# Michelle Buteau Is Just Trying To Survive

An episode of [The Joel Creasey Show](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1892211318), 14 Oct 2026, 13 min.

Audio: https://p.podderapp.com/2544644999/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/0a7e0de0-74e0-4e43-8322-b4280001079c/026b0290-fdb1-4d2d-b3a8-b4e300184668/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=4e45f23a-f6ca-4ea9-b5f6-b42800010bb7

Comedian and Actor Michelle Buteau is headed down under, so Joel thought he better give her some inside tips before she arrives! Turns out, she had a few of her own for Joel. Michelle revealed how she had to carve out her own space in comedy after rejections early on in her career and how she's so grateful for that space now! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:02] Speaker 1: It's now time to welcome the people's prince. And part-time
[0:08] Speaker 1: amateur sommelier. He's had four black coffees and half an olive,
[0:13] Speaker 1: so he's primed and.
[0:14] Speaker 2: Ready to go.
[0:15] Speaker 1: I'm a working show gal.
[0:17] Speaker 2: Get ready.
[0:18] Speaker 1: Yes! It's Joel Creasy.
[0:20] Speaker 3: Joel Creasy! With the Joel Creasy Show.
[0:28] Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to the Joel Creasy Show. Happy Wednesday
[0:31] Speaker 1: and happy birthday to Usher, who turns 48 today. My producer, Erin,
[0:34] Speaker 1: is very excited. Coming up today, I'm going to be
[0:38] Speaker 1: joined by Michelle Buteau. She is an actor, stand-up comedian,
[0:41] Speaker 1: best-selling author and Netflix sensation. You might know her from
[0:44] Speaker 1: that reality show where she was host of The Circle.
[0:48] Speaker 1: Not to be confused with the one hosted by Chrissy
[0:50] Speaker 1: Swan and Ding Dong Drysdale. She'll also be touring Australia
[0:53] Speaker 1: in December with her acclaimed live show. And I cannot
[0:56] Speaker 1: wait to meet her. She seems like an absolute hoot. Ho!
[1:00] Speaker 1: This is The Joel Creasy Show. Today we're chatting with
[1:03] Speaker 1: Michelle Buteau, who stars in the new film Spa Weekend.
[1:07] Speaker 1: Amazing cast. Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Anna Faris. Her 2024
[1:11] Speaker 1: Netflix special was filmed at the legendary Radio City Music
[1:16] Speaker 1: Hall in New York. It doesn't get much bigger than that.
[1:18] Speaker 1: And she became the first woman to do so. And
[1:21] Speaker 1: on top of that, she will be here touring Australia
[1:24] Speaker 1: in December. Well, hey, Michelle. Hi. How's it going?
[1:29] Speaker 2: It's going.
[1:30] Speaker 1: Hey, I've always wanted to meet you, but then I
[1:32] Speaker 1: was thinking, have you done Just for Laughs in Montreal before?
[1:35] Speaker 2: I did. I've only done it twice, though.
[1:38] Speaker 1: Because I've enjoyed you on screen for so long. You
[1:42] Speaker 1: know when you go up there and it's such a
[1:43] Speaker 1: whirlwind when you go to Montreal. Did we share a bill?
[1:46] Speaker 1: You know those galas where you never meet anyone or
[1:48] Speaker 1: those lineups?
[1:49] Speaker 2: I know.
[1:49] Speaker 1: And you're like, well, so we've sort of worked together,
[1:51] Speaker 1: but we haven't. Can I claim it? But have you
[1:53] Speaker 1: been to Australia before?
[1:54] Speaker 2: Been to Australia once.
[1:56] Speaker 3: Last year when I filmed Spa Weekend with Leslie Mann,
[1:59] Speaker 3: Anna Faris and Isla Fisher.
[2:01] Speaker 1: I know.
[2:02] Speaker 2: The redheaded Beyonce of Australia, darling.
[2:04] Speaker 1: Oh, I love that because I love Isla. I love
[2:06] Speaker 1: Isla so much.
[2:07] Speaker 2: She's amazing. She's amazing. But do you ever come to
[2:10] Speaker 2: New York?
[2:11] Speaker 1: I have. I, um, I was there a couple of
[2:13] Speaker 1: weeks ago, but I used to gig and do The
[2:15] Speaker 1: Cellar and all those clubs a bunch.
