7 Years as a Waiter to TOP-PAID Comedian
From The Person Who Believed In Me with David Begnaud by Do Good Crew
June 8, 2026 · 1h 2m
About this episode
Sebastian Maniscalco shares his journey from being a waiter to becoming a top-paid comedian, highlighting the pivotal role of Mitzi Shore in his career.
Before Sebastian Maniscalco became one of the highest paid comedians in the world — selling out five shows at Madison Square Garden and earning his own Sirius XM channel — he was a waiter at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, spending seven years serving nuts to celebrities while bombing at open mics. Then Mitzi Shore, the legendary owner of the Comedy Store, saw something in him that the rest of the industry had missed. In this deeply personal conversation, Sebastian sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the woman who believed in him when he barely knew her, and how she gave him the one thing he needed most: a place to belong. Sebastian opens up about the moment Mitzi grabbed him after his audition and said the words that changed everything: Come back for 10 minutes next week. He talks about skipping straight to paid regular status, getting hot spots one week and 1:30 a.m. slots in front of four people the next, and how Mitzi manipulated lineups to build his thick skin without him realizing it. His relationship with her was never verbal — her love came through the stage time she gave him, and his came through never letting her down. There's also a raw reflection on…
People in this episode
Host: David Begnaud
Guest: Sebastian Maniscalco
Topics covered
- comedy
- personal growth
- belonging
- work ethic
- family
- entertainment
Keywords
- Sebastian Maniscalco
- Mitzi Shore
- comedy career
- Four Seasons
- Madison Square Garden
- work ethic
- family influence
- personal story
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Four Seasons, Comedy Store, Sirius XM
Places: Beverly Hills, Madison Square Garden
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