Bullseye with Jesse Thorn
Episodes
Bonus – The Outshot: Filling Time
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A special treat for our podcast listeners! For years, Bullseye would close out each episode with an essay written by Jesse called The Outshot. It was ...
Bullseye 2025 Holiday Spectacular: Lil Rel Howery, Mickey Dolenz and Sy Smith
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the Bullseye Holiday Spectacular! We look back at some of our favorite holiday interviews from the past. We’ve got Lil Rel Howery, Mickey Dol...
Tony Shalhoub, Jad Abumrad, H. Jon Benjamin and more – Live at The PIT in NYC
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On the latest episode we're coming to you live from New York City at The PIT. We've got interviews from Tony Shalhoub, Jad Abumrad, H. Jon Benjamin an...
The Hives
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the course of 30 years, The Hives have perfected what it means to be a garage rock band. We're joined by singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist and his br...
Vince Staples
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Vince Staples returns to Bullseye! He chats with us about his Netflix series, The Vince Staples Show, what got him into making music and much more.Le...
25 interviews for 25 years
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In celebration of Bullseye's 25th anniversary, Jesse conducted 25 interviews in a row! That's right, 25 interviews for 25 years. You'll hear from folk...
Adam Scott, Boots Riley, Glynn Washington and more - Live at Kuumbwa Jazz Center
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re celebrating Bullseye’s 25th anniversary all month. This week, we visit the site of Bulleye’s origins, because this episode was recorded li...
25 Years Ago, Bullseye with Jesse Thorn was a weird college radio show
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Bullseye 25th anniversary celebration continues! This week, Jesse reunites with his old college co-hosts Jordan Morris and Gene O’Neil to remini...
Roy Wood Jr., Jason Mantzoukas, Rebecca Sugar – Live at LAist
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This whole month, we’re ringing in 25 years of Bullseye being on the airwaves. If you’ve heard our archives you might have heard Bullseye referred...
Marc Maron & Brendan McDonald
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
WTF with Marc Maron revolutionized the medium of podcasting. Despite being one of the most popular podcasts in history, the show was run by two peopl...
Ana Fabrega, co-creator of ‘Los Espookys’
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re looking back on some of our favorite Spooky season interviews from across the twenty-five years we’ve been doing Bullseye. Ana Fa...
Bruce Campbell
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just in time for the spooky season, we're reaching deep into the furthest, darkest reaches of the Bullseye archives for this conversation with Bruce C...
Yaya Bey
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today on Bullseye, it’s songwriter and recording artist Yaya Bey! She just wrapped up a national tour in support of her new album, do it afraid. She...
Nick Offerman
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation, Fargo, The Last of Us) returns to the show to talk about his new book, Little Woodchucks, and to share why woodwo...
'Slow Horses' creator Will Smith
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Will Smith is the creator and showrunner of the hit Apple TV spy thriller Slow Horses. Smith talks with Jesse about the show's unique blend of drama, ...
Gwendoline Christie
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it’s Gwendoline Christie! She’s best known for her part as Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones launched Christie’...
Why Digable Planets' Blowout Comb is one of the greatest albums of all time
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Canonball is a segment that takes a closer look at albums that should be considered classics. This time around, Diallo Riddle and LUXXURY of the One S...
Ghostface Killah
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're joined today by Ghostface Killah, a founding member of the hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. In 1996, Ghost put out Supreme Clientele – that ...
Sonia Manzano
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For nearly 5 decades, Sonia Manzano played the part of Maria on Sesame Street. She was the first Latina on the show – it was a big step forward for...
Christopher Lloyd
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Christopher Lloyd has performed in a number of iconic roles over the years and at the age of 86 he has no plans to stop anytime soon. When Jesse last ...
Elizabeth Gilbert
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you know Elizabeth Gilbert's name, it might be for her book Eat, Pray, Love. Earlier this month, Gilbert published a very different memoir: All the...
Jinkx Monsoon
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jinkx Monsoon is a legend in the world of drag. For fans of RuPaul's Drag Race she is often referred to as "Queen of All Queens" – she's the only pe...
Jason Segel
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jason Segel starred in Freaks and Geeks, How I Met Your Mother, Knocked Up. But he's also an accomplished writer and creator. He wrote the classic rom...
Bob Odenkirk
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Odenkirk is an alt-comedy legend. He wrote for Saturday Night Live in the 90s. Then he got the part in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul as ...
