Michael Urie

Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky

Prufrock LLC

Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Education

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2026

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week on Reclaiming, we sit down with Michael Urie—actor, producer, and director whose career has been shaped by sharp comedy, emotional range, and a deep love of the stage and screen. In this conversation, Michael reflects on the lasting impact of Ugly Betty, what it meant to play a character who resonated so deeply with audiences, and how those early television years helped define his voice as a performer. He opens up about his unconventional path into acting—the power of the ACT after bombing the SATs—and how that second chance ultimately led him to Juilliard, along with the expectations and stereotypes that often come with elite training. We also explore his annual festival Pride Plays and why creating intentional space for LGBTQ+ artists feels increasingly vital in a media landscape dominated by algorithms and influencers. And just in case things get too serious, Michael also gives Monica permission to call him “Mikey,” finishes the rest of her banana, and proves once and for all that Mikey will eat anything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Wonderie Plus subscribers can listen to reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky early and ad free right now.
0:06.3	Join Wonderie Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:10.3	Or you can listen for free wherever you get your podcasts.
0:19.3	And so I just studied her on set without her knowing.
0:24.2	I just was like, I'm going to move like her, I'm going to walk like her, I'm going to talk like her, I'm going to sit like her.
0:29.6	And so I was doing that behind her.
0:32.6	And someone was like, hey, B, you know what that queen's doing behind you?
0:36.9	He's making fun of you. He's mocking you. He's imitating you. She's like, hey, B, you know what that queen's doing behind you? He's making fun of you.
0:37.9	He's mocking you.
0:39.3	He's imitating you.
0:40.4	She's like, he is.
0:42.2	And she came over to me and she's like, hey, I hear you're doing me behind me.
0:46.9	And I was like, yeah, I'm sorry.
0:49.6	I thought it would be funny.
0:50.5	And she was like, it is.
0:51.2	What else can I do that you can do? You can do.
1:06.5	Michael, I'm so happy to welcome you to reclaiming. Thank you so much. I'm very happy to be here. You're our first Michael on the show.
1:30.9	What? Yes. That's crazy. I know. And my brother's name is Michael. And so I was like, okay, I might want to call you Mikey. Does anybody call you Mikey? No. They did call me Mikey when I was a little kid. Do you call your brother Mikey? Uh-huh. Wow. So he, so I mean, he goes by Mike and then Michael when he's in trouble. Yes. And but Mikey was his like as a kid. He was Mikey. And then he was Mikey Linky because he couldn't say Lewinsky. So he was like, I'm Mikey Linky. He was so cute. But I was like, have you ever been a Mikey? I was a Mikey when I was very little.
1:44.6	My dad makes stools for all the kids in the family, you know, like to brush your teeth.
1:49.3	Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:49.6	So I have a stool that says Mikey.
1:51.6	Remember Mikey likes it?
	...

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