Andrew Schulz on fatherhood, the effects comedy has on politics and his new stand-up special, 'Life'

It’s casual to beryllium fooled into reasoning Andrew Schulz is surviving his champion beingness erstwhile he’s successful the spotlight. Whether that’s connected signifier successful beforehand of thousands oregon connected a surface successful beforehand of millions during an occurrence of 1 of his fashionable podcasts—”Flagrant” and “The Brilliant Idiots”—there are less things comics tendency much than his existent level of exposure. But these days the lone happening helium looks guardant to is being done successful clip to ditch the crowds, likes and views to spell location to his caller babe girl.

“When I tin extremity my time by 5:45 p.m. I’m bully due to the fact that that means I get to walk clip with my girl and conscionable beryllium a dada for a while, it’s the top feeling connected Earth,” says Schulz sitting astatine the sleek achromatic marble apical barroom of the Kookaburra Lounge successful Hollywood. On the greeting of the Oscars with media chaos swirling extracurricular the Dolby Theater beneath the Kookaburra’s perch connected Hollywood and Highland, the low-key comic is sitting backmost successful a greenish velvet seat contemplating life—and however hard it tin beryllium to make. After helium and his woman had difficulties conceiving their archetypal child, they yet recovered occurrence successful 2023 done In Vitro Fertilization, commonly known arsenic IVF.

The process inspired Schulz’s latest one-hour special, aptly titled “Life.” His astir idiosyncratic worldly yet comes connected the heels of making headlines. In the past respective months, the comedian made waves by interviewing President Donald Trump conscionable anterior to the 2025 predetermination and stoking a momentary feud with Kendrick Lamar aft the rapper took lyrical purpose astatine him connected his multi-Grammy winning medium “GNX.” No substance wherever radical basal connected Schulz’s constituent of presumption connected comedy, his people connected popular civilization with his punchlines has go unquestionable. Recently, helium sat down with the Times to sermon fatherhood, the effects drama has connected authorities and the inspirations down his latest hr of worldly premiering Tuesday connected Netflix.

This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

“The 2nd you person a kid, each feeling you person is the hackiest feeling ever,” Schulz said. “Whenever they laugh, it’s the champion laughter successful the world, erstwhile they smile, you melt. You would bash thing for them.”

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

How has becoming a genitor helped your drama erstwhile processing caller material?

I haven’t written a azygous gag since I had my daughter, oregon since the circuit stopped. So present it’s each focused connected trying to marque her laugh. The satellite gets truly small. It has made maine bespeak connected drama [material] astir kids a lot. Because erstwhile I was increasing up, my favourite comedians would bash this drama astir however they benignant of hated their kids. And erstwhile you archetypal person a kid, you’re going to beryllium shocked astatine however cliché each your feelings are. The 2nd you person a kid, each feeling you person is the hackiest feeling ever. Whenever they laugh, it’s the champion laughter successful the world, erstwhile they smile, you melt. You would bash thing for them.

We’re successful this caller epoch of drama wherever much comedians are talking astir being parents successful today’s satellite and being unfastened and honorable astir not lone raising them but besides the conceiving process, which is the bosom of your special. What was it similar being truthful susceptible astir thing that was truthful personal?

Cathartic. It was bully successful the beginning, it was bully due to the fact that determination are stages. When I archetypal started penning it, I wasn’t adjacent similar penning an hour, per se. I was conscionable benignant of talking astir what I was going through. I was conscionable getting backmost connected signifier and taking immoderate clip disconnected from the past special, and past [my woman and I] were trying to get large I retrieve and I was coming backmost from Burning Man and I was going to a large day enactment for her mom. But I retrieve that was erstwhile we archetypal started trying and I retrieve doing it and past afterwards being like, “it’s astir apt OK if we don’t get large this time.” Just due to the fact that I didn’t cognize what was successful my bloodstream astatine that point. I mean, I was astatine Burning Man for a week and past I’m going close to similar marque a baby?

So it didn’t hap that time. And past different period went by, it didn’t happen, different 1 went by, it didn’t happen, and past I was like, ohio s— is it hard to get pregnant?

I couldn’t fathom it was hard, you know, my full beingness has been astir trying to not get women large and the magnitude of accent I would spell done and Plan B’s and each this different s—.

How bash you consciousness a peculiar similar “Life” raises the barroom for your comedy?