[2:18] Speaker 4: Call me!
[2:19] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[2:20] Speaker 2: Call me.
[2:21] Speaker 1: When you do The Cellar, do they give you an alias?
[2:24] Speaker 1: What is it?
[2:26] Speaker 2: No, I actually don't. I actually never got past The Cellar.
[2:31] Speaker 1: These people, honestly, they need to check themselves.
[2:34] Speaker 3: I know.
[2:35] Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, it's very funny, but I will say
[2:37] Speaker 2: it made me scrappy. It made me creative.
[2:39] Speaker 3: I'm like, oh, people don't get me. Then I have
[2:41] Speaker 3: to carve out a space for myself. And so that's
[2:43] Speaker 3: what I did. I didn't give up because people told
[2:46] Speaker 3: me no. And I always tell my friends that especially
[2:48] Speaker 3: you're like are in comedy, like hardcore waiting for something
[2:50] Speaker 3: to happen. I'm like.
[2:51] Speaker 2: The most important no is the one you tell yourself.
[2:54] Speaker 2: So don't do that.
[2:55] Speaker 1: Keep going.
[2:56] Speaker 3: Because all these places you mentioned have definitely passed on
[3:00] Speaker 3: me for almost a decade.
[3:01] Speaker 1: It's wild because I just got offered a TV show
[3:03] Speaker 1: here that I've wanted for ages and they were always
[3:05] Speaker 1: passing on me and they offered the other day and
[3:07] Speaker 1: I said no and it felt so good.
[3:10] Speaker 2: Oh, doesn't it feel good? Yeah. Yeah.
[3:12] Speaker 1: I wish I'd learned that when I was younger.
[3:15] Speaker 2: I know.
[3:15] Speaker 1: I know.
[3:16] Speaker 2: I think times have changed though.
[3:17] Speaker 3: I think Maybe a lot of institutions weren't ready for female,
[3:21] Speaker 3: like a bunch of females at the time.
[3:22] Speaker 2: It felt like there was like one or two. Same
[3:26] Speaker 2: with queer people. Same with black folk. Like it was
[3:29] Speaker 2: just like it wasn't the space that it is now.
[3:32] Speaker 2: So I love that the needle is moving in a
[3:34] Speaker 2: good direction.
[3:34] Speaker 1: This is exciting. You've recently announced your Australian tour. You'll
[3:41] Speaker 1: be here in December. Have you performed on stage in
[3:43] Speaker 1: Australia before?
[3:44] Speaker 3: No, I haven't.
[3:44] Speaker 1: You're going to love it. I haven't.
[3:46] Speaker 2: I can't wait.
[3:48] Speaker 3: I love Australian comedians. I love Australia.
[3:52] Speaker 2: I can't wait.
[3:53] Speaker 3: I've always wanted to just go and do the festivals here.
[3:57] Speaker 3: And Ronnie Chang speaks so highly of it. Everybody is like, oh, man,
[4:01] Speaker 3: Australia is such a vibe. But I didn't come because
[4:04] Speaker 3: I didn't know how far it really was. And everyone's like,
[4:07] Speaker 3: if you do a tour, you have to be there
[4:09] Speaker 3: for at least two months to see everything and go everywhere.
[4:12] Speaker 1: I'm like, I ain't got much to watch.
[4:14] Speaker 5: I got a rant i got two i have twins
[4:17] Speaker 5: and two.
[4:18] Speaker 2: Dogs i got a whole noah's.
[4:19] Speaker 5: Ark i can't just leave so i'm glad we like
[4:23] Speaker 5: figured out how to like make a weekend happen and
[4:25] Speaker 5: it is crazy but that's okay we've done crazier things
[4:28] Speaker 5: you should see what i used to put in my
[4:29] Speaker 5: mouth on my.
[4:29] Speaker 3: Toys i can go to a weekend in australia no
[4:32] Speaker 3: big whoopsie poopsie.
[4:34] Speaker 4: Okay yeah no you're gonna be fun and you're also
[4:37] Speaker 4: playing like the biggest theaters the palais in melbourne you're
[4:40] Speaker 4: gonna love It's like this old, huge, it's stunning.
[4:44] Speaker 1: And it's on the, right on the beach. It's beside
[4:48] Speaker 1: a theme park. You're going to like all the greats
[4:50] Speaker 1: play the ballet theater. You're going to love it.
