"Nick Jonas"

Episode of SmartLess · May 25, 2026 · 1 h 2 min

Nick Jonas talks with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett about his child Broadway start, the Jonas Brothers, songwriting, AI in music, golf, and his Indian wedding.

Summary

The episode opened with the hosts' coffee chat. Sean Hayes recommended the documentary Trust Me: The False Prophet about the FLDS offshoot of Mormonism, prompting Jason Bateman to recall Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven, which he optioned and produced. Hayes also said he chooses to be optimistic about AI, and the hosts teased him about a solo weeknight s'mores session.

Will Arnett introduced Nick Jonas, promoting his solo album Sunday Best. Jonas described being discovered at age six while singing in a New Jersey hair salon, his Broadway roles including Gavroche in Les Misérables, and freezing on stage as an eight-year-old Tiny Tim understudy in A Christmas Carol. Bateman shared a story of being told by director Michael Landon to die less dramatically on Little House on the Prairie. Jonas said the Jonas Brothers' early failure, being dropped by their first label before finding success with Disney, built resilience, and argued that their teen-era songs came from genuine experience despite perceptions to the contrary.

Jonas discussed his father's background as a pianist and pastor, the family being pushed out of their church over non-Christian music, how fatherhood changed his creative work, and the period when the brothers stopped working together to preserve the family. On the music industry, he noted the jump from dozens to thousands of weekly releases and said AI would inevitably be used but that lived human experience cannot be replicated, linking the theme to his upcoming film with Paul Rudd directed by John Carney.

Later conversation covered favorite bands and concerts, the best cities to play, the Masters and Jonas's round at Augusta National, Kevin Hart's golf obsession on the Jumanji set, Priyanka Chopra Jonas's return to Indian cinema, how the couple met, and their three-day wedding in India featuring a competitive sangeet performance. The hosts closed by praising Jonas, with Arnett recalling him playing guitar for sick children in a Los Angeles hospital.

Chapters

  1. 0:06

    Coffee chat and documentary recommendations

    The hosts banter before Sean Hayes recommends Trust Me: The False Prophet and Jason Bateman discusses Under the Banner of Heaven.

  2. 5:38

    AI optimism and Sean's s'mores

    Hayes explains his optimism about AI after an AI documentary, and the hosts mock his solo Monday-night s'mores.

  3. 8:48

    Introducing Nick Jonas and early discovery

    Arnett introduces Jonas, who recounts being discovered in a hair salon and the Jonas Brothers' early label failure.

  4. 14:43

    Getting shot on stage and screen

    Jonas describes playing Gavroche and Bateman tells of Michael Landon directing his death scene on Little House on the Prairie.

  5. 17:15

    Freezing as Tiny Tim

    Jonas recalls going on unrehearsed as Tiny Tim's understudy at eight and blanking on stage.

  6. 20:01

    Teen fandom, family and church roots

    Jonas discusses perceptions of Disney-era music, his father's musical education, and leaving their church.

  7. 24:26

    Balancing music, acting and brothers

    Jonas talks about development work, fatherhood, and the period when the brothers stopped working together.

  8. 32:40

    Songwriting, releases and AI

    Jonas discusses privacy in lyrics, the flood of weekly releases, AI and Auto-Tune, and his upcoming film with Paul Rudd.

  9. 40:30

    Playlists, favorite bands and concerts

    Jonas and the hosts share themed playlists, favorite bands, best concerts and top cities to play.

  10. 46:32

    Golf and the Masters

    Jonas recounts Masters trips, playing Augusta after an AT&T commercial, and Kevin Hart's golf obsession.

  11. 51:37

    India and the Jonas wedding

    Jonas describes Priyanka Chopra Jonas's Indian film career, how they met, and their competitive sangeet and three-day wedding.

  12. 59:35

    Post-interview wrap-up

    The hosts praise Jonas and Arnett recalls a hospital visit where Jonas played for sick children.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

  • Jason Bateman

    Bateman said he optioned and produced the adaptation of Jon Krakauer's book, which features a Bateman.

    “there's a Bateman that runs through that great John Krakauer book that I optioned and produced”

    Listen from 3:50 · Under the Banner of Heaven

  • Sean Hayes

    Hayes said he chooses to believe AI and humans will work together rather than AI destroying the world.

    “I have to believe, just so I can get through every day, that AI and us will work together”

    Listen from 6:01

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas said the Jonas Brothers' first album failed and they were dropped by their first label before finding success with Disney.

    “Our first album did not do well. We got dropped by our first label. It took us finding a home with Disney”

    Listen from 13:05 · Jonas Brothers

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas attributed his resilience to that early career failure.

    “And I think that resilience came from that early perceived failure”

    Listen from 13:17 · Jonas Brothers

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas recounted being discovered at age six when a woman in a hair salon suggested he could play Gavroche on Broadway.

    “The woman next to her said, hey, my son is Gavroche on Broadway. I think your son could do it”

    Listen from 13:56 · Les Misérables (musical)

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas said he went on as Tiny Tim's understudy unrehearsed because covers had never been needed in the show's eight-year run.

