In this vulnerable Thanksgiving episode, David hits a creative low when he turns to artificial intelligence for emotional support - and starts to develop feelings for a robot.

What starts as an innocent attempt to analyze his comedy with AI turns into an intimate confession about validation, creative resistance, and his obsession with getting people to make love more often.

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In this episode, I share my incredible week camping out at the Comedy Cellar in New York City - the absolute mecca of stand-up comedy right now. I got to watch legends like Colin Quinn work on new material and witnessed masterful crowd work from comics like Dave Atell. The biggest lesson? There are no shortcuts in comedy - everyone pays their dues with 3-7 years of nightly performances.

I also open up about getting back on the open mic horse myself, fighting through some serious resistance before finally hitting the stage at the Comedy Shop on Bleecker Street. With help from my friend Jeremy Sisto, I work through my fears and perform a 5 minute set about human misery - everything from the struggles of parenting to the weirdness of procrastination (including a two-year standoff with an unreturned Christmas gift).

I also continue to rant and while ranting isn't stand-up, it connected to something real inside me. Now comes the hard part: turning that authentic material into tight, funny jokes. I'm working on bits about being both a meditation teacher and a degenerate, the challenge of honest parenting, and the universal truth that we're all way more perverted than we let on. Stay tuned as I keep working this material out in real time.

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In Episode 5, we explore the gap between greatness and growing pains through two contrasting performances. First, David attempts to channel Louis CK by performing one of his most controversial bits word-for-word, examining how master comedians tackle difficult subjects. Then, we dive into David's second-ever open mic performance, complete with brutal self-analysis, important lessons learned, and the painful realization that making up stories isn't as funny as telling the truth. It's a raw, honest look at the early stages of learning standup comedy.

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