Four-time Emmy-nominated comedian, actor, screenwriter and producer Billy Eichner shared insights into his “atypical success story” in conversation with School of Dramatic Arts professor and comedian Wayne Federman during the sixth annual USC Comedy Festival on Sunday, February 26.
Students and members of the public packed Norris Cinema Theatre at Frank Sinatra Hall for the 90-minute panel, which consisted of an hour-long discussion of Eichner’s career evolution and a 30-minute Q&A segment.
Eichner, known for his starring role on the game show “Billy on the Street” and more recently in the romantic comedy “Bros,” detailed his roots and “slow burn” rise, which began far from the flashy red carpets of Los Angeles; but rather in a middle-class neighborhood in Forest Hills, Queens. Eichner was forced to counter close-mindedness and create his own unique blend of theater and comedy in order to achieve national success that would eventually take him from a starry-eyed audience member in the upper mezzanine at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Starlight Express” to some of the nation’s largest stages.
During the panel, Eichner repeatedly compared his journey to “nepo babies,” explaining that he did not have the privilege of a foot already in the door.
“I was very much not that,” Eichner said. “Every step of the way, there are new challenges, [and] that I can tell you.”
Growing up, Eichner found himself “mesmerized” by the entertainment world, parked in front of the television to watch anything from MTV to the Academy Awards at age five. Eichner recalled hosting a “Broadway meets pop music” themed bar mitzvah and later opening a storage unit in New York City to stockpile his Playbill programs.
“I was an only child, and I loved TV, and I loved the movies, [and] I loved, loved, loved Broadway,” Eichner said. “I just absorbed it all like a sponge.”
But despite the fact that pursuing a career in some area of the performing arts was “one of the only things [Eichner] ever knew for sure,” he struggled to find roles that producers felt perfectly suited him – a trend that would come to characterize the early stages of his career.
“I don’t think I have ever been what the casting person…pictured in their head,” Eichner said, explaining that he could not recall a time that he booked a job because of an audition. “So no matter how good of a job I might have done, a lot of times they’ll be like: ‘We love you, you’re so fucking talented, you’re not getting the part. But we love you, and there’s nothing more you could have done.’”
Leaving New York City and his childhood dream of attending NYU Tisch behind to embrace a new direction, Eichner started to find his place in the performing arts at Northwestern University, where he wrote a talk show and recorded grainy videos with Robin Lord Taylor, beginning to develop what later became the “‘Billy on the Street’ persona.”
“It was only ever the students who really really got me and cast me… my peers got me, you know, and that’s always how it’s been,” Eichner said. “It was my saving grace.”
But back in New York post-graduation, Eichner found himself lacking professional opportunities once again, instead spending his time scrolling on Playbill as a temporary employee at various buildings in Manhattan and bartending at the New Amsterdam Theatre during productions of “The Lion King” to maintain a steady income.
“It’s crazy because I bartended at ‘The Lion King,’ and then 20 years later did a voice in ‘The Lion King’ remake,” Eichner said.
But this level of achievement was anything but instant, and Eichner struggled to secure roles that producers felt aligned with the skills he brought to the table.
“I was neither quirky enough at the time to be like the weird, supporting wacky guy. I wasn’t presenting that way yet,” Eichner said. “I eventually thought, all right, like, what do I do that’s unique?”
Deciding to lean into his innate humor, Eichner enrolled in stand-up comedy classes, which forced him to refine his writing skills. From there, he began writing 90-minute shows that were “somewhere between theater and comedy,” similar to the style of “Billy on the Street.”
“People always told me that I was funny,” Eichner said, “and I could get a laugh; I could get laughs on lines of dialogue that were not even meant to get laughs.”
Eichner went on to perform stand-up at open mics for crowds across Midtown, the West Village and the Upper West Side, but once again struggled to find acceptance – this time among audience members who were hesitant to embrace his comedic style and content.
“The only place you saw a lot of gay representation at the time was in theater in New York.” Eichner said. “Even in New York City at those comedy clubs on the Upper West Side, I did not feel comfortable there. I didn’t think that’s where I was headed.”
