Real-Life Chat Stew With Joel McHale

Two things you should know, right off the bat:

1) I have a long, storied history of being a complete bonehead around celebrities. I also seem to excel at making them extremely uncomfortable, because I try to play it cool but am anything but cool and then I try to be funny and it’s like…awkward, man.

2) I do not enjoy talking to people on the phone. In fact, I will generally go out of my way to avoid talking to people on the phone. Because talking to people on the phone turns me into a complete bonehead and makes me feel extremely uncomfortable.

Yet when the opportunity for a phone interview with Joel McHale (of both The Soup and Community) came across the ol’ Mamapop news desk, I was all, PICK ME PICK ME PICK ME OMG HE’S SO AWESOME I COULD DIE.

I love The Soup. I LOVE Community. I find Joel McHale to be hilarious and let’s face it, not exactly hard to look at. Or stare at. For an inappropriate length of time. Yeah. This was gonna go reeeeeeally well, right?

A whole bunch of us bloggers were each given the chance to ask Joel a couple questions. Several, being from mom-centric blogs, asked about his kids — I didn’t even realize he has two boys the exact same ages of MY boys, and he calls being a parent “the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me on earth.” It was interesting to hear the snark and biting sarcasm we all know and love Joel for melt away when he’s talking about real life — from the funny things his kids say (“Daddy, why are we connected to numbers?”) to their obsession with trains and Thomas the Tank engine…and his admission that while the 20-somethings from the Community cast love to hang out after work together, he’s usually the one rushing straight home to spend time with his kids.

By the time my turn came up, I panicked and could only think of one question. Which I only got around to asking after TALKINGSUPERFASTLIKETHIS about how I was a huge Community fan and how I still have the “Modern Warfare” episode on my TiVo because it’s just that funny, and like, omg, this season with the Apollo 13 Kentucky Fried Space Mission episode and the zombie episode and haaaaahahahANYWAY, what’s YOUR favorite episode of Community, Mr. McHale?*

*I actually called him Joel. But let’s pretend I was being fancy.

Modern Warfare was a lot of fun because I got to kind of live out this boyhood dream of being an action star. And, you know, I got to imitate Bruce Willis so there was a fantasy kind of vibe for that so that was so much fun. And then the zombie episode – I got to – once again, kind of this boyhood dream of being in kind of a horror action movie, a zombie movie and I couldn’t wait. It was so much fun and everyone was in makeup and going crazy.
So that was also such a good time to make and I was like boy, I hope this episode is as good as the fun that I’m having.

(I interrupted to assure him that indeed, it was that good. I’m sure that made a huge impact on his daily life.)

(I tried to find a clip that including Zombie Jeff continuing to zombie-text on his phone while the carnage rages on, but alas. I could not.)

His other favorite was from the season two premiere, where Abed calls Jeff and Britta’s bluffs about being in love and arranges an impromptu, generic RomCom-inspired wedding for them, complete with a priest and a George Clooney lookalike. It’s one of those scenes that Community is so good at — a big crazy scene that nevertheless gives EVERYBODY in the (not exactly lightweight) ensemble cast something funny to do or say.

And…that’s it. That’s all I asked. I managed to refrain from shrieking CHICKEN TETRAZZINI or SOOOO MEATY at Joel McHale in an attempt to be “funny,” but I also did succeed in probably making him a little uncomfortable by pointing out that because he’d named MY favorite episodes as HIS favorite episodes, we clearly “had a lot in common.” Oh my God, self. Shut up. Ask to arrange a playdate, while you’re at it. Or inquire about a Jeff Winger skinsuit.

