Listen free for 30 days
-
A Very Punchable Face
- A Memoir
- Narrated by: Colin Jost
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $23.31
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's Summary
New York Times Best Seller
In these hilarious essays, the Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor learns how to take a beating.
“I always wanted to punch his face before I read this book. Now I just want to kick him in the balls.” (Larry David)
Named One of the Best Books of the Year by Cosmopolitan, Vulture, and Parade
If there’s one trait that makes someone well suited to comedy, it’s being able to take a punch - metaphorically and, occasionally, physically.
From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school and “seeing the sights” (like watching a Russian woman throw a stroller off the back of a ferry), to attending Harvard while Facebook was created, Jost shares how he has navigated the world like a slightly smarter Forrest Gump.
You’ll also discover things about Jost that will surprise and confuse you, like how Jimmy Buffett saved his life, how Czech teenagers attacked him with potato salad, how an insect laid eggs inside his legs, and how he competed in a 25-man match at WrestleMania (and almost won). You'll go behind the scenes at SNL and Weekend Update (where he's written some of the most memorable sketches and jokes of the past 15 years). And you’ll experience the life of a touring stand-up comedian - from performing in rural college cafeterias at noon to opening for Dave Chappelle at Radio City Music Hall.
For every accomplishment (hosting the Emmys), there is a setback (hosting the Emmys). And for every absurd moment (watching paramedics give CPR to a raccoon), there is an honest, emotional one (recounting his mother’s experience on the scene of the Twin Towers’ collapse on 9/11). Told with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, A Very Punchable Face reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television and lays bare the heart and humor of a hardworking guy - with a face you can’t help but want to punch.
You may also enjoy...
-
Yearbook
- Written by: Seth Rogen
- Narrated by: Seth Rogen, full cast
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hi! I’m Seth! I was asked to describe my audiobook, Yearbook for websites and shit like that, so...here it goes!!! Yearbook is a collection of true stories that I desperately hope are just funny at worst, and life-changingly amazing at best. (I understand that it’s likely the former, which is a fancy “book” way of saying “the first one.”) I talk about my grandparents, doing stand-up comedy as a teenager, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish summer camp, and tell way more stories about doing drugs than my mother would like.
-
-
hilarious
- By Leanna on 2021-05-15
Written by: Seth Rogen
-
Bossypants
- Written by: Tina Fey
- Narrated by: Tina Fey
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Liz Lemon, before Weekend Update, before Sarah Palin, Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: A recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both these dreams come true. At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've always suspected: You're no one until someone calls you bossy.
-
-
funny!
- By Deanna La Jambe on 2019-06-07
Written by: Tina Fey
-
You Can't Be Serious
- Written by: Kal Penn
- Narrated by: Kal Penn
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You Can’t Be Serious is a series of funny, consequential, awkward, and ridiculous stories from Kal Penn’s idiosyncratic life. It’s about being the grandson of Gandhian freedom fighters, and the son of immigrant parents: people who came to this country with very little and went very far—and whose vision of the American dream probably never included their son sliding off an oiled-up naked woman in the raunchy Ryan Reynolds movie Van Wilder…or getting a phone call from Air Force One as Kal flew with the country’s first Black president.
-
-
Politics
- By Suzanne A. on 2023-07-25
Written by: Kal Penn
-
Hello, Molly!
- A Memoir
- Written by: Molly Shannon, Sean Wilsey
- Narrated by: Molly Shannon
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At age four, Molly Shannon’s world was shattered when she lost her mother, baby sister, and cousin in a car accident with her father at the wheel. Held together by her tender and complicated relationship with her grieving father, Molly was raised in a permissive household where her gift for improvising and role-playing blossomed alongside the fearlessness that would lead her to become a celebrated actress.
-
-
What a book!
- By Terri H. on 2022-11-02
Written by: Molly Shannon, and others
-
Is This Anything?
- Written by: Jerry Seinfeld
- Narrated by: Jerry Seinfeld
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since his first performance at the legendary New York nightclub “Catch a Rising Star” as a 21-year-old college student in fall of 1975, Jerry Seinfeld has written his own material and saved everything. “Whenever I came up with a funny bit, whether it happened on a stage, in a conversation, or working it out on my preferred canvas, the big yellow legal pad, I kept it in one of those old school accordion folders,” Seinfeld writes. “So I have everything I thought was worth saving from 45 years of hacking away at this for all I was worth.”
-
-
GENIUS...!!! TRUST ME...IT'S FOR YOU!!!!
