We catch up with the hysterical Search Party alum before the highly anticipated launch of her new podcast with Joel Castle-Baker, Finally. Kick back, read on, and lift off with the unparalleled funny-girl as she opens up, shifts shapes and gets to the core of it all in this spaced out and fully abducted conversation.

THC EDIBLE: Hi Grace, thank you so much for meeting with me today. I’ve wanted to interview you for a long time. I’m a huge fan. 

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: My pleasure, edible! That’s very nice of you to say. Do you mind if I eat you for this session?

TE: No, not at all. I was going to suggest that. Would be fun to get stoned for this.

GK: Oh yum, not bad.

TE: Ouch. Weird sensation. Can you still hear me from inside here?

GK: Definitely.

TE: Ok, great. What were some of your first experiences with edibles?

GK: I wish I remembered my first real time taking an edible. I got my medical card for weed in high school when I was 18 because, at the time, it was legal to get your medical license. Now I'm telling a totally different story…

TE: Bring it on. 

GK: I go into this weed doctor and when I walk up to the reception, the people at the front desk are like, “Hey, just so you know, this doctor is kind of strict. He doesn't want young people to get their med cards.” I actually had no anxiety or depression. I was simply just a person walking around – although I was closeted, I didn't really know that.

TE: Wow, it’s really warm in here, by the way. Popping into your endocannabinoid system now. How are you feeling?

GK: I'm feeling good. I didn't even know I had an endocannabinoid system but I'm glad she's on.

TE: Sorry, you were saying…

GK: So I go to this doctor and he says, “What's wrong? Why do you need weed?” I tell him I have horrible anxiety. I'm lying out my hoo-ha. I say, “My anxiety is so bad and I actually have insomnia and I don't sleep at all.” He says, “I just don't believe you. I'm sorry.” He sends me out. So, as I'm walking out, I tell the people at the front desk that he said ‘no’ and they say, “Go to your car and sit for 15 minutes. We have a new doctor coming in shortly.” So, I sit in my dad's Honda Element, go back in and a new doctor gives me my med card.

TE: Fascinating. 

GK: So a lot of my edibles growing up were legit edibles. There's this brand called Kiva that I used to absolutely eat the hell out of - really fuck my brain up.

TE: And you were just feeling recreational. 

GK: A hundred percent. That was my hobby in high school, just smoking and being high. 

TE: Me too. Well, I am the high and never went to school so it’s hard to relate exactly. Maybe if I take another more recognizable form. Do you like pasta?

GK: Yes, please.

TE: What are some of your favorite parts about the experience? What do we do for you?

GK: I think my favorite part of an edible is the body high. I used to really love those first tingles. You get that when you smoke weed too, but it's so much more fun to me when it hits later. It's just a fun numbers game for me for some reason. I do have a bit of an obsession with time. I just love numbers. So, that has always been really fun to me. Watching the clock waiting to feel something.

TE: I too like numbers and time. Love the concept of infinity. How do you think the world is going to end?

GK: It’s not, thank you.

TE: Where were you in high school?

GK: Los Angeles.

TE: Straight up LA County. 

GK: Yes. Absolutely. My high school was in Bel Air, basically.

TE: Are you from an entertainment family?

GK: No, my parents are in real estate. My dad used to do computers. I’m a super generational Californian. My great grandma was born in California or something. My dad's from Ohio.

TE: What year was that when you got your medical card?

GK: Probably around 2012. I feel like my high school had a lot of stoners. I always thought every high school was full of stoners, but I talk to friends who didn't really do anything in high school.

TE: There was definitely a small stoner thing where I grew up. It was very mysterious to me even though my parents were edibles. Did you ever feel like smoking or eating edibles influenced your creativity or your writing or what you find funny?

GK: I think so. Maybe not anymore because I really don't smoke weed that often. But I smoked so much in high school, which is where I feel like I really found my funny. Growing up I always felt super funny and then I went to this absolutely psychotic private middle school where only boys could be funny. If you were a girl and you were funny, you were a bad kid. It was really weird. Then I went to an all girls high school and I finally got to be class clown again, which was such a relief. I was high every single second of that. Then in college was where I started doing comedy – professionally is not the right word – but doing comedy with intention and definitely had so much fun writing sketches while high. That was a blast.

