um uh I'd find I was originally uh going to college to play football and I got hip surgery, and I was like, I'm not trying, I'm not going to the NFL. I'm not trying to wake up at 5 a.m. to work. What am I what am I doing? Right. So I'm gonna wake up at 8 a.m. for ballet instead. I made a really lateral decision. Uh but at the time, you know, I I loved being on stage. I knew I wanted to do stand-up forever. I knew I wanted to act forever. Um I love musical theater. Um but I love what I do now more. I don't know if have you guys ever been in musicals or were you theater kids?
SPEAKER_01I was a musical, I was a theater kid. I still love musical theater. Yeah, but I think what you just said for me, it was like the only place A that felt safe as a queer kid, of course. But also it was the only time where I felt like my skill set was actually being appreciated and like nurtured, yeah, and it made me more confident in every other way. In the same way that I do think kids feel about sports. Like I was not an athlete, but my sister was an athlete, and I think her sports for her like embedded made her more confident to do well in other fashions. 100%. I think that's so wonderful. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04That's like you could cry listening to that. Like I just want all these kids to feel happy and have a place to go.
SPEAKER_02Yes, absolutely. I think that's I think that's a beautiful thing. I think that's uh that's so wonderful. Yeah, I mean it was uh you know, you once you the first time you fully like release on stage and like become uh like oh, I can just be an idiot. Yeah, like I can just be anything. I could just, oh, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, let's have some fun. And then you like improv accidentally for the first time and you get a huge pop and you're like, I'm a god. Yeah, I'm a god.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. I was always cast as the comedic relief because there's always a toxic straight man in the production, like yourself.
SPEAKER_00Guilty.
SPEAKER_01And I just remember like each night or like during rehearsal, like finding a new thing to make someone laugh. Yes. And like trying to get my friends to break during the like scenes. Always. And it was there is no better feeling than that.
SPEAKER_02No, I mean it's the best. I I always say the best feeling in the world is making a room full of people laugh. The second best feeling is making them cry. You know what I mean? As long I think this is again, I can queen out about this for for hours, but uh uh live theater or live art, I think it's live performance. I could be wrong. Don't quote you know what? Do we do we have a computer back there? Look this up. Um look this up. I think it's a I can't believe I'm about to say what I'm about to say. I think it's a 2018 study from Stanford.
SPEAKER_00Um just with that out of nowhere.
SPEAKER_02Please look this up. But it's it's the only art form. Uh live theater is the only art form where the audience's heartbeat uh it they sync up. And it's it's truly like a breathe, it's a breathing organism.
SPEAKER_00Wow.
SPEAKER_02Um, so a lot of people like even now, people are like, why are you not posting your stand-up? Why are you not posting crowdwork clips? Why are you not doing all the things at normal? And I'm like, come see it live. Now, now does that suck? Do I need to like introduce stand-up into my world? Of course I do. Yeah. But it's like, come see it live. I don't want to be the same as what everyone else is doing because come see it live. We're having fun, we're breathing in the room. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_04Well, at the next show I go to an intermission, I want to like lean over to the person and be like, hey, you know, like we're synced up right now. You touch it, you touch it.
SPEAKER_00I'm not trying to grab your tits right now.
SPEAKER_03This is a full heart thing. It's Ethel next to you. We're seeing Phantom of the Opera, she's dying.
SPEAKER_04Let's go there.
SPEAKER_01The first post-COVID, the first time I was in a theater, I sobbed when the show started. Like it was that kind of thing. Yeah, yeah. It is, it is an incredible experience, like be in a theater watching. 100%. How do you approach or the difference between comedy and musical theater? Like, I know that you don't do musical theater anymore, but what was your respect what was your approach to these respective artists?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, my my thing is just prepare, prepare, prepare, prepare, prepare, prepare. I I so I was doing musical theater full time. I graduated in 2018. And if you count the summers of like I don't know how much you guys know about like summer stock theater, when you getting a BFA musical theater, you work during the summers if someone hires you. Um so I was doing it full-time professionally for almost a decade, if you count the the summers in school. And um I remember my first ever job, I like came in, didn't know any of my lines, and I was like, what are we doing? You know what I mean? And they're like, oh no, this is professional. It's like, oh, I gotta get good quick. Yeah. Got it. And then it like my whole thing was um I I hate to your point earlier, like making choices and making people laugh. I can't do that with a script in my hand. That's just a personal thing. So I came in, I knew everything. I knew every single line. I was already off book because the second we were in the rehearsal room, I was like, let's play. Let's play. I want to be way overprepared because I'm I want to have fun and play. Um and it's the same with with stand-up. It's like if I if I've done this a billion times, um I'm able to like if something weird happens in the room, I'm able to go here now and then I can come back.
