Episode 27: Sebastian Maniscalco

pplpod Episode 27 digs into Sebastian Maniscalco’s rise from grinding at The Comedy Store to selling out arenas with old-school showmanship and laser-cut observational bits. We trace the early hustle, the breakout specials (What’s Wrong with People?, Aren’t You Embarrassed?, Why Would You Do That?, Stay Hungry, Is It Me?), and the physical craft—faces, frames, and pauses—that make everyday irritations feel operatic. We get into family as source material, Italian-American identity, and how precise writing plus theatrical delivery built a mass audience without sanding off the edge. On screen, we cover scene-stealing turns in Green Book and The Irishman, the personal leap of About My Father, voice roles, podcasting with Pete Correale, and the business choices behind touring at s ...