- By SB The Student on 2020-10-09
Written by: Jerry Seinfeld
-
A Life in Parts
- Written by: Bryan Cranston
- Narrated by: Bryan Cranston
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bryan Cranston landed his first role at seven, when his father, a struggling actor and director, cast him in a United Way commercial. Soon Bryan was haunting the local movie theater, memorizing and reenacting favorite scenes with his older brother. Acting was clearly the boy's destiny - until one day his father disappeared. Suddenly destiny took a backseat to survival. Seeking something more stable, perhaps subconsciously trying to distance himself from his absent father, Cranston decided on a career in law enforcement.
-
-
Loved it!
- By Marie on 2020-08-11
Written by: Bryan Cranston
-
Yearbook
- Written by: Seth Rogen
- Narrated by: Seth Rogen, full cast
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hi! I’m Seth! I was asked to describe my audiobook, Yearbook for websites and shit like that, so...here it goes!!! Yearbook is a collection of true stories that I desperately hope are just funny at worst, and life-changingly amazing at best. (I understand that it’s likely the former, which is a fancy “book” way of saying “the first one.”) I talk about my grandparents, doing stand-up comedy as a teenager, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish summer camp, and tell way more stories about doing drugs than my mother would like.
-
-
hilarious
- By Leanna on 2021-05-15
Written by: Seth Rogen
-
Bossypants
- Written by: Tina Fey
- Narrated by: Tina Fey
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Liz Lemon, before Weekend Update, before Sarah Palin, Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: A recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both these dreams come true. At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've always suspected: You're no one until someone calls you bossy.
-
-
funny!
- By Deanna La Jambe on 2019-06-07
Written by: Tina Fey
-
You Can't Be Serious
- Written by: Kal Penn
- Narrated by: Kal Penn
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You Can’t Be Serious is a series of funny, consequential, awkward, and ridiculous stories from Kal Penn’s idiosyncratic life. It’s about being the grandson of Gandhian freedom fighters, and the son of immigrant parents: people who came to this country with very little and went very far—and whose vision of the American dream probably never included their son sliding off an oiled-up naked woman in the raunchy Ryan Reynolds movie Van Wilder…or getting a phone call from Air Force One as Kal flew with the country’s first Black president.
-
-
Politics
- By Suzanne A. on 2023-07-25
Written by: Kal Penn
-
Hello, Molly!
- A Memoir
- Written by: Molly Shannon, Sean Wilsey
- Narrated by: Molly Shannon
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At age four, Molly Shannon’s world was shattered when she lost her mother, baby sister, and cousin in a car accident with her father at the wheel. Held together by her tender and complicated relationship with her grieving father, Molly was raised in a permissive household where her gift for improvising and role-playing blossomed alongside the fearlessness that would lead her to become a celebrated actress.
-
-
What a book!
- By Terri H. on 2022-11-02
Written by: Molly Shannon, and others
-
Is This Anything?
- Written by: Jerry Seinfeld
- Narrated by: Jerry Seinfeld
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since his first performance at the legendary New York nightclub “Catch a Rising Star” as a 21-year-old college student in fall of 1975, Jerry Seinfeld has written his own material and saved everything. “Whenever I came up with a funny bit, whether it happened on a stage, in a conversation, or working it out on my preferred canvas, the big yellow legal pad, I kept it in one of those old school accordion folders,” Seinfeld writes. “So I have everything I thought was worth saving from 45 years of hacking away at this for all I was worth.”
-
-
GENIUS...!!! TRUST ME...IT'S FOR YOU!!!!
- By SB The Student on 2020-10-09
Written by: Jerry Seinfeld
-
A Life in Parts
- Written by: Bryan Cranston
- Narrated by: Bryan Cranston
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bryan Cranston landed his first role at seven, when his father, a struggling actor and director, cast him in a United Way commercial. Soon Bryan was haunting the local movie theater, memorizing and reenacting favorite scenes with his older brother. Acting was clearly the boy's destiny - until one day his father disappeared. Suddenly destiny took a backseat to survival. Seeking something more stable, perhaps subconsciously trying to distance himself from his absent father, Cranston decided on a career in law enforcement.
-
-
Loved it!
- By Marie on 2020-08-11
Written by: Bryan Cranston
-
I'd Like to Play Alone, Please
- Essays
- Written by: Tom Segura
- Narrated by: Tom Segura
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tom Segura is known for his twisted takes and irreverent comedic voice. But after a few years of crazy tours and churning out podcasts weekly, all while parenting two young children, he desperately needs a second to himself. It’s not that he hates his friends and family — he’s not a monster — he’s just beat, which is why his son’s (ruthless) first full sentence, “I’d like to play alone, please,” has since become his mantra.
