Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer

Nurse practitioner and pole dancer Neda Momeni is here and teaches Nicole a lot! From her years as a labor and delivery nurse, she explains what actually happens in the hospital during childbirth and what most people never hear about until they’re living it. She talks about Muslim dating, from family expectations to apps like Minder and her experience using an online matchmaker. Pressure pushed her to marry the wrong man, ...

Drag queen, singer, and actress Adore Delano (RuPaul's Drag Race S6, All Stars 2, American Idol) joins Nicole to share stories about hooking up with go-go dancers, filming a sex tape she regrets, and her path to sobriety. She opens up about transitioning twice, the facial feminization surgery she underwent, and her current relationship with a trans man Nicole and Adore swap dating lessons...

Actress Rachel Bilson (The O.C., Broad Ideas) once lost a job over something she said on a podcast. She tells Nicole what that was like, current cancel culture, and why “free speech” doesn’t always apply to everyone. Rachel shares some of her wildest dating stories, from terrible first dates, rejected kisses, and men who love bomb too fast. Also, is it good to call before a first date, or is it unhinged? Rachel discusses w...

Rapper and friend Big Dipper (host of Sloppy Seconds) returns to the pod! He and Nicole dive into how he became a bear, the many “gaybels” that shape queer dating culture, and the highs and lows of Bear Week and pig events, from the wild parties to the moments that left him questioning everything. Dipper unpacks the twink vs. bear dynamic and explains compersion - the joy of watching your partner get pleasure from someone ...

Comedian, clown, and artist Jenson Titus (of @VeryGayPaint) tells Nicole what it was like to date someone who's in the process of transitioning. The experience made him realize he’s bi, and left him feeling “more queer” than ever. He talks about the challenges of having a "Very Gay" brand while dating a woman, launching his mural business, and the surreal job of painting RuPaul’s 1-bedroom, 5-closet mansion. They talk...

Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon (Winner of Dancing with the Stars) joins Nicole to share the dating life of a Olympian. He shares what it was like being one of the first openly gay U.S. Olympians, why the infamous Olympic condoms left him disappointed, and what the sex life in the Olympic Village is really like. He also breaks down for Nicole exactly what it takes to become an Olympian, and the incestuous nature of figur...

Co-writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand (The Naked Gun) have been writing partners for twenty years - which is basically a marriage at this point. They tell Nicole about the time they were "dumped" by Adam Pally, how they’ve kept a friendship and business alive without burning each other out, and the rabbi who completely ruined a wedding by trying to do bits. They also shared the best marriage advice they’ve ever gotten, and w...

For Roz Hernandez, dating as a sober, trans woman comedian is a trifecta of difficulty - and finding love hasn’t been easy. She tells Nicole about going to 4 different Etsy psychics to sketch her future husband, using Grindr to find dates willing to explore haunted places, and the hookup stories that came from visiting 45 gay bars across the country. She opens up about the surprising ways gay men have treated her, why she’...

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.

See Privacy Policy at ht...

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...