Brandon Prosek is a Renaissance man. Comedian, host, playwright, writer of a graphic novel about pirates, connoisseur of bad movies. This, however, is about a good movie, and how the 2017 romantic comedy The Big Sick got him through a rough time in his personal life. May it give you some comfort while we all deal with, well, a Big Sick. Take care of yourselves & each other out there. IBTFY loves you. Topics include: Pirate content, the box-office bomb Cutthroat Island, Brandon's favorite...

Do you remember your first post-college/"adulthood" living situation? What were you listening to or watching to get you through that time? In this episode, writer and academic Molly Horan (Refinery29, Mashable, Buzzfeed) shares her experiences moving to New York and coping with the isolation of moving to the city through Mad Men. Topics include: Unlikable protagonists, trying to meet people after college, fighting loneliness, idealized depictions of New York, the impact of RENT on...

Content Note: This episode contains references to the death of a parent and eating disorders. Season 2 of IBTFY is here! Excited to be back with more stories from funny, talented people and the pop culture that got them through rough times. For our first episode of this new season, actor/comedian/musician/multihyphenate James Bradford ("The Chris Gethard Show," the upcoming "Mare of Easttown") recounts his time as an Ear With Feet, or a devout fan of singer-songwriter Tori Amos, & how...

Content Note: This episode deals heavily with matters of loss, grieving and addiction. We've made it to our Season Finale! Thanks to everyone who stuck with the first season of IBTFY and helped build this little community. Our final Season 1 guest is LeeAnn Yops, storyteller, comedian and 90210 fan site curator. LeeAnn came to IBTFY to share her love of Luke Perry, right down to "dating" a mini-Luke doll and appearing on the Steve Harvey Show, the 90210 fan community and her experiences...

IBTFY was honored to be a part of Podslam 2019, Arcade Audio's annual podcast marathon for Connor's Cure. We were especially honored to have one of our favorite funny Chicagoans, Jeremy Owens of You're Being Ridiculous, at iO with us to talk about the Bravo'verse and coping. And yes, there were two Bravoverse episodes in a row. It's fine. Donations are still open for Podslam's 2019 Fundraiser for Connor's Cure! Help us fight childhood cancer!...

We're back! Comedian, writer and Internet legend John Sundholm discusses navigating family life, mental health, coming out & his fandom of Madonna through the ages & many reinventions, and the joys of coping and escapism with the Real Housewives of New York. Topics include: Your first Madonna experiences, the Blonde Ambition tour, what's the best Madonna song and why is it "Hung Up," AIDS activism, family relationships & dysfunctions, mental health everything, the inherent...

(Heads up: Apologies in advance for some echoey/muffled bits on this one, it was our first recording with a new setup and we were still working out the bugs. We did our best to remediate and Archy was such a wonderful guest that we think you'll enjoy it anyway.) Archy Jamjun is a hilarious and caring storyteller, curator and teacher, who helps run OUTSpoken, Chicago's LGBT storytelling night, the first Tuesday of every month at Sidetrack. Here he shares the inspiration behind his one-man...

Hey, teens! This episode is a lot about you and how to relate to what you're going through! Journalist and fiction writer Rosamund Lannin has written for /Film, Vice, Lifehacker and more, and today she comes on to the podcast to talk about two works that helped her get through stretches of her teenage years: Craig Thompson's graphic novel "Blankets" and Sam Cooke's iconic album, Night Beat. Topics include: the realities and grind of day jobs, s****y boyfriends, your first romance and first...

It's IBTFY's first CROSSOVER epsiode! We're celebrating the new season of one of our other favorite local podcasts, Beyond Queer Stories, with a special crossover episode! BQS co-producers and hosts Dawn Brown and Ashabi Owagboriaye discuss channeling emotions through anime, growing into your queer identity alongside the old & new versions of Queer Eye & lots of other stuff. Topics include: The "Can Antoni Cook?" debate, the importance of queer storytelling (and everyone's favorite...

Proving this show contains multitudes and occasionally our guests delve into ~~cUlTuRe~~, the hilarious and generous writer, producer and comedian Patrick Gill shares stories of building a better relationship with your body from ballerina Maria Tallchief and falling in love with the world of Pedro Almodóvar. Topics include: Raccoons vs. opossums, our relationships with our bodies, the importance of The Firebird, Surya Bonaly (again), grand movie palaces, the loneliness and observance of gay...

You have so many relationships in this life, only one of two will last, and one of those is with the band you loved the most in your teen years. Artist Amy Trummer takes us on a journey through her love of the brothers Hanson, the Hanson fan community and a little something called Back to the Island. Topics include: The differences between each Hanson brother, Prince, Back to the Island pop culture gatekeeping, Hanson Monopoly, the "All That" revival, making friends through fandom and more.

We did a little something different this episode! It's Pride in Chicago, so we asked some friends to share stories of LGBTQ+ media that meant a lot to them for a Pride mini-sode. What transpired was beautiful stories about Glee, Schitt's Creek, Petal, Queer Eye (old and new) and more. Also, your host has some feelings about the Indigo Girls double live album.