TE: What about your experience on that UFO?

GK: I'm not close with any of them anymore, honestly.

TE: That’s too bad. When did you come out?

GK: I came out in college my sophomore year.

TE: Were you running with lesbian chicks at that time? 

GK: By the time I came out, everyone that I knew thought it was cooler to be gay. So I just went with the trends. I'm actually a closeted straight woman. Shhh. My college was super chill as I hope all colleges are at this point. I feel like now more of my friends are gay. It was like 20% then, but it was definitely chill as hell for me to come out.

TE: You went to Skidmore. Was that a big West Coast to East coast change – had to get away?

GK: No, not at all. It was literally the best school I could get into. My grades were really, really bad. For me, it was either a huge state school where I would've gotten lost or I go to Skidmore and get some one on one attention because I really have some serious ADHD/dyslexia moments. 

TE: What subjects did you like in both high school or college?

GK: Freshman year, I thought I was either gonna major in neuroscience or math. I had to actually drop both of those because I either failed out of the class or got all C’s. So, math, I was actually super into and would've done, but all of the math classes were before 9:00 AM, which is insane. I was way too hungover for that.

TE: Set yourself up for failure.

GK: Without a doubt. Now I am a morning person. I don't know what changed. Being a morning person really helped with my mental health in general. I feel way less depressed when I wake up early. If I sleep in, I'm a hundred percent destined to feel like shit, which sucks because it's the best thing in the world.

TE: Do you think the edibles keep you asleep sometimes?

GK: Definitely. I used to smoke weed just to go to bed. At one point in college, a hobby of mine for about five days was taking NyQuil and smoking weed. You would not believe the fucked up dreams I was having. I remember, literally five days in a row, I watched the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper. That's Bradley Cooper, right? I watched that movie five days in a row. I mean, what the fuck was I on? I mean, NyQuil and weed…I had blue Christmas lights in my room, so it really set the vibe. And probably a box of wine.

TE: That dissociated feeling is nice. Disassociating yourself from society can be a little healthy.

GK: I used to smoke weed really carelessly. I would drive high. I don't think it's an amazing behavior now, but it felt very normal in LA. Then I had a couple of experiences while I was high where I was like – I gotta take a break from this. When I went to college, on the first day, I told two people that I was becoming friends with that I don't smoke weed. Four hours later, I was smoking weed. It was because I was so comfortable with them and those people are still actually my very best friends. I do always associate weed with when I'm most anxious and also most comfortable, which is interesting.

TE: They still say for any psychoactive drug, it’s all about set and setting: your mindset and the physical setting around you. What are your favorite settings these days to be stoned? Do you still like to be social or watch TV and movies?

GK: One of the best times I had recently was watching Paddington while stoned. There's Paddington and Paddington II. I loved them both. In Paddington, Nicole Kidman is a villain, and that's really all you need to know to know it is a perfect movie. Paddington is such a sweetie. Really if you need a safe space to be high, it's with Paddington.

TE: What are some anxious thoughts that you lock into while stoned?

GK: Well, one of the worst things that's ever happened to me, in my entire life, was watching Hereditary while stoned. My brain is now chemically altered after watching that movie. It is always kicked back up with weed. I think my paranoia really is heightened with weed. In high school it used to be – and I still feel this way a little bit when I smoke weed – when I'm high, I'm saying to myself, this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. And then I wake up and I'm like – that was so fucked up, let's do it again!

TE: Do you feel like you're a little masochist in a way?

GK: Definitely. I do love substances, that's for sure. I think drugs are fun when used safely.

TE: What other drugs are you into?

GK: Funny thing about me is that I don't do hallucinogens. I've never done shrooms. I've never done ecstasy, anything like that. It's because… should put him on blast? Yeah. My brother has really dealt with anxiety and depression from the time I can remember. I never had those things up until adulthood. I remember telling myself at one point that I don't want to do anything that will change my brain chemistry. Weed probably did that to me though.

TE: I am definitely psychoactive. A lot of people don’t use psychoactive substances during their youth and I also wonder how drugs affect brain chemistry and development. So, I know what you mean about this fear of these things changing you. I do think those emotions of anxiety or depression are already inside you.

