Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer

International award-winning burlesque dancer Jessabelle Thunder joins Nicole to talk about why so many partners say they’re cool with burlesque - until they’re not. She shares how she transformed from a shy girl into a commanding headliner, the different styles of burlesque dancing, and the time she broke her ankle on stage mid-show. Jessabelle also relives a London date with an Irish DJ who argued he should be allowed to ...

Before she was an activist, Monica Lewinsky was the most publicly shamed woman in America. Now, she's reclaiming her story, and her dating life.

For the 400th episode of Why Won’t You Date Me?, Monica joins Nicole to talk about dating after a major scandal, being labeled “unmatchable” on eHarmony, and learning to enjoy life when pop culture won’t stop referencing you. She reflects on hosting the wild early-20...

Exciting news from Nicole: Best Friends is BACK and 1) now on Headgum, 2) with FULL VIDEO EPISODES!

Enter the pantheon of best friendship and check out Nicole and Sasheer's first episode back, available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe to the Best Friends YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@NicoleandSasheer for video episodes.

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Comedian Devon Walker (SNL) joins Nicole to tell the story of how he met his girlfriend on a live blind date podcast. He figured it was just a bit - until the audience voted for them to win an Applebee’s gift card and that turned into their actual first date. 3 years later, they’re still together! He and Nicole also talk about the woman who went viral eating 48 oysters on a first date, why it’s a red flag if your part...

Comedian and friend Josh Sharp (Dicks: The Musical) returns to the podcast! Nicole and Josh kick things off by reminiscing about the chaotic live show where Nicole interviewed a man in the audience she had slept with. From there, they get into Josh’s foolproof flirting strategy at the club, Annabelle the haunted doll’s cursed tour across America, attending a Big Dick contest, and Josh’s near-death experience in Puerto Vall...

Drag queen icon Meatball is back! She and Nicole get into it all - being in her top era, loving the single life, and having weekend boyfriends in different cities. But also... why dating is still so hard when you do drag. Meatball opens up about losing guys the second they find out she’s a queen, and how frustrating it is watching her roster shrink because of it. And of course, the wild date stories are endless - projectil...

Happy 4th of July!(?) Comedian Lou Wilson (Dimension 20, Jimmy Kimmel Live!) joins Nicole to reflect on the wild state of America. He shares his terrible time living in Boston, where white guys frequently asked him for the N-word pass. They talk about what it was like to sell out Madison Square Garden in just 10 minutes withDimension 20, being a “silly billy” on dates, and the moment Lou realized bits don’t always land on ...

Actress Jessica Lowe (The Righteous Gemstones, Minx, Wrecked) joins Nicole to share the romantic saga of falling in love on a Second City cruise ship. On the ship, she met a British bassist who became her cruise ship boyfriend - whom she later realized wasn’t as smart as she thought his accent sounded (he tried to dry his pants on a ceiling fan and designed a nightmare demon tattoo for himself).

Jessica ...

TV writer Lauren Ashley Smith (A Black Lady Sketch Show, Smith Sisters Live) joins Nicole to talk about how she met her wife the old-fashioned way - through Time Out New York’s Singles issue.

Lauren reveals the strange public response to being a “bachelor” in a magazine, how her wife was one of the only white women working at BET, and the complications that came with planning an interracial lesbian wedding.

She also recalls ...

Actor Michael Urie (Shrinking, Ugly Betty) joins Nicole to discuss the wild hookup culture at Julliard, and the love triangle he had that went sour. Once he got fame from Ugly Betty, he starts going on dates with people who only seem interested in the version of him they saw on TV, until a second shot with actor Ryan Spahn turns into a 17-year partnership. He tells the story of a friend who died singing Britney Spears at k...

Comedian and friend Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts, A Funny Feeling) joins Nicole to swap crazy Las Vegas stories, their experience getting slammed by puberty, and debate why we shouldn’t have to pay taxes right now (plus what happened when Nicole skipped paying taxes for 5 years). Betsy reveals what life was like spending six months in a hotel, and Nicole confesses she nearly launched an anime-recap podcast with an ex. Plus: the ti...

Actress Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones) joins Nicole to talk about falling in love with her improv teacher, hiding their relationship from the world, and mistaking his proposal for a joke. She opens up about being a late bloomer in dating, throwing house parties that felt straight out of a '90s film, and the one dating lesson she learned from a kid that she wishes everyone would follow. Plus: ghosting guilt, cringe...

Actress Rose McIver (Ghosts, iZombie, voice of Headgum) joins Nicole to explain New Zealand, why she doesn’t post her loved ones on social media, and talk about all the cute, funny other ways people show love. They get into weird animal relationship stories, like the woman in love with a dolphin (who died of heartbreak), the man who tried to live among grizzlies, and Nicole’s dream of becoming queen of the w...

Bob the Drag Queen (The Traitors, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race S8) returns to the podcast to derail the show. This time, Bob interviews Nicole about her current relationship, run through their plans to prep for tariffs, and discuss LA's newest serial killer. He sniffs out the ulta-rich cast members on The Traitors, shares what he hates about Italy, and Canada’s ex-prime minister's blackface scandal. Plus, Nicole shares her...

TikTok star Drew Afualo joins Nicole to share her enemies‑to‑lovers love story and the worst dates that taught her to trust her gut. She tells the time she dated a man who drank ocean water and ended up getting his stomach pumped, walks through her viral list of red flags in men, and the backlash she received online for sharing it. They dig into the male loneliness epidemic, red‑pill culture, and what we can learn fro...

Comedian and Nicole's fictional boyfriend Colton Dunn (Superstore, Grand Crew, Key and Peele) joins Nicole to talk about dating customs in Europe (and what we can learn from them), getting mad at your partner over what they did in your dream, and what surprised him most about becoming a dad. He reflects on why improv might never be cool- even if you're good at it, and shares behind-the-scenes stories from some of the most ...

Comedian Owen Burke (Drunk History) joins Nicole for a conversation recorded in the middle of the Los Angeles fires (things were unhinged). They talk about trying to function while the world is burning, the early days of UCB, and how Owen managed to find a wife while being painfully shy and awkward with dating—and how you can too. Plus, Nicole shares the time she gave John Mulaney her number. John, please call.

Watch th...

Comedian and friend Jackie Johnson was terrified to do this podcast… until she got a divorce. She joins Nicole to talk about dating a record number of canceled UCB comedians, surviving a nightmare marriage, and only realizing she was unhappy after it ended (plus how to spot signs of abuse in your own relationship). Jackie shares how therapy—and a witch’s spell—helped her find true love. Plus, they discuss the red flag...

Writer Melissa Hunter (Santa Clarita Diet, She-Hulk, Home Economics) joins Nicole to talk through the messy reality of childbirth - including her 32-hour labor, an unexpected unmedicated birth after her epidural failed, and shitting on the table. They also get into whether proposals should be private or public (including Nicole’s dream proposal), the red flags of dating someone who won’t drop the bits, and the time Ni...