Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

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...

2024's End of Year Stand-Up Comedy Spectacular!

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Each year, Bullseye looks back on the year in stand-up comedy by presenting listeners with an annual end of year stand-up comedy showcase! The Bullsey...

The Bullseye Holiday Special with Jennifer Hudson, Judy Greer and more!

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're celebrating the holidays this week in a big, exciting way. It's the Bullseye Holiday Special! We've got Jennifer Hudson, Judy Greer, Zach Cherry...

Rachel Bloom

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Bloom is a comedian and songwriter. She created and starred in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The spring of 2020 was a tough time for a lot of us. It too...

Ken Burns

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ken Burns is one of the greatest documentary filmmakers of all time. He's dedicated much of his life to covering the story of America through his work...

Tom Hanks

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Come to the table and join us, as we celebrate "Hanksgiving." That's right, our guest this week is Tom Hanks! He joins the show to talk about the limi...

Why MF DOOM's 'Operation: Doomsday' is one of the greatest albums of all time

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canonball is a segment that takes a closer look at albums that should be considered classics. This time, MC Skiz Fernando joins Bullseye to discuss th...

Paul Williams

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Williams has lived an extraordinary life. He's a songwriter who's written songs performed by Three Dog Night, Tiny Tim, The Carpenters, and David...

Tavi Gevinson

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tavi Gevinson is a very talented actor and writer. She was just fifteen years old when she founded the fashion magazine Rookie, a smash success that i...

Connie Chung

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Connie Chung is a TV legend. She is an Emmy-winning newscaster and interviewer, and the first Asian American to host a major network news show. She ch...

Food writer and chef J. Kenji López-Alt

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

J. Kenji López-Alt is a food writer and chef. He wrote the books The Food Lab and The Wok: Recipes and Techniques. The holidays are coming up – i...

"Weird Al" Yankovic

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"Weird Al" Yankovic is the undisputed king of parody music. He's been recording music for over four decades and sold millions of records. Al just turn...

James Adomian

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

James Adomian is a comedian with a foot in two worlds. He's a stand-up comedian and impressionist who's performed on the Late Late Show, Conan, Jimmy ...

DeMar DeRozan

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

DeMar DeRozan is a basketball player for the Sacramento Kings. He's a six time NBA All-Star and an Olympic gold medalist. DeRozan just released a memo...

The Bullseye Halloween Spooktacular: R.L. Stine, Andy Daly, and Elvira

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Good gourd! It's a very special Halloween Spooktacular edition of Bullseye, where we're revisiting some of our best Halloween interviews. First up: R....

Music producer Nicolay on the Prince song that changed his life

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nicolay of the Foreign Exchange joins us to talk about the song that changed his life. A Prince track that, honestly, we were very surprised hadn't be...

Rapper MAVI on his latest album 'Shadowbox'

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

MAVI is a rapper from Charlotte, North Carolina. In recent years, he's become one to watch. On his latest album Shadowbox his flow teems with self dou...

Jordan Morris

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jordan Morris is a comedy writer, podcast host, and author. His new graphic novel Youth Group follows a teen who apprehensively joins a Christian yout...

Barry Sonnenfeld

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What do the films Men in Black, The Addams Family and Raising Arizona all have in common? They were all shot by cinematographer and director Barry Son...

Remembering Sérgio Mendes

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sérgio Mendes died last month. He was 83 and had been dealing with long COVID for several months. His band Brasil '66 was at the forefront of a bossa...

Herb Alpert

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Herb Alpert is most famous for the music he created with his band, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. His career as a musician and producer has spanned ...

André 3000

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

André 3000 is one of the greatest rappers to ever grace a microphone. He is, of course, one half of the Grammy winning rap group Outkast. Between the...

Small talk with Jessica St. Clair and Casey Wilson

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this year, Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair put together an audio book called The Art of Small Talk. Think of it as a guide on navigating th...

Eve

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Eve is an icon in hip-hop, a west Philly rapper whose flow, style and production helped define the genre in the early 2000s. She's released three incr...

Wendy and Lisa

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wendy and Lisa recorded some stone cold classics with Prince's band The Revolution: Purple Rain, Raspberry Beret, Kiss, When Doves Cry and more. These...

The history of the Bronx with writer Ian Frazier

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Frazier, is a writer who, for lack of a better term, does the thing. If there is a place that fascinates him he goes to that place, immerses himse...

Tyrese Gibson

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tyrese Gibson is a renaissance man. He's a Grammy-nominated singer, blockbuster actor, an accomplished author, and model. His latest project is a crim...

Cartoonist Lynda Barry

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lynda Barry is a legend of alternative comics. These days, she teaches at the University of Wisconsin. Her book What It Is, was recently re-issued on ...

Jon Hamm

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jon Hamm is an actor with a lot of range. He can do serious, and he can definitely do funny. When he last joined us on the show, he had just starred i...

ScarLip

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

ScarLip is hip-hop's next rising star with her forceful flow and energy inspired by the late rapper DMX. She's just been named to XXL's 2024 freshman ...

John Cena

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Entering the studio with Jesse Thorn on the latest episode is John Cena. The wrestler turned actor talks about his path to the ring and Hollywood. Joh...

Chef René Redzepi on the dish he wishes he made

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michelin-starred chef René Redzepi, host of the new show Omnivore on Apple TV+, joins us on the latest installment of I Wish I Made That to talk abou...