GK: Yeah. I do agree actually. I take back what I said about weed. It didn't change anything about my brain chemistry, I don't think, but it definitely let me explore different parts of my mind. I am a chronic compartmentalist, so if something is scaring me, I put it away, lock it in a cabinet. Anxiety, the same. Any heartbreak, I've been pretty good at putting that stuff away. Any rejection at all. I'm pretty good at compartmentalizing.

TE: What do you think is at the intersection of THC and you leveling up your career? I don't know if there's any correlation.

GK: My weed use has always gone in waves. Since I started smoking weed in 2011, I do feel like every three years or so it goes up and down. I don't know what that's about, but in terms of my career, part of me feels like I could smoke weed every single night and be totally fine, but right now I'm just not in that head, but you'll have to check back in.

TE: You seem ashamed, Grace. What are you ashamed of?

GK: I have so many unread texts. And also…my sexuality? 

TE: What things do you fear in the world?

GK: I fear all the classics, you know? The cult classics: death, murder, obviously as a subsection of death. Definitely, generally, men. Actually darkness, unfortunately. I've always been scared of the dark, which is like a really loser sentence to say. I will simply check a closet and make sure there's not a monster in there. I do think that ties in with smoking weed because most of the time I wanna smoke weed at night. When I'm high, I'm not able to answer emails. I know a lot of people really can but I am not that person. 

TE: What about writing a script or writing a joke?

GK: I actually think that my scripts would be funnier if I was smoking because sometimes I think I'm too nit picky. A friend of mine was telling me that he will smoke if he's writing, but just the last 20 minutes of a writing session. He will smoke or have a drink and it always helps. He can really jam it out at the end.

TE: Amy Sedaris said while writing the Strangers with Candy scripts and treatments, that she would write them all throughout the day and then at night go home, smoke and read them again as a test.

GK: I think that's so strong because it is a different pair of glasses you're putting on. 

TE: What’s that in your hands?

GK: Next question, please. 

TE: Who are your biggest comedic influences?

GK: Television wise, The Kroll Show and Inside Amy Schumer were insanely influential for me. In terms of people, it's a solid Patty Harrison, John Early, Kate Berlant, Sydnee Washington, Cole Escola…

TE: I find these people to be peers of yours. Is it funny to be friendly with and also really inspired by them?

GK: I spent like three months working with John Early and I'm positive I told him that he's my idol too many times. Every once in a while he would be talking to me and my brain would go – you have to tell him. And I would just be like, “Before you say anything more,” as if I'm in love. “You have to know you've always been my idol.” And I could just tell that he takes a step back and is thinking, she's saying this again. But, he really is the funniest person ever to me. There's a sketch on YouTube called Family Dinner. It's with John (Early) and Kate (Berlant) and these three kids. I've watched it, I really think, more than 30 times.

TE: Where do you get influences for the truly silly things you say? I love that you fuck with convention.

GK: I think that I am really influenced by the media in general. I don't think I'm the type of person that could go on a writer's retreat, no phone, and think of something genius. I really do think I'm influenced by social media, the news – and that's mostly entertainment news, baby. The things I see, the people I know, the people I've been. When I first started posting videos online, there were so many characters I was doing that I truly have been. 

TE: I love your social parody videos because they don't feel like you hate everyone. They feel like you're using them to show them how silly things are. A lot of humans struggle with hating social media. As they scroll, they think, why am I doing this? Do you ever let that get to you? 

GK: 2020, when the pandemic hit, was when my career started for me. I was in love with social media for that year because it was kind of all I had. I was living with one of my best friends in Chicago, but he had a nine-to-five and he was busy during the day. I was unemployed from my restaurant job at the time. I was so thrilled to be able to make silly videos all the time. I was getting my social battery through being online. I feel like two years later is when I first started being like – ouch, this is really hurting my ego. This video doesn't do well. I think a lot of content creators would say this: the videos that I think are funniest, sometimes do the worst.

TE: Why is that?