Genndy Tartakovsky
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There aren't many animators more beloved than Genndy Tartakovsky. He created two golden era Cartoon Network shows: Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jac...
Alex Edelman
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Edelman plays Adam Cooper on The Paper, the new show from NBC set in the universe of The Office. Edelman is also an award winning standup and wri...
Documentary filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Filmmaker Victor Kosskovsky has been thinking quite a lot about rocks these days. Things like big granite boulders, crushed up gravel and stunning sla...
HAIM
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're joined by the principal members of the band HAIM: Alana, Danielle and Este Haim. In 2013, they released their critically acclaimed debut album D...
The Beach Boys' Al Jardine
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week is Al Jardine, one of the founding members of The Beach Boys alongside Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Mike Love. Ja...
Marlee Matlin
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this year, Marlee Matlin was the subject of the documentary Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore. The film chronicles her life and career as a per...
Fishbone's Angelo Moore & Chris Dowd
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the world of ska and punk music Fishbone are legends. We're joined by Angelo Moore and Chris Dowd, founding members of the band. Earlier this summe...
Paul Walter Hauser
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Walter Hauser has a great list of big movie appearances. He’s in Fantastic Four and The Naked Gun, and he’ll be appearing in movies like Amer...
Punk rock band PUP
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Punk rock band PUP released their fifth studio album Who Will Look After the Dogs? back in May. We’re joined by the band’s lead singer Stefan Babc...
Akiva Schaffer on 'The Naked Gun' reboot , The Lonely Island and more
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s probably nobody better to direct and write a movie like The Naked Gun reboot than Akiva Schaffer. He has a resume full of brilliant, dumb,...
Arooj Aftab
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2021, Arooj Aftab became the first Pakistani to win a Grammy. It was a Best Global Music Performance for her single "Mohabbat" off of her 2021 albu...
Eugenio Derbez
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Eugenio Derbez has arguably earned the title of most successful comedy actor in Latin America. And in 2013, his film Instructions Not Included helped ...
Megan Stalter
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Megan Stalter is an actor and comedian. She plays Kayla Schaefer on the hit show Hacks. She's the wildly inappropriate, yet charming assistant to Paul...
Severance's Tramell Tillman
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tramell Tillman plays Mr. Milchick on Severance, the bizarre, fascinating sci-fi workplace show on Apple TV +. Tramell Tillman is great as Mr Milchick...
Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Act now to ensure public media remains free and accessible to all. Your donation will help this essential American service survive and thrive. Visit d...
Folk guitarist Hayden Pedigo
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hayden Pedigo writes sprawling, beautiful songs around the acoustic guitar. Hayden just put out a new record called I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away. ...
Richard Kind
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest is Richard Kind. He is not a star. He does not want to be a star. He is perfectly fine with that. Richard loves to be the kind of ch...
Remembering Sly Stone with Music Historian Rickey Vincent
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're joined by music historian and professor Rickey Vincent to talk about the legacy of Sly Stone. He talks to us about what made the funk icon so sp...
George Takei
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Bullseye, George Takei returns to talk about his new graphic-memoir: It Rhymes with Takei. His memoir focuses on his personal journey thr...
Atsuko Okatsuka
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Being able to make light of extremely heavy topics is what makes Atsuko Okatsuka a brilliant comedian. Her new comedy special Father aired on Hulu las...
Cole Escola
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Actor and comedian Cole Escola has written and starred in some of the funniest TV comedies: Difficult People, Hacks, and At Home with Amy Sedaris. Col...
Mark Hamill
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The one and only Mark Hamill joins us this week. He chats with us about his latest role in the epic, life-affirming drama The Life of Chuck. He also t...
Documentarian Matt Wolf on 'Pee-wee as Himself'
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What was it like to work with Paul Reubens? The man behind Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee as Himself is a beautiful, touching documentary about one of the mo...
Ego Nwodim
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Bullseye, we talk to Ego Nwodim! She just wrapped up her seventh season as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. She talks with us about ...
I Wish I Made That: Mary Randolph Carter
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Randolph Carter is an expert on all things junk. She's written many books on the topic including her latest called Live With the Things You Love:...
Questlove
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questlove, drummer and bandleader for The Roots joins us on the latest episode. The legend. Lately, he's been working on music documentaries: Sly Live...
