Cocktails with Dimples & The Beard

Comedian Gracie Canaan joins Cocktails with Dimples and The Beard for one of our most fascinating conversations yet. From comedy and filmmaking to her background as a dancer and creator on OnlyFans, Gracie opens up about the many layers of her life and career. We dive into the psychology behind dancing, what it taught her about reading people, and why she believes dancers become “emotional athlete...

On this episode of Cocktails with Dimples and The Beard, we sit down with Wisconsin comedian Abe Auer for a hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt conversation about stand-up comedy, roasting small towns, and building a career in comedy. Abe shares how his now-viral Menasha jokes first started at Skyline Comedy Club, why local comedy clips have exploded on Facebook, and how roasting Wisconsin towns...

On this episode of Cocktails with Dimples and The Beard, we sit down backstage at High Noon Saloon with American Idol standout Genevieve Heyward for an honest conversation about what life has really been like after American Idol. Genevieve opens up about the emotional highs and lows of competing on one of the biggest music shows in the world, dealing with internet criticism, navigating social medi...

Comedy Store door guy and Employee of the Year Joey Cerone joins Cocktails with Dimples and The Beard to talk stand-up comedy, life behind the scenes at the world-famous Comedy Store, moving from Indiana to Los Angeles, celebrity encounters, Don Barris, Bobby Lee, Ron Funches, and what it takes to survive in comedy. Joey shares stories about becoming the Comedy Store's "Head Door Guy,"...

DISCLAIMER: We experienced a severe audio/video lag while recording this episode with comedian Jackson Banks. Unfortunately, it prevented us from getting into the rhythm we normally have with our guests, and you'll occasionally notice Jackson's lips not matching his voice. The connection issues ultimately forced us to end the recording early, which is why the episode cuts off abruptly. We...

A man pretended to have Down syndrome so he could get three nurses to bathe him. That's not a joke, that's an actual story we came across — and it immediately turned into one of the most ridiculous debates we've ever had. Was it wrong? Was it diabolical? Was it somehow genius? We honestly couldn't agree. From there, the conversation goes completely off the rails. We get into the wo...

Bobby Lee kisses. Pauly Shore hugs. Don Barris tickles. Somehow that was only PART of our trip to The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. We spent three straight nights inside one of the most legendary comedy clubs in the world — watching comics like Bobby Lee, Ali Wong, Don Barris, Jeff Ross, Pauly Shore, Howie Mandel, David Spade, Dane Cook and more absolutely destroy on stage while we somehow kept get...

Midwest Meg joins us for one of the most Wisconsin episodes we’ve ever done — and things go off the rails fast. What starts with Midwest accents, supper clubs, dive bars, cheese curds, and how she accidentally became one of the biggest Midwest content creators online slowly turns into drunk bar stories, dirty business names, social media chaos, and a story that completely destroys her wholesome im...

After hanging out at The Comedy Store all night and waiting out a police standoff at our hotel until nearly 4 a.m., we somehow ended up back in our room with comedians Josh Potter and Nelya Linnik recording one of the most chaotic episodes of Cocktails with Dimples & The Beard we’ve ever done. Running on almost no sleep, the conversation immediately spirals into trauma bonding, growing up in U...

This week we’re joined by comedian and horror expert Katie Hettenbach, and yeah… she absolutely unloads on Scream 7. What starts as a simple question turns into a full breakdown of what went wrong — from pacing and missing story beats to why it doesn’t feel like a real Scream movie at all. We get into horror franchises, why some sequels hit and others completely fall apart, and how modern horror i...

This week on Cocktails with Dimples & The Beard, we sit down with singer-songwriter Bryant Thomas and his fiancée Alyona to break down the moment his life flipped upside down—going from singing in the shower to getting the call from American Idol. What started as a random recording turned into a viral moment, leading to an unforgettable audition, behind-the-scenes chaos, and a proposal story t...

This week, we sit down with comedian Kirstie Hayden, known for her appearance on Kill Tony, and dive into the moment that had everyone confused—her explanation of “brain zaps.” What starts as a casual reference turns into a wild breakdown of what it actually feels like to quit Zoloft cold turkey, including the unexpected physical effects, the mental challenges, and how that experience unexpectedly...

