Nicole Byer, 34, earned an Emmy nomination as host of the baking competition show, “Nailed It!.” However, many fans know her for her adult humor comedy shows and four podcasts where she’s anything but G-rated. Even so, Byer said you only get a glimpse of the real person.
“The real Nicole is at her house, and you’ll never see that. Whether it’s a podcast or hosting, it’s all performance. You’re never going to get the real person in a performance. You may get vulnerabilities, but that’s different than the real person. I would say though what I like to talk about is more on the podcast,” she told Insider.
Today, Byer remains single and looking for love with an appearance on “The Celebrity Dating Game.” However, she doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. Recently, she explained that her dates sometimes become funny topics of conversation on her podcast.
Thus, Jimmy Kimmel suggested she might be “stifling herself” from finding Prince Charming. (see video below)
“I’d rather pay my mortgage than find love,” replied Byer with a laugh.
Recently, she explained how her bubbly personality on Nailed It! omits certain colorful moments with guest host, chocolatier Jacques Torres.
“My comedy is not kid-friendly. I’m edited that way.”
In an interview with Insider, Byer says raw footage for the show might contain raunchy jokes and F-bombs and that “Jacques is pretty dirty too.” In the past, Byer referred to Torress as “my little French bulldog,” among other amusing terms of endearment on the show. Always, the antics seem to reflect genuine onscreen chemistry that’s a joy to watch.
Before the show, Byer warns contestants:
“So now before episodes when I come out, I tell the contestant that I work a little ‘blue,’ a little dirty. I tell them that’s how I figure out the comedy and if you are offended let me know.”
However, no contestant has actually said they were offended. For us, it’s hard to imagine being offended by Byer, who radiates positivity and doesn’t seem to have a mean bone in her body. Also, we imagine if Torres dropped an F-bomb he could manage to make it disarmingly cute.
With Byer and Torres, baking has never been so funny or so much fun to watch.
Expect the Unexpected with Nicole Byer
Certainly, part of what makes Nicole Byer so much fun to watch is expecting the unexpected.
For example, she hopes to host inside a hamster ball or swinging from the ceiling. No, really, she does, but she hasn’t gotten the green light.
“I want to be put in a hamster ball, so I can go up and talk to the contestants. You know, there’s a barrier, I’m safe. And they were like ‘No.’ I also pitched that I want to come out of the ceiling to be six feet away,” Byer said.
If there is a sixth season (she doesn’t know if there will be), we can’t wait to see her in a hamster ball, or at least Weston Bahr, the stage-shy associate director, and stage manager.
Hweeesssss!
Although Wes isn’t an actor, a longtime running joke on the show is watching Byer embarrass the living daylights out of him on camera.
Byer explained how the idea for calling “Hwesssss!” came to be:
“What happened was, they were like, ‘And Wes is going to bring in the trophy.’ And I was like, ‘Then where is he? Where’s Wes?’ Then it became a thing. Now I just abuse it.”
Certainly, watching Byer’s interactions as Wes brings the trophy is a big part of the fun. She says he “secretly loves” all the attention, but it’s rare for him to speak on camera.
In an Entertainment Tonight interview, Wes noted why people love Nailed It!:
“We’re laughing with them, not at them,” Bahr said of the contestants. “It’s good-natured and it just makes you feel good,” he said.
In one episode, Maye Rudolph guest hosted and got tips on how to call for Wes. Certainly, we all need our personal Wes. (see below)
In real life, Byer is just as surprising. For example, she loves pole dancing, a talent she explored on The Late Show with James Corden.
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A Recipe from Nicole Byer
On Nailed It! we’ve learned some interesting things about Byer. For example, “the quickest way to Nicole’s heart is with ice-cold vodka” (she prefers Russian).
As for her interest in drinks, she notes, “Some say it’s a problem. I say I’m fun.”
Or, when asked how to prepare a wedding cake, Byer jumped in:
- Find a husband.
- Trick him into marrying you.
- Buy a cake from the store.
- Have a full bar.
- Maybe serve the cake?
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The Fifth Season of Nailed It!
In an interview for Deadline, Byer explained how filming the fifth season of Nailed It! was different. This time, teams of two amateur bakers paired up to recreate elaborate dessert masterpieces.
This time, Byer had free reign to come up with the show’s format, she said.
Unfortunately, having two cooks in the kitchen wasn’t necessarily an advantage. There might be an old adage about it. On the other hand, it made for some hilarious moments.
“That’s what you would think. You would think two heads are better than one. I think it’s a symptom of our society. I think people have trouble communicating. And then I think when you’re thrown into a very high-pressure situation — I’m screaming at you. There’s cameras. Jacques Torres is a world-renowned chef — and you’re like, ‘Oh, I have to do things.’ I don’t think having someone extra in the kitchen is always helpful.”
Although the show could be chaotic at times, Byer found it “rather easy to keep it positive.” As fans know, she loves encouraging contestants, part of why we love her so much.
“I have a bunch of hobbies that I’m not particularly good at but I enjoyed doing it. It brings me joy,” she said. “I would hate for someone to be like, ‘Hey, you’re not good at that.’… I never want someone to leave the show being like, ‘Wow, Nicole was really mean and all I did was try to make her something nice.’ And also when something’s funny, you can find humor and you can find positives.”
What Nailed It! Taught Us
Thus, despite the expected screw-ups and hilarious cake fails, Nailed It! teaches us that it’s all good. We’re all human and make mistakes, and that’s part of life’s recipe.
Even as Byer seems to be “surrounded by failure,” as Kimmel put it, she is “thriving,” by her own account.
“I love it. I hope people continue to poorly in life so then I continue to have jobs,” joked Byer.
Thanks to Nicole Byer for helping us appreciate life’s unexpected mishaps and funny moments.
We can’t wait to see anything Nicole Byer does next. Currently, she’s guest hosting with John Cena on TBS’s “Wipeout” and starring in the pilot of the upcoming “Grand Crew” on NBC.
See her talk about her recent adventures on Jimmy Kimmel Live: