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Note: We’re in-between recording spaces right now so this isn’t quite our usual top-quality sound- but it will be back soon! Thanks for your patience as we make improvements. In the first episode of 2021, Tawny and Sam address the messages they received about people from the midwest interrogating people in conversation, and make jokes about how texting styles reveal what social media platform someone uses (Tawny texts like a guy), how our relationships and labels contribute to our identities, astrology in the queer community, what it’s like to suffer from chronic boredom, thinking of your life as a story to compartmentalize your trauma, the different kinds of widows you meet in support groups, trying to make friends in your 30s, and turning into Smeagol in isolation when widowed. For more information about Death Is Hilarious, visit deathishilarious.com To get in touch, email deathishilarious@gmail.com.

It’s the return of Sam! Sam is back and fills us in on what they’ve been up to. We start the show off by talking about how all of the bad things about 2020 won’t simply go away at midnight on December 31st, how people from the midwest like to interrogate people, toxic positivity, and Tawny turned 30 (or 40 or 45) last week. Tawny starts off the show with her comedy stand-up routine masquerading as a letter and talks about being an ex-evangelical (ex-vangelical). Then Sam talks about how they and their family recently used dark humor to cope with the loss of a four-legged family member. - Get in touch by emailing deathishilarious@gmail.com or visit deathishilarious.com - Check out Sam’s art at instagram.com/tangledpaperideas - Toxic positivity article: https://wapo.st/38hkQE7

In this episode, Tawny chatted with Marla Polk, author of Grief Survivor: A Love Story. Marla talks about how her dry humor helped her cope, how she preserves her energy during grief, and how she "adopted" a cat with striking similarities to her late husband.Marla is a communications coach specializing in helping those in broken relationships heal through communication tools she developed as a mediator. She’s also the Managing Partner for Resolution Solutions, a conflict resolution consulting company, and the President of the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Abilene Palm House, an organization that mentors at-risk individuals and works specifically with women who have been survivors of violent crimes.

In this episode, I sat down to talk with fellow San Diegan and kindred spirit Michelle Miller, author of “Boys, Booze, and Bathroom Floors: Forty-Six Tales about the Collision of Suicide Grief and Dating,” a memoir that shares how she used dating to cope with her 29-year-old husband’s infidelity and suicide, as well as the sequel, “Vodka Soup For The Widowed Soul: Stories of Grief, Alcohol, Infidelity, Cursing, and Hope.” Michelle is also the creator of my very favorite account on Instagram that shares the DARKEST memes about widowhood. We chat about how Michelle's story convinced me not to commit suicide, how trauma makes you funny, diving headfirst into sluttery to cope, being blamed and shamed for your spouse's death, losing most of your friends, the weird way that Americans grieve, and other light-hearted, fluffy widow topics. For more information about Death Is Hilarious, visit deathishilarious.com To get in touch, email deathishilarious@gmail.com.

In this episode, Tawny sits down with Katie “The Foul Mouthed Widow” Pettigrew to chat about old acquaintances milking your spouse's death, connecting with other people who understand your specific grief, the un-fluffy side of widowhood, the difference between dark humor and DARK humor, wearing your wedding dress to your husband’s funeral, being guilted for the way we grieve, and celebrating your wins while still grieving your spouse. Enjoy Katie’s work by visiting foulmouthedwidow.com and following her on Instagram @foulmouthedwidow. To learn more about Death Is Hilarious, visit DeathIsHilarious.com To get in touch email DeathIsHilarious@gmail.com

In this episode, Tawny sat down to chat with comedian Roscoe Burnems about his groundbreaking special "Traumedy," how he started using comedy to cope with trauma, his clingy two-year-old, mourning Chadwick Boseman, moving past unhealthy coping mechanisms, grieving as a guy, and much more. Learn more about Roscoe at roscoeb.webs.com. Learn more about Death Is Hilarious at DeathIsHilarious.com. Get in touch with Tawny and Sami by emailing DeathIsHilarious@gmail.com

In this episode, Tawny sat down to chat with Mimi Hayes. Mimi Hayes is the author of "I'll Be OK, It's Just a Hole in My Head (A Memoir On Heartbreak and Head Trauma)." She’s also a comedian, podcaster, and brain hemorrhage survivor. Mimi talks about dumping her trauma on other humans during stand-up, a nurse with the most abrupt bedside manner in the world, having a field day with a bleeding brain, using humor to avoid reality, fighting for her life, and how friends and family change during trauma. “I have grown up with a permanent smile on my face. And then I had a brain hemorrhage. And I smiled some more. I smiled more because smiling makes you laugh. And when you laugh, you forget for a second that your brain is actually bleeding which makes absolutely no sense. Humor has always been and will always be my defense mechanism. I don't claim to know much, but I do know this: If you can survive a brain surgery with your sense of humor intact, it's a job well done.” - Mimi HayesLearn more about Mimi by visiting MimiHayes.com For more information about Death Is Hilarious checkout DeathIsHilarious.com. To get in touch email deathishilarious@gmail.com Support the podcast by sharing the show with your friends!

