Rachael O’Brien On “Be Here For A While,” L.A., Don Rickles & Being On “Vanderpump Rules”

A prolific stand-up comedian, actress and podcaster, Rachael O’Brien seems to be working far more often than not. As a comic, she has shared the stage with the likes of Jeff Ross, Heather McDonald, Ron White, Judd Apatow, and Nick Kroll. As a podcaster, she has hosted Bryan Adams, Kevin Farley, and Jim Jeffries on the acclaimed Be Here For A While. Aside from all of that, many people know O’Brien from appearing for several seasons on the Bravo reality hit Vanderpump Rules.

I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with O’Brien, who not only came across as motivated and talented, but also as someone who practices what they preach. More on the Los Angeles-based multihyphenate can be found online at www.rachaelobriencomedy.com.

You’re a stand-up comic, actress, a TV host and podcaster beyond appearing on reality TV. How do you usually describe what you do for a living?

Rachael O’Brien: I would say my first love is being a stand-up comedian. There’s nothing more in the world I’d rather do and I feel off when I’m not doing it. I plan to still be touring and getting on stage for as long as I possibly can. Like Don Rickles.

Beyond that, I also love the whole industry of performing, acting, writing and creating. I went to school for screenwriting so writing to me is very important as well. Even though, it’s the hardest thing for me to force myself to do. I procrastinate and stress about it so much.

I also have a podcast called Be Here For a While, where I interview other entertainment industry friends, people who inspire me, and sometimes just shoot the shit with close friends like Stassi Schroeder, who also has an amazing podcast. Podcasting has been a great tool for trying out new bits, becoming a better storyteller, and just hearing from some incredible people. I’ve been lucky enough to have people that I really look up to on the podcast like Jim Jefferies, Heather McDonald, Bryan Adams, Kevin Farley, to name a few.

Were you an actress first? A comic first?

Rachael O’Brien: I first moved to L.A. to be an actress, but learned very quickly that I hated waiting for people to give me a job. I wanted to do something that I could work on and hone my craft and really create my own destiny. I had always been a funny kid and loved comedy so, one day I got on-stage, and from that moment on I was hooked. Stand-up truly got under my skin and I knew that it would be something I would do and hustle for the rest of my life.

I still love acting and hope to write and act in my own show of some sort some day. Hopefully soon. (laughs) I’m working on it, pitching shows, writing scripts, creating content, etc. I believe that as long as you love what you do, you’re good to people, and you work your ass off, great things can happen.

A lot of people first learned about you from Vanderpump Rules. Do you feel that there are any misconceptions about the show?

Rachael O’Brien: Yes, I think there were plenty of misconceptions. I’ve been called “boring” on the show, for one thing. I guess, I could be considered boring if you watched the show, but it’s because most of the things I would say during filming were cut out, which is fine. Plus their cast is so big and naturally they have to focus on the main cast members, there’s only so much time in a one-hour show to include everyone. I also never worked at the restaurant, and as you know, the show is focused around people that work in a restaurant, so there wasn’t much space for me to be involved.

But I did Vanderpump Rules for two reasons. Number one, half of that cast are my best friends, and naturally I’m going to be around and involved in their life. Number two, I figured if I did it right, it could potentially help my comedy career. I have learned now that maybe allowing them to film small segments of stand-up comedy doesn’t always translate so well, but I think for better or worse it has worked out. I was devastated when it aired that one of the cast members made fun of me in the fourth season, I think, but I knew that a mean comment about my comedy — from someone who has never seen me do comedy live — from one person can’t destroy a career that is something I actually do and work hard at every day. The work eventually shines through. So yes, there were misconceptions and times where I regretted doing the show, but it all worked out.

What specifically led you to pursue stand-up comedy? Was there a particular comedian or comedy special that provided that initial inspiration?

Rachael O’Brien: Me and my best friend growing up loved SNL and David Spade and Chris Farley movies. We would act them out at parties in front of our parents and would even “improvise” school presentations with full costume and characters. We were weird but had a good time.

I still can’t believe that now I sometimes perform on the same shows as David Spade. I pinch myself every time we are on the same lineup. And the day I stop being grateful for that is the day that maybe I shouldn’t be doing it anymore. But I hope to always be grateful.

Earlier this year you posted a tribute to Don Rickles on social media. Had you ever seen him perform live?

Rachael O’Brien: Sadly I never got to see him live, but I am good friends with his daughter, Mindy Rickles —
who is also a hilarious stand-up comedian — so it hit home for me knowing what she was going through. Plus, he was one of the funniest men alive!

What about podcasting? Do you remember the first podcast that really captivated you?

Rachael O’Brien: Industry Standard With Barry Katz — he’s a legendary comedy manager and does these incredible interviews with amazing people in the entertainment industry. He really knows how to get their backstory and find out how they became who they are. Also, the Dirty John podcast is chilling and so good.

Your podcast guests come from all facets of entertainment. How do you usually find your guests? Are most of them friends?

Rachael O’Brien: Most are friends and acquaintances, but occasionally I’ll send a cold email. I recently sent a cold email to Keanu. Yeah, that Keanu. And when I read it back to one of my friends, she shed light on how embarrassing my email was. (laughs) Probably because I just straight up referred to him as Keanu, not Mr. Reeves, not Keanu Reeves. Never met him. We actually read the email out loud on a bonus episode of my podcast, if you’d like to listen and be embarrassed for me.

Is there a career direction or path you are still aspiring to do but haven’t really pursued yet? Earlier you had mentioned screenwriting…

Rachael O’Brien: I want to write my own sitcom or movie and then act in it. I think Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck or Kumail Nanjiani’s The Big Sick are great examples of that. Comedians who wrote real-life stories that they then star in.

What’s coming up for your career-wise over the next few months? Any projects you can talk about?

Rachael O’Brien: I’ve been taking meetings and pitching a lot of shows recently. And fingers crossed that I get a comedy special soon. I’ve been working on that as well.

When you are not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?

Rachael O’Brien: I never relax. (laughs) I guess the only thing that relaxes me is cooking…or drinking. I also do travel a lot with Stassi, which is always a blast.

Finally, Rachael, any last words for the kids?

Rachael O’Brien: Why the hell not see what happens when you never give up? Your odds of achieving that goal are zero when you don’t try. What do you have to lose — well, besides sleep and sanity — but you’ll get there.

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Tags: Amy Schumer, David Spade, Don Rickles, Keanu Reeves, Kumail Nanjiani, Los Angeles, Rachael O'Brien, Vanderpump Rules

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."