Carson Lund made Eephus, the best baseball movie in recent memory
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Bullseye, we talk to Carson Lund, director of the new slice-of-life baseball film, Eephus. The movie is about two rec league baseball tea...
Alexander Skarsgård
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alexander Skarsgård joins us to talk about the new Apple TV + sci-fi series Murderbot. He also gets into his upbringing and what it was like growing ...
Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey will be forever linked together – thanks to one show: The Office. The sitcom is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Th...
Author Jane Borden on 'Cults Like Us'
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jane Borden is a writer with bylines in Vanity Fair, the Washington Post, and the New York Times Magazine. Jane is kind of obsessed with cults. She en...
Rapper Dezzy Hollow's new wave of West Coast funk
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rapper and producer Dezzy Hollow is a master of modern day West Coast funk. Earlier this year he released an album called OCEANSIDE, which he named af...
Keita Takahashi created one of the most beloved cult video games ever
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Video game creator Keita Takahashi joins us to talk about how he got into designing video games and how he pitched the idea for his popular game Katam...
Lisa Kudrow
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lisa Kudrow's big break was on the massively successful sitcom Friends. She portrayed the street-wise, but kind of clueless Phoebe Buffay. She's one o...
Jean Grae
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jean Grae is back on the show! The multidisciplinary artist just wrote a collection of personal essays called In My Remaining Years. She joins us to t...
Bob Mackie
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's Bob Mackie! Mackie has made a career out of dressing big personalities in kinetic, sparkling garb. His life and career were profiled i...
Comedian Mike Drucker on the craziest day of his career
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Craziest Day of My Entire Career is a segment where folks join us to talk about some truly unbelievable stories. Comedian Mike Drucker has had his...
Andor creator Tony Gilroy
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Writer, director and showrunner Tony Gilroy joins us to talk about the new season of Andor and what makes the show so different than any other Star Wa...
Charles Burnett
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Bullseye, we talk to filmmaker Charles Burnett. His most famous film, Killer of Sheep, was part of his Masters' thesis at UCLA Film Schoo...
Fat Joe
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rapper Fat Joe is charming, verbose, and direct. He is a man who radiates confidence. You wanna make a banger for the club? Fat Joe's got em – Lean ...
Hieroglyphics' Casual on the song that changed his life
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Song That Changed My Life is a segment that gives a chance for musicians and artists to tell us about the song that made them who they are. This w...
Josh Gad
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Josh Gad joins us to talk about his new memoir In Gad We Trust: A Tell Some. He also gets into what life was like growing up in South Florida, the one...
Bruce Vilanch is proud of all the awful TV he made
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bruce Vilanch wrote for countless TV variety shows dating back over 50 years. Sometimes, those shows turn out great! Think of Billy Crystal at the Osc...
Christina Hendricks
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Christina Hendricks joins us this week to talk about the new Hulu series Good American Family. She also chats with us about her time as a model and a ...
Laurie Metcalf
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jesse talks with one of the greats: Laurie Metcalf. For nine years she played Jackie on the hit TV show Roseanne. These days, she's starring in The Co...
Remembering Angie Stone
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking a moment to remember singer and R&B legend, Angie Stone, who died on March 1, 2025. She was 63 years old. When Stone spoke with Bullseye ...
Lucy Dacus
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Dacus is a beloved singer songwriter and one-third of the Grammy-winning supergroup boygenius. She just released her new record Forever is a Fee...
Bonus: Bullseye Bests with Barry Sonnenfeld
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The MaxFunDrive is a great time to look back at the past year here at Bullseye. In this excerpted segment we listen to a bit of our conversation with ...
Tom Green
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Tom Green Show was ahead of its time. Its surreal stunts and pranks influenced a number of TV shows over the past twenty five years in that genre....
Vincent D'Onofrio
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Bullseye, it's Vincent D'Onofrio. He talks about his many memorable roles in Full Metal Jacket, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Men in Blac...
Bonus: Bullseye Bests with Tyrese Gibson
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this excerpted segment we listen to a bit of our conversation with Tyrese Gibson. Perhaps one of the most memorable moments in recent memory. Mid-i...
George Lopez
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're talking with the one and only George Lopez. He joins us to talk about how he and his daughter Mayan approached creating their sitcom L...
Bonus: What's The Worst Job You've Ever Had?
