"Nick Kroll"

Episode of SmartLess · April 27, 2026 · 1 h

Comedian Nick Kroll joins the SmartLess hosts to discuss Big Mouth, his Georgetown comedy start, UCB, his family, new projects and career strategy.

Summary

The episode opened with the hosts bantering about Jason Bateman's morning routine of watching taped Dodgers games and checking fantasy baseball scores, and Will Arnett's daily word games, after which Arnett reflected that reading the news first thing in the morning left him feeling low. Sean Hayes then introduced guest Nick Kroll.

Kroll recounted meeting Hayes years earlier at a Los Angeles celebrity scavenger hunt, performed some of his animated voices, and addressed the long-running public belief that Arnett voiced Maury the hormone monster on Big Mouth, explaining that the voice grew out of his Kroll Show character Nash Rickey. He described co-creating Big Mouth with his childhood friend Andrew Goldberg, its eight-season run, and the follow-up animated series Mating Season. Asked about his range of work, he joked that he aims for "a B-minus across the board," and suggested that cultural attitudes toward comedy were settling into more thoughtful territory.

Kroll described bombing at a Georgetown comedy competition won by Mike Birbiglia, who then invited him to audition for a sketch show, and how seeing the Upright Citizens Brigade convinced him to pursue comedy. He discussed growing up with privilege in Rye, New York, his father's risk-mitigation and investigations business, his sister Vanessa's work as a puberty educator, a hypnotherapy attempt to curb snacking, and Harry Styles's involvement in his marriage proposal during the filming of Don't Worry Darling. Bateman spoke about passion-driven careers and a fantasy of having joined the CIA, and the conversation closed with Hayes praising Kroll's Cavemen and his Kroll Show character Liz.

Chapters

0:06
Morning routines and the news
The hosts discuss Bateman's taped baseball games, coffee 'fuse mechanism', Arnett's word games and the depressing effect of morning news.
8:16
Introducing Nick Kroll
Hayes recounts a bollard mishap and introduces Kroll, who jokes about his outfit and recalls meeting Hayes at a scavenger hunt.
15:14
Voices and the Maury mix-up
Kroll performs animated voices and explains that he, not Arnett, voices Maury on Big Mouth, tracing its origins.
20:43
Career range and changing comedy culture
Kroll describes aiming for a 'B-minus across the board' and discusses how attitudes toward edgy characters are shifting.
24:21
Georgetown, Birbiglia and UCB
Kroll recounts bombing at a campus competition, being cast by Mike Birbiglia, and discovering the Upright Citizens Brigade.
29:44
Privilege, passion and commitment
Kroll and Bateman discuss choosing a creative career, family safety nets, and finding passion in work like directing.
35:58
Family business and spy fantasies
Kroll describes his father's investigations firm, and Bateman muses about wishing he had joined the CIA.
41:42
Scripts, siblings and new projects
Kroll discusses an unmade film with Mulaney, his sister's puberty education work, Mating Season and balancing work with young kids.
51:29
Hypnotherapy, proposal and favorite works
Kroll recalls hypnotherapy for smoking and snacks, Harry Styles helping with his proposal, and the failed Cavemen series.