[4:53] Speaker 2: Oh my God. I can't wait. What am I going
[4:54] Speaker 2: to wear? This sounds cute and fancy. Okay.
[4:58] Speaker 1: Do you, I love that when I love thinking about
[5:00] Speaker 1: what I'm going to wear on stage. And cause I
[5:01] Speaker 1: know some comics don't care for it. Do you, is
[5:03] Speaker 1: there like something that you go like, Oh, I can't
[5:05] Speaker 1: perform in like that again. Cause that gives me like,
[5:08] Speaker 1: he was, are you at all superstitious?
[5:11] Speaker 2: Oh, superstitious, no. But you know what?
[5:13] Speaker 3: Fringe is hard because it'll get stuck in my butt.
[5:17] Speaker 3: I'll have a wedgie with fringe or it'll get stuck
[5:21] Speaker 3: in a door or dipped in the toilet.
[5:24] Speaker 2: Fringe is hard. I don't know how Stevie Nicks did it.
[5:27] Speaker 3: I love sequins, but I don't know how Beyonce does it.
[5:32] Speaker 3: Maybe because Beyonce's not menopausal, but Being menopausal on stage
[5:36] Speaker 3: in sequence feels like an episode of Survivor that I
[5:38] Speaker 3: never want to go through.
[5:39] Speaker 2: It is everything but Tahiti. It is not okay. It's nuts.
[5:44] Speaker 3: And so I'm not sure what I'm going to wear,
[5:46] Speaker 3: but I do like a little bit of top titty meat.
[5:48] Speaker 3: You know, a little v-neck, no big whoops, some lashes,
[5:53] Speaker 3: maybe a little camel toe.
[5:54] Speaker 2: You got to give people something. There's a lot of
[5:55] Speaker 2: taxes on these tickets. Yeah, give him.
[5:58] Speaker 1: Some for the tax. I love it. I love it. Yeah,
[6:03] Speaker 1: book your tickets now so you can get right up front. LiveNational.com.au.
[6:08] Speaker 1: I loved The Circle, the seven seasons of The Circle.
[6:12] Speaker 1: I binged them all. When was the first season? Was
[6:14] Speaker 1: it pre-COVID?
[6:15] Speaker 2: You know what? I think it came out, like, right
[6:17] Speaker 2: at COVID, actually. It might have been pre-COVID.
[6:20] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[6:21] Speaker 2: I want to say it was, like, I think it
[6:23] Speaker 2: was January 1st, 2020.
[6:24] Speaker 3: So, like... It was right before COVID. And then I
[6:29] Speaker 3: think the second season hit right during COVID. So it
[6:31] Speaker 3: felt like we were doing this with each other.
[6:33] Speaker 1: Because when I was like, they're smart. This is like,
[6:35] Speaker 1: you know, so many productions try to like make things,
[6:38] Speaker 1: you know, isolated. And The Circle felt was the perfect
[6:42] Speaker 1: format for that because people were all on their own
[6:44] Speaker 1: competing on The Circle app.
[6:46] Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, and they put this modern spin on
[6:49] Speaker 3: it with popularity, essentially. Likes, views, what your profile picture
[6:54] Speaker 3: says about you.
[6:55] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[6:55] Speaker 2: How you can chat somebody up, how you can connect
[6:58] Speaker 2: with them and not know anything.
[6:59] Speaker 3: I felt like it was really important. I could have
[7:01] Speaker 3: done like 25 more seasons of it. It was like
[7:03] Speaker 3: so fun.
[7:04] Speaker 1: I loved it. I loved it. And that's how I
[7:06] Speaker 1: got introduced to you. And every time you popped up,
[7:08] Speaker 1: I was like, she's fabulous. I need to see more.
[7:11] Speaker 2: Aww.
[7:11] Speaker 1: We're catching up with actor and comedian Michelle Buteau. We'll
[7:14] Speaker 1: chat about her new film right after this. It is
[7:17] Speaker 1: an all-star cast. Right now, I'm chatting with Michelle Buteau.
[7:25] Speaker 1: She's here in December touring her Live show. Get tickets
[7:28] Speaker 1: now at livenation.com.au. You're very funny, Michelle, but also a
[7:32] Speaker 1: very talented actress. Tell me about Spa Weekend, because this
[7:36] Speaker 1: is like, what a lot. Yourself, Leslie, Isla Fisher, Anna Faris. Like,
[7:39] Speaker 1: that is delicious. Right?
