Noshing With Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold – December 14, 2023

Ira's Everything Bagel

Authors, Naked in the Rideshare (Stories of Gross Miscalculations)

Welcome to this week’s episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” where creativity, humor, and insightful conversation merge to deliver an intriguing podcast experience. Each week, host Ira engages with a variety of cultural figures, diving deep into the creative processes and personal stories that define today’s most compelling creators. This special compatibility episode features the fascinating duo of Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold, authors of the popular book Naked in the Rideshare: Stories of Gross Miscalculations. This episode offers listeners a journey through the world of comedy intertwined with personal love stories and professional evolution.

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The Creative Duo: Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold

Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold represent a powerful partnership in the realm of modern storytelling. Their journey began at Yale, where their graduation speech went viral, catapulting them into the spotlight with over seven million views. This exposure opened up new opportunities, one of which was their collaborative effort on Naked in the Rideshare. Their writing is characterized by a rare blend of Gen Z relatability and timeless humor, making their narratives both fresh and widely appealing. To explore more about Rebecca’s journey from a budding writer to a recognized author, visit Rebecca Shaw’s Official Website.

“Naked in the Rideshare”: A Mosaic of Modern Misadventures

Naked in the Rideshare emerges not only as a book but as a cultural artifact that captures the essence of contemporary social interactions through the lens of rideshare adventures. Each story is crafted with a keen sense of humor and an acute awareness of human nature, presenting scenarios that range from the hilariously absurd to the deeply insightful. The book mirrors the unpredictability of life’s journey, making it a resonant piece for anyone who has ever found themselves in unexpected situations. It offers a series of vignettes that reflect on the nature of human connections in the digital age, all while maintaining a light-hearted and engaging tone.

Journey to “The Tonight Show”

Rebecca and Ben’s career took a significant turn when they were invited to join the writing team of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” As the youngest writers in the storied history of late-night TV, they brought a fresh perspective that resonated with younger audiences while honoring the show’s long tradition of comedy excellence. Their time in the writers’ room was marked by rapid professional growth, as they adapted to the high-pressure environment of one of television’s most revered stages. The experience honed their skills in comedy writing and timing, crucial elements that they would carry into their future projects. For more on Ben’s reflections on their experiences and his personal growth during this time, check out Ben Kronengold’s Official Website.

Future Aspirations: From Late Night to Prime Time

Currently, Rebecca and Ben are channeling their creative energies into developing their first television pilot, an ensemble comedy under the guidance of executive producer Nick Kroll. This project, set to debut on FX, aims to blend their sharp wit with ensemble storytelling, exploring generational themes through a comedic lens. This new venture is not just a step forward in their careers but a potential trendsetter in how ensemble comedies are perceived and produced.

Recognition and Influence

The impact of Rebecca and Ben’s work extends beyond their immediate projects. Last year, they were recognized in Variety’s “Young Hollywood Power List,” a testament to their influence and potential in shaping the future of entertainment. Their profiles, including a detailed feature in the New Yorker, underline their role as cultural innovators and thought leaders in comedy. These accolades not only highlight their past achievements but also forecast their potential to inspire future generations of writers and comedians.

Conclusion: Crafting a Legacy in Comedy and Culture

As Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold continue to build their legacy, they remain committed to delivering content that entertains, enlightens, and inspires. Their journey from viral college graduates to influential cultural creators is a compelling narrative of ambition, creativity, and resilience. By integrating their life experiences with their professional endeavors, they have managed to create a unique space for themselves in the competitive world of entertainment. Their stories, whether shared through books, television, or podcasts, encourage us to find humor in our daily lives and to appreciate the unexpected twists and turns of our own stories.

Make sure to tune in to “Ira’s Everything Bagel” for more episodes that explore the intriguing intersections of art, culture, and personal growth. Each session is a window into the lives of those who shape our cultural narratives, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in the art of storytelling and the personalities behind it.

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Talking with Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold Full Transcript

Ira Sternberg: Welcome to Ira’s Everything Bagel, where I talk with intriguing people about everything—their passions, pursuits, and points of view. Do you know what it’s like to do comedy at a graduation ceremony at Yale, write for Jimmy Fallon, or ride naked in the ride chair? Well, my guests do. They’re Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold, authors of Naked in the Ride Chair: Stories of Gross Miscalculations, published by William Morrow and available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all the usual places. For everything about Rebecca and Ben, go to rebeccashaw.com and benkronengold.com. Rebecca and Ben, welcome to the show!

Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold: Thank you for having us! We’re so excited to be here.

Ira Sternberg: Sure. My most important question, Rebecca: Why does your website have a hyphen in its URL and Ben’s doesn’t?

Rebecca Shaw: Oh, such an important question! You know, there are a lot of Rebecca Shaws out there. I feel in constant hot pursuit of all of them. And there’s only one or two Bens with that last name, so, yeah, same reason why.

Ben Kronengold: Same reason why it was so easy for you to pronounce Rebecca Shaw and it always takes a pause before Kronengold. That’s how I got… yeah.

Ira Sternberg: I’m sorry about that, usually I’m pretty good about that. My voice is going so, I’ll have that as an excuse. Now, I’m an old school guy, so ride chair to me means hitchhiking. How did you come up with this title?

Rebecca Shaw: Well, you know, I think that we had, you know, Ben and I had both really grown up reading a lot of comedic fiction. We love Simon Rich, Issa Rae, David Sedaris, Mindy Kaling, George Saunders.

