Part autobiography, part philosophical inquiry, and part spiritual quest, COMEDY SEX GOD is a hilarious, profound, and enlightening romp around the fertile mind of stand-up stand-out, podcast king, and HBO superstar Pete Holmes.
Before Pete Holmes had a hugely successful podcast (You Made it Weird) or a wildly successful show on HBO (Crashing), Pete Holmes was a self-described mama’s boy “my dad was my hero growing up, but my mom was my best friend. I always liked mom stuff: talking about your feelings, napping, gossiping,” and church. Church is where he was able to explore the big questions, including the main one “what IS this?” Unfortunately, this came at the cost of sexual dysfunction “It really baked in the idea that my goodness was directly linked to my sexuality and that any sexuality was THE thing keeping me from being in God’s favor.”
In COMEDY SEX GOD he recounts these early days, including how he fell in love with comedy; his college years, where he met his first wife (while both worked as reenactors pretending to be Puritans, wandering around Salem, MA) and then discovered, two years later that she was cheating; and how that led him to become an atheist. “Along with the Jetta, I lost God in the divorce.” It was then that his spiritual journey truly began.
Pete’s failed attempt at a picture-perfect life forced him to re-examine his beliefs, but neither atheism, Christianity, nor copious bottles of Yellow Tail led him to enlightenment. In COMEDY SEX GOD, Holmes shares poignant and hilarious stories about climbing the comedy ladder and honing his crafts, as well as delving into the dating world, post divorce, all while embarking on a soul-seeking journey that included:
• A psychedelic mushroom trip that shifted everything: it’s not about heaven or hell later--it’s about achieving union and connection now. • Reconciling God and comedy: “God and life and sex are complicated and that exploring these ideas in humorous ways often felt beautiful and unifying” • Realizing that the trails and pains of your life are just good episodes: On our fave shows, when something happens (good or bad) it leads to growth or change or loss and pushed the character forward. “When I'm in a tight spot, the quickest way to make myself laugh and gain a new perspective is by asking myself I wonder what's going to happen to Pete”
- How discovering Ram Dass while bored on a plane changed his life forever...and how getting super horny while staying with the spiritual guru finally helped him make peace with his issues around sex and god. - Spirituality isn’t fixed: Whatever god, guru, or philosophy works for you now may change. These things may come and go and morph and shift as you do. - Losing My Religion (it’s not just a song by REM): “I once saw losing my faith as the worst thing I could possibly do, the one thing I was told never to do, and now I see it as an essential step to developing my three-dimensional, vibrant faith. I had to lose my faith to find it.”
These meaningful lessons and observations are woven throughout stories about how Pete went from playing college bars to getting his own HBO show (based on one of the more difficult parts of his life--“good episode!”), finding love again and much more. Beautifully written, spiritually profound, and often completely hilarious, COMEDY SEX GOD reveals a man at the top of his game, and a seeker in search of the deeper meanings of life, love, and comedy.
Pete Holmes is a comedian, writer, cartoonist, “Christ-leaning spiritual seeker”, and podcast host. His wildly popular podcast, You Made It Weird, is a comedic exploration of the meaning of life with guests ranging from Deepak Chopra and Elizabeth Gilbert to Seth Rogen and Garry Shandling. Pete also created and stars in the semi-autobiographical HBO show Crashing which he executive produces alongside Judd Apatow. An accomplished standup with three hour-long television specials and innumerous late-night appearances, he continues to tour regularly to sold-out crowds. He lives with his wife and daughter in LA.