[7:42] Speaker 2: It's chef's kiss all over my body. It was so fun.
[7:46] Speaker 2: I mean, comedic powerhouses. Like, what a dream. Every day
[7:50] Speaker 2: felt like Christmas. I was like, you've got to be kidding.
[7:52] Speaker 3: And also, I was so surprised by, like, Everyone was, like,
[7:55] Speaker 3: so at the top of their game, which is dope.
[7:57] Speaker 2: And they're like, how do we make this better? And
[7:59] Speaker 2: they were collaborative. But they were also so warm, you know?
[8:03] Speaker 3: They were so warm and friendly and just wanted to know, like,
[8:07] Speaker 3: where everybody was from and how to remember their name.
[8:10] Speaker 2: That's nice. Where do they go for, like.
[8:12] Speaker 3: The good food and what's a bug sandwich and all
[8:15] Speaker 3: that stuff. So it felt like what it was supposed
[8:18] Speaker 3: to feel like, which was nice, you know? And I
[8:21] Speaker 3: don't have to tell you, Isla Fisher is the damn.
[8:24] Speaker 2: Jareem.
[8:25] Speaker 1: Right? Yeah.
[8:27] Speaker 2: Oh, my God.
[8:28] Speaker 1: And she's got those proper funny... Like, you know, some
[8:30] Speaker 1: people are funny, and then some people have funny bones, like.
[8:33] Speaker 4: To the core.
[8:33] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[8:34] Speaker 3: Yeah, no, she's, like, quarter percent funny on her mama's side.
[8:37] Speaker 2: Like, it is DNA. It is DNA.
[8:40] Speaker 1: Oh, no, truly.
[8:41] Speaker 3: And so it was really also dope just, like, women
[8:44] Speaker 3: coming together and doing a female-led anything because, you know,
[8:48] Speaker 3: in America, it feels like at every moment, like, our
[8:51] Speaker 3: bodies are up for debate and being blue-sized, so it's like, well,
[8:54] Speaker 3: we can also get together.
[8:56] Speaker 2: And make her own choices.
[8:57] Speaker 3: And make her own money and entertain people and let
[8:59] Speaker 3: them know that, like, we're badass bitches. And so it
[9:02] Speaker 3: all means something, you know? So also shout out to
[9:05] Speaker 3: the directors, John Lucas and Scott Moore.
[9:08] Speaker 2: Who are, like, two guys who are happily married. What?
[9:12] Speaker 4: Really?
[9:13] Speaker 5: Yeah.
[9:14] Speaker 2: Not to each other. To their wives.
[9:15] Speaker 1: Oh, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No. okay that doesn't make
[9:21] Speaker 1: so that isn't so crazy what oh yeah of course
[9:23] Speaker 1: we guys we love it we love.
[9:28] Speaker 3: My bad can you imagine i'm just like everyone's looking
[9:31] Speaker 3: for a unicorn no but they are like really amazing
[9:36] Speaker 3: at like um just committing to showcasing women's stories and
[9:42] Speaker 3: so i was like this is This is dope. This
[9:45] Speaker 3: is why I'm going to leave my family, you know,
[9:47] Speaker 3: because I'm going to miss my bed, my kids, my toilet,
[9:50] Speaker 3: my husband, in that order.
[9:51] Speaker 1: This is The Joel Creasy Show. Your tour, the surviving
[9:58] Speaker 1: and thriving tour. Are you surviving and thriving?
[10:02] Speaker 3: Oh man, I'm doing a little bit of both all
[10:04] Speaker 3: at the same time.
[10:04] Speaker 1: Well, you're definitely thriving. I can tell you that, but
[10:06] Speaker 1: are you surviving?
[10:07] Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm trying to, you know, I'm trying to. It's
[10:10] Speaker 2: a lot. It's a lot. Even when it's good, it's hard.
[10:13] Speaker 2: You know what I mean?
[10:14] Speaker 3: So like, as long as we can recognize that, And
[10:18] Speaker 3: that's the best. Like, you know, when people pretend everything's
[10:21] Speaker 3: all good at the time, I'm just like, is this
[10:23] Speaker 3: when you kill me?
[10:24] Speaker 1: Cause I was like, what is this?
