HypeFriend! with Ashley Eckstein & Michael James Scott
Episodes
David Eckstein: What "Just Enough" Means From A 2x World Series Champion
04 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Two-time World Series champion, 2006 World Series MVP, Mr. Ashley Eckstein, and the guy every scout said was too small to make it—David Eckstein joi...
Why Disney's Tom Schumacher Thinks Pumba Is The Smartest Character #34
30 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We could not let Thomas Schumacher out of the HypeHouse without playing a game of Bestie, Buddy, Byeeee!--exclusively with the Disney characters from ...
Thomas Schumacher: The Man Behind Disney's $16B Broadway Empire #33
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Disney theatrical and animation powerhouse Thomas Schumacher joins HypeFriend for a masterclass in how giant stories actually get made. The longtime c...
Gwendolyn Rogers Teaches Us How To Decorate A Cake At the Cake Bake Shop #32
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The hosts join Gwendolyn Rogers at her restaurant The Cake Bake Shop for a hands-on cake decorating lesson. Gwen walks Ashley and Michael through deco...
Gwendolyn Rogers: How A Borrowed Mixer & A Dream Built The Cake Bake Shop #31
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We’re taking HypeFriend on a field trip to The Cake Bake Shop at Disney’s BoardWalk, where founder and CEO Gwendolyn Rogers shares how a self-taug...
Katee Sackhoff Plays "Fact or Frak!" & Reveals Her Secret Dream Role
16 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Katee Sackhoff joins the hosts for a delightfully unhinged game of Fact or Frak! Ashley, Michael, and the Battlestar Galactica legend put Katee’s fa...
Katee Sackhoff: What Different Galaxies Taught Her About Real Friendship | #29
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sci-fi icon Katee Sackhoff—Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica, Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian and across Star Wars, and a fan favorite from Longmir...
Scott Hamilton Turns Charades Into An Epic Olympic Broadcast | #28
09 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to have an actual Olympic gold medalist narrate your game of charades? Yeah, neither did we until today! ...
41,600 Falls: Scott Hamilton on the Joy of Getting Back Up | #27
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Olympic gold medalist, four-time world champion, Stars on Ice founder, and beloved Olympic commentator Scott Hamilton joins HypeFriend for a conversat...
Mekia Cox Plays Two Truths and a Lie! | #26
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ashley and Michael and, special guest,The Rookie’s Mekia Cox, put their decades-long friendships to the test with a high school edition of Two Truth...
How Mekia Cox Handles Starring On The Rookie, Playing a Disney Princess, and Theater Kid Friendships | #25
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Mekia Cox joins Ashley and Michael and discusses the different roles she’s played, ...
Vanessa Bayer spins The Wheel of Impressions| Season 2 Episode 2
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Former Saturday Night Live star Vanessa Bayer joins Ashley and Michael for a hilarious round of Wheel Of Impressions. Watch as they flex their comedy ...
Vanessa Bayer on Sneaking Snacks on the Set of Scrubs and the Healing Power of Friendship | S2 Ep 1
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back for Season 2 of HypeFriend and we are joined by SNL and Scrub Revival’s very own Vanessa Bayer. Vanessa welcomes us back for a brand ne...
#22 – “Season Finale Block Party: Friendsgiving!” ft. Andrew Levitt (Nina West), Lesli Margherita, Josh Dela Cruz, and more neighborhood friends!
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s giving season finale energy meets Friendsgiving vibes as beloved neighbors Andrew Levitt (aka Nina West), Lesli Margherita, and Josh Dela Cruz ...
#21 Stephen Oremus - “The Wicked Episode: Defying Gravity, Opening Doors, and Breaking Stereotypes” ft. Dr. Ariana Hoet!
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Two-time Tony and Grammy Award-winner Stephen Oremus takes us behind the sound of the modern musical—WICKED, THE BOOK OF MORMON, KINKY BOOTS, FROZEN...
#20 TWiNSAUCE - “Twin Science + The Great HypeFriend Bake-Off" ft. Bret Iwan!
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Creator duo TWiNSAUCE—Paul & Luke Harwerth—join HypeFriend for a joy-baked, Disney-dusted, double-powered episode to talk about...
