Los Angeles and New York – March 19, 2020 – Actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter Kumail Nanjiani and producer/screenwriter Emily V. Gordon, veteran pros at being stuck indoors, today announced the debut of a new limited series weekly podcast about making the best of living life under quarantine based on the married couple’s own experiences in dealing with chronic illness. All proceeds from the podcast, “Staying in with Emily and Kumail,” will be donated to charities, including the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Feeding America, and the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation. 

“Staying In with Emily and Kumail” is produced in partnership with Hyperobject Industries and Three Uncanny Four Productions and will offer listeners an empathetic, lighthearted perspective on coping with difficult times. The first episode is available now wherever you listen to podcasts. 

As portrayed in the Oscar-nominated romantic comedy based on their life “The Big Sick,” Gordon’s condition means that both she and Nanjiani have become accustomed to staying indoors for long periods of time, and they want to bring their tips and tricks for surviving being homebound to listeners. From recommendations on movies, books, board games and puzzles to chatting with their funny friends, Gordon and Nanjiani will share their one-of-a-kind insights and observations on hunkering down inside as society faces unprecedented times with the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Do not expect to hear updates on the virus – there are actual journalists for that. Do expect to hear talk about the emotional wear and tear of the unprecedented times we’re in, and about how many ways you can eat frozen waffles. 

Gordon and Nanjiani said, “We won’t have news about the pandemic, but what we can offer is experience in self-quarantining, experience in working from home, and experience consuming media. And the best part? All proceeds are going to charity. Go listen, stay indoors, and wash those hands!” 

Co-founders of Three Uncanny Four Adam Davidson and Laura Mayer said, “Emily and Kumail are two of the funniest and smartest people and we were so excited when we heard they wanted to create a podcast to help us all get through this crazy time. Like everyone, we were so moved by their story in ‘The Big Sick’ and their ability in a moment of potential tragedy to find hilarious humanity that is so warm and optimistic. Their perspective is exactly what we all need right now.” 

The show is executive produced by Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani, Adam Davidson and Laura Mayer at Three Uncanny Four Productions, and Adam McKay, Todd Schulman and Harry Nelson at Hyperobject Industries. 

Listeners can subscribe to “Staying In with Emily and Kumail” on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. Click here to listen to the first episode. 

ABOUT “STAYING IN WITH EMILY AND KUMAIL” 

In this podcast — whose profits go to charities helping those affected by Coronavirus — Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani are uniquely qualified to lead you through this forced quarantine situation. They are both writers who work from home. Emily was a therapist and currently is a chronically sick person (see: The Big Sick) who often has to quarantine herself, and Kumail is her main caretaker. Plus, we both just like being at home. Let us advise you on how to stay calm and avoid cabin fever. Let us give you entertainment recommendations. Let us give you constant updates on the squirrel vs. bird war happening right outside our window. Let us not talk about the C word at all. And most of all, let us take all of the proceeds from this podcast and spread it amongst charities that are helping those who are hit hardest by this quarantine. 

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION TEAM 

EMILY V. GORDON & KUMAIL NANJIANI 

Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani are Oscar-nominated writers of critically-acclaimed film THE BIG SICK. They also co-created, wrote and executive produced the highly praised Apple TV+ series, LITTLE AMERICA which can currently be streamed. Kumail’s upcoming projects include the romantic comedy, THE LOVEBIRDS, opposite Issa Rae and the highly anticipated Marvel film, THE ETERNALS. It was recently announced that he will star in the political thriller, THE INDEPENDENT. He also starred in HBO’s Emmy Award-winning series, SILICON VALLEY. Emily has written for THE CARMICHAEL SHOW on NBC, ANOTHER PERIOD on Comedy 

Central, and CRASHING on HBO. She is also the author of the funny but genuine self-improvement guide SUPER YOU: RELEASE YOUR INNER SUPERHERO. She created and produced three seasons of THE MELTDOWN WITH JONAH AND KUMAIL on Comedy Central. 

THREE UNCANNY FOUR PRODUCTIONS was co-founded by Adam Davidson and Laura Mayer in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment. Davidson is a contributing writer for The New Yorker and a leading broadcaster and podcasting voice who co-founded and co-hosted NPR’s Planet Money and served as a frequent contributor to This American Life. His co-reporting on the episode “The Giant Pool of Money” for This American Life received the Peabody, DuPont-Columbia, and Polk Awards and was named one of the top works of journalism of the decade by New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. In addition, he has previously worked with Adam McKay as a co-host of Gimlet Media’s Surprisingly Awesome podcast. Mayer, who started her career in radio as a producer across multiple shows at WNYC New York Public Radio including the Fishko Files and On the Media, is a highly accomplished podcast producer. She previously oversaw all podcast production and launched dozens of shows for Panoply Media and also led the first season of production of Revisionist History. Most recently, she was the Executive Producer for Show Development at Stitcher where she developed and produced numerous projects for the company’s comedy-focused Earwolf network and Stitcher label. 

HYPEROBJECT INDUSTRIES is a multi-platform production company from Academy- Award winning writer-director-producer Adam McKay. The company’s name is a shout-out to environmental philosopher Timothy Morton’s use of the term ‘hyperobject’ and his belief that humankind needs to re-evaluate its relationship with nature as a whole. The team includes McKay’s longtime producer Kevin Messick and producers Betsy Koch and Todd Schulman. Hyperobject Industries’ focus is wide ranging from comedies, dramas, horror, documentaries and documentaries-series as well as politically charged and challenging subjects with which McKay has become synonymous. Hyperobject Industries has also teamed with Adam Davidson, Laura Mayer and Sony Music Entertainment’s Three Uncanny Four Productions to develop original podcasts with an initial slate of shows scheduled to launch in 2020. 

Television projects include the previously announced HBO limited series, chronicling the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers and a limited series based on Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown’s upcoming book about Jeffrey Epstein. McKay and Bong Joon Ho are partnering to develop an HBO limited series inspired by Bong Joon Ho’s Academy Award Best Picture Parasite. McKay and Messick continue to serve as Executive Producers on HBO’s critically acclaimed and Golden Globe-winning series Succession, which will head into production this year for its third season. 

McKay and Hyperobject Industries upcoming film feature is the previously announced comedy Don’t Look Up (Netflix), starring Jennifer Lawrence.