[10:26] Speaker 2: You know what I mean? I was like, it's good
[10:27] Speaker 2: all the time. Um, so yeah. And I saw this.
[10:32] Speaker 3: Quote on Instagram one time where it said, um, the
[10:35] Speaker 3: tools you need to survive won't be the ones you
[10:37] Speaker 3: need to thrive. And I'm like, That's so good. Like
[10:40] Speaker 3: when you get the thing and you're in the place,
[10:42] Speaker 3: like enjoy it.
[10:43] Speaker 1: Did I read as well, by the way, when you
[10:45] Speaker 1: started stand up, were you like a news anchor or
[10:49] Speaker 1: reporter previously?
[10:51] Speaker 2: A reporter? Oh my God, I wish.
[10:52] Speaker 3: I wanted to be a reporter, but my college professor
[10:54] Speaker 3: at the time told me I was too fat to
[10:55] Speaker 3: be on camera.
[10:56] Speaker 2: He's probably dead now. But I believed him because I
[11:02] Speaker 2: didn't see anyone like me on camera, which is why
[11:04] Speaker 2: diversity matters. But this was a long time ago.
[11:06] Speaker 3: This was before Justin Bieber was born and Taylor Swift
[11:10] Speaker 3: probably had curly hair.
[11:11] Speaker 1: That's how long this was. Whoa, that is a throwback.
[11:14] Speaker 2: That's a long time ago. So, yeah, I mean, I
[11:18] Speaker 2: was an editor.
[11:19] Speaker 3: I was an editor and field producer, and I loved production.
[11:21] Speaker 3: I loved getting to know what everybody did. But, you know,
[11:25] Speaker 3: editors sit in a dark room, and I'm like, honey,
[11:27] Speaker 3: I need a window.
[11:27] Speaker 2: I'm too cute.
[11:29] Speaker 1: Look at this. You know what I mean?
[11:32] Speaker 2: I need a window. I need the vitamin D. I
[11:35] Speaker 2: need the sunshine and the dick.
[11:38] Speaker 1: Oh, my gosh. We are the same person. I could
[11:40] Speaker 1: not agree more. I'm so pumped. I love this so much.
[11:44] Speaker 1: I'm going to be there. You really are doing a weekend.
[11:47] Speaker 1: Friday and also December. It's going to be beautiful, the weather.
[11:49] Speaker 1: December 11, Melbourne. Saturday, December 12, Sydney. And December 13
[11:55] Speaker 1: in Brisbane. How long are you clocking up on stage?
[11:59] Speaker 2: Oh my goodness.
[11:59] Speaker 3: I'm supposed to do an hour, but I usually end
[12:02] Speaker 3: up doing an hour and a half. You know, the
[12:03] Speaker 3: material's good. We're going to get to it, but it's
[12:06] Speaker 3: never like a tight hour. It's like a tight material,
[12:08] Speaker 3: but I just want to get to know people too.
[12:12] Speaker 2: I think it's special for all of us.
[12:13] Speaker 3: Like anyone who knows who I am and wants to
[12:17] Speaker 3: come to my show, I could not be more appreciative.
[12:20] Speaker 2: Like that's insane.
[12:21] Speaker 3: I feel like a very low budget Janet Jackson doing
[12:25] Speaker 3: standup with way worse knees.
[12:27] Speaker 2: So I'm excited.
[12:30] Speaker 1: Well, I can't wait to be together again. When you
[12:34] Speaker 1: get down to Australia, you are brilliant. People must get
[12:37] Speaker 1: along to see you live on stage with your surviving
[12:39] Speaker 1: and thriving tour, Michelle. Thank you so much for joining
[12:41] Speaker 1: me and I'll see you very soon.
[12:45] Speaker 2: I'll see you very soon. Also, please let me know
[12:47] Speaker 2: when you're in New York.
[12:48] Speaker 3: Done.
[12:49] Speaker 1: You can listen to my full chat with Michelle Buteau
[12:51] Speaker 1: on the Joel Creasy Show podcast. Thank you so much
[12:53] Speaker 1: for joining me, Michelle. I'll be back tomorrow with comedian
[12:56] Speaker 1: Alex Ward. Up next, Rikki Leigh and Tim.
[13:01] Speaker 2: The Joel Creasy Show is done.
[13:03] Speaker 1: But Joel's got plenty more to say. Find more exclusive
[13:07] Speaker 1: content on the Nova Player app.

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