“Very Important People” is back for a third season of The Dropouts. Host Vic, the alter ego of Vic Michaelis, works overtime to make sure his interview subjects are as interesting as possible. But in typical Vic fashion, the host had no control over the situation in season 3, and that was never more true than in last week’s episode, “Fanori.”
The Season 3 episode stars comedian Angela Giaratana in the role of a fictional, iconic but now forgotten singer, and sees Vic struggling with an interview in which she only wants to talk about Fanoli, one of her favorite singers, and Cher, another one of her favorite singers. Unfortunately, it was quickly shut down due to a feud between Fanoli and Cher.
According to Michaelis, it was really just a happy coincidence that the episode, which was recorded several months ago, aired during Cheresance in 2026.
“Cher was clearly in the cultural zeitgeist with her appearance on Bowen Yang’s final episode of SNL and her interview with Dax Shepard, and little did we know how topically relevant this would become,” Michaelis told Variety. “So it’s the perfect time for a new Cher feud.”
Read more about Variety’s interview with Michaelis about Dropout’s Very Important People Season 3 and their roles in Peacock’s Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson-starring spy series Ponies below.
First of all, how is your term as Dropout Honorary Chairman?
We feel like we’re making a lot of really important structural changes. There was a lot of pushback within the organization, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from doing my job. And I think that’s really important. We’re putting TV screens in every bathroom so people can watch Avengers: Endgame and really understand what we’re playing for. Henry the Pig holds a very important position in the Cabinet. There are a lot of big changes here. We’re spending money left, right and center, and I think it’s going to come back to us tenfold.
With the release of Avengers: Doomsday fast approaching, would you like to campaign to get your hands on it in Dropout?
I don’t. If anything, I think it helps our goal of achieving “endgame” on the platform. A new “Avengers” will be released. Disney, don’t be greedy. There are too many ‘Avengers’ on Disney+, so let’s unload one
Kate Elliott/Dropout
I know host Vic turned it down in the episode, but would you reconsider making Fanoli’s “I don’t need money, I don’t like it, I just want to throw it away” as the official theme song for “VIP”?
Listen, it’s catchy. And here’s the thing about Host Vic. I’d like to say no flatly, but if people really seem to like it, I’m willing to give up whatever moral high ground I have to make them happy. So, probably not, but also a definite possibility.
As we now know, Fanoli has a huge feud with Cher, and this will be a major part of his “VIP” interview. Did it start with you? At what point in the improvisation process was it introduced that the Cher feud was such a significant plot point for Fanoli?
To be honest, when improving something like that, I think I like to include things that I’m familiar with and can easily reference. And I thought, “Cher is one of my favorite people on the planet.” That’s someone I know. You can pull up any of her discography. We can talk about her life. I read her autobiography twice. The audiobook is narrated back and forth between her and Stephanie J. Block. Because she didn’t want to read the whole thing. It’s symbolic. I felt that was very helpful, but I had no idea that Angela knew nothing about Cher other than maybe her name.
It immediately caused quite an emotional reaction in me. Because I was so into it and ready to talk about it, and Angela immediately said, “No, pass,” and I think that broke something a little bit inside Vic, the performer.
Katalin Vermes/PEACOCK
How did you approach your character Cheryl on “The Ponies” and did you see similarities between her and host Vic?
I’m drawn to characters like this when you can actually live as another character in another time. Cheryl is very dependent, especially on the men around her, and her strategies for getting what she wants are similar to, but slightly different from, host Vic. It’s also just a different audience. So I wasn’t really afraid of people saying, “That’s Host Vic!”
I’m so excited for people to meet Cheryl. I think Cheryl is also twisted — and I say this because I’ve lived with Host Vic for so long that I have a lot of empathy for them as characters — and a little mean to the people around her. I think Cheryl is incredibly talented and has a lot to offer. And I think in another era, he would have risen through the ranks to be the CEO of something or be in charge of something and have all that power. On the other hand, I don’t think Host Vic has that ability. I think Cheryl is very capable, but because of the time and world she lives in, she is unable to rise above her station and is very dependent on those around her. That’s a very difficult position. And I really understand the situation.
What can we tease about where Sheryl ends the season and where she starts the season?
What makes this drama so interesting is that I know it’s a spy thriller because of the way it was shot, but for me it was just more of an intimate family drama. Sometimes you have to slowly fall apart in order to rebuild, that’s how I feel about Cheryl. Sometimes you just need to unravel everything to start making yarn for your sweater, and sometimes you’ll end up with a better sweater next time. In some cases, the sweater can be a more fun and nice red sweater. That’s what I mean.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
