Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Today we're diving
into something, well, pretty unique. It's a journey
that takes us from mainstream sketch comedy all
the way to Tibetan Buddhist cosmology. Yeah,
it's quite the mix. We're looking at Charles
Duncan Trussell. Duncan Trussell. Actor, stand
-up comic, but as you said, those labels, they
don't really cut it, do they? Not even close.
I mean, his path in digital media, it's really
something else. So our mission today, basically,
is to sift through the sources and figure out
how he went from, you know, the usual comedy,
route acting, writing, stand up. The grind. Exactly.
The grind. How do you go from that to. being
this this major voice online and also maybe the
most surprising part a real presence in spiritual
conversations right and i think that's the puzzle
we need to sort of piece together for you the
listener how does one person's career realistically
span writing for like fuel tv's stupid face remember
that oh yeah High volume stuff. High volume sketches.
Yeah. And then roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm,
but also become this burgeoning spiritual teacher.
That's the term used grounded in Tibetan Buddhism.
That's a leap. It really is. But the thing is,
it's not just two separate tracks running side
by side. No. No, it's like. The way he blends
them is the career. It's the product. You see
it most clearly with his podcast, The Duncan
Trussell Family Hour, the DTFH, and definitely
with The Midnight Gospel on Netflix, which he
co -created. Ah, okay. The Midnight Gospel. We'll
get to that. Yeah, absolutely. But this whole
deep dive, it really boils down to understanding
how he managed to weave together comedy, some
really complex stuff like Vajrayana metaphysics,
and just effective communication. Yeah. Making
it all accessible. Okay. So let's start at the
beginning then. Lay the groundwork. His early
comedy career. Because like you said, that discipline,
that's kind of the bedrock, isn't it? Totally.
It funded and structured everything else later
on. Yeah. So Charles Duncan Trussell, born April
20, 1974, Asheville, North Carolina. He's 51
now this year. And he started out focused squarely
on the traditional path. Stand up, writing, acting.
Even music. He really did cover the basses. He
did. And that foundation, working in the trenches,
it wasn't just about being funny. It was about
learning the craft, the collaboration, the structure,
especially in TV production. That whole toolkit
was essential for what came later. And you really
see that commitment when you look at his early
credits. It's dense. He wasn't just popping up
occasionally. He was writing, contributing consistently.
He knew the industry from the inside. Absolutely.
Like for Fuel TV's Stupid Face, he wrote and
appeared in... sketches for two whole seasons.
That's a lot of content. It is. Think about the
pressure new concepts week after week. That teaches
you to think fast, find the joke, even in weird
premises. And that skill, you hear it all the
time in the podcast, free -flowing style. Okay,
so that rapid fire training then kind of paved
the way for appearances on, let's say, more premium
platforms. Showtime, Comedy Central. Exactly.
Showtime's La La Land, Comedy Central's Nick
Swardson's Pretend Time. And he was in both seasons
of HBO's Funny or Die Presents, which was pretty
well regarded. Right. And Guest Spots, too, placing
him right in the thick of it. MADTV, that late
night sketch scene. And even curb your enthusiasm.
Yeah, getting a curd credit, that definitely
gives you traditional comedy validation. It shows
he was a working pro before he really leaned
into the digital space. But even back then, there
were hints of something else, right? Trying to
mix comedy with bigger ideas. Yes. The sources
mentioned this pilot he hosted for Comedy Central
called Thunderbrain, a comedy science pilot.
Comedy science. Okay, that's interesting. Isn't
it? It suggests, like... Way back, he was already
interested in tackling complicated stuff, science,
facts, and making it funny, making it accessible.
It kind of foreshadows the whole DTFH approach,
where you can jump from neuroscience to, I don't
know, Bigfoot, to a stand -up bit. And he wasn't
just in front of the camera. He was working behind
the scenes, too, consulting, writing. That's
right. He was a consultant and writer for Jason
Sudeikis when he hosted the MTV Movie Awards
back in 2011. That's a big gig, shaping the voice
for a major live show. Definitely. So you add
it all up, the sketch writing, the TV spots,
the consulting, plus he was regularly touring
as a stand -up, performing at big festivals like
Just for Laughs in Montreal, Moontower in Austin.
