Cover art for podcast How To Write Funny

How To Write Funny

50 EpisodesProduced by Scott DikkersWebsite

Scott Dikkers, founder of TheOnion.com and The Onion's editor-in-chief for most of the last 25 years, interviews celebrities, writers, and other people in the comedy industry about their background, philosophy and process.

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Farewell

February 22nd, 2024

0:39

An important message from RadioPublic

Episode 49 | Dan Povenmire

April 11th, 2023

1:02:34

Writer, director, cartoonist, and voice artist Dan Povenmire talks about his adventures in Hollywood creating the enormously successful Phineas and …

Episode 48 | Alex Stevenson

March 13th, 2023

1:02:42

Cartoonist and writer Alex Stevenson talks about developing her web comic “Cartoons Hate Her” on social media, pushing boundaries, and building a fanbase.

Episode 47 | JaMarr John Johnson

May 7th, 2022

1:19:15

“Entrepremedian” JaMarr John Johnson talks with Scott about how comedians can exploit Web3 and Crypto to make more money, starting by helping Scott create his “Jim Key” to turn fans into owners.

Episode 46 | Sean Tejaratchi

September 19th, 2021

57:42

LiartownUSA.com is the Internet’s funniest, most original, and most undiscovered treasure. Scott chats with its creator, Sean Tejaratchi, to find out where it came from and how it can be so funny.

Episode 45 | Justine Bateman

May 20th, 2021

1:08:18

Actress, writer, and director Justine Bateman talks about fame, being on the top sitcom in the country, getting older in show business, and why it’s …

Episode 44 | Patton Oswalt

March 3rd, 2021

56:24

Patton Oswalt is an Emmy- and Grammy-winning comedian and actor known for insightful comedy specials and roles in hit TV shows and movies like The …

Episode 43 | Mike Sacks

September 17th, 2020

57:51

Mike Sacks is the bestselling author of Stinker Lets Loose, Passable in Pink, and the excellent comedy-writer interview books Here’s the Kicker and Poking a Dead Frog.

Episode 42 | Anne Libera

July 24th, 2020

1:03:13

Founder of the Comedy Studies program at Columbia College and comedy professor Anne Libera talks comedy history, comedy theory, and why it all …

Episode 41 | Michael Gerber

May 22nd, 2020

1:29:44

Michael Gerber talks about his hard-won career in comedy writing for TV, writing parody novels, and finally editing and publishing The American Bystander magazine.

Episode 40 | Margaret Cho

April 30th, 2020

47:17

Veteran stand-up comic, writer and actress Margaret Cho talks about getting started in the 80s comedy boom, her TV show, and her thoughts on writing and performing stand-up.

Episode 39 | Jen Kirkman

March 25th, 2020

1:04:00

Stand-up comic, TV writer and actress Jen Kirkman talks about her comedy, social media, pitching TV shows, and how to weather the ups and downs of the business.

Episode 38 | Matt Braunger

February 4th, 2020

54:08

Scott talks with veteran stand-up comedian and comic actor Matt Braunger about getting started, making it in stand-up, and making it in acting.

Episode 37 | Liana Spiro

December 6th, 2019

50:58

Scott talks with Harvard Lampoon President about the nation's oldest college humor magazine's humor, pranks, and castle, and how to lead a band of …

Episode 36 | How to write satire

August 1st, 2019

51:03

Scott walks through the specific steps for writing a satirical article, essay, stand-up bit, or sketch.

Episode 35 | Ryan Creamer

July 9th, 2019

48:00

Scott asks Ryan Creamer how he became the hot new thing in comedy by doing hilariously wholesome videos on Pornhub.

Episode 34 | Merrill Markoe

May 15th, 2019

1:26:48

Scott chats with multi-Emmy-winning comedy writer and performer Merrill Markoe about breaking into TV writing, her years working with David Letterman …

Episode 33 | How to Write a Joke

April 20th, 2019

44:22

Host Scott Dikkers goes through the process of how to come up with a funny line and write a joke from scratch, illustrating the "How to Write Funny" system for joke creation. Get the cheatsheet at

Episode 32 | Levni Yilmaz

March 29th, 2019

59:34

Lev talks about how he found success doing the animated "Tales of Mere Existence" series on YouTube, which has racked up millions of views.

Episode 31| Three Fundamentals of Comedy Writing

March 16th, 2019

34:20

Scott talks about three fundamentals of successful comedy writing and how to go after them: (1) writing 10 funny ideas every day, (2) overcoming …

Episode 30 | Tim Clue

February 27th, 2019

55:00

Tim Clue joins Scott to discuss the craft of stand-up comedy, how to improve it, make money at it, and get better at it quickly.

Episode 29 | Caitlin Kunkel

December 31st, 2018

46:52

Guest Caitlin Kunkel talks about her road to success writing humor for McSweeney's and The New Yorker, as well as landing her first book deal. She and Scott discuss the mindset and discipline of making a writing career.

Episode 28 | Christopher Titus

November 19th, 2018

48:08

Scott talks with stand-up comedian Christopher Titus about his comic persona, performing and writing on stage, creating his Fox TV show "Titus," and his feature film, "Special Unit."

Episode 27 | Kurt Luchs

November 7th, 2017

56:16

Kurt Luchs, founder and editor of The Big Jewel, talks with Scott about his unusual and varied comedy career. Kurt’s new book , “It’s Funny Until Someone Loses an Eye (Then It's Really Funny),” just hit bookstores.

