How John Mulaney Made the Weirdest Talk Show Ever

What was Everybody’s in LA? The simplest answer is “a limited-run live talk show hosted by John Mulaney that aired on Netflix earlier this spring.” A better answer, though, comes courtesy of Nikki Glaser: “I love this show so much,” the comedian told Mulaney during the show’s series finale. “It’s like an inside joke that only you are in on.” How would the host himself describe Everybody’s in LA? “One of the greatest assignments you can get,” Mulaney tells Vanity Fair in the latest episode of Little Gold Men. The streamer approached Mulaney about filling six nights of airtime during its comedy-focused Netflix Is a Joke Festival in May. “The question was not when or if, it was just what,” says Mulaney. “Obviously they would have yanked it if it was a total disaster leading up to it, but the idea was six live nights.”

Everybody’s in LA wasn’t a disaster: It was a rough, occasionally transcendent experiment that gave the Emmy winner an opportunity to combine regular talk show stuff with bits that were decidedly weirder and more specific (like one involving children dressed as pint-size versions of George Carlin and John Oliver, or a running gag that revolved around the robots that scuttle along the streets of Los Angeles delivering food and drinks). Listen on to hear Mulaney deconstruct the show, from the famous faces who turned him down—including his good friend Bo Burnham—to a potential second installment (which could theoretically take place in a new city, but only if “everybody was there”).

Why Bo Burnham Turned Down John Mulaney’s Everybody’s in LA

Mulaney breaks down his fascinating talk show experiment, from his favorite segment to potentially doing a second season in a new city (but only if “everybody was there”).

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