Scott Aukerman

Scott Aukerman – Life, Career, and Creative Insights

Discover the life and work of Scott Aukerman — American writer, comedian, host of Comedy Bang! Bang!, co-creator of Between Two Ferns, and pioneer in modern podcast comedy.

Introduction

Scott David Aukerman (born July 2, 1970) is a creative force in comedy, known for his work as a writer, comedian, podcast host, television producer, and director. He is perhaps best known as the creator and host of the podcast Comedy Bang! Bang!, which later became an IFC television series. He also co-created the viral interview series Between Two Ferns (with Zach Galifianakis) and co-founded the Earwolf podcast network.

Aukerman’s style fuses absurdist humor, improvisation, and meta commentary on comedy itself. His willingness to experiment, platform new voices, and blur media boundaries has made him a kind of “alternative Lorne Michaels” in the podcast/comedy space.

In this article, we’ll explore Aukerman’s early life, rise in comedy, major works and innovations, his creative philosophy (through his quotes), and key lessons from his journey.

Early Life and Education

Scott Aukerman was born on July 2, 1970, in Savannah, Georgia to parents Burt and Linda Aukerman. His father served as a pilot in the U.S. National Guard and saw service in the Vietnam War. Shortly after Scott’s birth, the family relocated to Orange County, California.

He attended Cypress High School and the Orange County School of the Arts, where he studied acting, musical theatre, and also wrote plays in his spare time. As a teenager, he even hosted a public-access TV show at his school called Centurion Highlights, a program inspired by his school’s mascot.

Raised in a religious household, he attended Baptist church frequently (three times weekly) until his college years. During college at Orange Coast College, he met B. J. Porter, with whom he began collaborating on comedic writing and radio shows.

These early years nurtured both his performance instincts and a taste for collaboration and experimentation in comedy.

Early Comedy & Writing Career

Aukerman’s comedic entry point came through sketch comedy. He and B. J. Porter formed the duo The Fun Bunch, performing at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. During one performance, Bob Odenkirk (of Mr. Show fame) noticed their work and invited them to write and occasionally perform on Mr. Show with Bob and David in its later seasons (1996–1998).

His contributions to Mr. Show earned him and his fellow writers a Primetime Emmy nomination in 1999. After Mr. Show ended, Aukerman and Porter explored film and TV writing (some produced, some unproduced), and tried additional formats, helping shape Aukerman’s restless creative range.

In the mid-2000s, Aukerman and Porter launched a live alternative comedy show called Comedy Death-Ray, which became an incubator for many of their future collaborators. Comedy Death-Ray eventually evolved into the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast and later TV show.

Thus, Aukerman’s path was not linear success but gradual building: sketch → live show → podcast → television → media network.

Key Works & Innovations

Here are the pivotal projects and contributions that define Scott Aukerman’s creative legacy:

Comedy Bang! Bang! (Podcast & TV)

In 2009, Aukerman launched Comedy Death-Ray Radio, which evolved into Comedy Bang! Bang! (the podcast) on the Earwolf network. As a podcast, Comedy Bang! Bang! became known for its mix of absurd interviews, improv bits, character work, and flexibility around format.

In 2012, an IFC television version of Comedy Bang! Bang! premiered, lasting until 2016 with 110 episodes across 5 seasons. Aukerman served as host, creator, writer, and executive producer. The TV version brought many of the podcast’s surreal humor bits to a visual medium, blending guest interviews, sketches, and comedic unpredictability.

The success of Comedy Bang! Bang! helped blur the boundaries between podcasting and television comedy, showing how a show can live in both spheres and iterate between them.

Between Two Ferns

One of Aukerman’s most notable co-creations is Between Two Ferns, produced with Zach Galifianakis (and B. J. Porter). Between Two Ferns is a parody of low-budget celebrity interview shows, characterized by awkwardness, insults, and absurd premises. Aukerman directed many episodes, including the high-profile interview with President Barack Obama (done to promote the Affordable Care Act), which went viral and earned Emmy recognition.