SPEAKER_00Right, right.
SPEAKER_02You know what I mean? Um, so it's really just reps and everything. That's just a me thing, though. If I feel underprepared, I feel scared, and then I won't do as well. You know what I mean? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um there is an elephant in the room with this conversation, and I hate to bring it there. Please. You're a straight man in musical theater.
SPEAKER_04Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, what's the deal? Bro, I wish I was gay. My life, bro. You would eat.
SPEAKER_02Bro, my I my life would be so much better explained. You know what I mean? Because like even in stand-up, I'm I'm I'm like, when I'm on stage, I like I'm like a little like I'm social. I got a sugar, I got sugar in the tank. Like we I have a BFA in musical theater. I've dance all my buddies are, you know what I mean? Yeah. Um, so sometimes people are like, are you sure you're not? I'm like, trust me, I like it would be it would be a lot easier to explain to my dad who keeps calling me gay. You know what I mean? Like, you know, like it it's uh um it would be easy, but uh no, I I I uh yeah, I'm I'm straight.
SPEAKER_03Explain that I swear to God. I promise.
SPEAKER_01I love pussy. Allegedly the girlfriend that lives in Harlem. No, she doesn't. She would never, she would never. No, she would never.
SPEAKER_02Were you just like the bell of the ball at the cast parties?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, of course. Of course. Oh my god, of course. We go to you go to Denny's and you do shoe up, show up, shoe-bob. Oh, this was a place called Batucci's.
SPEAKER_00Batucis!
SPEAKER_03Batuccies.
SPEAKER_02You kept them in business. Let me tell you, everyone that worked at Batucci's fucking hated your dad. You fucked 40 high schoolers coming in at 9:30 and then all the buzzboys with eyeliner on.
SPEAKER_04I feel like I need to like go back in time and like do musical theater.
SPEAKER_02You've never been in one show. Were you like a stage crew or anything? No. What were you doing? So was I, which is bad. I was a bad girl too. What were you doing? Like, what was like an after-school?
SPEAKER_04Nothing crazy.
SPEAKER_02What was an afterschool activity? Were you in sports? Volleyball player. Yeah, yeah. I played volleyball.
SPEAKER_04There's a there's something called the libero, and they wear the different color that were.
SPEAKER_02I've never heard that word, but it sounds like a ballet word.
SPEAKER_04They wear different color jerseys and they come in and out for the people when they make it to the back row, the tall, the spikers. Okay. They go out and I come in. So I like save the day because they're too tall, they can't like get the digs and stuff. Okay. You're like a setter. No, I'm not a setter. Oh no, oh, sorry.
SPEAKER_02Um, she's calling the front row. Maybe when someone calls me gay? No, I'm not. No. That's something that William called a setter, the gay.
SPEAKER_01I just wanted to quickly connect it back to what you were saying about like posting and that the social media got you into clubs. Now it's a whole thing with actors that they have to have these social media pages just to be considered to go into an audition.
SPEAKER_02Do you know how easy it don't I've stopped? I again I haven't stopped doing musicals. I haven't like hung up my cleats, but like I'm not doing it right now. Um and the agencies that are reaching out now. I can only imagine. You have no idea. They're like, oh, we love you. I'm like, no, you didn't. And I was just as good. I'm actually out of practice now. I was a lot better back then. If I tried to sing right now, I'd sound like a wounded duck. You know what I mean? Like I was so much better back then. Oh, sorry. It's it's crazy to to to become another person, but have to have a following so that you can put asses in seats and it's crazy. You can't do anything unless unless you're already famous somehow.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_02Um it's brutal.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and at the end of the day, uh you are just a uh you have to it's the algorithm. Right. You could be the you could be the strongest comedian on TikTok, you could be the best musical theater actress on TikTok. It's TikTok, but it's just what the algorithm is.
SPEAKER_02It's algorithm, it's luck, it's right place, right time, it's what you're posting. It's also like like scripted versus non-scripted, like like I was talking about earlier. I feel like people fuck with my shit not because I'm so great, but uh because it feels like we're like hanging out. Yeah, yeah. I I told you I started posting the talking to the camera and I would write like a little silly bit. It wasn't even a good bit, it was just like for the algorithm. Yeah, the second I stopped scripting everything, followers jumped because it was like, oh, they just wanted to hang out with someone. Yeah, it it's it it's a it's a crazy mind game that you have to play with the algorithm too. Um and it it and the second you get any followers, you're like, this is my entire self-worth. Yes. I mean, every time I post I cry. I'm like, I've lost everything. Oh, it doesn't have a billion views. I'll how about I jump? How about I jump? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01We're running out of time, but we want to do a lightning round. No, I love you. You'll have to come back. Yes, please. We want to do a lightning round to get your takes on some final hot topics. Love. Tell us if you're obsessed or over it. Ugh. It's like Jewish or anti-Semitic.