After reaching another dead end, Eichner took his act to Ars Nova, an off-Broadway theater in Hell’s Kitchen founded by artistic director Jason Eagan, where creators including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Elizabeth Meriwether had successfully established themselves. While Eichner felt “very, very comfortable, and they let me do my thing,” he decided to return to Upright Citizens Brigade, the prominent comedy theater and training center where he was once a student. But pitching his own show at UCB was not without its own obstacles.
“The artistic director at the time, I won’t say his name because I’m a nice person, he told me ‘it’s really good, but I don’t think it belongs here, because it’s a little too cabaret,’ which, you know, is a code word. He thought it was too gay. But then I pushed back,” Eichner said. “And I pushed and I pushed and he was like, ‘okay, sure.’ And I did it and everyone loved it. And it was great. And I did it there every week for a year.”
Lacking a sense of stability in his career and equipped with personal drive for a deal, Eichner was prepared to prove initial critics wrong in order to create his own platform, rather than conform to what directors thought audiences wanted to see.
“It’s hard and it’s, for me, necessary,” Eichner said.
While the show generated acclaim in the New York area, Eichner remained unable to secure what he believed was the next step in furthering his professional career – a partnership with a television network
“‘You are great, but we still don’t want you’ is a recurring theme in my life,” Eichner said. “Professionally, and sometimes personally.’”
However, once the “Billy on the Street” videos that Eichner had created since 2004 started to go viral around 2010, Eichner acquired the public backing he seeked to support his endeavors.
“It allowed me to do my own thing,” Eichner said. “I put the videos online, and they took off…then I was able to go to TV producers and say like, look, there’s like millions of people are watching this, and it’s not all just people in New York, and it’s not all just gay men or whoever you think is watching these things.”
Drowning in credit card debt and still lacking a permanent TV presence beyond a cameo on comedian Joan Rivers’ “Fashion Police,” Eichner booked a ticket to Los Angeles to pitch the idea for the long-form “Billy on the Street” game show to Mike Farah, CEO of the comedy brand Funny Or Die.
With Farah’s support, Eichner received between four and five offers for a pilot episode from companies including Comedy Central and E!; but when a smaller channel called Fuse offered to take him straight to series for 12 half-hour episodes, Eichner knew his decision was made.
Five seasons and 54 official episodes later, “Billy on the Street” has evolved with the times – with full episodes now housed on HBOMax and many clips posted on YouTube, a new generation has engaged with Eichner’s content, most notably on YouTube and TikTok.
“I only have a career because of the internet,” Eichner said. “It was taking segments from the show and putting them online, which really was a career and gave ‘Billy on the Street’ longevity.”
During the Q&A portion of the panel, Eichner shared his admiration and gratitude for his accomplishments and support along the way, while acknowledging his refusal to remain stagnant.
“The first Billy on the Street video I ever shot from my live show was 2004. Now we’re in 2023. That’s how long it’s taken. That’s a really long time,” Eichner said. “I am still clawing my way to the things that I want to do and the opportunities I want to do in order to not just sort of get stuck.”
Eichner’s most recent project, the 2022 romantic comedy “Bros” that he wrote, starred in and produced with Judd Apatow and Nicholas Stoller, demonstrates yet another new approach for the comedian – intertwining comedy and true elements of his own experiences in hopes of enhancing non-stereotypical, substantive LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream romantic comedies.
“We’re so hungry for representation, but no one movie, no one show can represent the entire gay experience,” Eichner said. “All you can do is tell your own story… and I think that we’re all still navigating it and figuring it out. It’s just about letting as many people as possible tell their stories.”
Looking to the rather uncertain future, Eichner intends to continue pursuing projects that he finds “artistically satisfying,” refusing to abide by existing conditions in popular media and quelling voices suggesting more of the status quo.
“Everyone tells you on social media ‘stay in your lane, stay in your lane, stay in your lane.’ And, my, if I have one message, it’s don’t ever stay in your fucking lane,” Eichner said. “Don’t listen to people who tell you to stay in your lane. You just really have to work hard, and you really have to want it, and you really have to stick with it.”