Doggos, puppers, woofers, good boys. Today's episode is all about Very Online Dogs. Chicago writer and producer Tori Szekeres shares how dogs on social media were a source of comfort and joy during a family health scare and other tough times, and why her own dog reminds her of Norm MacDonald as Burt Reynolds. Topics include: The American healthcare system and why it sucks, Midwesternisms, the Chicago storytelling scene, the Dog Feelings Twitter Account, Verminstagram and much more.

CONTENT NOTE: This episode includes brief references to sexual trauma. If you wish to avoid this subject matter, discussion begins around 16:00 and ends around 18:30. Pour the coffee and turn up the Carole King, it's time for our Gilmore Girls episode! Chicago comedian and storyteller Jaclyn Barker recounts returning to the comfort of Stars Hollow after the 2016 election, and how the revival impacted her. Topics include: Dames, Amy Sherman-Palladino, the comfort of Stars Hollow,...

We wanna cut to the feeling! Ines Bellina is a writer, storyteller and bon vivant who writes about food, books and other things that are good for the AV Club, the Takeout & other good good places on the Internet. On this episode, Ines talks about a summer of falling in love, soundtracked to Almighty Feelings Queen Carly Rae Jepsen. Topics include: Dating in your thirties, unsolicited advice, hearing "Warm Blood" for the first time, the Pitchfork Music Festival, the "Run Away With Me" sax...

ARMY, rejoice! This episode is for you. Nonprofit professional & student of fandom Lauren Pais takes us through her history & lifelong relationship with boy bands, culminating with why über popular K-pop septet BTS, who are touring the U.S. right now, mean so much to her now. Topics include: The great boy band wars of '98, Which One Is the Chris Kirkpatrick, moving back home and feeling stuck, being a student of fandom, One Direction & Directioners, post-band breakup optimism,...

Oh oh, it's magic! If you're still emotionally devastated over the Magicians finale from last week, this episode is for you. Comedian, playwright and Harry Potter academic Hope Rehak visited the studio to talk about her strong and complicated bonds with two magical fandoms: Harry Potter & The Magicians. Topics discussed include: Harry Potter academia, Book Ron vs. Movie Ron, J.K. Rowling retconning & The Ilvermorny Discourse, Lev Grossman reading our minds, Hope's high school Harry...

Austin-based comedian (soon to be L.A.-based!) Jamie Meeks joins IBTFY to share a few of her favorite things, a time where a Netflix recommendation mirrored her personal life & the #vanlife influencers who are preparing her for an exciting new journey. Topics include: Sleeping With Other People, sleeping with other people, Netflix's creepy algorithms, our favorite comedies with unlikable characters, Nurse Jackie, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, #vanlife influencers & more.

Steve Eanet is many things: a marketing pro, a Goldendoodle dad, a battle rapper by the name of XQZ with multiple international battles and No Coast Raps titles to his name. He is also the host's brother, and I'd say we were the ShibSibs of podcasting, but that's probably the McElroys. Steve joins us in the studio to talk about his long history with battle rap, what he's learned from being part of the community, and also one of our favorite TV shows. Topics include: The battle preparation...

IBTFY is back and this week's guest lights up our world like nobody else. Chicago comedian, storyteller and occasional clown Hannah Bollman discusses how a certain British boy band helped her get through some turbulent years. Also, why certain angsty nü-metal bands from our youth still hold up. Topics include: The rise of One Direction, Directioners vs. Directionators, the other Top 3 from that season of X-Factor, mental health coochie cutters, the Larry conspiracy, Nickelback and Papa Roach...

Just in time for the Oscars! Chicago comedian, musician and Renaissance Man Devin Middleton (aka Debonair Status) joins IBTFY to talk Kingdom Hearts 3, award show predictions and the Grammys performance that impacted him the most. Topics include: The wildly confusing Kingdom Hearts-verse, the impact of Cardi B, the Oscars Best Original Song category, Barry Jenkins, queer representation in country music, iconic Grammys performances & more.

Welcome back to I'll Be There for You, a podcast about pop culture and coping. Our guest is Rae Nudson, a freelance writer based in Chicago with bylines at The Cut, Longreads, Esquire, and more. On this episode, Rae shares two stories of specific pieces of culture that got her through two specific terrible nights: Finding Nemo and Bob's Burgers. Topics include: Napping TV, the moral center of children's movies, overnight hospital stays, cartoons for adults, our favorite Tina Belcher moments,...

Chicago comedian Liz Stockwell was going through a divorce and getting into performing standup comedy when she found a critically acclaimed TV show about... going through a divorce and getting into standup comedy. Topics include: Tony Shalhoub's blood pressure, the evolution of comedy since Mrs. Maisel, spaces for funny women in Chicago, a moment of mourning for one of Chicago's iconic dives

Welcome to I'll Be There for You, a new podcast about pop culture and coping. In each episode, I chat with someone I admire about a piece of pop culture that got them through a difficult time in their lives. Our first guest is Chicago comedy producer & performer Lindsey Schroeder, who got through a difficult year with the help of figure skating, and specifically, two certain Canadian ice dancers. Topics include: Embracing vulnerability, Surya Bonaly fangirling, hyperfixations, fanfiction...