-
-
I came up in May
- By garrett press on 2022-07-05
Written by: Tom Segura
-
Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama
- A Memoir
- Written by: Bob Odenkirk
- Narrated by: Bob Odenkirk, Steve Rudnick, Leo Benvenuti
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bob Odenkirk’s career is inexplicable. And yet he will try like hell to explicate it for you. Charting a “Homeric” decades-long “odyssey” from his origins in the seedy comedy clubs of Chicago to a dramatic career full of award nominations - with a side trip into the action-man world that is baffling to all who know him - it’s almost like there are many Bob Odenkirks! But there is just one and one is plenty. Featuring humorous tangents, wild characters, and Bob’s trademark unflinching drive, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama is a classic tale told by a determined idiot.
-
-
Perfect listen for any fan of alternative comedy
- By Adam on 2022-08-17
Written by: Bob Odenkirk
-
Leslie F*cking Jones
- Written by: Leslie Jones, Chris Rock - foreword
- Narrated by: Leslie Jones, Chris Rock
- Length: 16 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hey you guys, it’s Leslie. I’m excited to share my story with you. Now, I’m gonna be honest: Some of the details might be vague because a b*tch is fifty-five and she’s smoked a ton of weed. But while bits might be a touch hazy, I can promise you the underlying truth is REAL.
-
-
She’s undeniable!
- By Alison on 2024-03-03
Written by: Leslie Jones, and others
-
I Must Say
- My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend
- Written by: Martin Short
- Narrated by: Martin Short
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Martin Short takes you on a rich, hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking ride through his life and times, from his early years in Toronto as a member of the fabled improvisational troupe Second City to the all-American comic big time of Saturday Night Live and memorable roles in movies such as ¡Three Amigos! and Father of the Bride.
-
-
Nothing Short of Spectacular!
- By Justin Lahey on 2020-01-27
Written by: Martin Short
-
Canada
- Written by: Mike Myers
- Narrated by: Mike Myers
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Comedy superstar Mike Myers writes from the (true patriot) heart about his 53-year relationship with his beloved Canada. Mike Myers is a world-renowned actor, director and writer and the man behind some of the most memorable comic characters of our time. But, as he says, "No description of me is truly complete without saying I'm a Canadian". He has often winked and nodded to Canada in his outrageously accomplished body of work, but now he turns the spotlight full-beam on his homeland.
-
-
Love Mike Myers but...
- By Jardinpetitbasin on 2021-04-03
Written by: Mike Myers
-
Girl Walks into a Bar...
- Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle
- Written by: Rachel Dratch
- Narrated by: Rachel Dratch
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anyone who saw an episode of Saturday Night Live between 1999 and 2006 knows Rachel Dratch. She was hilarious! So what happened to her? After a misbegotten part as Jenna on the pilot of 30 Rock, Dratch was only getting offered roles as "Lesbians. Secretaries. Sometimes secretaries who are lesbians." Her career at a low point, Dratch suddenly had time for yoga, dog- sitting, learning Spanish - and dating. After all, what did a forty-something single woman living in New York have to lose?
-
-
Really loved it
- By pennmani on 2019-11-13
Written by: Rachel Dratch
-
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
- Written by: Mindy Kaling
- Narrated by: Mindy Kaling, Michael Schur, B. J. Novak
- Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”
-
-
Light Read
- By Crystal H B on 2020-07-21
Written by: Mindy Kaling
-
Life of the Party
- Stories of a Perpetual Man-Child
- Written by: Bert Kreischer
- Narrated by: Bert Kreischer
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bert Kreischer doesn't know how to say "no." If he did, he wouldn't have gotten himself mixed up with a group of Russian mobsters on a class trip to Moscow, earning him his nickname: "The Machine." He wouldn't have wrestled with a bear or swum with sharks on national television. He wouldn't have (possibly) smoked PCP with a star of Saturday Night Live. And he wouldn't have been named the Number One Partier in the Nation by Rolling Stone, inspired the movie National Lampoon's Van Wilder, or performed standup to sellout crowds across the country.
-
-
Great laugh!
- By casey breton on 2024-03-27
Written by: Bert Kreischer
-
Failure Is an Option
- An Attempted Memoir
- Written by: H. Jon Benjamin
- Narrated by: H. Jon Benjamin
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While he's not quite a household name, most people would consider H. Jon Benjamin, the voice-actor star of Archer and Bob's Burgers (and a sentient can of mixed vegetables in 2015's Wet Hot American Summer) a comedy show business success. But he'd like to remind everyone that as great as success can be, failure is also an option. In a hilarious, self-deprecating memoir, Jon lays out some of his many failures in all areas of life, from Work ("wherein I'm unable to deliver a sizzling fajita") to Family ("wherein a trip to PF Chang's fractures a family").