#19 “Friendship at the Finish Line” with runDisney and the Halloween Half Marathon Racers
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From Halloween candy debates to inspiring runDisney stories, we’re celebrating the magic of friendship and community at the Disneylan...
#18 “I’m Gonna Keep Calling” with Joey Fatone
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grab your frosted tips and denim jackets because we’ve got a member of 90s music royalty in this episode! From his rise to *NSYNC superstardom to Br...
#17 "Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds” with Arian Moayed
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Emmy-nominated multi-hyphenate Arian Moayed, (From Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Succession, to the Broadway’s Pulitzer Prize-win...
#16 "Blue Friends" with Josh Dela Cruz
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From paw prints to magic carpets, Josh Dela Cruz, host of BLUES CLUES & YOU!, has been chasing clues and chasing dreams as long as he can remember...
#15 "The Friendship Trio Behind Star Wars: The Clone Wars" with Matt Lanter & James Arnold Taylor
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re hanging out with the voices of a galaxy far, far away— Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker) and James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) drop into Hyp...
#14 “How Friendship Powered the #1 Radio Show of the Last 30 Years” - Delilah Rene & Janey Bulman
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Radio legend Delilah Rene and her longtime producer—and best friend—Janey Bullman pull back the curtain on 30 years of late nights, love song dedi...
#13 "Color Me Confident" with Courtney Quinn
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Style icon and creator Color Me Courtney (Courtney Quinn) goes beyond the rainbow to show how color becomes confidence—and how to build a real commu...
#12 - "Brick by Brick: The Friendship Behind LEGO® Star Wars" with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Screenwriting duo Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit (Spaceballs 2, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, The Addams Family 2) drop into HypeFri...
#11 - “Finding Your Voice” with Jodi Benson
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ariel herself drops by! Disney Legend Jodi Benson dives in with us to talk about using your voice in IRL, building friendships rooted in mutuality, an...
#10 - "Back to Old School" with James Monroe Iglehart
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are y'all ready for some double trouble? This week, we have two Genies in the HypeHouse as we welcome the Tony Award-winning legend who originated the...
#9 - "The In Between" with Lesli Margherita
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Ashley and Michael welcome Olivier Award-winning actress Lesli Margherita! After a groundbreaking run in GYPSY as the iconic “Tessie...
#8 - "The Ryans" with Ryan Key and Ryan Mendez
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Ashley and Michael welcome Ryan Key and Ryan Mendez, two members of the hit rock band, Yellowcard! Key and Mendez delve into how they built...
#7 - "Tasmanian Devil" with Josh Strickland
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we bring on the superstar tenor, Josh Strickland! Through laugh out loud moments and touching stories, Josh discusses family, friendship...
#6 – “Food. Sleep. HypeFriends.” with Dr. Ariana Hoet
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The doctor is in! This week, pediatric psychologist Dr. Ariana Hoet of The Kid’s Mental Health Foundation joins the hosts to discuss the urgency of ...
#5 - "Seasons of Friendship" with Ashley Brown
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we bring on Broadway’s favorite, Ashley Brown (Broadway's original MARY POPPINS)! The hosts talk with Ashley about how they met, how c...
#4 – “Candor is Key” with Nikki M. James
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for our second week of HypeFriend! This week, we welcome Tony Award-winning actress and Broadway star Nikki M. James to the neighborhood! The ...
#3 - "Delivering Kindness" with Andrew Levitt aka Nina West
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
HypeFriend’s third episode is here! Andrew Levitt or better known as Nina West, comes on the podcast to discuss keeping up your friendships through ...
#2 - "Building Connection" with Brett Iwan, voice of Mickey Mouse
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode ever, Ashley and Michael invite Brett Iwan (fourth and current voice of “Mickey Mouse”) to be the very first member of their...
#1 - The HypeFriend Origin Story
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our very first episode of HypeFriend, childhood friends Ashley Eckstein (original voice of STAR WARS’ “Ahsoka Tano” and Michael James Scott (...
Welcome to HypeFriend!
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Childhood friends Ashley Eckstein (voice of “Ahsoka Tano” in Star Wars) and Michael James Scott (“The Genie” from Disney’s Aladdin on Broadw...