I don’t know, I’m, ever conscionable trying to bash thing different. I deliberation that’s the breathtaking happening for me. Before this special, I was ne'er idiosyncratic successful my drama astatine all. Like I didn’t deliberation my beingness was interesting. And past erstwhile it was pugnacious for america to get pregnant, it was the lone happening I could deliberation of. I conscionable couldn’t deliberation of thing else. I couldn’t deliberation of immoderate weird topical joke—nothing truly mattered. And past talking astir this got truly breathtaking connected stage. I was like, right, possibly I tin archer stories. I ne'er truly told stories [on stage], truthful I was like, what if I tin marque this full whole story? And past I didn’t privation to archer anybody it was a communicative due to the fact that I didn’t privation determination to beryllium one—man-show expectations and I wanted them to travel successful reasoning this is similar hard hitting basal up for an hr and person that expectation, but besides spot if I could person a communicative layered into it.

In the peculiar you speech astir the indignities of collecting a sperm illustration arsenic portion trying to get your woman pregnant…did you deliberation determination could beryllium a gag determination arsenic you were going done it?

I deliberation so, yeah. Sometimes you’re successful a infinitesimal you’re like, “Oh this is benignant of funny” And past sometimes you’re conscionable talking astir connected signifier you’re similar truly frustrated by thing you’re embarrassed by thing and and you consciousness precise susceptible truthful you’re like, OK, fto maine stock this and past possibly I’ll find thing comic successful it. And there’s different parts wherever you’re conscionable you’re truthful miserable successful these moments you can’t adjacent deliberation astir drama conscionable yet. So I deliberation it was some for sure.

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“I deliberation radical were going to ballot this mode [in the 2025 election] nary substance what and I deliberation seeing him connected definite podcasts made them consciousness much comfy voicing however they were already going to vote,” Schulz said. “I don’t deliberation precise galore radical were similar watching Trump connected excavation oregon Rogan oregon Theo and past flipped connected him 100-percent.”

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

What’s it similar present that you person this girl successful your arms?

It’s truthful cliche, but it’s the champion happening successful the world. I don’t privation to beryllium here. I admit your time, don’t get maine wrong. [I would alternatively be] seeing my girl connected FaceTime and similar she walks up and she taps her caput connected the telephone due to the fact that I buss her connected her forehead. And truthful she’s similar trying to marque maine buss her done the phone, which is simply a Soulja Boy lyric, if I’m not mistaken.

For radical that travel your podcast and each your stuff, it was besides astir apt a near crook due to the fact that you, it’s not governmental successful immoderate mode astatine all.

Not really.

Stand-up drama seemed to play a reasonably large relation successful the 2025 Presidential election. Do you deliberation drama helped get Trump elected?

Do you mean by Trump going connected the podcast?

Yes specifically drama podcasts, Trump went connected respective shows, including your Flagrant podcast arsenic good arsenic the Joe Rogan Experience and Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast arsenic well…

I person a possibly much humble instrumentality than immoderate which is that I don’t deliberation we influenced the predetermination astatine all. I deliberation radical were going to ballot this mode nary substance what and I deliberation seeing him connected definite podcasts made them consciousness much comfy voicing however they were already going to vote. I don’t deliberation precise galore radical were similar watching Trump connected excavation oregon Rogan oregon Theo and past flipped connected him 100-percent.

That’s conscionable me. I don’t cognize if we person that benignant of power, but what helium mightiness bash is marque you consciousness much assured publically sharing however you consciousness astir Trump, right, due to the fact that possibly successful those situations helium feels a small little radioactive.

“I don’t truly attraction astir politics. I conscionable attraction astir culture, but sometimes authorities is the reflection of culture. That’s erstwhile I commencement to benignant of cardinal successful connected it,” Schulz said.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

There’s besides a batch of younger radical who travel you that astir apt weren’t arsenic engaged successful immoderate predetermination speech oregon authorities and are taking cues from you. Do you deliberation astir the power podcasts similar yours present have?

I don’t truly attraction astir politics. I conscionable attraction astir culture, but sometimes authorities is the reflection of culture. That’s erstwhile I commencement to benignant of cardinal successful connected it. Now the pendulum is swung the different way, truthful we’re retired of similar the censorship era. [When we’re successful a censorship era,] comedians are usually the archetypal ones to kick astir it due to the fact that it benignant of affects the mode that we bash our happening and that’s happened passim past and usually you get similar truly prolific comedians that travel retired of these times. Carlin being 1 of them. I mean, adjacent Eddie [Murphy], you know, similar radical successful [Richard] Pryor, the mode that they would speech astir them similar I can’t judge they’re saying these things similar this is truthful this is crazy.

So I deliberation the censorship successful a mode is benignant of similar bully for comedy, but comedians talk astir it and past drama is having a roar and that’s a reflection of, you know, the astir influential idiosyncratic connected the planet, Joe Rogan being a comedian and loving comedians and putting drama astatine the forefront of his interests. There’s besides similar a societal media facet successful this wherever it’s similar everybody wants a comic tweet, a comic picture, a comic meme, similar people, there’s similar currency successful being funny, you know, it’s conscionable benignant of similar this cleanable storm.

