After a one-night stand, this comedian was told he’d be a dad. But not all was as it seemed

Among the people inadvertently promoting Simon Taylor’s new sitcom The Sonny Disposition – a satire about the chaotic, ego-driven world of podcasting – are Kyle Sandilands, Karl Stefanovic and Anthony Albanese.

“The timing is perfect,” says the comedian, who created the series with Josh Samuels. “Every day, someone in my team is messaging me going, ‘Kyle Sandilands just started a podcast! Karl’s in the news for an episode about right-wing extremists!’ And then Albo got himself in trouble [over the so-called melon-gate affair].”

But the idea for The Sonny Disposition occurred well before these headline-grabbing incidents.

“It actually came from me not wanting to do a podcast,” says the 38-year-old, who was hired as a writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 24 before becoming the first Australian stand-up to perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “Everyone’s like, ‘You’re a comedian; where’s your podcast?’ But I’m so sick of them. There are so many already, and I don’t know what I’d be offering that’s different. So I’m offering this instead – a sitcom about podcasters.”

What fascinates Taylor is the medium’s “Wild West” aspect, and the performative authenticity of many hosts.

“As a journalist, you have to follow ethical guidelines,” he says. “But as a podcaster, you can reach an audience without any of those pesky ethics. You get to be the CEO as well as the face of the show. You’re a gunslinger; you’ll do anything to beat the other guy’s ratings and win over the algorithm.”

Worst habit?

Drinking coffee after 9pm. I always feel like I need to get a bit more work done before bed so I’ll have a coffee, work until 1am and then sleep better knowing I’ve ticked off a few things. It’s a terrible health habit but my mum’s side of the family is Italian, and my grandparents would always have coffee after dinner, so maybe I have enough Italian DNA to handle it.

Greatest fear?

I have nightmares about my wife ghosting me. I’ll wake up and go, “You left me again, you blocked me.” But my wife and I have a good rule. We don’t say, “You did this in my dreams”; I’ll say, “Dream Lucy did this”, and she’ll say, “Dream Simon did this.” If I were to psychoanalyse myself, I’d guess it’s about losing what makes me happiest: being at home with my family.

The line that stayed with you?

There’s variations of this line going around but my friend, Philip Escoffey, a magician from the UK, distilled it into a nice quote: “Luck gets you through the door but hard work determines how long you stay there.” In a career like this, you never know when you’ll get a break. I’ve had lucky moments, but to stay in the game I have to keep writing jokes so I’m always ready. I know people who make a living from social media, but I’m not jealous of them because they’re constantly posting and checking their numbers, even when they’re talking to their friends. If I did that, it would change my relationship with my family. I just want to get home, put my phone on “do not disturb” and engage with my kids.

Biggest regret?

Not embracing the comedy community earlier. When I started, I thought I was a lone wolf. It took me 10 years to realise that this is a team sport in many ways. We’re a collective of comedians who look after each other.

Tell us about your turning point …

I wrote a book about this. In my 20s, I had a one-night stand – and then I was told I was going to be a dad. I got a Facebook message, then a phone call. I was 27, very career-focused and on the road a lot. That’s when the world changed for me. I was really emotional; I was excited but also worried because I didn’t really know the woman.

Then I was told, “No, it might be another guy.” So it was nine months of me waiting to see whether it was me or this other guy. When I did the test, I found out I wasn’t the dad. But it was a turning point for me in the dating world because it made me realise that I wanted to be a father.

Until then, I felt lacking, like there was something missing. This allowed me to be upfront and say, “I want marriage and kids.”

The artwork or song you wish was yours?

There’s a comedian called Khaled Khalafalla who has a joke about the fact that Australian pets have better healthcare than American humans. Even though I’ve mangled his joke, I wish it was mine. I have an American wife and when I lived in the US, it would cost hundreds of dollars just to see a GP. America is an amazing country – but only if you have money.

If you could time-travel, where would you go?

Live Aid in 1985, to see Freddie Mercury’s set. I’ve watched that clip so many times. Freddie wasn’t at 100 per cent health but he still gave the greatest performance of his life. To me, that elevates it even more.

The Sonny Disposition premieres October 19 on Stan. Simon Taylor performs at the Bendigo Comedy Festival on October 9, Melbourne Comedy Republic on October 24, the Gold Coast on October 30, Good Chat, Brisbane, on November 6, Perth on November 20, and Sydney Comedy Store on Nov 21.

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