Judd Apatow on Meme Politics, Being Funny in 2025 & the Comedy Biz

On with Kara Swisher

New York Magazine

Society & Culture

4.2 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From an early age, writer, director, and producer Judd Apatow has been obsessed with comedy. What started as a quest to interview comedians for his high school radio station ultimately evolved into one of the most prolific careers in Hollywood today, with hits like “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up,” and “Anchorman.” Now, Apatow is looking backwards. His new book, “Comedy Nerd,” is a visual memoir of his decades in the business, working with a who's who of the biggest names in comedy. Kara and Judd talk about how he reimagined the genre of raunchy, R-rated comedies about stunted adolescence; what he got right about American masculinity in the mid-and-late 2000s; and his recent pivot to making documentaries about some of the greatest comedians of the modern era. They also discuss whether AI can be funny and the ways politics is shaping comedy right now. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I would just like to say it really clearly.
0:01.9	I'm more mature than Scott Galloway.
0:03.9	I don't know how much more mature.
0:05.8	So this next phase of my career, I call 15% healthier than Scott.
0:26.3	Hi, everyone from New York Magazine and the Box Media Podcast Network.
0:28.7	This is on with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher.
0:33.2	Today I'm speaking with comedian, writer, director, and producer Judd Apatow.
0:37.7	He's been one of the most prolific filmmakers in Hollywood and comedy over the last few decades.
0:43.2	His hits include films like The 40-year-old Virgin, Anchorman, Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, and Train Rock.
0:51.2	He pioneered the genre of raunchy awkward R-rated films about growing up that drew big crowds to the theaters in the mid and late 2000s.
0:55.4	Apatau has a new visual memoir about his decades in the business called the comedy nerd. He writes about how as a kid he developed an obsession with comedy and started
1:00.0	collecting autographs and memorabilia from some of the comedians he idolized. As he got older,
1:05.1	he kept up the habit. So the book is really a behind-the-scenes peak into the making of his movies
1:10.1	and TV shows.
1:11.5	In the last few years, Apatow has also turned to documentary filmmaking.
1:15.7	His subjects are some of the comedy grades of the modern era.
1:18.8	He won primetime Emmys for his films on George Carlin and his former mentor, Gary Shandling,
1:24.0	and his upcoming documentary about Mel Brooks is set to be released next year.
1:28.5	All right, let's get to my conversation with Judd Apatow.
1:31.3	Our expert question comes from comedian Jane Lynch, who has appeared in a few of Apatow's
1:36.1	films, including The 40-year-old Virgin.
1:38.3	This is a fun one, so stick around.
	...

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