On the Couch

Over 25 years in comedy, Gary Gulman has established himself as the comedian’s comedian, a remarkable performer, and a peerless writer. It’s no wonder TheNew York Times wrote, “Gary is finally being recognized as one of the country’s strongest comedians.” A product of Boston, Gulman has been a scholarship college football player, an accountant, and a high school teacher. He has made countless television appearances as both a comedian and an actor, and is one of only a handful of comedians to perform on every single late-night comedy program. Gulman has made four masterful TV specials, including his most recent universally acclaimed stand-up special for HBO, The Great Depresh, a tour-de-force look at mental illness, which is equal parts hilarious and inspiring. In 2019, he appeared in the international blockbuster Joker. He can most recently be seen co-starring with Amy Schumer in the hit Hulu comedy series Life & Beth. Gary’s first book, published by Flatiron Books, is titled Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ’80s, a memoir based on his life from Kindergarten through twelfth grade. It was released in September of 2023. Amy Schumer called the book “laugh-out-loud funny and heartfelt,” and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Adrian Nicole LeBlanc found it “exquisite, love-affirming and generous.” Today, Gulman is one of the most popular touring comics, selling out theaters around the country, including the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New

York City.

Troy Iwata joined Comedy Central's The Daily Show in 2024 as one of its new correspondents and in the same year was named as one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics to Watch. He previously starred in the Netflix series Dash & Lily and recurred opposite Anne Hathaway in AppleTV+'s WeCrashed. Iwata can be seen recurring on Netflix’s The Perfect Couple opposite Nicole Kidman as well as in a guest star role on Lena Dunham's new series for Netflix, Too Much. He also starred in the hit queer horror-comedy Summoning Sylvia opposite Michael Urie. An acclaimed singer and stage actor as well, Troy made his Broadway debut in Be More Chill.

J. Robert Lennon is the author of eleven novels, including Broken River, Subdivision, and Buzz Kill, and the story collections Pieces for the Left Hand, See You in Paradise, and Let Me Think. He teaches creative writing at Cornell University.

BD Wong is a regular reader and former host of Selected Shorts. He won the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Theatre World Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and Tony Award for his Broadway debut in M. Butterfly. Other Broadway includes the revivals of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Pacific Overtures. His work Off-Broadway and regionally includes American Conservatory Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Williamstown Theater Festival, McCarter Theatre, Public Theater, Drama Dept., Atlantic Theater and he has appeared in more than 20 feature films, including Bird Box, Focus, Seven Years in Tibet, 4 Jurassic films, 2 Mulan films, and 2 Father of the Bride films. On television, he has been featured on Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens, Mr. Robot (Emmy and Critics’ Choice Award nominations), American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Gotham, 11 seasons of Law & Order: SVU, Oz, and All-American Girl. He has received recognitions from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian American Journalists Association, Asian AIDS Project, PFLAG, GLAAD, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, The Anti-Violence Project, Lambda Legal, Museum of Chinese in America, and Marriage Equality New York for his presence and participation in his communities. He has received honorary degrees from School of Visual Arts, American Conservatory Theater and San Francisco State University, and sits on the Boards of Trustees of The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors’ Fund), American Conservatory Theater, and Rosie’s Theater Kids. He was born and raised in San Francisco and lives in Brooklyn, New York. @wongbd

Charles Yu is the New York Times bestselling author of Interior Chinatown, winner of the National Book Award for fiction and a Hulu original series starring Jimmy O. Yang and Ronny Chieng, and the novel How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, a New York Times Notable Book and a Time magazine best book of the year, as well as two short story collections. He is currently developing projects for Searchlight, Amazon, and Paramount, and his work in television and film has been nominated for three WGA awards as well as the Humanitas Prize. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired, among other publications. Together with TaiwaneseAmerican.org, he established the Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Writing Prizes, in honor of his parents.

Meg Wolitzer is the New York Times bestselling author of The Female Persuasion,The Interestings, The Ten-Year Nap, The Position, and The Wife, among other novels. A musical of The Interestings is in development. Wolitzer was the guest editor of The Best American Short Stories 2017, and also writes books for young readers. She is a faculty member in the Creative Writing Program at Stony Brook University, where she co-founded and co-directs BookEnds, a yearlong intensive for emerging novelists.

CREDITS

“Therapy,” by J. Robert Lennon, from Let Me Think: Stories (Graywolf Press, 2021). Copyright © 2021 by J. Robert Lennon. Used by permission of the author.

“Fable,” by Charles Yu, from The New Yorker (May 23, 2016). Copyright © 2016 by Charles Yu. Used by permission of The Book Group and the author.