Michael Strassner Made a Movie About the Night That Almost Killed HimMichael Strassner Made a Movie About the Night That Almost Killed Him
Really Good Shares
Michael Strassner talks with A.J. Daulerio about the night he nearly died, how that story became the film The Baltimorons, and what life and comedy look like in sobriety. The conversation mixes dark humour with candid reflections on addiction, mental health, routine, and the quiet wins of recovery.
47:18•6 May 2026
From Near-Death Night to Early-Morning Birds: Michael Strassner on Sobriety and Comedy
Episode Overview
- Alcohol and drugs can quietly sit at the centre of depression and suicidality, even when they’re treated as a side issue.
- Many people in recovery fear losing their humour, confidence, or creativity without alcohol, yet honest, personal work can become funnier and more meaningful.
- Hearing dark stories met with laughter in recovery rooms can show that pain is shareable, survivable, and sometimes genuinely funny.
- Simple sober wins—paying bills, going to the dentist, opening the post—can be powerful markers of change.
- Daily routines, early mornings, and small spiritual practices can gradually replace chaos with a sense of calm and purpose.
“"What made me start laughing again was hearing the laughter in the rooms."”
How do people find hope in the darkest times? This conversation between host A.J. Daulerio and actor / comedy guy / writer Michael Strassner digs straight into that question with painful honesty and a surprising amount of laughter.
Michael talks about The Baltimorons, the film he made about the night he tried to end his life in a shared laundry room after a brutal depression spiral, fuelled by booze, a failed Saturday Night Live audition, and years of drinking that had quietly taken over everything. He explains why he always watches the first scene at screenings: if that night had gone differently, he wouldn’t be here to watch anything.
He shares past suicide attempts, waking up in hospital to his mum’s face, and realising much later that alcohol and drugs were a central problem, not a side note. There’s raw honesty about substituting teaching while drunk, sneaking alcohol into cinemas, and being the “funny fat guy” whose whole identity was wrapped around getting a laugh. Sobriety didn’t feel like a fresh start at first; it felt like a death sentence for his career and personality.
Yet, as he says, “What made me start laughing again was hearing the laughter in the rooms,” where people shared “dark shit” and the room erupted. That sparked a new way of working: more personal writing, performing sober, actually hearing the audience, and finding humour in recovery itself. Michael and A.J.
also talk about the unglamorous victories of recovery—paying bills, going to the dentist, dealing with terrifying letters about debt—and how routines, early mornings, birds at 4 a.m., and simple peace gradually replace chaos. If you’ve ever wondered whether you can stay funny, creative, or even just yourself without alcohol, this episode gives a brutally honest, strangely funny glimpse at what happens if you try. What small, practical change could be your version of hearing those laughs in the room?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.