Key points

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

Will Arnett
Arnett says reading the news first thing in the morning puts him in a rut because so much of it is depressing.
“Because the news is, as we know, so much of it is so depressing”
Listen from 6:19
Will Arnett
Arnett says many people have mistakenly believed he voiced Maury on Big Mouth.
“There's a character on your show that people thought was me. His name is Maury, the hormone monster”
Listen from 17:10 · Big Mouth (TV series)
Nick Kroll
Kroll says he co-created Big Mouth with Andrew Goldberg, whom he met in first grade.
“my friend Andrew Goldberg, who Sean mentioned, I met in first grade. We created the show together”
Listen from 17:42 · Big Mouth (TV series)
Nick Kroll
Kroll explains that the Maury voice derived from his Kroll Show character Nash Rickey.
“I had a sketch show called Kroll Show. Nash Rickey was sort of like a hair metal guy who was also like had OCD”
Listen from 18:37 · Kroll Show
Nick Kroll
Kroll believes Big Mouth produced more seasons than nearly any other scripted Netflix show except Ozark.
“We did more of those than basically any other scripted Netflix show, I think, besides Ozark”
Listen from 19:51 · Big Mouth (TV series)
Nick Kroll
Kroll jokingly describes his career strategy as aiming for mediocrity across many kinds of work.
“what I'm shooting for is like a B-minus across the board. If you can shoot for a B-minus, you can do so much”
Listen from 21:41
Nick Kroll
Kroll says he would not play his Sit Down, Shut Up character today but feels cultural attitudes are settling.
“I don't think I would play that character right now, but I do think things are settling a bit”
Listen from 23:07 · Cancel culture
Nick Kroll
Kroll argues that a more thoughtful approach creates more room for performers to play different kinds of people.
“I think there's a general attempt to be more thoughtful about what we're doing or how we're doing it”
Listen from 23:37 · Cancel culture
Will Arnett
Arnett argues that comedic intent matters and hurtful intent leaves no room for a joke.
“And if the intent is to injure or to sideline or to be hurtful, then there's no room for it”
Listen from 24:05 · Cancel culture
Nick Kroll
Kroll says leaving his first sketch audition was the moment he knew comedy was what he wanted to do.
“it was truly the one time in my life I walked out of that thing. I was like, This is it”
Listen from 24:45 · Finding one's passion
Nick Kroll
Kroll recounts that Mike Birbiglia, who won the competition Kroll bombed at, invited him to audition for a sketch show.
“he was doing a sketch show later that year and invited me to audition”
Listen from 25:55 · Georgetown University
Nick Kroll
Kroll acknowledges his privilege gave him a safety net and says he pursued comedy to avoid regret.
“I think the idea for me was like, well, I'm going to regret the fuck out of this if I don't try”
Listen from 31:55 · Finding one's passion
Jason Bateman
Bateman advises that loving one's work enough to do it unpaid is the fuel for success and longevity.
“if you are lucky enough to get paid a little bit to do something that you would pay somebody else to do because you love it so much”
Listen from 33:26 · Finding one's passion
Sean Hayes
Hayes calls Kroll Show one of his all-time favorite shows.
“The Kroll Show is one of my favorite shows of all time”
Listen from 34:12 · Kroll Show
Nick Kroll
Kroll says his father's investigations firm was hired by the Kuwaiti government to trace Saddam Hussein's money.
“the Kuwaiti government hired him to find Saddam Hussein's money”
Listen from 38:08 · Kroll Inc.
Linked moment · 39:36Skip to 39:36 using a listen link in the info box.
Will Arnett
Arnett tells Kroll he need not apologize for his privileged upbringing.
“you don't need to apologize for where you came from”
Listen from 39:36
Jason Bateman
Bateman says that if he could go back to age 17 he would want to be recruited by the CIA.
“if I was like 17, I would like to get recruited by the CIA”
Listen from 40:36
Nick Kroll
Kroll feels fortunate to be making multiple projects while the entertainment industry is contracting.
“it's at a time when the business is tricky and things are going away and there's contraction”
Listen from 49:36 · Mating Season (TV series)
Nick Kroll
Kroll jokes that both critics and the public disliked Cavemen, his first job.
“The critics hated the show, but what I always took solace in was that the public hated it as well”
Listen from 57:01 · Cavemen (TV series)

People

In the conversation

Jason BatemanAmerican actor and director, co-host of SmartLess
Will ArnettCanadian-American actor and comedian, co-host of SmartLess
Sean HayesAmerican actor and comedian, co-host of SmartLess
Nick KrollAmerican comedian, actor, writer and co-creator of Big Mouth

Discussed

Andrew GoldbergTelevision writer, Kroll's childhood friend and Big Mouth co-creator
Mike BirbigliaAmerican comedian who cast Kroll in a Georgetown sketch show
John MulaneyAmerican comedian and frequent Kroll collaborator
Harry StylesBritish singer whom Kelley said made eye contact with her at a concert
Olivia WildeDirector of Don't Worry Darling, in which Kroll acted
Mitch HurwitzCreator of Arrested Development and Sit Down, Shut Up
John LevensteinTelevision writer and showrunner of Kroll Show
Owen BurkeComedy producer and former UCB artistic director
Roger BennettMen in Blazers co-host married to Kroll's sister Vanessa
Tracy MorganComedian attached to Kroll and Mulaney's unmade film
Saddam HusseinFormer Iraqi leader deposed in the 2003 U.S. invasion

Topics

From the publisher

Let’s take a run: it’s Nick Kroll. Celebrity scavenger hunts, fuse mechanism protocol, and how to aim for a B-minus across the board. The gum IS as good as it sounds… on an all new ChewLess (otherwise known as SmartLess).

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 27, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Comedy Interviews·TV & Film