In this episode created just before our RBG movie night, Tawny revisits The Dirty Bits and talks about the woman who inspired Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s quote, “I ask no favor for my sex; all I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks” while Sami talks about the goo that goes on and comes out of your body. Get the rest of the show notes and learn more at DeathIsHilarious.com

Episode 11: "So you know the Gay Agenda? Well, now get ready for the Bitenerary." - Sam -Tawny talks about widow humor, making things awkward, her emotional service dog going on strike, and canceling her dead husband's phone line. Sam presents a series of bi observations, including danger noodles and polyamory. Get the rest of the show notes and learn more at DeathIsHilarious.com

In this episode, Sam talks about their experience with a love triangle in the evangelical church, scheduling panic attacks, and emotional discipline. Tawny shares about a recent hospital stay with "Dr. Dude." Learn more and get in touch at DeathIsHilarious.com - DeathIsHilarious@gmail.com

In this episode, I (Tawny) chatted with Anita and Mel from the podcast Widow We Do Now?, the show that addresses topics related to grief, death, bereavement, and moving forward through the inescapable pitfalls of young widowhood. And it’s funny too! We talked about podcasting being a great platform for teaching and healing, learning from other people’s grief, normalizing the different ways we grieve and normalizing mental health through social media, and creating communities for people who feel like they have to grieve a certain way. You can listen to their show now on apple podcasts. For information about Death is Hilarious, visit deathishilarious.com To get in touch, email deathishilarious@gmail.com. You can support the podcast by becoming a patron, at patreon.com/deathishilarious. Thanks for listening!

Note: This was recorded a few days before Tawny was admitted to the hospital with what she thought was a kidney issue. She's home now, doing well, and will give a happy update on next week's episode! Thank you so much for your kind understanding - Get the show notes at DeathIsHilarious.com - Get in touch by emailing DeathIsHilarious@gmail.com - Instagram @death_is_hilarious - Twitter @thatdeathpod

In this episode, Tawny talks about identity, her chihuahua getting 20 teeth removed, and telling dark jokes to a trauma support specialist. Sami then explains how one can be engaged to a parrot, emotional granularity, and seasonal trauma. Learn more and get in touch at DeathIsHilarious.com - DeathIsHilarious@gmail.com

We’d like to take this opportunity to encourage you to listen to and support Black voices. If you need references, we’ve made this list of resources ( https://bit.ly/2ZzDUcz) with the kind help of Masha from the podcast, Bold Adulting. In part two of this two-part episode, Sam reveals (in an epic three-act event) why we’ve been gone and the neuroscience behind empathy. Learn more at DeathIsHilarious.com

We’d like to take this opportunity to encourage you to listen to and support Black voices. If you need references, we’ve made this list of resources ( https://bit.ly/2ZzDUcz) with the kind help of Masha from the podcast, Bold Adulting. In part one of this two-part episode, Tawny delves into the history of white entitlement and civil unrest in the United States in order to answer listener Katie M.’s question- “Why do white people feel like they deserve peace after everything they’ve done to POC?”

"Merchandise can be replaced. Black lives cannot." This is the episode Sam and I recently recorded this past week, before the protesting began. And tomorrow, we’re recording an episode where we’ll chat about the significance and history behind the protests happening right now in America. I stopped producing my history podcast, The Dirty Bits, when my husband and co-host (George) passed away. It was too painful. But I now feel drawn to share again. George and my mission on our podcast was to give understanding and insight and to bring people together. That mission is something that has not changed and it’s what Sam and I continue to strive for on Death Is Hilarious. Sam and I share stories. We aren’t medical professionals or legal professionals. We don’t have hundreds of thousands of subscribers but we do have an amazing bunch of listeners we’ve grown close with (“The Trauma Queens”). What Sam and I can do is share stories in an effort to give our community more empathy. We’ll be posting more updates soon on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. DM us on any social media platform or email deathishilarious@gmail.com to get in touch.

Welcome to Death Is Hilarious, the show that explores using dark humor to cope with grief, loss, and trauma. I’m your host Tawny Platis and I’m joined here today with my co-host Sam Peterson. In this episode we do the Covid Check-In, Sam talks about their new chickens, their dog having PTSD, dark humor in pest control, Tawny got dumped, the weird things Tawny googles when grieving, Tawny reads her letter to Sam about feeling like George was the Frodo to her Samwise, The Dirty Bits Returns, Sam reads their letter to Tawny about using humor to cope with trauma related to sexual assault, and “The Little Mermaid.”For more information visit deathishilarious.com. To get in touch, email deathishilarious@gmail.com. You can support the podcast by simply sharing the show with your friends and if you’d like, you can become a patron at patreon.com/deathishilarious. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Sam sits down with Cleo from Topless Topics, a community and creative project aimed at de-stigmatizing and de-sexualizing female toplessness in public and on social media, the same way male toplessness was in the 1950s - through repeat exposure and peaceful acts of civil disobedience. Though you can’t see her, true to form, Cleo is topless for this interview, which was held over a video conferencing service. In this episode, Sam and Cleo chat about socializing during coronavirus, bonding over online content creation, Cleo's mom, her dear friend Angel, bisexuality and how to cope with corona.You can find Cleo by by searching Topless Topics on Youtube and go ahead and give her a thumbs up and a follow to help more people find her, and then you can find her uncensored videos on ToplessTopics.org. You can connect with Sam and me, Tawny Platis, at DeathIsHilarious.com or on Twitter @thatdeathpod.

Sam and I both talk about premature death, expectations, identity, and self-discovery. CW: Death of a sibling, death of an infant, death of a spouse. Visit DeathIsHilarious.com for more info. Get in touch by emailing DeathIsHilarious@gmail.com - Follow us on TikTok @traumqueens - Instagram @death_is_hilarious - Twitter @thatdeathpod

In this episode, Tawny tells Sam about how she may have finally been sent a sign from George. And Sam talks about the weird process of being diagnosed with and treated for ADHD at 30 years old. Visit DeathIsHilarious.com for more info. Get in touch by emailing DeathIsHilarious@gmail.com - Follow us on TikTok @traumqueens - Instagram @death_is_hilarious - Twitter @thatdeathpod