Christy Love has one of the wildest stories we’ve ever heard, and it all starts with a church. Join us as we discuss how she and her husband planted a church in San Diego, struggled to survive financially, and made a desperate decision that changed everything. What began as a way to make quick money through webcamming quickly spiraled when someone from the church discovered her secret, recorded he...

Jo Ellis has lived about five different lives, and none of them are boring. Join us as we discuss flying Black Hawk helicopters in the Army, realizing she wanted to transition from male to female while still serving, and what it was actually like going through that process inside the military. We also get into the moment an insane internet rumor took off after a Black Hawk crash, leading people to...

He wasn’t just angry—he was hooked. In this episode, we sit down with Arno Michaelis to break down how hate can function like an addiction, escalating from small acts of rebellion into something far more dangerous. What starts as bullying and shock-seeking quickly turns into a need for more intensity—more fear, more violence, more control—until it spirals into full-blown extremism. Arno shares how...

A Wisconsin snowstorm, a couple of drinks, and a “big guest” on the way… what could go wrong? This episode quickly turns into chaos as we get into Genevieve Heyward’s run on American Idol, the insanity of voting, and why she deserves to go all the way. From there, things spiral into wrestling talk and Toni Storm, before turning into a heated Scream 7 debate breaking down the killer reveal, Stu the...

Comedian and Comedy Store door guy Mikey McDonald joins us to unpack the “weird delusional belief” that made him move to Nashville and chase stand-up comedy before he had ever done a single open mic. After failing out of a master’s program, battling addiction, and convincing himself he’d have a Netflix special in nine months, Mikey decided blind confidence was the only option. This is what happens...

We packed up the mics and headed to Madison to record this one on location at Lola’s — and yeah, we fell in love with the place all over again. From the vinyl spinning in the background to what might be the best cocktail we’ve ever had in our lives, this episode is basically us soaking in the vibe and telling stories we probably shouldn’t be telling. We talk about sneaking off to see Ozzy in 1984,...

Genevieve Hayward joins us right in the middle of her American Idol journey to talk about what it actually feels like to step onto one of the biggest stages in music. From walking into the audition room “literally terrified” to dealing with the long gap between filming and airing, she opens up about the surreal reality behind the scenes and the pressure of knowing the world will soon be watching a...

Singer-songwriter Graven joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, music, and the unpredictable paths that shape an artist’s work. From recording his latest album Geographics in an intense six-day studio sprint to reflecting on how travel, memory, and personal experiences find their way into his lyrics, he opens up about the realities of building songs from raw ideas into somethin...

Stand-up comedian Kirsten Michelle Cills joins us for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had about where comedy really comes from. From growing up memorizing stand-up albums in the back seat of her mom’s car to finding her voice on stage, she talks about how she developed a dark, self-aware style that pulls directly from real life. We dive into her early experiences in theater school, what...

Singer-songwriter Caitlin Cannon joins us for a conversation that swings between funny, uncomfortable, and unexpectedly heavy in the best way. We talk about how her songs often hide jokes inside darker truths, why meaning in her writing shifts as the story unfolds, and how learning to do less vocally completely changed the way she writes and records. Caitlin walks us through the ideas behind her a...

A trip to Belize gave us everything you want from a vacation — sunshine, good food, relaxing moments, and just enough confidence to believe everything was going great. Then it gave us the kind of return trip that makes you question your decision-making skills, your patience, and whether flying is even worth it anymore. On this episode, Dimples, The Beard, and Judy break down the highs and the abso...

One of us is about to leave for Belize while the other is stuck behind, and what starts as a simple no-guest hang quickly turns into Chef G stories, Kill Tony fallout, Reddit drama, and a chain reaction of fart jokes and late-night oversharing that probably should not have been recorded. Between talk of paradise, comedy chaos, and very questionable hygiene decisions, this Last Call episode goes ex...

Stand-Up Comedian Lauren Allen hangs out with us to talk about life inside the Austin comedy scene, running The Suicide Mic, and what it’s really like being a woman who isn’t afraid to be loud, honest, and completely unfiltered in a world full of fragile egos. Lauren shares stories about bouncing between open mics, getting pulled into the Kill Tony orbit, and why comedians who love being roasted o...