After the interview, I got to see an advance copy of this week’s Community episode, “Cooperative Calligraphy,” in which Annie locks the group in the study room in order to track down who stole her favorite purple pen with the gel-grip. Jeff takes the lead interrogating the other members to out the thief. Upping the drama ante? The stand-off is jeopardizing Troy and Abed’s chances of watching the Greendale Puppy Parade going on just outside, right now, come ON MAN. It airs tomorrow at 8 pm EST on NBC, of course, and you should DEFINITELY WATCH IT. SO HELP ME GOD, IF COMMUNITY DOESN’T GET RENEWED FOR NEXT SEASON I WILL PERSONALLY CALL YOU ON THE PHONE AND MAKE YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE AND I MEAN THAT FOR REAL.

Check out full episodes and clips and special web-only shorts at www.NBC.com/Community

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About Amy Corbett Storch

Amy blogs at amalah.com, and can be found on Twitter @amalah. She is Team Zombie, though sometimes she is known to side with the Plants.

http://www.themummychronicles.com Vicky
I would have had a hard time not asking him to say, “It’s reality show clip time…” Love this!
Cincy
I’ve never missed an episode. I love this show. At least you didn’t tell him your favorite is the naked pool playing one. I bet he gets that a lot. Yowzah!
http://toddlerplanet.wordpress.com Susan @WhyMommy
Yeah. What she said.
I adore Community so much, it’s … Irrational.
And for a physicist like me, that’s high praise.
http://www.avitable.com Avitable
I have a hetero man-crush on Joel McHale. I saw his stand-up here in Orlando last year and I recommend it. He’s a funny, charismatic guy. And Community must be renewed. IT MUST.
http://triplezmom.com TripleZmom (formerly Jerseygirl89)
I love Community. And The Soup. And, of course, Joel. Maybe especially Joel. I loved your take on the experience, even though I am super-jealous that you got to hear his voice on the phone. Though I too hate talking on the phone in general. We have so much in common. .. :)
Beckie
You deserve the biggest pat on the back ever! There’s no way I could have refrained from Chicken Tetrazzini. In fact – that would have been my first question “do you like CHICKEN TETRAZZINI”??? Second would have been – “did you think the zombie episode was SOOOOO MEATY??”
Clearly this is why you get paid the big bucks and get to hobnob with celebrities :)
Stacey
I LOVE Joel and the Soup. I did not realize how buff he was until he was in his underwear on Community last season and I was like “WHUT?!” He’s been hiding all that under his suits?
http://studioeightonesix.wordpress.com TJ Johnson
So jealous! And cosigned. I WILL RAISE SOME SERIOUS HELL IF COMMUNITY ISN’T RENEWED!
http://www.penguinbot.com Laurel
I’m kind of obsessed with Community. I rewatch episodes On Demand when I’m busy doing other things just in case the number of views on demand will increase the liklihood of it being renewed next season. I might have a problem. Last week’s episode, at the end, with the racist gardener? I died. So unexpected and hilarious.
http://dontmakeitlikeimdumb.blogspot.com annabelle
Joel McHale is highly ranked on my “I’d walk away from my family, friends and job to be with you” list.
http://txtingmrdarcy.wordpress.com Txtingmrdarcy
Well done. I think that when the time came for my question, it would be either “Hiiiiiiiiii….” or… “You’re yummy.”
Yup. You are far more “cut out for this” than I.
Suzy Q
So, when’s the play date?
Carrie
Thanks to reading this post last night, I had a *ahem*…dream…about Joel McHale last night and was sad when I woke up because it wasn’t real!
http://table4five.net Elizabeth @ Table for Five
We are addicted to both The Soup and Community. We kept “Modern Warfare” on the DVR for like a month. I would have had a hard time not saying “so, Joel, you have all these women on the phone, should we, oh, I don’t know, TALK ABOUT CHICKS, MAN?”
I love that he’s a Dad, too! Just makes him that much more adorable to me :)
Lori
I got to visit the Community set last year and met the entire cast, including Joel McHale. They were all AMAZINGLY warm and friendly and wonderful, and Joel in particular went out of his way to make sure my friend and I were comfortable, having fun, etc. I have met and worked with a number of celebrities for my job, and none have ever been so genuinely warm and lovely as he and some of the other cast members were. Perma-crush forever.