Murray Hill
American comedianWikipedia
54
MENTIONS
17
EPISODES
15
PODCASTS
Search complete. 54 mentions across 17 episodes found for "Murray Hill".
Oct 7, 2026
Terry GrossHOST
I'm Terry Gross.
Terry GrossHOST
My guest, Murray Hill, calls himself Mr. Showbiz.
Terry GrossHOST
He played one of the big-hearted characters in the HBO series Somebody Somewhere, about a community of friends in Manhattan, Kansas.
Terry GrossHOST
His character, Fred Rococo, was a soil scientist and professor, and a trans man with a great sense of humor.
Terry GrossHOST
He was also the host of the queer cabaret that was held at the Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, Kansas, under the guise of using the space for choir practice.
Terry GrossHOST
In real life, Murray Hill is the persona he created to emcee innumerable drag king, burlesque, and music events, including the first TV drag king competition series called King of Drag.
Terry GrossHOST
His influences include old school comics like Don Rickles, Buddy Hackett, Dean Martin, Phyllis Diller, Totie Fields, and Joan Rivers, and musicians like Elvis and Tina Turner and Sammy Davis Jr.
Terry GrossHOST
In The New York Times, he was described as having, "A look that brings to mind a 1970s Las Vegas lounge singer crossed with a 1950s Borscht Belt comedian." But eventually, Murray Hill stopped being just a persona and became his full-time identity.
Johnny CocksvilleGUEST
But it just, the entire show and the way it sets up, it feels like it's constantly trying to explain itself to an audience who isn't prepared to like drag kings.
Johnny CocksvilleGUEST
And I- I feel like that extends to the fact that you've replaced, uh, Murray Hill with Cameron.
Johnny CocksvilleGUEST
Um, and this is no indictment on Cameron, they're fine, but I just think, you know, if you're gonna have a show about drag kings, have a drag king host.
Johnny CocksvilleGUEST
There are so many good ones.
Nolan VoidHOST
Seems like a mega-fan.
Nolan VoidHOST
Seems like they are genuinely interested.
Nolan VoidHOST
Am I, like, a little bit sad about losing Murray Hill? For sure.
Nolan VoidHOST
Um, but also I do think that I'm- I have mixed feelings basically.
Murray HillGUEST
...
Murray HillGUEST
I mean, her father and her brother are Murray Hill.
Murray HillGUEST
I mean, my uncle and my grandfather are these little, short, chubby Italian guys.
Ego NwodimHOST
[laughs]
38 MINS LATER
Murray HillGUEST
[laughs] What have we been doing this whole time?
Ego NwodimHOST
I'm kicking, I'm kicking you out.
Ego NwodimHOST
I'm kicking you out, Murray Hill.
Murray HillGUEST
What'd I do wrong?
Angie PontaniHOST
It's like you wouldn't...
Angie PontaniHOST
Look, Murray Hill is one of my best friends.
speaker_6ADVERTISER
Yeah.
Angie PontaniHOST
Drag king, comedian.
Angie PontaniHOST
I know.
Angie PontaniHOST
Would have never imagined...
Angie PontaniHOST
That Murray Hill and Angie Pontani would have so much together and so much in common that like 25 years later, he probably calls me five times a day.
Angie PontaniHOST
He calls me the only person who calls me almost as much as my mother.
Kyle RidleyHOST
I'm gonna be back next week with one, maybe two episodes.
Kyle RidleyHOST
One of them will be Murray Hill.
Kyle RidleyHOST
Love him.
Kyle RidleyHOST
He has a new book out.
Kyle RidleyHOST
It's called Showbiz.
Kyle RidleyHOST
Of course, you loved him on Somebody Somewhere.
Kyle RidleyHOST
I've had Jeff Hiller and Tim Bagley on this show, and now Murray Hill, so stay tuned for that.
Kyle RidleyHOST
I'll also have another housewife interview for you soon enough.
Tonya MosleyHOST
David Bianculli is Fresh Air's TV critic.
Tonya MosleyHOST
On tomorrow's show, performer Murray Hill.
Tonya MosleyHOST
He was the real-life inspiration for his character, Fred Rococo, who hosted a semi-secret queer cabaret on HBO's Somebody Somewhere.
Tonya MosleyHOST
He has a new memoir.
Grant FaulknerHOST
[laughs] And yeah, I'm happy to say that we've-- we have another, uh, comedian memoirist on the show today, and, and, and I think we can now say that we have a tradition of bringing comedians on.
Grant FaulknerHOST
We've had Roy Wood Jr., Emmy winner Jeff Hiller, Jordan Carlos, Rosebud Baker, Roz Hernandez, and now Murray Hill, who is most known for his role as Fred Rococo on Somebody Somewhere, a show that I am quite obsessed by, as you know, Brooke.
Grant FaulknerHOST
And I know you're a fan of the show as well, so I'm curious, why do you like it?
Brooke WarnerHOST
Yeah.
Brooke WarnerHOST
But, you know, it's a sweet show, it's a messy show, and it's kind of about how nobody is really living up to their full potential.
Brooke WarnerHOST
I mean, I know you've talked about it as a show that's also about, like, the Midwest.
Brooke WarnerHOST
I don't have any context for the Midwest, so what I love is, like, you know, Murray Hill is this awesome character because he's relentlessly positive.
Brooke WarnerHOST
He's, he's a trans man, and he's a trans man on the show, and he refuses to be anything other than exactly who he is, and he just wins people over.
Alexandra AmorHOST
To step out and do that.
Alexandra AmorHOST
And then the other thing I'm reminded of is, do you know who Murray Hill is? He-
Dennis Hawkins-BogleGUEST
No, I don't.
Alexandra AmorHOST
He's a transgender man, um, artist and actor and performer in New York City.
Bruno SalsicceHOST
We didn't even talk about the OG host.
Bruno SalsicceHOST
yeah murray hill murray hill he's
Nolan VoidHOST
been around for a long time he's been doing stand-up comedy he's a legend yes he hosts a lot of burlesque gigs which like there's a lot of kings who like kind of move in the drag world and in the burlesque world
Bruno SalsicceHOST
just
Bruno SalsicceHOST
number once and we're like hang on a
Nolan VoidHOST
second
Bruno SalsicceHOST
you know so murray hill was an incredible get i was i was really excited when that was announced I don't know if the structure supported him and what he does well.
Bruno SalsicceHOST
Yes.
RockyUNKNOWN
Well, you
Jeff HillerGUEST
know, I also have a bad Murray Hill impression.
RockyUNKNOWN
Thank you.
RockyUNKNOWN
You're great.
RockyUNKNOWN
Thank you.
Lynn HarrisHOST
I'm sorry I didn't add that to your bio.
Lynn HarrisHOST
Known for his mediocre Murray Hill impression.
Jeff HillerGUEST
Murray's always like, I don't talk like that.
7 more episodes mention Murray Hill.
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