How To!

How To Be Funny

What happens when Jesus, an Oklahoma pastor, and a New York comedian walk into a studio?

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About the Show

What if Dear Abby were an investigative reporter? Each week, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit) takes on listeners’ toughest problems and, with the help of experts, finds the answers to questions you’ve always wanted to ask but couldn’t. Until now.

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Have you found the advice on our podcast helpful? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might play it on the air.

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Episode Notes

How do you learn to tell the perfect joke? A pastor from Oklahoma wants to spice up his sermons, so we introduced him to Gary Gulman, a New York stand-up comedian who makes jokes about his clinical depression. The lesson? “Man plans, and God laughs.” But only if you nail the delivery.

Podcast production by Derek John.