After Make Happy, Burnham disappeared from the spotlight, choosing to take his talents behind the camera. For several years, he directed comedy specials for other standup comedians such as Jerrod Carmichael and Chris Rock, and even helmed the feature film Eighth Grade. Most fans assumed Bo Burnham had simply moved on from performing on stage, and wanted to evolve into new projects before Inside premiered.
But then, the funniest thing happened. The Coronavirus pandemic swept the nation, locking all of us inside our homes and most of us inside our own heads. During this time, Bo Burnham had been developing a new stand-up show in secret, which ultimately became a feature-length one-man special, which takes place entirely inside a tiny guest house.