Started during the pandemic, this venture is the first step in a media empire being built by the actors Sean Hayes, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman.
It’s a warm Saturday afternoon in the middle of August, and the actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett are gathered on the stage of the Stephen Talkhouse, a popular music venue in the Long Island summer resort town of Amagansett, telling stories and swapping insults with Howard Stern, the longtime radio personality.
“When you hear the problems he’s had,” Mr. Stern joked of Mr. Bateman, the former child star turned Emmy-winner actor and director.
“Oh!” Mr. Arnett said. “He’s had a lot of problems.”
“Look at him!” Mr. Hayes said, gesturing toward the 55-year-old Mr. Bateman, whose shaggy, shoulder-length hair and disheveled beard were all grown in preparation for “Black Rabbit,” an upcoming limited series on Netflix in which he’s both the executive producer and star.
In the audience, an invited group of about 60 people — including the actors Jon Hamm and Bradley Cooper; the “Tonight Show” host, Jimmy Fallon; the ABC anchorman George Stephanopoulos; and David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive — all chuckled along as they watched a live taping of the latest episode of the “SmartLess” podcast.
Jokes aside, this was a serious career moment for these actors. Months earlier, the three, who are close friends and started their Los Angeles-based podcast during the depths of the pandemic, had signed a three-year distribution and advertising deal with the audio entertainment company SiriusXM reportedly worth more than $100 million.
This was, for all practical purposes, their coming-out party.