So he really put in the work, mastered the traditional
forms. Exactly. And I think mastering that craft
gave him the confidence, the structural know
-how, and maybe the conversational flexibility
to then break the mold later on. Okay. So that
feels like the perfect pivot point. He built
this solid foundation and then he took all that
skill and poured it into the thing that really
defines him now, the podcast. Yes. Section two,
the Duncan Trussell Family Hour, the DTFH. This
is the core, the ongoing heart of it all. And
the scale is just... Huge. How many episodes
are we talking? The source says over 600 as of
September last year. Think about that volume.
Hundreds and hundreds of hours of these deep,
winding conversations. Wow. And it wasn't his
very first podcast venture, was it? He had something
before that. Correct. He dipped his toes in first
by co -hosting The Lavender Hour with Natasha
Leggero. She's a fellow comedian. They dated
for a while, too. Right. I remember that. That
ran until early 2012. So he got his reps in figuring
out the long form audio thing before launching
DTFH solo. And the format of DTFH, it sounds
simple on paper. Invite interesting people, talk
for an hour. Eclectic guests, open conversation.
That's the description. But yeah, the magic isn't
the format itself. It's the range, the sheer
breadth of who he talks to. Okay, let's talk
about that guest list because it really tells
the story, doesn't it? It's like a map of his
brain almost. And it caters perfectly to that
listener, like you, who wants diverse knowledge
quickly. Totally. It's like an intellectual hub.
So you've got this core group of fellow travelers,
comedians, podcasters. People like Joe Rogan,
Dan Harmon, Joey Diaz, Burt Kreischer. The usual
suspects in a good way. Yeah, Natasha Ligero
too, Jessa Reed. And then more intellectual types
within that sphere like Christopher Ryan, Danielle
Bilelli. Those conversations often feel very...
Personal, funny, story -driven. But then, and
this is where it gets really distinctive, he
deliberately pivots. He brings in serious, high
-level, 100 % spiritual teachers, scientists.
This is the key differentiator. You might get
a wild, hilarious Joey Diaz episode one week.
Raucous energy, yeah. And the next week, it's
this incredibly deep, quiet conversation with
someone like Ram Dass. Wow, Ram Dass. Especially
getting him before he passed away, that lends
serious weight to the spiritual side of the show.
Absolutely. And that pairing, the profane and
the profound side by side, that's the entire
appeal. You can go from earthly problems to cosmic
truths in like one podcast feed. Who else? You
mentioned scientists. Yeah. The cognitive neuroscientist
Amishi Jha talked about mindfulness research.
The visionary artist Alex Gray. Rick Doblin from
MAPS talked about psychedelics. Graham Hancock
digging into ancient mysteries, even political.
figures like Andrew Yang, and Dr. Drew pops up
too. Okay, hold on. That range is staggering.
To be able to talk meaningfully with Dr. Shah
about neuroplasticity, then shift to Graham Hamcock
on, say, ancient civilizations, and then have
Ram Dass on discussing service, Dressel has to
be genuinely curious and, frankly, pretty smart
to navigate all that. He has to be. He's the
bridge. He takes these complex, sometimes esoteric
ideas and makes them feel... relatable, accessible,
often through humor, but always with respect.
So the DTFH becomes this kind of shortcut for
people who are curious about everything. Pretty
much. It's like an intellectual sampler platter.
It respects that desire for broad knowledge,
but filters it through this very personal, honest,
funny lens. It kind of democratizes access to
big ideas. And it's not just talking heads, right?
There's music too. Yeah. The sources mentioned
musical features like the way in the Sundays.
It just reinforces that open art, culture, science,
spirituality, comedy. It's all part of the conversation.
The full spectrum of being human, basically.
Exactly. Which naturally. Leads us right into
the next section because that spiritual dimension
isn't just part of the show. It's kind of fundamental
to its identity now. Right. So beyond the comedian,
the actor, the sources explicitly call him a
burgeoning spiritual teacher. And they specify
the tradition Tibetan Buddhism. Yes. That's the
specific framework he references and works within.
But there's a really important nuance here. One,
he makes himself. Which is? He pushes back hard
against being called a Buddhist comedian. Okay.
Why is that distinction important? I think it
signals that he doesn't see his spirituality
as like a gimmick or material for jokes. It's
a genuine framework for his life, for understanding
things. And that seriousness then comes through
in the conversations, even when they're funny.
That makes sense. He's a comedian who happens
to be Buddhist, not someone using Buddhism for
comedy. OK. But for listeners maybe not familiar
with terms like Dharma or Vajrayana metaphysics.
