Folks, she's back. My first ever guest on the other show has returned and boy oh boy a lot has happened. This is an incredibly unique episode, as we dive into the past 3 years of events, from her snagging a spot on Conan and immediately having her career put on hold by a global pandemic, to her fighting back to record an album, plus a bunch of the toils and troubles we've both experienced along the way. We talk gift-giving envy, burritos, the X-Files, and so much more. So give it a listen, follow her on social media (@Valerie_Tosi) and preorder her album Beach Trash, dropping Friday, January 21st! And if you want MORE, head on over to Patreon.com/jeffmay for early access to uncensored episodes plus a bevy of exclusive content!

I don't think I've ever met someone whose life has paralleled mine as much as my very good friend, Podcaster/Comedian/Host Ken Reid. He has a wonderful podcast called TV Guidance Counsellor that is so brilliant that I'd be jealous if I didn't love it so much. He's a prominent feature of the Boston comedy scene. He hosts panels at comic cons. Honestly, if we WEREN'T good friends it would be weird. This is a nearly impossible episode to summarize, so just sit back, listen and enjoy.

My very Cool Friend Caitlin Cutt is a NAME in the True Crime world. Having been the cohost of such amazing shows like White Wine True Crime and Pretty Scary, she is also the producer of the Unsolved Mysteries Podcast. She also happens to be one of my first friends in comedy, and one of the funniest people I've ever met. In this episode, we talk all about her rise in the T.C. world, our history together and apart, including getting co-bumped at the Comedy Story by a woman appropriately named Crazy Cindy, shady bookers, and our origins in the basement of a UCLA bar. And if you liked this, please head over to the Patreon to enjoy the exclusive segment in which I talk about the times I bombed my face clean off at fundraisers that Caitlin was throwing. I had such a blast recording this one and I'm so glad I got her to find time for this.

My latest Cool Friend is voice actor Aaron LaPlante (Primal, Resident Evil Village, Spider-Ham) and man, what a cool ride he's been on lately! Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Aaron has quickly become an incredibly sought after voice in animation and gaming. In this episode we take a deeper dive into how that ride's been, including being John Mulaney's arch nemesis, weird con stories, odd side-quests, changing characters on the fly, being offered the role of Primal's Spear without having to audition at all, and SO much more.

Tim Macuga, this episode's Cool Friend, and I have been friends since high school, making him the longest friendship I've had with a guest so far. Tim is, without a doubt, one of the smartest and most talented people I know. A high school history teacher and animal husbander, he also just happens to be half of one of the most popular shoegaze (I had to look it up because I, myself, am very uncool) bands on the planet, Have a Nice Life. You may have read about them in Vice, heard them on The Rookie, sampled by now-passed Soundcloud rapper Lil Peep, or seen them in any number of Best Of lists. We talk about finding that balance with life, dealing with the loss of anonymity, fan interactions in the wild, and so much more that a roughly 25-year friendship could entail.

I recently met Joe Dragunas (aka Joseph Michael) at Motor City Comic Con and am legitimately flabbergasted that we hadn't known each other up until then. Joe is a masterfully detailed artist who has been a mainstay at cons across the country for the past decade. He's an incredible creator with a dedicated fanbase of nearly 200,000 Instagram followers, and yet here I am meeting him for the first time in 2021. I'm honestly astounded at this, especially because we clicked ALMOST instantly (more on that in the episode). Normally I go through a few individual points of the pod, but let's just say we talk about a lot of nerdy stuff and also his incredible art style and history.

When last we spoke (on that other show), my very Cool Friend Shelby Young had already made quite a name for herself in the acting world. Since then, she has gone on to become one of the most recognizable voice actors on the planet, with a TikTok that boasts 2.4 million subscribers, several more Star Wars series (Visions, Bad Batch, Terrifying Tales) under her belt, and even an appearance on Good Morning America! And you bet your sweet rump we talk about all of that! We dive deep into the unknown factors of viral stardom, the absolute wonder of voicing so many characters in the Star Wars Universe, and all the comes with your life becoming a whirlwind of hard-earned success over the past two years. Please enjoy and then follow Shelby on all the socials because she's the best.