Episode 26 | Steve Kaplan

April 24th, 2017

1:04:10

Scott talks comedy nuts and bolts with Steve Kaplan, Hollywood's most sought-after comedy teacher.

Episode 25 | Lee Camp

December 15th, 2016

51:17

Political comedian and activist Lee Camp sits down with Scott to talk comedy, activism, and creating his weekly political comedy TV show, "Redacted …

Episode 24 | Kevin Avery

November 10th, 2016

56:24

Scott talks with Emmy-winning writer Kevin Avery. Kevin is a successful bay-area stand-up comic who got into TV writing with his friend and …

Episode 23 | Sarah Cooper

October 5th, 2016

45:19

Scott talks with Sarah Cooper, founder of The Cooper Review, who parlayed a viral humor article into a 3-book deal. Her first book, 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings, comes out this week.

Episode 22 | Seth Reiss

September 1st, 2016

59:22

Late Night with Seth Meyers staffer and former Onion head writer Seth Reiss talks with Scott about his humor-writing process, mindset, and how he landed the best internships in comedy.

Episode 21 | Dave Eggers

July 26th, 2016

1:12:34

Scott talks with Dave Eggers, founder of McSweeney's, Might magazine, and 826 National, the non-profit with the cool storefronts that tutors kids and …

Episode 20 | Matt Abramson

June 27th, 2016

54:51

Matt Abramson’s company Cap Gun produced a funny web series called Teachers, which is now a series on TV Land. Scott spoke to Matt when the show was just a pilot. They talk about how to build success with a web series, …

Episode 19 | Steve Dildarian

April 11th, 2016

50:31

TV and commercial copywriter Steve Dildarian enjoyed three seasons of his own funny and critically acclaimed animated series on HBO, The Life and Times of Tim.

Episode 18 | Jermaine Affonso

February 18th, 2016

52:36

Scott talks with Jermaine Affonso, a former writer for The Onion who's now the Editor in Chief of Clickhole, which many have called the funniest site …

Episode 17 | Jerry Rocha

October 31st, 2015

56:05

Jerry Rocha, from Dallas, TX, has been performing stand-up for 20 years. He's appeared on Conan. Last Comic Standing, and his TV special, The Gentleman Jerry Rocha, presented by Gabriel Iglesias, premiered this month on …

Episode 16 | Beth Newell

October 10th, 2015

45:02

Beth Newell founded, with Sarah Pappalardo, the women's news parody website Reductress.

Episode 15 | Louie Anderson

September 23rd, 2015

52:04

Louie Anderson is one of the most successful stand-up comics of the last 30 years. He created and starred in the animated TV series Life With Louie. …

Episode 14 | Daniel Greenberg

September 10th, 2015

47:04

With the worst audio quality yet, Scott talks via wax cylinder and copper wire with literary agent Daniel Greenberg, who represents humor writers, comedians, and comedy celebrities. He also discovers new talent in the …

Episode 13 | Andy Borowitz

August 31st, 2015

1:22:31

Scott and Andy Borowitz take a ride through his varied career, from being President of the Harvard Lampoon, creating the hit TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, stand-up and lecturing, to having his homegrown humor …

Episode 12 | Bob Einstein

August 24th, 2015

45:46

Scott picks up the phone and talks with master comedy actor, writer and producer Bob Einstein, the man behind Super Dave Osborne.

Episode 11 | Todd Rosenberg

August 17th, 2015

54:23

Todd Rosernberg created one of the first viral online cartoon series, Odd Todd.

Episode 10 | Anna Lefler

August 10th, 2015

1:00:43

Scott talks with Anna Lefler, a humor author who got started as a Mommy blogger. Her first comic novel, Preschooled, comes out this fall. Her …

Episode 9 | Rich Dahm

August 3rd, 2015

50:50

Scott chats with Rich Dahm, a two-time Emmy winner who's written for Da Ali G Show, Dennis Miller Live, The Onion, and was co-executive producer of

Episode 8 | Julia Sweeney

July 27th, 2015

53:50

Scott talks with Julia Sweeney, who became famous for her performance as "Pat" on SNL. She later became a humor author, speaker, and producer and …

Episode 7 | Adam Resnick

July 20th, 2015

1:06:56

Scott talks with Adam Resnick, co-creator of the Fox TV series Get a Life, staff writer for Late NIght with David Letterman, writer-director of Cabin Boy, and author of Will Not Attend.

Episode 6 | Andrew Daly

July 13th, 2015

56:11

Andrew Daly patches in remotely to talk with Scott about his prolific career in improv, stand-up, writing, and acting. The star and executive …

Episode 5 | Weird Al Yankovic

July 6th, 2015

40:15

Scott sits down with parody-music superstar Weird Al Yankovic, who is, believe it or not, the top-selling comedy recording artist of all time.

Episode 4 | Kelly Leonard

June 29th, 2015

1:05:06

Scott talks with Kelly Leonard, who runs Chicago's Second City. He recently wrote (with Tom Yorton) Yes And, a book outlining the practical applications of The Second City's core comedy philosophy.

Episode 3 | Ellie Kemper

June 22nd, 2015

1:08:56

Scott talks with Ellie Kemper, star of Tina Fey's Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, who also played Erin on The Office and Becca in Bridesmaids.

Episode 2 | Ben Bailey

June 15th, 2015

1:06:20

Scott chats with Ben Bailey, stand-up comedian and Emmy-winning host of Cash Cab

Episode 1 | David Javerbaum

June 6th, 2015

53:24

Scott talks with multiple-Emmy-winning comedy writer David Javerbaum about his work on The Daily Show, America: The Book, and his insanely popular …

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