TAKING THE STAGE!
Hosting Taboo Live last weekend felt like stepping onto a high wire without checking if the net was still there.
Before the show, backstage, as the cast arrived one by one, I could feel the excitement building in my body. The banter. The camaraderie. That familiar moment when individual energy starts to fuse into a group mindset. It was all hitting at exactly the right level, charged, loose, ready.
Then, because I was the host, I had to step away.
I stood alone backstage by the stage entrance for a few quiet moments, and the nerves hit instantly. The familiar ones. The kind that settles into your chest and whispers, Why did you think this was a good idea? The kind that suddenly makes you aware of your breathing, your hands, your shirt sticking to places it shouldn’t yet.
Years ago, I might have let that feeling turn into panic. But after enough highs and lows, more in life than in my career, I recognized the moment for what it was.
Those nerves weren’t warning signs to run. They were proof that the thing I have run to actually matters.
And then I stepped through the curtains, and the first response from the crowd hit.
That sound. That laugh. That instant feedback loop that says, Oh. Right. This is why I am here.
The nerves didn’t disappear so much as they dissolved, absorbed into the rhythm of the room, the pace of the game, the energy blend between the stage and the crowd. Suddenly, it wasn’t fear anymore… It was focus.
Back in December, I wrote about getting back onstage, about raising my hand again after years away. Hosting Taboo Live felt like owning that choice. Not a comeback. Not a statement. Just proof that if you keep saying yes, the feeling shows up.
It helped that the stage was stacked with an embarrassingly strong lineup of performers: Vanessa Lachey, Angelique Cabral, Melissa Fumero, Tawny Newsome, Adam Shapiro, Ben Feldman, Anthony King, and Jim Woods. With special guests Jonathan Silverman and Jennifer Finnigan.
No pressure. Just hosting a live show inches away from people who are effortlessly funny for a living.
TABOO LIVE is a high-energy, off-the-rails stage show where performers battle their way through the world’s most frustratingly fun word game, no safety net, no do-overs, and a live audience very happy to let you fail loudly.
And the thing about Taboo is that it’s weirdly timeless. I grew up playing it with my family. Played it again in my twenties with friends. And now I play it as a parent with my wife and kids. It’s that rare kind of thing that survives every phase of life and still crushes.
But on this night at UCB, it felt less like family game night and more like Celebrity Family Feud after midnight.
Hosting it is its own kind of high-wire act. You’re listening harder than you’re talking. You’re managing momentum, reading the room, trusting the performers, trusting the audience, and trusting that if you stay present, the room will follow. There’s no script to hide behind. No second takes. Just instinct, and commitment.
There’s a moment whenever the crowd and the stage sync up, and the room starts breathing together, that’s the rush.
That’s the thing I missed without fully realizing I missed it. The nerves don’t vanish; they just convert into energy.
By the end of the night, I was sweaty, buzzing, and deeply grateful. Not because everything went perfectly. But because I got to stand in that space again. The one where fear shows up first, and joy follows right behind it.
It wasn’t a comeback.
It wasn’t a declaration.
It was just another step forward.
And sometimes, all you need is a room full of people, a little fear, a lot of joy, and a reminder that the thing you love will still meet you halfway if you show up.
Without further ado, enjoy this video from Taboo Live!
Stay tuned for the date of the next show.