Comedian Patton Oswalt shared an inside look at his friendship with the late Robin Williams on Nov. 26, and fans were moved by the intimate story he told. nice show podcast.
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Oswalt recalled, “I became friends with Robin Williams in the last years of his life. I would see him every Wednesday at Meltdown on Sunset because he loved comic books and we’d talk about comics and stuff.” One day, Williams arrived at one of Oswalt’s comedy shows without prior notice and refused to cut the line or get in for free.
“I didn’t know it was there until they came in and told me it was there,” he recalled. Despite offers to “bring him in”, Williams insisted on purchasing the ticket. “He was standing in line and just talking to people and then came in, stood in the back room, not wanting to go up and do the set, just wanted to watch the show,” Oswalt shared, adding that Mariah Bamford also performed that night.
After the show, the comedians and some of the crowd gathered around while Williams “told stories about his career, both stand-up and movies.”
Oswalt explained, “He wasn’t performing, he was just telling these stories, and they were very compelling and fascinating.” “He never got a chance to do what (Bruce) Springsteen is doing with a one-man show, where you can really just sit down and go, here’s everything that happened. Because that guy lived a life.”
Oswalt said his friend was “innately polite” and “a seeker.” Oswalt shared, “He was a guy who also made mistakes, learned and struggled.” “When I say be an explorer, I mean you never reach your destination, but exploring while you’re alive is what makes life more alive, and that’s what he was doing.”
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Fans were impressed with the story, with one saying, “I was at this show! He was standing in line behind us… I only had this GRE-prep book for him to sign, which he signed. When we got inside, he didn’t go to any VIP section, he was just standing with the rest of us (there were no seats on this tour), laughing like everyone else.”
Another wrote, “Amazing and sad. He was really special,” while a third shared, “Robin forever (red heart emoji href=”https://parade.com/living/emoji-meanings”). You have the same vibe as her, Patton.”
Williams and Oswalt’s warm relationship was evident in 2012, when Oswalt presented Williams with his Stand-up Icon Award at the Comedy Central Comedy Awards. The two embraced before Williams gave a moving speech.
Williams said, “To be in the same room with Don Rickles, Louis CK, Patton Oswalt – that’s what the night means to me.” “It’s a wonderful, weird night of people I deeply admire. It’s crazy fun.”
Williams tragically died by suicide two years later on August 11, 2014. “‘But doctor, I am A.M. Pagliacci.’ That’s the only way it makes sense. “Can’t stand the thought of him being so sad,” Oswalt posted on Instagram after news of his friend’s death. A few days later, he shared that he was “relying on cookies, coffee, and Harlan Ellison to help me get over Robin Williams’ passing. “Still can’t accept that he’s gone.”
This story was originally published by Parade on November 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a favorite source by clicking here.
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