‘The First Time’ With Joel McHale

It’s been nearly five years since the season finale of cult TV hit Community, but Joel McHale is joining the rest of his costars — Donald Glover, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong — to recreate one of the episodes for a good cause. The cast of the hit comedy series is reuniting to read the episode “Cooperative Polygraphy” in an effort to raise money for COVID-19 relief.

The comedian, actor, and television host sat down for Rolling Stone’s “The First Time” video interview series ahead of the Community virtual table read set for next week. In addition to talking about what it was like to film the table read on Zoom — “It was like a family reunion with family you like” — McHale talks about the first times realizing he was dyslexic, experiencing the reach of the community fandom at Comic-Con, and meeting the series creator Dan Harmon.

“The level of quality that Dan Harmon and the Russo brothers were existing at was something that I wasn’t aware that people did,” McHale says, remembering the first time he read the Community TV pilot, adding: “I remember going, ’This is the best pilot I have ever read, and I think I can play this role and Dear God I hope they give me the chance.”

The Community table read will stream on Sony’s YouTube channel on May 18th, 2 p.m. ET. Donations will benefit chef José Andrés World Central Kitchen and Frontline Foods.