Into The Mud Podcast

In this raw and unfiltered episode of Into the Mud, Alex opens up about her fresh two-day-old breakup and the emotional whiplash of grieving a future she thought she had. Drew and Alex break down heartbreak in real time — confusion, somatics, rejection spirals, coping strategies, and the messy, human work of choosing yourself when everything hurts. Bio: Alex is a New York based comedian by way of Chicago and Boston whose bold and whip smart standup delights crowds across the US. Credits: The Comedy Cellar, New York Comedy Club, NBC’s "That Clip Show: Holiday Edition”, 2021 season of Comedy Central Standup Featuring.Bio: Originally from Massachusetts, Drew is a Broadway dancer, actor and writer living in New York City. Credits: Broadway’s “Tootsie” and “On the 20th Century”, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, Ryan Murphy’s “Feud: Capote VS The Swans”, The Tony Awards, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Saturday Night Live, and the 2021 Met Gala.Follow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). Audio mixed by Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost). Filmed and recorded in the Barrow Lounge at @TheMalin West Village.www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

Singer-songwriter Ben Abraham reaches the pinnacle of his career: a major record label deal, writing with Kesha, performing on the Grammys, industry buzz. And then suddenly, with one phone call, he’s dropped by the label—back to zero and starting over again at 40.In this deeply honest conversation, Ben, Drew, and Alex get muddy about the tender work of finding joy again when the industry breaks your heart — and how returning to the purity of making art can reshape everything.Bio: Ben Abraham is an award-winning Australian singer-songwriter celebrated for his emotive vocals, cinematic songwriting, and cross-genre collaborations. Originally from Melbourne, he first emerged on the international scene with his debut album released through Secretly Canadian—the influential indie label behind artists such as Bon Iver and Phoebe Bridgers. His songwriting quickly attracted industry attention, leading to a major-label deal with Atlantic Records and the release of Friendly Fire, a critically acclaimed and deeply personal sophomore album. Abraham’s work includes high-profile collaborations with global artists, most notably co-writing Kesha’s Grammy-nominated hit “Praying” and performing with her at the Grammy Awards. Now based in Los Angeles, he continues to compose, record, and perform worldwide.Ben’s Social Media: @BenBenAbraham, www.BenAbrahamMusic.comFollow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). Audio mixed by Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost). Filmed and recorded in the Barrow Lounge at @TheMalin West Village.www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell, authors of acclaimed photography books Loving and Loving II, get muddy about what it means to build visibility when your history was never written. They have spent more than 25 years excavating and reconstructing a queer past the world tried to erase. Through 4000+ intimate photographs of men in love from 1850–1950, they’ve pieced together a lineage that proves queer love has always existed — even when it wasn’t documented. This episode is a conversation about erasure, resilience, and the power of finding yourself in the eyes of people who lived even a century ago. Bio: Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell are the couple behind the internationally celebrated Nini-Treadwell Collection, a 25-year archive of more than 4,000 photographs documenting romantic love between men from the 1850s to the 1950s. Texas natives who met in 1992, Hugh—formerly a longtime ballet academy owner and artistic director—and Neal—an art-trained creative with a career spanning apparel, cattle, and cosmetics—accidentally began collecting after discovering a single 1927 photo in a Dallas antique shop. Their groundbreaking books Loving and Loving 2 have reframed how queer history is seen and understood, revealing a lineage of tenderness, partnership, and resilience long erased from public record. Through exhibitions, talks, and their ongoing archival work, Hugh and Neal are committed to rescuing overlooked stories and proving what has always been true: queer love has existed everywhere, across every era, even when the world refused to acknowledge it. Hugh and Neal’s Social Media: @LovingByNealAndHugh, www.Loving1000.orgFollow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). Audio mixed by Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost). Filmed and recorded in the Barrow Lounge at @TheMalin West Village.www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

Tony Award–winning writer Robert Horn (Tootsie, Shucked, Hercules) gets muddy about aging, later-in-life success, and staying funny through rejection. In this candid and hilarious conversation, Robert opens up about his wild journey from an orphanage to Broadway, turning trauma into comedy, navigating fame in the social-media era, and learning to embrace getting older with humor and grace. Equal parts heart and hysteria, this one’s a masterclass in creative resilience. Bio: Robert Horn is an American playwright, screenwriter, and producer whose career spans television, film, and Broadway. A New York native, he studied theatre at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and at the Circle in the Square Theatre School, then relocated to Los Angeles where he launched his industry career with writing and producing roles on shows like Designing Women and Living Single. Over time he expanded into film and musicals, contributing to popular projects including Disney Channel’s Teen Beach Movie franchise.On Broadway, Horn truly made his mark as the book writer for the hit musical Tootsie, which earned him the 2019 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. He also wrote for musicals such as Shucked and 13, collaborating with composers and artists to bring bold stories to the stage. His trajectory—from television comedy writer to celebrated Broadway storyteller—highlights his versatility, wit, and commitment to blending humor with real emotional stakes in every medium.Robert’s Social Media: @RHorn1Follow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). Audio mixed by Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost). Filmed and recorded in the Barrow Lounge at @TheMalin West Village.www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

When the government pulls Jimmy Kimmel off the air, what does that mean for comedy — and for free speech? In this raw and fiery episode, comedian Jay Jurden (The Problem with Jon Stewart, The Tonight Show) joins Drew and Alex to get muddy about censorship, courage, and comedy’s role in calling out power. From Lenny Bruce to late-night, this conversation proves that laughter is still one of the loudest forms of resistance.Bio: Jay Jurden is a New York–based comedian, writer, and actor originally from Jackson, Mississippi. A graduate of the University of Mississippi and the University of Alabama’s MFA Acting program, Jay has become one of the sharpest voices in stand-up today, known for his fearless wit and incisive takes on identity, politics, and power. He’s appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James Corden, After Midnight, and HBO’s High Maintenance, and currently serves as a staff writer for The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+.Named one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch,” Jay’s writing has been featured in The New Yorker, Vulture, McSweeney’s, and Teen Vogue, and his debut comedy album Jay Jurden, Y’all hit #1 on iTunes. His highly anticipated first comedy special, Yes, Ma’am, premieres November 7 on Hulu, showcasing his signature blend of razor-sharp humor, vulnerability, and unapologetic truth-telling. Follow Jay @jayjurden across platforms for tour dates, new work, and daily doses of brilliance.Jay’s Social Media: @JayJurden, www.JayJurden.comFollow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). Audio mixed by Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost). Filmed and recorded in the Barrow Lounge at @TheMalin West Village.www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com