John Mulaney texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere saying he'd been a fan for a while and wanted to make a Netflix special with her. Robby called it 'shocking, horrifying, anxiety-inducing, surreal and thrilling' — and said yes.
Where this was said
At 43:00 · chapter starts 41:15
Will Arnett frames the conversation perfectly: Robby seemed to burst onto the scene from nowhere, and he wants to understand the mechanism. Sean Hayes adds that Mulaney described her as owning the stage like no one since James Brown. Robby then reads the actual text messages — an exclusive on the podcast. Mulaney's note is warm and precise: he'd been a fan for a while, enjoyed her WTF appearance, had a Netflix deal, and wanted to talk about making a special. Robby's reply is a masterpiece of trying to play it cool while completely failing: 'shocking, horrifying, anxiety-inducing, surreal and thrilling for someone like me to receive a text like this from someone like you.' The collaboration worked because they split duties cleanly: Mulaney handled all production, direction, and logistics; Robby focused entirely on delivering the best hour of stand-up she had. They filmed two shows in one night, knowing after the first they had everything. Robby says, without hesitation, that she believes it is objectively one of the greatest stand-up specials in recent memory — and she backs this claim by noting she has previously told audiences not to bother with early plays she was in. She also describes the creative dynamic as an Eminem-Dido collab: mismatched on paper, perfect in execution.
John Mulaney cold-texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere to offer to produce her Netflix special, which became Wake Up.
Robby and Mulaney filmed two shows in one night for the Netflix special; after the first they knew they had it, so the second was a victory lap.
Mulaney is buttoned-up, suit-wearing, classy. Robby is gritty, raw, and undefined. Together they made the collab nobody expected. Batman and Robin. Eminem and Dido.
Robby Hoffman isn't fearless — she's terrified all the time. The difference is she does it anyway, because not doing it feels worse than the fear itself.
Mulaney is buttoned-up, suit-wearing, classy. Robby is gritty, raw, and undefined. Together they made the collab nobody expected. Batman and Robin. Eminem and Dido.
Music had Pope Gregory forcing notation. Comedy has had 'magical thinking' — he's just got funny bones. But jokes work through discoverable, teachable mechanics. Writing down the rules doesn't kill the magic; it gives more people access to it.
Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.
The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.
The anonymous French artist Invader has hidden 1,500 pixelated mosaic artworks across Paris alone, with thousands more scattered across 80+ cities — affixed to the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, and even sent to the International Space Station. He might be even busier than Banksy.
The Flash Invaders app turns city streets into a treasure hunt, letting players scan Invader's hidden mosaics for points. Players have collectively logged over 47 million flashes. Unlike most mobile games that glue you to a screen, this one forces you to look up and engage with your surroundings.
New York draws thousands of young, talented performers every year chasing Broadway stardom — but the hard truth is that most of them never make it. Zelig Williams was one of the rare exceptions.
Most blockbusters crater 50% in their second weekend — 'The Odyssey' dropped just 19%. It's on track for nearly $640 million in 10 days, faster than Oppenheimer, and looks set to become Nolan's third film to cross $1.2 billion.
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