Another one of my frequently requested Cool Friends, comedian/actor/podcaster Matt Lieb (Good Mythical Morning, Frotcast, Pod Yourself a Gun, The Star Wars Show) is one of my favorite people on the planet. We talk about a lot of stuff in this one. Hard to summarize if I'm being honest, as we pinball our way through one of the most fun and engaging podcasts I've ever recorded. Matt is legitimately one of the funniest people I've ever met and I couldn't wait to be able to do an episode with him, and I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to follow Matt at @mattlieb on Twitter and @MattLiebJokes on IG when you get a chance. If you would like to enjoy episodes early, uncensored and with bonus content (in this one we talk about softball and professional jealousy, two equally important things) head on over to Patreon.com/JeffMay

Artist/Writer/Podcast host Reilly Brown (Batman/Fortnite, Deadpool, Amazing Spider-Man) is my very cool friend and I'm stoked to sit down and talk with him a little bit about a lot of things, like, I don't know, being the artist on the most surprising and fastest selling comic of 2021, being known as one of the "Deadpool guys", just what the hell he was doing at a He Man convention when he hasn't drawn any He Man comics, his podcast Hypothetical Island and so much more! Reilly is one of the most down to earth and likable dudes on the planet and I'm so glad I got to spend some time talking with him and I get to share it with you! If you like this and want to hear more, there is a bonus discussion with Reilly over on Patreon.com/jeffmay in which we discuss his most controversial work. As always, all Patreon episodes are also uncensored.

Kym Kral is not only my cool friend, she's also the MOST REQUESTED guest since I started this show! Kym, a comedian, host, actor, model and author, and I have known each other for almost as long as I've been in Los Angeles. With that comes a deep, often complicated, always fun history. Kym has recently written and published her first book, Confessions of a Recovering Party Girl, and obviously we talk about that. Beyond that we dive deep into so many different subjects, including some fantastically awkward ones (yeah, why WON'T I host a podcast with her?) and we travel down some fantastic tangents. Please enjoy this moment in time with one of my favorite people on the planet! And if this isn't enough for you, we take a minute or twenty to record BONUS CONTENT exclusively for Patrons that highlights a chapter in the book that she wasn't comfortable publishing. Check out Patreon.com/JeffMay for more!

Holy smokes, my Cool Friend Cory Privitera is one of the leading names in the Sofubi world (I had to look it up too). You might now him as Science Patrol, you might not know him at all. You're going to want to, though. Joining me remotely from Tokyo, Cory has quickly become one of the most prolific creators of vinyl toys out there, consistently selling everything he makes out in record time. The story of how we met is incredibly serendipitous, rooted back to DesignerCon (remember cons?) and we've become fast friends. Listen to me grill him about the path that would lead a dude from Buffalo to pack up and move across the globe to make toys. I'm so stoked we got to schedule time to talk and now I'm excited to share that conversation with you. Don't forget to follow Cory on IG at @science_patrols after you listen. Or before, I'm not your boss or anything.

My Cool Friend today is the amazing Khoi Pham! Not just content with being a superstar artist in his own right, he's also an art mentor and all around good guy to know. We talk about everything from giving up his previous careers as a lawyer and venture capitalist for comic art, our long-rooted history in comic conventions, the amazing work he does for local comic shops, his rad new mentoring program, and so much more! I'm honestly so excited to bring Khoi to you! We've been tight ever since we met at Wizard World Philly over a decade ago, and I literally could've recorded a 9-hour podcast with him because he's so fun to talk with. Enjoy!

OH MY GOSH my very cool friend this week is comedian/podcaster Adam Tod Brown (Unpopular Opinion, Conspiracy the Show, Pretty Scary, You Don't Even Like Sports)!!! Join us as we talk about everything from how to make money on the internet, their preferred Death Row meals, getting fired, bad pizza, good chicken, the sports that neither of them even like, and so much more! It's so fun to be able to do a more free-form style show with Adam and I absolutely LOVE this episode! You can even hear Adam jinx the Phoenix Suns because he doesn't even like...well, you get it. After you listen, find Adam's multitude of amazing shows at Unpops.com and follow him on Instagram at @adamtodbrown and on Twitter at @unpops! Enjoy!