    “in the eight years that this show had run, they'd never had a Tiny Tim cover have to go on”

    Listen from 17:44 · A Christmas Carol (musical)

  • Will Arnett

    Arnett suggested that early on-stage failures likely galvanized Jonas for later challenges.

    “In a lot of ways, it probably galvanizes you because if you can kind of get through that at such a young age”

    Listen from 19:26

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas said a major misconception was that the band's Disney-era music could not have come from an honest source or from the brothers themselves.

    “one of the biggest misconceptions about us, and odd to acknowledge your own preconception, but it was that because we worked with Disney”

    Listen from 21:09 · Jonas Brothers

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas said his family left or was pushed out of their church because the brothers' music was not Christian music.

    “we left the church or were sort of pushed out because our music wasn't Christian music, right?”

    Listen from 24:00

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas said becoming a father transformed his creative approach to both music and acting.

    “becoming a father, we have a four-year-old, that really changed everything for me as a creative, both on the music side and as an actor”

    Listen from 26:52 · Fatherhood

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas said the brothers once stopped working together to protect their family relationships.

    “let's not do the music together anymore or work together so that the, the family at, you know, the table can, can still all be there and love each other”

    Listen from 29:33 · Jonas Brothers

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas noted that weekly music releases have grown from 30–50 in the early 2000s to thousands today.

    “on any given Friday release day, there would be anywhere from 30 to 50 new releases”

    Listen from 35:59 · Songwriting creative process

  • Jason Bateman

    Bateman suggested AI can offer artists a first-draft pass at creative work.

    “any kind of art, I think AI, uh, I hear can give you a first sort of pass at it”

    Listen from 37:19 · Artificial intelligence in music

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas argued that AI use in music is inevitable but that lived human experience cannot be replicated.

    “But I believe that the lived experience, the human experience, cannot be replicated”

    Listen from 38:50 · Artificial intelligence in music

  • Nick JonasCame true

    Jonas said his film with Paul Rudd would be released in June.

    “I have this movie coming with Paul Rudd in June”

    Listen from 39:23

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas said his upcoming film raises questions about ownership and accountability similar to the AI debate.

    “It asks the same question I feel like that some of the AI conversation asks. What is this idea of ownership, of truth and accountability”

    Listen from 40:14 · Artificial intelligence in music

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas said the Indian audience's reverence for film stars is unlike anything he has seen.

    “The way in which the Indian audience reveres their film talent, their stars, it's unlike anything I've ever seen before”

    Listen from 53:19 · Cinema of India

  • Nick Jonas

    Jonas described the sangeet as a competitive performance in which the winning family is considered dominant.

    “you basically do a performance and you battle and the family that wins the performance is the more dominant family”

    Listen from 54:20 · Hindu wedding

  • Linked moment · 54:28Skip to 54:28 using a listen link in the info box.

    Nick Jonas

    Jonas said he reached out to Priyanka Chopra after seeing her Quantico billboard.

    “I saw a billboard of her on Sunset Boulevard for her show Quantico”

    Listen from 54:28

  • Will Arnett

    Arnett recounted Jonas playing guitar individually for sick children at a Los Angeles hospital.

    “he brought his guitar, and he played songs for all these kids individually”

    Listen from 1:00:30

People

In the conversation

  • Will ArnettCanadian-American actor and comedian, co-host of SmartLess
  • Jason BatemanAmerican actor and director, co-host of SmartLess
  • Sean HayesAmerican actor and comedian, co-host of SmartLess
  • Nick JonasAmerican singer, songwriter and actor, member of the Jonas Brothers

Discussed

Topics

More from SmartLess

  • "Seth Meyers"

    Sep 28, 2026 · 60 min

    Seth Meyers talks with SmartLess hosts about Chicago improv, Boom Chicago, his Saturday Night Live years as writer and Weekend Update anchor, and hosting Late Night.

  • "Timothy Olyphant"

    Jul 20, 2026 · 60 min

    SmartLess hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes talk with actor Timothy Olyphant about arrests, acting range, Deadwood, directors' notes and upcoming projects.

  • "Olivia Wilde"

    Jul 13, 2026 · 1 h 3 min

    Olivia Wilde tells the SmartLess hosts about changing her name, working in a casting office, her acting career, and directing Booksmart and The Invite.

  • "Ike Barinholtz"

    Jul 6, 2026 · 54 min

    The SmartLess hosts talk with comedian Ike Barinholtz about his Chicago improv roots, MADtv, The Studio, Running Point, family life and his trivia podcast.

  • "Emma Thompson"

    Jun 29, 2026 · 58 min

    Emma Thompson talks with the SmartLess hosts about fame, her comedy roots, Harry Potter, Sense and Sensibility, Sondheim, boredom, and British food.

From the publisher

Remember your gum: it’s Nick Jonas. Family chiropractors, Scrooge At 8, and the ‘other NJ’s’ finest hair salons, diners, bowling alleys, & shopping malls. “Just collapse on the floor,” on another piping-hot new SmartLess.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Music Interviews·TV & Film