Ben Kronengold: Yeah, we’re so unbelievably lucky to have been so well-versed in them. And you know, when we had the opportunity to start thinking about what we wanted to work on, we were on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, and I think we really loved the idea of, is there a way to tell stories that feel very true to our generation, to our friends’ experiences—be that coming of age or post-grad—but do it in this format that feels so sort of like classic humor to us.

Ira Sternberg: It is classic humor, but it’s also a stream of consciousness. That’s what I got out of it reading it. And you mentioned your generation—I’ve lost track because there are so many different generations at this point. You’re aiming at Generation Z, but I will tell you that I read it and it was funny, so clearly I’m Generation A if you go chronologically, alphabetically. So, that part’s good. The two of you, Ben, originally, how did you get together?

Ben Kronengold: All of the above. You’re totally right. Rebecca and I met when we were 17, when we were last year seniors, and we were going to the same college. We immediately clicked, made each other laugh right away, started dating the first week of freshman year. Now we’re engaged, nine years later as of a few weeks ago. And I think making each other and wanting to make our friends laugh and now getting a chance to make a larger audience laugh has been like the privilege, I think, of our writing careers thus far.

Ira Sternberg: Rebecca, were you attracted to him immediately for his sense of humor?

Rebecca Shaw: Oh yeah, I mean, we say that we sort of fell in love with each other as we were falling in love with comedy. You know, both of us had grown up—our parents had exposed us to so much of it, which was amazing. But you know, giving yourself permission to really think critically about it and write comedy—we both did sketch comedy in college—giving ourselves permission to really spend a lot of time thinking about comedy really came from trying to make the other person laugh and realizing that all we wanted to do, like Ben said, was joke with each other and then write stories together. And luckily, that was something that we were able to then bring into our careers.

Ira Sternberg: Did you think I was attractive? Answer the man’s question, oh yeah.

Rebecca Shaw: [Laughs] Yes, definitely! Attraction was instant, not just for his humor but the whole package really resonated with me. It’s been quite a journey together.

Ira Sternberg: That’s wonderful to hear. Now, about the Yale graduation speech, that must have been quite a highlight for both of you. How did you manage to pull that off? Everyone thinks graduation speeches are supposed to be very solemn and serious.

Ben Kronengold: Sure, yeah, I mean, we would love to say that we invented the concept, but in reality, Yale has a tradition of having a more comedic address every year. We weren’t the valedictorians by any means, but they do have this lighter, humorous speech as part of the ceremony. I think the reason why you don’t hear about it more often is that it’s often very inside baseball for Yale or New Haven, etc.

Rebecca Shaw: And Ben and I were like, “What if we made our parents laugh, and our friends, and then put it online?” We did not expect it to resonate with such a large audience, but then Jimmy saw it, and a few months later, we were writing for The Tonight Show.

Ira Sternberg: Did you notice, Rebecca, the name-dropping there? “Jimmy saw us, and the next thing you know, we were…”

Rebecca Shaw: [Laughs] It’s incredible, isn’t it? To think that ‘Jimmy’ ended up being our boss for two and a half years. There’s a lot of “Jimmy needs to look at this sketch again; it’s about to go on air.” We’re so, so lucky.

Ira Sternberg: What’s it like being in the writer’s room on a nightly broadcast at your young ages?

Ben Kronengold: It’s amazing. It was the best possible, some describe it as grad school. We had been writing in college, spent a lot of our time—probably more of our time than we should have—writing sketches, writing pilots, writing movies together. But just getting the opportunity to do that in such a fast-paced environment, to write five shows a week, you have to be really sharp.

Rebecca Shaw: And to not cause trouble, but Ben was zoning out while you were talking about all…

Ben Kronengold: I was also weirdly aware of my listening face. I was like, “I am listening. Look like you’re listening.” I was in awe of that answer and I was there, but that was really well put.

Ira Sternberg: [Laughs] Okay, sure. Now, about the book—how did you decide on the title Naked in the Ride Chair, and what about the structure of the book? It’s funny, almost stream of consciousness as you mentioned earlier, but also somewhat nonlinear. How did you come up with that?

Rebecca Shaw: The title came about because it’s a line from one of the last chapters of the collection. It seemed to encapsulate so much of what this book is about, which is the feeling of growing up, entering the adult world, and being wholly unprepared for the experience. We always say it feels like being in the back of a Lyft or an Uber Pool, you’re on your way to work, everyone else is in business casual, and you forgot to put your pants on.

Ben Kronengold: And as for the format, we originally wrote a few chapters and then brought them to publishers. HarperCollins, which was a dream come true for us to work with, suggested structuring it more sequentially—starting with childhood, moving through teenage years, college, postgrad, dating, and so on. That really helped us organize our thoughts and the narrative in a way that felt natural but also a bit unpredictable.

Ira Sternberg: That’s fascinating. It really sounds like you both have managed to capture the essence of your generation’s experiences in a unique format. Rebecca, Ben, thanks for being on the show. It’s been a pleasure.

Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold: Thank you so much for having us, Ira. It’s been great to share our stories and talk about the book.

Ira Sternberg: And to our listeners, make sure to check out Naked in the Ride Chair for a dose of humor that’s as enlightening as it is entertaining. Join us every Thursday for a new smear on Ira’s Everything Bagel!

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