His involvement in Between Two Ferns illustrates his willingness to play with format, tone, and the expectations of both interview and celebrity cultures.

Earwolf & Podcast Network Building

In 2010, leveraging the popularity of Comedy Bang! Bang!, Aukerman co-founded the Earwolf podcast network (with Jeff Ullrich). Earwolf became a home for comedy podcasts, alternative voices, and offbeat formats, helping build the infrastructure of modern comedy podcasting.

Over time, Aukerman continued expanding: launching Wolfpop (later folded into Earwolf), initiating Comedy Bang! Bang! World (a subscriber service), and further diversifying podcast offerings under his brand.

Other Work & Writing

Aukerman has also written for film and TV (some produced, some unproduced), penned comic book stories (working with Spider-Man, X-Men, Secret Wars, etc.), and contributed additional dialogue to features like Shark Tale. He has also appeared on TV in small roles, delivered writing credits on comedy specials, and participated in television production and direction.

His career is emblematic of a polymath in the comedy/entertainment space, moving fluidly between podcasting, television, film, live performance, and writing.

Creative Philosophy & Selected Quotes

Scott Aukerman’s voice—both comedic and reflective—is best understood through his words on podcasting, failure, experimentation, and comedy itself. Here are key quotes that reveal his mindset:

“The power of podcasting is pretty remarkable. It is such an amazing way to mobilize fans. It’s almost like they’re part of your family. They probably listen to you more than they listen to their own families.”

“I think comedians should focus on what makes them happy, what art form fulfills them the most. Don’t be calculated about it and say, ‘Okay, I’m gonna tweet, and I’m gonna podcast, and I’m gonna do standup… one of those things is going to lead me to my own TV show.’ I don’t think that should be the goal.”

“I came into the Comedy Bang! Bang! TV show with a level of confidence that I don’t think I would’ve had if I hadn’t been doing the podcast for three years already. I certainly had to figure out in those three years the sense of humor I wanted to do… without being incredibly intimidated.”

“It’s so hard to figure out how to end a TV show.”

“A lot of good things can come from not expecting anything.”

“You see people who are disenfranchised elsewhere coming to Comic Con and making lifetime friends. I love seeing the outcasts of society all bonding together.”

These statements highlight several recurring themes in Aukerman’s approach:

• Experimentation over formula — He encourages creativity that defies quotas or rigid productivity strategies.

• Incremental growth and confidence — He credits his podcast as the place where he honed his voice before venturing into television.

• Humility about endings and impermanence — He’s aware of the difficulty in crafting satisfying endings and the transient nature of shows and projects.

• Community & inclusion — He treasures how niche fandoms, “outsiders,” and subcultures can form meaningful communities through shared media.

Lessons from Scott Aukerman’s Journey

1. Build from the ground up—let passion drive the medium
   Aukerman didn’t start with TV. He built an audience via live show → podcast → network. His path emphasizes that meaningful scale often grows from authenticity, not instant success.

2. Treat different media as experiments, not constraints
   He moves between podcasting, television, web video, and comics—viewing each as a sandbox. Don’t feel tied to one “box.”

3. Platform others and diversify voices
   Through Earwolf and his shows, Aukerman amplifies other creative voices. In doing so, he enriches his ecosystem and avoids stagnation.

4. Embrace uncertainty and accept failure
   Aukerman often speaks of writing things that never get made, projects that fizzle, and endings that must be contended with. Resilience is part of the creative life.

5. Let time and iteration shape your voice
   His confidence on the Comedy Bang! Bang! TV show came after years of podcasting. Creative identity evolves through doing, not planning.

Conclusion

Scott Aukerman is not merely a writer—he is an architect of modern comedy ecosystems. By pioneering podcasts as narrative experiments, building a comedy network, blurring media boundaries, and incubating emergent talent, Aukerman has reshaped how comedy is made, shared, and consumed in the 21st century.