Hashem is in a Rainforest Cafe with Miki Pigeon

Comedian Miki Pigeon joins Yenta!'s host Raye Schiller and guest co-host Gloria Alexander for some truly incredible Jewish gossip. You might know Miki because she recently went viral for her breakup story, involving a canceled move-in, a spontaneous trip to the beach, a two-hour drive to Rainforest Cafe, and what may be the most emotionally devastating roller coaster ride in Southern California history. Obviously, we need to break it all down for you on the pod, dear listener. We get into the ethics of turning your personal life into art, whether stand-up comedy is inherently a little evil, and if Yom Kippur and talking shit about people can peacefully coexist. Plus, Gloria, no context, has mixed feelings about Miki's ex (he's a mensch, allegedly), we unpack anxious attachment, "Polysecure, " and the deeply humiliating experience of wondering if your friends hate you, all while Miki reflects on what happens to your Jewish identity when the person you used to observe Shabbat with is no longer in your life. Come for the elite breakup gossip. Stay for the Rainforest Cafe fangirling, the Jewish guilt, and the very important question: can you be a good person and a stand-up comedian? Asking for a yenta. Chapters 00:00 – Welcome to Yenta! feat. Miki Pigeon and Gloria Alexander 00:54 – Queer Jewish writers' groups, wedding crashing, and how Raye knows queer Jew in Los Angeles 03:00 – Miki's viral breakup story: the lore begins 05:00 – The breakup day bucket list: beaches, roller coasters, and Rainforest Cafe 08:35 – Miki's Rainforest Cafe obsession and an urgent merch request 09:30 – Bubba Gump, immigrant trauma, and the Lawrence Restaurant Group 11:29 – Keeping kosher at the world's least kosher restaurants 12:49 – Turning your breakup into a tight ten (and a live Q&A) 14:50 – The Last Five Years, crying in the car, and the breakup soundtrack Broadways kids can cry their eyes out to 19:12 – Taylor Swift, Lily Allen, and the ethics of mining your personal life for art 22:28 – Should Miki's ex come on the pod? We have questions 23:15 – Are you anxiously attached, or do you just want your friends to like you? 25:09 – Yom Kippur, repentance, and the ethics of gossip 28:00 – Can you be a stand-up comedian and a nice person? 31:05 – Is Miki saving lives by talking about her breakup? 33:35 – Do you hate me? An investigation into anxious attachment 36:00 – Attachment styles, therapy, and why we need people to like us 39:00 – Jewish identity, relationships, and figuring out who you are 43:00 – The complicated relationship between religious practice and romantic relationships 50:25 – Keeping Shabbat alone after a breakup 52:00 – The notification that says nobody likes you 53:00 – Anxious-avoidant attachment and the fantasy of spending time alone together 55:45 – How relationships shape your Jewish journey 57:00 – Final compliments, final insecurities, and goodbye