GK: I don’t know. It's really frustrating and there's almost nothing you can do about it unless you wanna delete it and repost it and see what the algorithm will do. Once you post it, it is essentially out of your hands. Which is very weird. So much of my career began from peers and influences of mine reposting my stuff. That was just so exciting and it really meant so much to me. So, I think social media really was such a beautiful tool for me. Then it kind of got dark, but now I feel like I just have to be in control and then that's all that matters. Over the last six months, I feel like I'm having more fun again.

TE: Do you foresee another platform?

GK: So many people are telling me Instagram's dead. I feel like that's the only one I really care about. And I can't imagine Instagram tanking, but I also could have never imagined Twitter tanking. I don't know what's gonna happen.

TE: What kind of stuff do you like to follow as a social media user? 

GK: Obviously one of my favorites is Grossy Pelosi. I do love a cooking video. There's this girl, I think her name is like Wishbone Kitchen, who’s another cook person. I’m honestly kind of basic in that I do love a lifestyle influencer. 

TE: What about the scene as a lesbian comic? Does it feel competitive? Collaborative?

GK: I don't think it feels either really. I'm generally not really collaborating with any of my peers to a certain degree but it doesn't feel competitive because I'm like, what's there to compete about? Except for money, except for every. single. dollar. There's a level of friendship that's really fun.

TE: How aware of your teeth are you right now?

GK: I’m sorry, how did you know?

TE: I’m sort of omnipresent, so I’m not sure why I’m asking you such basic questions but where did you meet your girlfriend?

GK: We met in college. 

TE: Is she in entertainment or is that not really her scene?

GK: No, not her scene at all. She doesn't even wanna be tagged in my posts, but she's so funny and is pretty often the background voice in a lot of my videos. I think she has such good intuition and she's definitely a collaborator.

TE: What projects do you have coming up?

GK: I’m working on a podcast with my friend Joe Castle Baker. We just released our first episode. I think the season is gonna be really fun and refreshing. I'd been following him for years. We became friends online, then we worked together for three months and now we've just stayed in touch. I feel so close to him and I'm excited because I think we have really fun banter.

TE: I'm sure you do. I think he is so exciting. Never talked to him out of character, you know, but I can imagine he's very genuine.

GK: He's so sweet and so smart. 

TE: Where do you derive your power from?

GK: My childhood. I had a really fun childhood. My dad is so chill and loves to hug and my mom is laugh out loud hilarious. I think that balance was really fun and I only remember laughing and smiling as a kid. Also, milk. I drank a lot of milk as a kid and I do actually think my bones are stronger than other people.

TE: How do we make sense of dairy, Grace?

GK: Just talk to the cows about it.

TE: What are some of your favorite munchies?

GK: In high school, my go-to was Nutella with strawberries because it's actually a finger food. Even just chocolate. Obviously Doritos. I love peanut butter filled pretzels, but talk about dry mouth.

TE: What podcasts do you like?

GK: I’m becoming the worst version of myself in that I used to listen to so many comedy podcasts and watch so many comedy TV shows and I feel like now that I'm in it, it's so much harder to do that. But my favorite podcasts: Poog, Seek Treatment…and now all I can listen to is Deuxmoi’s podcast. They’re like a celebrity gossip blogger. I'm just upset with myself because I literally see a title that’s like “Chris Pine and Everything Else” and I'm like, you got it!

TE: Did you always love celebrity entertainment?

GK: No! When Instagram first kind of became a thing, I remember saying to a friend, “I don't know why I would follow a celebrity on Instagram.” I genuinely meant it. I literally couldn’t comprehend why that would matter. And now if Selena Gomez posts something new, I'm the first one to double tap it. Why? I couldn't tell you. Just a rotting brain.

TE: Do you think I’m rotting your brain?

GK: It honestly could be the THC!

TE: Weed and music is really where it's at, though.

GK: I actually will credit weed to my now favorite genre of music, which is hyperpop. I think it trained me. I was smoking weed and loving really bad music but then I think, you know, it actually evolved into loving Kim Petras, Charlie XCX, Slayter, Sophie. 

TE: I love Charlie XCX, of course. Have you ever talked to her?

GK: No, she follows me on Instagram, but I actually don't think she's ever liked a post of mine so I think it could just be a mistake.