Comedians Michelle Buteau and Jordan Carlos sat down exclusively with Pop Style TV to chat about their hilarious and entertaining podcast, “Adulting”.
According to the website, “Adulting” with Michelle Buteau and Jordan Carlos provides real life advice with a heaping portion of hilarity topped with a dollop of truth. Their conversations with comics, experts and celebs answer listeners’ most complex questions like: ‘How much should you pay for a pillow?’, ‘How should I treat my one-night stand?’ or ‘Should I get a pet turtle?’ Seriously important questions to ponder for your everyday life and we are here for it.
The podcast first launched back in 2019, opening with a successful live show featuring Amber Ruffin and Padma Lakshmi, followed by a separate live show at the iconic 92nd street Y. Publications like Oprah Daily and Marie Claire named “Adulting” one of the best podcasts of 2019.
Michelle Buteau and Jordan Carlos
Past guests from the current season include comedians like Rachel Feinstein and media maven Bevy Smith, to name a few. Listeners are thrilled that Adulting is back for a new season, leaving fabulous reviews like, “Michelle and Jordan are so funny!! They are so real and unapologetic. I laugh out loud every episode! Thank you!!💕” So do we! Check out our exclusive conversation with Buteau and Carlos, and listen to a new episode of “Adulting” -released Wednesdays!
Lauren: Who is more organized and type A when it comes to the podcast? Jordan or Michelle?
Jordan: Oh, my goodness. I’d say Michelle with a bullet. She has what’s called executive level thinking. And she’s always thinking about the things that I’m not thinking about. So she’ll be there earlier than me and thinking about the way that the stools are arranged and things like that. And I definitely appreciate that. I’d honestly like to take that off her plate every once in a while, but she’s already there doing it. So I’m like, “Alright.”
Michelle: I think I’m just a natural born host. I like to host. I like a good time, and like a good show. So yeah, thank you for that, Jordan. I like to have a vision, and you know what? You always learn more from the bad than the good. So I know what it shouldn’t be and what it should be. Although we can rearrange the stools and the microphones while we’re doing our set, we shouldn’t have to. We should just walk onto an already well-lit stage where everybody in the Bell House can enjoy. It’s just 17 steps ahead, but it’s my favorite thing to do.
Lauren: What can listeners expect on upcoming episodes?
Jordan: It’s tomfoolery and buffoonery, right? I do like that since it’s a live show. With every single one of them, there’s similarities. But because we focus so much on the guest, each one is a different fingerprint. So I think you can expect more revelations about people and comedians. Maybe you didn’t know certain aspects of them because comedians especially will present a persona to the world and certain aspects of their life that they don’t want other people to know about because that’s where they’re making the jokes. And we like to take it to a place where we’re joking with you, but also, what’s behind the joke?
Michelle: It really is a fun, freewheeling time, whether it’s a remote recording or a live show. Now that I’ve listened to a lot of episodes, it feels like a safe greenroom vibe, especially when we have a standup comedian as a guest. We ask each other how we’re doing, and we actually answer it because we know that it is a safe space. We know that we can eventually get over something and turn pain into laughter. So that’s the vibe of the show. It really is a vibe check. It is a nice opportunity to have this platform to talk to other personalities, guests, influencers, and such.
Jordan: I would only say one other thing, which is that you can expect a bit more of what we’ve already been doing, which is this live, almost town hall tent revival type of therapy for people because they need it more than ever. And some of the wonderful reviews that I’ve seen from Apple have been that this is what the folks needed; they need kind of a soul.
Lauren: What are your favorite podcasts to listen to besides Adulting?
Michelle: Honestly, I love to listen to my friends, period. I’m not a podcast nerd, full disclosure. I love Nicole Byer, AB, Solomon Georgio, and Grace Edwards. I like to listen to my friends of color who are out here trying to change the world, one story and episode at a time.
Jordan: I’m awful. I like to listen to things like The Daily and On This Day, which is the most depressing podcast ever. And then I’ll listen to Slow Burn because they have this one about Tupac and Biggie that’s really good and just kind of the mystery surrounding it. So I love that kind of stuff.
Q: What do you think the future of podcasting holds? Do you think it will ever become too saturated?
Michelle: It depends what side of history you’re on. I say no because we’re always supposed to grow, change, and evolve. So there’s always going to be something to talk about. We’re always trying to figure out how to feel about something and how to manage our way through whatever the fuck we’re going through. So no, podcasts are like TV shows, films, cartoons, or songs. Take what you need, honestly. If you like something, great; if you don’t, move on. There is definitely something for everybody, and there are really important voices. For anybody questioning what they might be going through or even trying to explain, “This is what non-binary freedom, curiosity, or education is,” then it’s so great that you could say, “Please listen to them because they’re amazing. They explain it well.” So I feel like there is something for everybody.
Jordan: I do feel that podcasts have something democratic about them. I like that people can go and hear what they need to hear to help them get through their days. If they need to hear comedy, great. If they need to hear news, fantastic. If they want to talk about sports, whatever it is. And I do think that where I disagree with the premise of that question is that it says there’s a time when the tastemakers will get a little fed up with podcasts. Well, even if you’re fed up with them, that doesn’t mean other people aren’t. And they’re getting a lot out of them.
