Chris Fleming Embraces the Chaos

Comedian Chris Fleming embraces the chaos in his new HBO comedy special, “Live at the Palace.” Long regarded as a comedian’s comedian, Fleming’s breakout performance has propelled him into the spotlight. In this episode, Chris Fleming traces the origins of his manic, effervescent stage persona back to his childhood in rural Stow, Massachusetts, where he first began crafting jokes about deer and other oddities of small-town life. In a wide-ranging conversation, we also discuss his drive to provoke his audience, while still grounding his work in empathy. He describes the stark contrast in stylistic freedom between the men’s and women’s aisles of clothing stores, his opposition to perfectionism, and the importance of expressing yourself as authentically as possible.

You can listen to Chris Fleming Embraces the Chaos online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Chris Fleming Embraces the Chaos is an episode from American Masters Podcast by American Masters | PBS.

This episode is 39:17 long.

This episode was published on May 8, 2026.

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