Yeah. Can you break those down a bit in this
context? How do they show up in a podcast? Sure.
So Dharma, broadly, is the Buddha's teachings,
the path, the truth. Bhavarana is a specific,
quite advanced school within Tibetan Buddhism,
sometimes called the Diamond Vehicle. It uses
complex techniques, visualizations, and deals
with really profound ideas about the nature of
reality, like emptiness, illusion, non -duality.
Big stuff. Big stuff indeed. How does that translate
into podcast chats? Well, the sources say these
teachings, the Dharma, aren't just discussed
theoretically. They're brought up specifically
for dealing with daily life and exceptionally
difficult or rare circumstances. Okay, so applying
ancient wisdom to modern problems. Exactly. Trussell
and his guests might use these Vajrayana concepts
like the idea that things aren't as solid as
they seem or that the self isn't fixed as tools.
Tools to process stress or world events or even
personal grief and trauma. And the humor connects
to that. Directly. The sources say that DTFH
humor often draws on high -concept Vajrayana
metaphysics. Which sounds intense. But it means
he trusts the audience. He can have a serious
discussion about, say, reincarnation or Tolkis,
and then pivot to something totally absurd and
hilarious. It's that mix again. And he grounds
it by referencing his influences. Yes, absolutely.
He connects the ideas to his mentors and key
figures. We already mentioned Ram Dass. He also
frequently references Chegem Krumpa, who was
a very influential, sometimes controversial,
Tibetan teacher. It shows he's working within
a specific lineage, not just making things up.
That grounding feels important. It's not just
talk. There's a practical application, even community
building, right? He leads meditation sessions.
He does. He hosts a weekly meditation and mindfulness
discussions for his Patreon subscribers. Okay,
that's significant. It really is because he's
taking these practices, which historically might
have been kept more private, more within dedicated
spiritual communities, and he's putting them
right out there on a modern digital subscription
platform. It's like democratizing spiritual practice
itself, using Patreon, blending the entertainer
role with the, I don't know, the guide or teacher
role. Precisely. And that whole commitment synthesizing
deep talk and actual practice is what ultimately
led to the most visually ambitious translation
of his work, The Midnight Gospel. Ah, yes. Section
four, the animated show. For anyone who only
knew the podcast, this must have been... Something
else. And the way it was made is key. It's the
aha moment. The show wasn't written in a traditional
sense. They took actual recorded conversations
from DTFH episodes. The podcast audio. The podcast
audio itself became the dialogue for the animation.
The visuals, the story, the sci -fi chaos, all
of that was created afterward, inspired by and
laid over the existing conversations. So you're
watching this character, Clancy, voiced by Duncan,
go through these wild psychedelic adventures
on alien planets. But what he's saying might
be from a real profound interview about death
or love or reality. Exactly that. It creates
this incredible hybrid genre. The source calls
it a high concept postmodern sci -fi sitcom.
That sounds about right. And the visual style
is just as contradictory. You have this intense,
often chaotic, colorful animation, high stakes
action. But the dialogue underneath can be incredibly
calm, meditative. That tension is Trussell's
whole thing, isn't it? The wild comedy and the
structured dharma. And he didn't do this alone.
Pendleton Ward was involved. Co -directed by
Pendleton Ward, yeah. The genius behind Adventure
Time, which makes perfect sense. Ward has that
visual imagination, that elasticity needed to
match the intellectual twists and turns of Trussell's
conversations. And Trussell used the show to
spotlight his own teachers, too. He did. He brought
his actual meditation teacher, David Nickturn,
onto the show well. his voice and wisdom. And
Nickturn himself was a student of Tugum Trungpa.
So that lineage is right there, embedded in this
mainstream Netflix hit. That's pretty amazing,
bringing esoteric ideas right into pop culture
like that. But he didn't completely leave traditional
acting behind, did he? He still does voice work.
Nope, still active. He guest starred on that
HBO animated show Animals, voiced a character
named Dave. Described as the moth that experiments
with neon for the first time. Chuckles. That
honestly sounds like something Clancy from the
Midnight Gospel would encounter. Doesn't it?
And more recently, he's got a role in Fox's animated
series Cropopolis. He plays Hippocampus. Described
as a physically incapacitated fish -like genius.
