Nick Kroll talks Human Resources, Big Mouth and more

Episode notes

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Nick Kroll is a comedian, actor and writer. You probably already knew that. Especially, if you’re a fan of comedy that’s a little niche, raunchy and slightly off-putting. 

Nick starred on the FX show The League, created the sketch comedy series Kroll Show. And if you watched VH1 in the early 2000s, you probably saw him making jokes about pop culture on Best Week Ever.

He also co-created the Broadway show Oh, Hello alongside John Mulaney. Together, they play Gil Faizon and George St Geegland. The two men embody a very specific kind of New Yorker – the kind you might find in a cotton baseball cap and ill-fitting khakis, frowning at the New York Times. Like we said, Nick’s humor is a little niche. 

But lately, Nick’s focused more on the animation world. In 2017, he co-created the show Big Mouth on Netflix.

It was an instant hit. 

Big Mouth is a comedy about puberty, more or less. There’s a group of upstate New York teenagers who experience puberty. A couple hormone monsters who cause puberty. And the friends and family who have to live with those pubescent teenagers. It’s a bit like “Inside Out” if Nick Kroll made Pixar’s “Inside Out.”

Last year, Nick launched a new show in the same universe as Big Mouth. It’s called Human Resources. 

Human Resources centers around those same monsters from Big Mouth. But, it takes a look at their workplaces, along with the adult feelings they represent. And also like Big Mouth, Human Resources is very very weird and more than a little bit crass.

The show just released its second season on Netflix. It features the voice talents of folks like Aidy Bryant, Rosie Perez, Thandie Newton, Maria Bamford and many more. 

Nick Kroll joined us on Bullseye to talk about his work on Big Mouth and Human Resources. Plus, why he’s traded in his on-screen roles for voice acting gigs and a seat behind the scenes. He also gets into the lessons he’s learned since becoming a father. 

This interview originally aired in March of 2022.