My Friends, The Comedians

The Season 1 Finale of MFTC is finally here! Please, have a seat, and let me tell you a tale of one man who decided the world needed just ONE MORE podcast about comedy. From writing standup material for a 4th grade talent show all the way to listening to friends talk about comedy, I'll take you through my comedy journey and what doing the first season of this show has been like. Thank you again for listening, and please, keep laughing if it's funny!Follow MFTC on IG @myfriendsthecomediansAnd listen to Season 1 of "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

It's the penultimate episode of MFTC S1, and I've brought you all quite the treat. Nate DiFulvio joins me to discuss his comedy journey, but not before recommending me horrible mashups and talking about our (then) upcoming graduation. Nate has been someone I've known since day one at Villanova and I think it's amazing that we both made out having still stuck with Ridiculum. As a comedian, he's known for his outlandish characters and specific niche references. If I had to choose one word to describe a scene with Nate it would be "unpredictable", and I've loved being in scenes with him for that reason. Though our paths in comedy may not cross often in the future, I look forward to hearing from Nate when he finally manages to add just one more lane to the highways.Follow Nate on Instagram @nate.difulvioAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

In this episode, Giana Abbas and I discussed the performance behind school presentations, knowing your audience very personally, and the butterfly effect that eventually led to the birth of Johnny Hot Dog. Giana, in her own right, is a master of characters, and you'll find that she'll never admit or acknowledge this very real truth. Ever so humble, Giana made her way through Ridiculum and inspired comedians (including myself) to go for the fun things! If there is one thing truthful about Giana it's that she is always looking for what will make an audience laugh, making her one of my favorite performers to have stepped foot in Ridiculum. Enjoy this tangent-filled "comedy examination" of my friend Giana, the comedian who loves keeping improv weird.Follow Giana on Instagram @giana_abbasAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

Well, folks, after fourteen episodes of hearing almost nothing but Ridiculum nostalgia, you FINALLY get to hear from someone who was NOT in the club. My former professor, Dr. John-Paul Spiro, spent the greater part of his youth watching SNL and telling jokes at school. As he grew, he performed in a sketch group at Vassar College, meeting various comedy personalities and learning a lot about the industry. Moving from his sketch group in college, he pivoted to teaching and got his PhD in English. He now teaches the students of Villanova, and spends one hour a week every fall teaching a stand-up comedy class. Picking his academic brain on the nuances and psychology of comedy has always been, and will always prove to be, a fascinating and worth-while endeavor. Just listen for yourself.JP did not have any socials to plug, but he requested that the listeners of this show know about a Peace and Justice course he is teaching in the Spring of '26 at Villanova:"PJ 4000 - Comedy and Justice"And listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

In recording this episode I was given the gift of talking with one of my best friends and closest collaborators: Justin Groel. Working with Justin throughout college was nothing short of educational, enriching, and straight up fun. Justin is a director, writer, filmmaker, editor, and (of course) a comedian. Not one of those aspirations or roles works without the others when it comes to Justin, and we get deep into how and why that is. Additionally, this conversation really opened my eyes to the experience him and I shared with our friends being in a comedy club. After 70 minutes of conversation about supporting your teammates and attempted shoe assassinations, I'm nothing short of grateful for my time doing comedy with Mr. Groel.Follow Justin on Instagram @Justin_g013And listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

Kelechi Onuigbo is my 13th quest on the show. Does that make this episode unlucky? Well, that depends. Are you a fan of Kelechi, an alumni of Ridiculum, current EMT, and aspiring standup comedian? Do you enjoy hearing about what being in a community like a comedy club can do for growing comedians and their perspective on the art? Do podcast episodes with a bunch of laughing lighten your mood? Oh, no to all of those questions? Wow, that's weird. Then yeah, this is a pretty unlucky episode for you. For me, though, I got to talk for an hour with one of my favorite people to laugh with and for, so it's your loss if you skip this one.Follow Kelechi on Instagram and TikTok @klxtch._ , as well as @klutchthemic on TikTokAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

On this, the twelfth episode of MFTC, I speak to my former president of funny, Julia Gasarowski. Strap yourselves in, folks. This one gets silly. In this episode, I had an absolute blast recounting memories with Julia about her time in Ridiculum, being club leaders together, and TUNNELS!!! Any time on stage with Julia during an improv show was delightful and always fun to do. One day I hope to see her again in an improv scene, doing a terrible English accent and laughing all the way. Follow Julia on Instagram @juliagasarowskiAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

The back half of Season 1 brings us one of the friendliest and most creative comedians I’ve had the pleasure of working with: Miguel Badia! In this episode, Miguel and I sit down to unpack the elements of improv that align with his natural storytelling style. He shares his thoughts on playing support roles in scenes and the importance of knowing when to take a step back. And of course, we hear a great story from Miguel about an improv show that was almost derailed—thanks to none other than Shake Shack.Follow Miguel on Instagram @miguelbadia19And listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