Dallas Cowboys Tight End Sean McKeon is one of my very cool friends. Our history is pretty wild: he was one of my students a decade ago! We have each gone in VASTLY different directions as he became an all-star in high school (Shepherd Hill, my alma mater) and college (Michigan) and was signed by the Cowboys. I talk into a microphone. Join us as we catch up after 10 years and I ask a bunch of questions about what it's like playing for America's Team/having health insurance. I've honestly never been more excited about seeing how the dynamic of a conversation is going to go than this pod. And don't worry for those of you that don't even like sports, that's not what this podcast is about. Enjoy!

Morgana Ignis is my cool friend! She's an amazingly talented actor (voice, body, puppet, EVERYTHING!) who's been featured in so many projects, most notably IFC's Stan Against Evil, Netflix's The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, Disney+'s Earth to Ned, and the smash hit YouTube cartoon Helluva Boss. In this episode, we talk about all of these projects and discuss her life as a trans performer and mega nerd in the modern world. We talk nerdy shit, we shout out our local comic shop, we reminisce about pop culture. We just go for it, y'know? Make sure you listen to the episode and then follow her on IG (@ignisgram) and Twitter (@ignistwote) and check out for yourself why Morgana Ignis is one of Jeff's Cool Friends! And for early access to uncensored episodes, please check out Patreon.com/JeffMay

Comedian/Writer/ Danny Palumbo is Jeff May's very cool friend. A fixture in the standup scene, Danny created my favorite album that came out last year, "Good Morning Mister!" He's gotten a bunch of accolades and stuff too, but he also happens to be a multifaceted member of the culinary world as an expert cook (my dude literally feeds the LA comedy scene every Sunday), food writer, and podcaster. How cool is that??? Listen to Jeff talk about everything from comedy, unplugging from social media, and then Jeff asks the IMPORTANT questions about foods across the country. You may have heard him on shows I've done in the past, and I couldn't wait to bring him onto this one! Enjoy the episode and make sure to follow Danny on IG (@Palumbros) and literally nowhere else because he deleted Facebook and Twitter and set himself free like a friggin legend! This episode is a must listen! Enjoy!

I'm so stoked to hang out with my very cool friend, writer/actor/comedy legend DANA GOULD (as well as a cameo from the amazing Kat Aegesan) and talk about his bonkers new show "Hanging with Doctor Z", the litany of fandoms he's mired in, agressive Gex fandom, and so much more. I'm really so lucky to have Dana back for a talk and we take a little extra time to play around at the end. ENJOY! Remember for early uncensored episodes, unique content, and more, head on over to patreon.com/jeffmay!

Comics legend Phil Jimenez (New X-Men, Wonder Woman, Infinite Crisis) is my first "official" returning cool friend. An early guest from that "other" show, Phil has been working tirelessly to finish up the long-awaited Wonder Woman "Historia" book (along with writer Kelly Sue DeConnick). Phil has an endless supply of talent and wonder, but he also judos the hell out of this interview by turning the tables on me and asking me some fantastic questions as well. Join us as we talk about representation in comics, his LGBTQ+ variant covers from Marvel, why Historia is taking so long, some of his favorite writers to work with, and much MUCH more! I'm so stoked to bring you this episode and I hope you're enjoying them (and the slightly longer format)!

Alana Jordan is one of my coolest friends. We go back to my VERY early days in Los Angeles and find ourselves criss-crossing throughout our silly, nerdy lives. She's one of the foremost interviewers in our geeky corner of the world, winning all kinds of awards for her excellent work, a fixture on the con scene, and an absolute queen of puns. I'm honored to finally get her onto a show, as we tried scheduling an episode of SSSS but could never match up our schedules. Well, the world is weird now and we have time. Please enjoy this episode, follow Alana on social media, and check out her amazing work. You'll be so glad you did!