SPEAKER_02I love it. Gay or homophobic.
SPEAKER_03Let's go.
SPEAKER_02That's the next segment.
SPEAKER_00Homophobic, next question.
SPEAKER_04Okay. Are we ready? Okay, I'm starting. Axe throwing bars.
SPEAKER_02I'm over it. I'm over it. I'm not obsessed. First dates. Obsessed. String cheese. Obsessed. Open mic nights. Uh unfortunately obsessed.
SPEAKER_04Medieval times.
SPEAKER_02Over it. Hot take. Hot take did really well. A lot of smoke and mirrors. A lot of smoke and mirrors. They turn those lights on and you're like, okay. Okay. But but now I will say, lean into the fun. If you're there to have a good time and you make yourself have a good time, obsessed. Yeah. It's great. It's great.
SPEAKER_01Creatine.
SPEAKER_02Obsessed. I think hot take, I think everyone should take it. Okay. I think there are enough studies out there that I think everyone should take three to five grams every single day for the rest of your life.
SPEAKER_04A 2018 Stanford study?
SPEAKER_02Obsessed. No, but I uh you know what's so funny is I started taking creatine in college, and my mom was like, Jeffrey, that is steroids. You're gonna die. And literally last year my mom was like, Have you heard about creatine? I'm taking my doctors told me to take it every day. And I'm like, I've been telling you for a decade, lady.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so you should have been like steroids, Bob. You know that's it.
SPEAKER_02My mom's Jack to the gills.
SPEAKER_04Um, okay, Kindles.
SPEAKER_02Uh, not obsessed. I love, I have a, I got really lucky with my apartment. I have an inlaid bookshelf and I love filling it up. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh bongs. Not obsessed. Lakes. Obsessed. I'm from Fort Lauderdale, and I'm more of a lake than an ocean guy. Wow. I love a quiet lake. Wow, yeah. Are you guys ocean or lake? So my gut to know you question is Merryfuck Kill Lakes pulls ocean. Oh my god. Killfuck Merry. Okay, Merryfuck Kill. Um, oh my goodness gracious. I'm gonna kill the ocean. I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm just scared. I'm just scared. I love the ocean, but over those three, I'm probably gonna kill ocean because I'm the most petrified. I'm gonna Marry pool because you gotta have one forever. And I'm gonna fuck a lake.
SPEAKER_00What?
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna fuck a dirty little lake.
SPEAKER_01See, and that's why I kill the lake. I lakes freak me out because they're dirty things. They're dirty. I don't like still water. I think it's creepy. Interesting.
SPEAKER_04I also always still.
SPEAKER_01Famously, they're still.
SPEAKER_04Are they?
SPEAKER_01Yes. Yeah, they are. There's no waves in there.
SPEAKER_04No, there's no waves, but there's like like things like co into a lake. There's like a little stream or something.
SPEAKER_01Stream, exactly. It's not enough. Then I marry the pool because you can control it. Yeah. And then I fuck the ocean because you never know what's going on. Let's take a moment because he wants to control his mouth.
SPEAKER_03Let's take a moment. Oh, we're gonna cancel the straight day? No. Home.
SPEAKER_01I said it. I said it. Um, we have one final question.
SPEAKER_04Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01Ready? Three, two, one. Are you obsessed with us?
SPEAKER_02I'm so obsessed with you guys. We love you so much. I love you so much. This was like a fucking blast. You guys are so wonderful at what you do and such wonderful people. You are a dream. Everyone should go see Jeffrey on tour.
SPEAKER_04Where's your next stop?
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, I don't know.
SPEAKER_04Uh well, where did we find you?
SPEAKER_02Tell us where if you just search Jeffrey Keller, it'll come up. It's Jeffrey underscore Keller. I'm in, I have New York City tomorrow. Um it's sold out, but if you guys want to come, let me know. Um, Dallas, Charlotte, San Diego, Appleton, Wisconsin, Rochester, Columbus, and then a bunch more.
SPEAKER_01Amazing. Please come. It's on his website. He's the funniest person online. We gotta go very much. Yeah, please. Oh my gosh, please. Absolutely. Okay.
SPEAKER_04Thank you guys so much. Bye, everybody. Yay!
SPEAKER_01Thanks for tuning in.
SPEAKER_04Are you obsessed with us? Please like, comment, and subscribe.
SPEAKER_01Bye.