Billy Eichner Gets Personal With New Audio Memoir ‘Billy on Billy’
“Being best known for my loud character on Billy on the Street, I wasn’t sure what this book would be about when I started to write it."
Mark
Billy Eichner is turning down the volume, at least a little, and inviting fans to listen more closely.
The Billy on the Street creator, comedian and actor is releasing an audio-only memoir this spring, offering an intimate and deeply personal look at the life behind his famously loud on-screen persona. Billy on Billy: An Audio Memoir will be released May 19 by Macmillan Audio and will be available exclusively in audio format.
“I wanted the book to be released exclusively in audio so that my fans could get a better sense of my real voice and where I came from,” Eichner said in a statement.
Best known for sprinting through New York City streets while ambushing unsuspecting pedestrians with pop culture questions, Eichner has built a career on volume, speed and sharp comedic instincts. Billy on Billy pulls back the curtain on that persona, introducing listeners to a more reflective version of the 47-year-old performer, one shaped by family, queerness and growing up in Queens.
‘Billy on Billy: An Audio Memoir’ cover.
Photo: Macmillan Audio
According to the official synopsis, the memoir traces Eichner’s upbringing as “the chubby gay kid” raised by two loving and idiosyncratic parents in New York City during the 1980s and ’90s. Along the way, Eichner pays tribute to the teachers, mentors and entertainers who influenced him, while also unpacking the hustle required to build a career in show business without losing one’s creative convictions.
The audio memoir also explores the origins of Billy on the Street, which launched as a web series in 2012 and quickly became a viral hit. The show’s YouTube channel has amassed more than 500,000 subscribers and over 150 million views, while helping turn everyday New Yorkers, including fan-favorite Elena, into unlikely icons. Celebrity guests over the years have included Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Evans, Will Ferrell and Lucy Liu.
Listeners can expect clips from Eichner’s most famous sketches woven throughout the audiobook, as well as reflections on how the character audiences came to love both opened doors and created new artistic challenges.
“Being best known for my loud character on Billy on the Street, I wasn’t sure what this book would be about when I started to write it,” Eichner said. “What poured out of me over time was a love letter to my parents, to growing up in New York City, and to the artists I’ve always loved.”
Eichner’s career has extended far beyond the sidewalks of Manhattan. In 2022, he co-wrote and starred in Bros, the first gay romantic comedy released by a major studio to feature an entirely LGBTQ+ principal cast. His additional credits include Parks and Recreation, American Horror Story, Bob’s Burgers and the upcoming Honey Don’t!.
Despite his brash public image, Eichner has previously admitted that street comedy did not come naturally to him. “Like most actors, I’m shy,” he said in a prior interview. “But queer people recognized this was a gay man’s voice — and straight people just watched me argue passionately about Meryl Streep versus Glenn Close.”
With Billy on Billy, Eichner hopes audiences will hear him more clearly than ever before.
“I can’t wait for people to listen to it and to hear my story for the first time,” he said.
Billy on Billy: An Audio Memoir will be available exclusively May 19, 2026, wherever audiobooks are sold.