-
-
Not reading this book would be an epic failure
- By Kindle Customer on 2018-06-12
Written by: H. Jon Benjamin
-
Born Standing Up
- A Comic's Life
- Written by: Steve Martin
- Narrated by: Steve Martin
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the mid-70s, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. Born Standing Up is, in his own words, the story of "why I did stand-up and why I walked away".
-
-
Wonderful Memoir
- By Joelle on 2018-01-27
Written by: Steve Martin
-
Talking to Canadians
- A Memoir
- Written by: Rick Mercer
- Narrated by: Rick Mercer
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What is Rick Mercer going to do now? That was the question on everyone's lips when the beloved comedian retired his hugely successful TV show after 15 seasons - and at the peak of its popularity. The answer came not long after, when he roared back in a new role as stand-up-comedian, playing to sold-out houses wherever he appeared. And then COVID-19 struck. And his legions of fans began asking again: What is Rick Mercer going to do now? Well, for one thing, he's been writing a comic masterpiece.
-
-
Don't pay for someone to scream at you for 10 hrs.
- By Kiki on 2022-01-09
Written by: Rick Mercer
-
A Polaroid Guy in a Snapchat World
- Written by: David Spade
- Narrated by: David Spade
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written and performed for the Audible experience, Spade’s new comic memoir takes listeners along for the sometimes embarrassing and always hilarious ride of getting older in our fleeting “Snapchat World”.
-
-
A tight 5 done in 6 hours
- By Mike Reiter on 2020-07-28
Written by: David Spade
What the critics say
"Colin Jost is as funny as his face is punchable. Which is to say: very. He also knows a lot about Staten Island, soiling himself, internal parasites, and firemen’s pensions. He’s really the whole package. And if you care about comedy - writing it, performing it, watching it, or giving up any semblance of a normal adult life for it - so is his book." (Zadie Smith)
"Colin Jost is one of the best people I know and one hell of a writer. This book proves both to be true." (Seth Meyers)
"I was caught off guard by how much I enjoyed this book, considering how indifferent I feel about Colin as a person." (Amy Schumer)
"An inspiring story that reminds us that if you are born with looks and talent, you can still make it." (Conan O’Brien)
"I think this book is fantastic. I haven’t read a single word of it, but it’s got everything I want in a book - a front, a back, a good spine. And it’s got some heft. Whoever wrote this book knew what she was doing. Well done." (Michael Che)
What listeners say about A Very Punchable Face
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brian F
- 2021-12-20
A lot of fun
Really enjoyed the SNL background stories. Jost’s mostly deadpan delivery was spot on. Highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cathy Lanc
- 2020-11-22
Love this!
I enjoyed every minute of this story. What surprised me were the poignant parts. The book is so well written and Colin has more than enough experience in life to write a memoir.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Happy Camper
- 2021-08-28
An intimate life expose that makes me love him
Colin took me on an amazing life and SNL journey. thanks a lot Sir Colin
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-07-17
Stitches to Sh@ting your pants!
The man has talent.. smart and witty. And not sure that face should be punched after it’s been stitched back together that many times..
Many of us wait for those 10 mins of Weekend Update on SNL.. had over 7 hours today. Well done
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Scott Duncan
- 2021-10-03
Who knew? An interesting and funny life, so far.
Colin is the only person who could narrate this book and make it even funnier. Well done!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-10-23
Not what I expected
Much better than I expected! not that my expectations were low, but the book surpassed them. More emotional than expected, impressive and admirable stories about family and friends. Great stories about SNL, travel, and growing up. absolutely worth the listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- G Zumstein
- 2021-09-02
Joooosssttt!
loved the book. the diner lobster is one of the funniest sketches ever! my wife and I scream Jooossst! with our fist in the air simply because your the luckiest bastard to be with Scarlett Johansson. you rock
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2021-03-01
Laughing while walking down the street...
Had me looking a little coo Koo, laughing down the street by myself. His stories are so funny! A light, easy and funny listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-10-08
Enjoyable
The book is a fun and easy listen. Great way to pass the time. Would recommend it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sheryl
- 2022-12-22
I’ve relistened 3+ times
As a fan of Weekend Update, the only sketch I watch on SNL, I was curious. I’ve also read other ‘comedians’ books which I found really challenging to get through. But A Very Punchable Face is hilarious, authentic and an insider view of SNL. I’ve relistened to this book at least 3 times (definitely more but that would make me look crazy!). It’s loaded with so many elements to stories, that I hear something new each time… and laugh as if I heard it for the first time. Listen to the chapter on SNL ‘Notes’ alone for a good laugh and insight into what NBC allows in scripts vs what’s ‘too far’. Every line is loaded with comedy and delivered with incredible timing. Colin Jost shares his inner fears, life challenges and an insider view to SNL. It’s raw, hilarious, touching and shocking. Perfectly crafted. The Google VR accident is still shocking…
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!