Tune in to the second episode with my dear friend Andrew Mister as we wrap up the origin story of Ridiculum from his perspective! Andrew is a multifaceted comedian and performer who is finding his current voice in script writing and is itching to work on standup some more. On this episode, we get into what Ridiculum had to navigate during and post-pandemic. We also spend a lot of time diving into the nuances and thought processes that come with adjusting your comedic style and voice as you grow older.Follow Andrew on Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok @mramr149Andrew can also be found on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1R5YOv3KZGZlN3zhpFJdmE?si=gBBSeF2gST6SWHTtkSPQegAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

Sitting down with Jack Clemons, a junior in Ridiculum, was nothing short of insightful, engaging, and downright enjoyable. Jack, one of the funniest and most expressive performers I know, joined Ridiculum seeking a space to make friends and dip his toes into performance. What he's found since then is a significant boost in confidence, unwavering and unique support, and a group that fills his life with inspiration and wonder. When I say I've never spoken with anyone who more profoundly impacted by improv than Jack, I truly mean it. In this episode, we touch on Jack's experience growing as a performer, the purpose of an auxiliary scene partner, and what it means to perform in a BIG way.Follow Jack on Instagram @jackclemonssAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

In a very last-minute episode, I got to sit down with an old friend of Ridiculum's: Charlie Goebel! Charlie, once a student at Villanova and a member of Ridiculum, has been doing improv since middle school. His technical expertise and presence in a scene is like something I've never seen before, and in the short time we performed together I learned so much from him. In this episode, we dive into the different dynamics improv troupes can have, teaching your fellow peers, and why Charlie hasn't been doing improv as of late.Follow Charlie on Instagram @charlie.goebelAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

This episode was a long time coming for me, as I got to return to the microphone and record a podcast episode with my creative partner, and former co-host, Andrew Mister! Andrew is one of the five founding members of Ridiculum, and we spend this episode covering the beginnings of the club's journey. Andrew is a multifaceted comedian and performer who has enjoyed the magic of the stage since he was a wee lad. He's someone who cares about comedy, cares about Ridiculum, and has given a lot to the comedians I get to play with now. Stay tuned in for Pt. 2 of the Andrew Mister saga on MFTC.Follow Andrew on Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok @mramr149Andrew can also be found on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1R5YOv3KZGZlN3zhpFJdmE?si=gBBSeF2gST6SWHTtkSPQegAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

This was such a fun episode to record, as I got the chance to talk with the hilariously analytical comedy machine known as Frank Simutis III! Frank, another alumnus, grew up with a love for telling jokes. So, it's no surprise that he joined a comedy club in his sophomore year of college. Hearing about Frank's internal journey through learning to "be funny" was incredibly fascinating, so please tune in! We discussed the difficulty that social settings can pose, collaboration in comedy, and what it's like seeing the club you joined so early blossom into a successful comedy group.Follow Frank on Instagram @franksimutisiiiAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

In this episode, I had the absolute privilege to discuss lore with another club alumnus: Patrick Lyons! Pat joined Ridiculum as a first-year and fell in love with the atmosphere immediately. He spent his time in the club performing improv and standup, taking on executive board roles, and eventually leading the club as its president. As the lore addicts we are, we spent all of this episode discussing his early days with comedy, what it was like cultivating a solid group during quarantine, and (hypothetically) spending some of the best years of his life with some of the best people.Follow Pat on Instagram @plyons01And listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

Join me in this episode as I sit down with my first Ridiculum alumnus, who has the warmth of a mother goose and the on-stage force of a runaway freight train: Siobhan Dillon! Siobhan spent two years with the Ridiculum Comedy Group, and in that short time, she took an executive position as the club's vice president. She also spent time helping with and running the stand-up branch and has a deep love for workshopping jokes and practicing improv. I got to discuss with her the joys and difficulties of running a comedy club and what it was like starting her comedy journey after the effects of a pandemic.Follow Siobhan on Instagram @siobhaneatsglueAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of talking with the very titan of interview comedy, the ultimate bastion of silly voices, the legendary head of firey hair himself: Noel B Doherty. Noel has been performing improv, standup, sketch, and other forms of comedy for the past three years. Along with this, he's fostered a vast audience on TikTok for his renowned interview series called "Noel B Askin". In my interview with him I got to dive deep into his early TikTok days, why he chooses comedy over all other things in life, and the many characters he carries with him in his bag of comedic tricks. Follow Noel on social media @noelbdoherty and @noelb.askinAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

For this episode, I was joined by an articulate comedian whose passion for stand-up comedy soars beyond any comic I've met: Kevin Keane. Kevin has been performing stand-up comedy for over two years now. In that short time, he's already gotten a residency at a comedy club and interned for a late-night comedy show. In this episode, Kevin and I covered what it means to balance college and comedic job aspirations, as well as truth and honesty in stand-up comedy.Follow Kevin on social media @kevinkeanecomedyAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!

In the show's inaugural episode, I have the absolute pleasure of sitting down and talking with my close friend and comedic partner in crime, Owen Hewitt. Owen is energetic and explosive as a performer and technically intuitive as an improviser. We discuss the dynamics of comedic duos, reminisce about our first improv practice, and highlight the importance of diverse personalities in an improv troupe.Follow Owen on social media @oyounothingAnd listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!