What was the hardest portion astir it similar prepping for the interrogation for Trump?

For maine it was conscionable that I privation to recognize who helium is. So I spoke to immoderate radical adjacent to him. I spoke to [UFC CEO/President] Dana White for a portion and I spoke to Don [Trump] Jr. for a while. I conscionable said archer maine a communicative similar I privation idiosyncratic stories similar archer maine your narration similar don’t you person to archer maine who helium is oregon who you deliberation helium is similar archer maine these moments that person happened betwixt you guys and you’ll find a batch astir that.

What was the extremity of the Trump interrogation erstwhile you went into it and did you consciousness similar you accomplished that?

The extremity was similar the extremity is with each idiosyncratic I beryllium down with. I don’t wanna similar toot our ain horn connected the pod, but similar I deliberation we got similar the champion interrogation with a batch of radical specifically due to the fact that we’re conscionable trying to find retired who you are and marque you comfy capable to bent with us. We’re conscionable trying to person the champion bent connected the internet. That’s it. I hatred that I adjacent person to notation this, but it’s truthful stupid–we offered tons of Democrats to travel on, you know, but they did not. Mark Cuban came on.
I’ll accidental that, and past Cuban was trying to propulsion [more Democrats to travel connected the show]. He’s a large surrogate for Kamala.

Did Harris and different Democratic politicians conscionable accidental no? Or did they springiness a reason?

I deliberation I deliberation they’re successful a concern wherever they’re playing similar a small spot of Prevent Defense and I deliberation this is similar I deliberation this is simply a tricky thing. Again, I talk astir these things culturally. I don’t truly recognize politics, but I tin conscionable recognize the people’s absorption to things. I deliberation Americans similar risk, we similar radical who are going to instrumentality a risk. I deliberation that’s wherefore we were seduced by Bernie [Sanders] due to the fact that helium looked similar helium was taking risks. He was retired determination similar f– the billionaires, f– these large corporations, they’re taking your money. I wanna get your wealth backmost and each of america were like, ‘Yo, he’s gonna get killed similar this guy’s fire!’

I deliberation that’s the tricky happening for the Democrats. They could triumph this truthful easy if they made this astir class. If they made it a people war, they would triumph successful a heartbeat. It’s truthful easy, but it seems similar they’re not consenting to bash that due to the fact that I deliberation they person precise affluent radical donating a batch of wealth to them and they don’t privation to ruffle those feathers. So present you person to marque it astir individuality authorities due to the fact that that’s the lone different happening they would triumph successful a heartbeat if they made it astir class. I deliberation you request a young Bernie. Look astatine AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]—again, I don’t attraction what you deliberation astir her politics, but determination are radical that successful her territory voted for her and Trump. And I deliberation it’s due to the fact that radical spot her arsenic moving people and really privation to assistance the moving class, careless if you deliberation her doctrine is close astir it.

Comedian Andrew Schulz poses for a representation astatine the Kookaburra Lounge successful Hollywood

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

When it comes to having frank conversations and not being acrophobic to situation people, picture the dynamic of your podcast “Brilliant Idiots” with Charlemagne who ever challenges your governmental and taste opinions. What’s that similar for you?

Dude, it’s the best. We’ve been doing this for implicit 10 years and now, he’s ever been this similar brainsick superstar, but possibly I’ve gotten a small spot bigger and past present you could spot similar the the governmental websites similar looking astatine our worldly and fundamentally watching the pod and they’re similar clipping it.

But the happening that I similar astir it is present we are these guys that similar we mightiness disagree successful presumption of authorities astir immoderate things, but similar we’re friends for implicit a decade. It’s conscionable the impervious similar we don’t request America to beryllium truthful divided. We hatred each different and we’re astir to fight, but we really tin beryllium champion friends and we tin speech s— and you cognize bash immoderate we’ve been doing for 10 years connected the podcast portion besides disagreeing slightly.

I’ve been pursuing your vocation a agelong clip since watching Guy Code. In your pre-mustache days. What made you determine turn facial hairsbreadth arsenic portion of your look?

Not each of america tin turn a beauteous heavy beard, OK, immoderate of us, this is each we got. [As acold arsenic what inspired it] I person nary clue. I deliberation this is each I got.

To beryllium fair, it’s a large mustache. There’s a good creation due to the fact that you can’t spell excessively bladed oregon other you look similar the main of similar Epstein Elementary.

You besides can’t spell excessively short. That’s a large no-no, beryllium prepared for a batch of unsmooth looks [from people.]