Into The Mud Podcast

Tony Award winner Julie Halston joins Into the Mud for a deeply moving and hilarious conversation about grief, caregiving, and turning loss into lasting advocacy. From surviving the AIDS crisis and losing her husband to pulmonary fibrosis to founding Broadway Belts and raising millions for research, Julie reflects on how comedy, community, and purpose carried her through life’s darkest chapters. This episode is a powerful reminder that even in grief, connection can save your life.
Bio: Julie Halston is a celebrated actress and comedian whose career spans Broadway, television, and film. Her Broadway credits include Tootsie, Hairspray, Gypsy, Anything Goes, On the Town, Twentieth Century, and more, and she is widely known to TV audiences for her iconic role as Bitsy von Muffling on Sex and the City and And Just Like That…
Beyond the stage and screen, Julie is a dedicated advocate and humanitarian. She is the co-founder of Broadway Belts for PFF!, an annual event that has raised millions of dollars for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation following the loss of her husband, Ralph Howard, to the disease. For her extraordinary advocacy and service to the theatre community, she was honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, joining the ranks with such acclaimed artists as Bernadette Peters, Stephen Schwartz, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Rosie O’Donnell, Eve Ensler, and David Hyde Pierce.
Julie’s Social Media: @ActressJulieHalston
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) and Drew King. Filmed and recorded in the Barrow Lounge at @TheMalin West Village.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

Rev. Micah Bucey, senior minister of Judson Memorial Church, joins Into the Mud for a deeply expansive conversation as Drew and Alex, who do not identify as religious, bring genuine curiosity to the roots of Christianity and spirituality and how they’ve been distorted by MAGA Christianity and white Christian nationalism. Together, they explore how faith has been weaponized in America, how it can also be reclaimed as a force for justice and repair, and why humility and wonder matter more than rigid belief. This episode is ultimately about protecting the most endangered among us without letting our hearts rot.
Bio: Be the glitter you wish to see in the world. 
Rev. Micah Bucey is a passionately progressive faith leader, writer, and minister at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. A regular contributor to Spirituality & Practice, Micah is the author of The Book of Tiny Prayer(Fordham University Press) and is widely known for exploring the intersections of expansive spirituality, radical social justice, and unfettered creativity. Ordained in the Christian tradition but grounded in an interspiritual approach, Micah’s work centers artists as modern-day prophets, embraces curiosity over certainty, and boldly reclaims the revolutionary, inherently queer roots of Christianity.
Micah’s Social Media: @RevMicahB, www.MicahBucey.com, www.Judson.org
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) and Drew King. Filmed and recorded in the Barrow Lounge at @TheMalin West Village.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

Dating is hard enough, but for drag queens, finding love comes with an entirely different set of challenges. In this episode of Into the Mud, Pixie Aventura (aka Cesar Villavicencio) gets honest about what it’s actually like to date as a drag queen. He walks through the six biggest obstacles he’s encountered in relationships, including fetishization, intimidation, internalized homophobia, and the challenge of being seen as a persona instead of a person. This conversation is funny, vulnerable, and deeply real, touching on the struggles of queer dating, intimacy, and how to stay open to love in a dating culture that feels impossible.
Bio: Pixie Aventura (aka Cesar Villavicencio) is a Miami-raised and New York City–based drag performer, host, and nightlife fixture with more than a decade of experience in the NYC drag scene. Pixie is a longtime staple at iconic venues including Barracuda, Industry, Therapy (RIP), and on Fire Island, and currently hosts weekly and recurring shows at Industry and G Lounge. During the pandemic, Pixie created and produced the digital series Drag Me Out, which reached a wide online audience and spotlighted drag artists during COVID. Known for high-energy performances that blend comedy, music, and audience interaction, Pixie continues to be a leading presence in New York nightlife.
Pixie’s Social Media: @PixieAventura
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) and Drew King. Filmed and recorded in the Barrow Lounge at @TheMalin West Village.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

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) and Drew King. Filmed and recorded in the Barrow Lounge at @TheMalin West Village.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

In this deeply honest conversation, singer-songwriter Ben Abraham opens up about the highs and lows of his career — from major-label deals, Grammy-stage moments, and writing with artists like Kesha, to getting dropped, starting over at 40, and redefining what artistic success means. Together, 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.com
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) and Drew King. Filmed and recorded in the Barrow Lounge at @TheMalin West Village.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com