Okay. A fish -like genius. Fits the brand. It
seems to. So yeah, his unique voice that blend
of smarts and vulnerability, it's still in demand
for conventional animation too. Which brings
us, I think, to a really crucial part of understanding
him, the personal context. His own life story
isn't separate from the work. It kind of fuels
that openness, that vulnerability we see. Completely
foundational. Section 5, personal context and
resilience. The reason DTFH and the Midnight
Gospel feel so authentic is because he practices
what he preaches about honesty, even when it's
incredibly difficult. And the biggest example
of that has to be his health crisis. Without
a doubt. December 14, 2012. He goes on his own
podcast, DTFH, and announces in an episode titled
just unbelievably bluntly, oh, high ball cancer,
that he's been diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Wow. Just puts it right out there. Puts it right
out there. No press release, no stepping away.
Uses his own platform in real time to talk about
this terrifying, life -changing thing. It goes
back to what the sources said about applying
Dharma in exceptionally difficult circumstances.
He turned his crisis. into a public lesson. And
thankfully, it turned out okay. Yes, the treatment
was successful. He gave an update just a couple
of weeks later, December 28th, confirming he
was okay. But that whole sequence, the raw honesty,
the quick follow -up, it cemented this idea that
the podcast wasn't just talk. It was a space
for processing the real, messy, scary parts of
life using these philosophical tools he explores.
It must have changed the relationship with his
audience, made it much deeper. Had to. It proved
the open conversation thing wasn't just a tagline.
It became about shared vulnerability, maybe even
collective processing. And on the personal front,
we know a bit about his family, too. He has a
brother and his mother passed away. Yes, a brother
named Jeff and his mother, Deneen Fendig. Died
in 2013. She comes up quite a bit in his work,
actually. Seems like she was a big influence,
both emotionally and comedically. His relationships
have sometimes overlapped with his work, too,
right? Natasha Leggero? Yeah. Dated Mary Lynn
Rajskoob, another comedian. And Natasha Leggero,
who co -hosted The Lavender Hour with him. He
was also linked with Cork Keegan, a model. But
his current life seems more settled. Married
kids. It does. Married Aaron Trussell in 2018.
And true to form, he announced he was going to
be a father not in some magazine, but on Joe
Rogan's podcast in June 2018. Keeping it in the
family, the podcast family. Pretty much. And
now the sources confirm they have three kids,
two sons and a daughter. So this whole arc, cancer,
loss, marriage, fatherhood, it's all been part
of the public narrative shared openly. It underscores
how the work and the life are just completely
intertwined from. OK, so let's try to wrap this
up. Bring it all together. We've really traced
three distinct yet connected pillars of his career.
Yeah, I think that's a good way to put it. Pillar
one, the skilled mainstream comedy pro. The actor,
writer, stand -up who did the hard yards. TV
shows like MADTV, touring, festivals. That foundational
discipline. Pillar two, the influential podcaster.
DTFH, over 600 episodes defining this unique
space where comedians, scientists, spiritual
teachers all get treated with the same depth
and curiosity, that eclectic range. And Pili3,
the spiritual guide or maybe teacher in progress,
rooted in Tibetan Buddhism, actively teaching
mindfulness, applying Dharma publicly through
his platform. And the real innovation, the synthesis,
is how these pillars connect in the content.
DTFH became the lab where high concept metaphysics
met comedy. And then, incredibly, that philosophical
audio became the actual script for the Midnight
Gospel. Proving that deep conversation can be
the narrative engine for compelling, even popular
visual storytelling. It wasn't about choosing
philosophy or jokes. It was about making them
inseparable. Exactly. The spiritual insight and
the weird animated gag, they're not opposed.
In his work, they're basically two sides of the
same coin. He dissolved the boundary. Which leaves
us with a final thought, something for you, the
listener, to chew on. If these really deep, personal,
philosophical conversations, the kind that used
to happen behind closed doors, maybe if they
can be lifted word for word and become the dialogue
for a hit animated sci -fi show, what does that
actually signal about where storytelling is headed?
Yeah, and maybe. Yeah. But what does it say about
the role of the comedian? Is someone like Trussell,
who combines that radical honesty with intellectual
curiosity, becoming a new kind of philosophical
guide for the modern age, maybe stepping into
roles previously held by academics or clergy?
It really feels like that line between entertainment
and genuine philosophical exploration. It's not
just blurry anymore. In Duncan Trussell's world,
it feels like it's been completely erased. Something
to definitely ponder. Indeed. We'll leave it
there for this deep dive.