Elyse Myers Embraces The Awkward In ‘Funny Cuz It’s True’

Nearly one year ago by the day, comedian Elyse Myers posted a TikTok describing the worst date she’d ever been on. The chaotic story is filled to the brim with surprise twists, terrifying turns, and about 98 more tacos than expected. But where Myers excels, and likely why the video itself now sits at 23 million views, is her ability to latch on to some of the most embarrassing moments in life and embrace them by inviting us to laugh along with her.

On TikTok this has sort of become her thing. Myers has no dearth of silly mishaps from life to share with us. From edible wedding plates (or the lack thereof) to a very committed cleaning solution salesman, Myers’ style of walking us through an otherwise cringe-worthy moment, complete with an inventive use of emojis, keeps us wanting to hear more.

But at first, Myers wasn’t sure how to react to her sudden success online.

“When I really hit that first video that just catapulted me into a different kind of success with content creation, I was really scared. And I almost didn’t want to do anything with it,” said Myers. “I was like ok this is too much. I’ve made a huge mistake, and I need to quit.”

However, Myers then quickly re-contextualized what she had here. Instead of imagining this as a big deal or something beyond herself, she chose to instead focus on continuing to tell the kinds of stories she loved in the way she loved to tell them. And, she reasoned, if people kept enjoying it then she would continue. And of course, people did.

And so now, Myers looks to bring that same irreverent perspective towards life’s silliest misadventures while chatting with celebrities on her new podcast Funny Cuz It’s True. And in this effort, she’s translating her distinct voice and visual style over to the unfamiliar waters of the audio world.

“It’s like everything you see on a screen when you’re watching a story of mine with the emojis, you are now hearing,” said Myers.

The first two episodes of the podcast feature conversations with prolific film and television director Paul Feig (A Simple Favor, Bridesmaids, The Office) and then legacy pop star Lance Bass. The discussions range from Feig’s debacle of a first kiss, his worries of inadequacy in the creative process, and then Bass’ struggles with growing up in the starlight from a young age.

But, as Myers explains it, this is not another celebrity headlines roundup with the stars. Instead, the episodes aim to dig into the unspoken and mundane moments in the lives of media moguls. That is, rather than relishing in celebrity gossip, the discussions hope, much in the style of Myers’ TikToks, to embrace the awkwardness of life, and to recognize where there is commonality in moments that may make us otherwise turn inward.

“I’ve gotten people on the podcast that are like larger names than I even deserve to talk to,” said Myers. “But they’re just sharing stories that are so human and so normal. And these small moments that happen in their minds, that they replay, make it hard [for them] to sleep at night too.”

Through this venture, Myers imagines herself as a sort of middle man between two groups who would otherwise have no way to cross paths. On one side, she is holding the hand of a well-known and successful creator or artist. Then, with the other arm, she imagines herself holding the hands of everyone else out there. And, joining both parties together, she hopes her work will allow the two sides to recognize themselves in each other, particularly in the funny and awkward moments, to understand that they’re all just getting through the chaos of life together.

This is certainly ambitious. And the podcast, as Myers describes it, aims to try out many unique formats and modes of presentation to meet its goals. However, for Myers the key to success here, and in any of her creative ventures, is to remain true and authentic to the core of her creative vision.

“I can only create things that I love making, because I love watching things that people love making. You just feel the difference,” said Myers.

And if you’re looking for evidence of this commitment to authenticity, perhaps you’d need not search far, in this podcast, beyond the theme song. As Myers, when faced with the challenge of creating her new show’s music, opted for a unique response.

“I was given the task of writing [the theme song]. And every time I tried to record it and send it out, it wasn’t working. And I just said, ‘that’s the theme song.’ The whole theme song is me saying, ‘Hi, this is the theme song. I couldn’t write it and I got nervous in my head, so this is it!’” said Myers. “Like that’s the feel for the whole podcast. Even if we can’t get it perfect, even if I’m nervous, we’re going to do it scared. And it’s going to be great.”

Lemonada Media and Powderkeg Media’s podcast Funny Cuz It’s True, hosted by Elyse Myers, is now available to stream.

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