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're presenting a sneak peek of a bonus episode for Bullseye's annual MaxFunDrive. Jesse is asking guests like Denzel Curry and Meg Stalter about the...
Charlotte Nicdao of 'Mythic Quest'
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Charlotte Nicdao stars as Poppy on the Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest. She joins Bullseye to talk about that very funny show. We talk about her upbring...
George Wallace
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
George Wallace has been doing stand-up for fifty years. Known for his evergreen humor, he's practically royalty in Las Vegas, where he's done so many ...
Why Saafir's 'Boxcar Sessions' is one of the greatest albums of all time
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Music writer Andrew "Noz" Nosnitsky gets into why bay area rapper Saafir's debut record Boxcar Sessions, deserves to be inducted into the canon of gre...
Linda Holmes, pop culture critic and author of 'Back After This'
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Linda Holmes knows what goes into a good romantic comedy. Linda has written about pop culture for more than 20 years and is a huge fan of the genre. S...
Antonio Banderas
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You may know him as Zorro, or as a very Zorro-like cat from the Shrek universe: Puss in Boots. It's Antonio Banderas! He talks with us about reconnect...
Pedro Almodóvar
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pedro Almodóvar is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of all time. He's the director of the movies Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down, Women on the Edge of a N...
Kelsey Grammer
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Frasier Crane! Beast from X-Men! Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons! Our guest needs no introduction: it's Kelsey Grammer. He's an incredibly talented...
Tramell Tillman of 'Severance'
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tramell Tillman plays Mr. Milchick on Severance, the bizarre, fascinating sci-fi workplace show on Apple TV +. Tramell Tillman is great as Mr Milchick...
Mike Leigh on 'Hard Truths,' James Bond and more
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We welcome director Mike Lee back to the show. He talks with us about his recent film Hard Truths and what it was like to reunite with actor Marianne ...
Isabella Rossellini
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Isabella Rossellini is probably best known as an actor, having acclaimed parts in movies like Blue Velvet, Death Becomes Her, and Big Night. She's als...
Stanley Tucci
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Stanley Tucci is handsome, a great cook, a killer dresser and, of course, an excellent actor. Most recently, he stars in the Oscar nominated drama Con...
Remembering soul singer Brenton Wood
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking a moment to remember the life of soul singer Brenton Wood. He died earlier this month. He was 83. Brenton was also responsible for the hi...
Adam Scott
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Scott is best known for his iconic roles in comedy: Parks And Recreation. Party Down. Step Brothers. His latest is a departure from the roles tra...
Sharon Horgan
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We welcome back actor and writer Sharon Horgan to talk about her new series Bad Sisters. It's a black comedy and drama about murder, family and betray...
Denzel Curry
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rapper Denzel Curry was born and raised in Miami, but his music doesn't really sound like he's from Miami. With his reputation as a Soundcloud rapper ...
The history and evolution of comedy with writer Jesse David Fox
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Vulture senior editor and writer Jesse David Fox joins us to talk about Comedy Book. It's a book about the history and evolution of comedy through cov...
'Wallace & Gromit' Creator Nick Park
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Park is the creator of the beloved stop motion series Wallace & Gromit, as well as the movies Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run. His latest project...
Jeff Hiller on 'Somebody Somewhere'
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Hiller is an actor and comedian. Alongside Bridget Everett he stars in the HBO comedy Somebody Somewhere. The series just wrapped its third and f...
Jude Law
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our first guest of the year is the one and only Jude Law. He joins us to talk about his work on the new Star Wars series Skeleton Crew and his new fil...
Marianne Jean-Baptiste
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Marianne Jean-Baptiste is a classically trained actor who has over 50 credits to her name, including Secrets & Lies and the FBI show Without a Trace. ...
John Larroquette
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
John Larroquette is an actor with almost 50 years of experience. His big break was on the NBC sitcom Night Court. The show aired its last episode in 1...
Remembering Nikki Giovanni
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nikki Giovanni died earlier this month at the age 81. We were fortunate enough to get to talk with her in 2021 and wanted to revisit our conversation ...
Musician Kim Deal
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With a little help from the smash hit Cannonball, The Breeders became one of the biggest names in early '90s alternative rock. In 2018, we chatted wit...
Remembering Rickey Henderson
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode, we're taking a moment to remember the life of Rickey Henderson. The legendary baseball player died on December 20. He was 65. F...