Common & Pete Rock

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Common and Pete Rock are two of hip-hop's greatest heroes. Now, the two icons have combined their genius to release their first collaborative work tog...

Dan Aykroyd

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ghostbuster! Beldar the Conehead! Blues Brother Elwood! The one and only Dan Aykroyd joins us. In the audio documentary Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gra...

Jazz and soul vocalist Bilal

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bilal is a vocalist with a foot in two worlds. He's a rap fan's favorite jazz singer, or a jazz fan's favorite hip hop singer. He joins to talk about ...

Megan Stalter

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Megan Stalter is an actor and comedian. She plays Kayla Schaefer on the hit show Hacks, the wildly inappropriate, yet charming assistant to Paul W. Do...

Paul Scheer – Live at LAist

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Actor and comedian Paul Scheer recently joined us before a live audience at LAist – our hometown public radio station in Los Angeles – to talk abo...

Les Savy Fav's Tim Harrington and Syd Butler

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Les Savy Fav recently released OUI, LSF, their first album in 14 years. On the latest episode, Jesse chats with Tim Harrington and bassist Syd Butler ...

System of a Down's Serj Tankian

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Serj Tankian is the lead singer and co-founder of the hard rock band System of a Down. He's also a solo artist, activist, symphony composer, and an au...

Molly Gordon

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Molly Gordon joins us to talk about starring on FX's hit series The Bear. She get into what it's been like working with the incredible cast and how it...

Comedian Ms. Pat

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ms. Pat's standup comedy is direct, clever and raw. She headlines shows all over the country and she's got her own TV show - The Ms. Pat Show on BET P...

Tanya Tucker

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tanya Tucker is a country music legend! She's been singing since she was nine years old and has released about two dozen records in her time. When Tan...

Kaitlin Olson

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chances are you've probably seen Kaitlin Olson on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The show's been on the air for almost two decades now! Olson also...

Choreographer Twyla Tharp

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Twyla Tharp is a legend in the world of dance. She's danced and choreographed professionally for nearly 60 years. Tharp is 82 and she's still working ...

Michael Stipe

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Stipe is forever cemented in the minds of music fans as the lead singer of R.E.M., one of the biggest rock bands in history. He's also made so...

Ray Suarez on his new book 'We Are Home: Becoming American in the 21st Century'

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You may have heard Ray Suarez on Bullseye before. He was last a guest on the show in 2016 and has since interviewed all kinds of folks for us. Lately,...

Walton Goggins

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Walton Goggins is a master of comedy, action and drama – take his latest project Fallout – a performance that blends all of that into something re...

A History of Queerness in Cinema with Alonso Duralde

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alonso Duralde is a critic, podcast host, and film writer. He just published a new book, Hollywood Pride: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Representation and P...

Maya Erskine

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Maya Erskine stars in the Amazon Prime series Mr. and Mrs. Smith. It's an action thriller in which she stars opposite Donald Glover. It's a dark, high...

Remembering Steve Albini

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The record producer Steve Albini was a legend. He recorded with The Stooges, Pixies, Nirvana and so many others. He passed away last month at the age ...

Shonda Rhimes

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shonda Rhimes is one of the most accomplished TV writers and producers of our time. She's written shows like Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, and...

Richard Thompson

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Thompson began his music career as the guitarist for the English folk rock band Fairport Convention. Following his time with the group, he beg...

Billy Dee Williams

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Billy Dee Williams might be best known as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise. He's an actor with eight decades under his belt and a man of ma...

Primer: What is Japanese City Pop?

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're presenting a preview of Maximum Fun's newest show Primer. In its debut season, music writer Yosuke Kitazawa (PBS SoCal, Light in the Attic) join...

Ed Ruscha

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Ruscha has made art for almost 65 years. His work is in collections all over the world. His medium is eclectic – he's a painter, a photographer, ...

Tig Notaro

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tig Notaro is a Grammy and Emmy nominated stand-up comedian. Her new comedy special Hello, Again is out now, and it's hilarious. Tig returns to the sh...

Miranda July

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Miranda July is a multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker. She's directed movies like Kajlillionaire and Me, You and Everyone We Know. She's designed ...

Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker – together they created some truly classic comedies: Airplane!, Top Secret, and The Naked Gun. They rec...

Lisa Ann Walter on the craziest day of her career

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Ann Walter has been in show business for a long time and has seen a lot. You may have seen her most recently as Ms. Schemmenti on the ABC sitcom ...

Cole Escola

30 Apr 2024

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...

Isabella Rossellini

26 Apr 2024

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...

Raffi

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout his nearly fifty year music career, Raffi has fought for kids. He's done it with beautiful, fun, and funny music. He's also done it as an a...

Actor & Director Steve Buscemi

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Buscemi! The best ever. The actor, director and producer joins Bullseye to talk about dying on screen dozens of times, and how his father shaped...

DJ Quik

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

DJ Quik is one of the most prolific figures in West Coast hip-hop. He's a great rapper, but he's always considered himself a producer first, crafting ...

Video game creator Keita Takahashi

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keita Takahashi is a video game creator and designer. He's responsible for the classic genre defining puzzle game Katamari Damacy. Keita Takahashi has...

Alison Brie

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alison Brie is the star of beloved television shows Community, Mad Men and BoJack Horseman. She joins us on the latest episode of Bullseye to talk abo...

Paula Pell

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Paula Pell spent 18 years behind the scenes as a writer on Saturday Night Live. These days, you can see her on Girls5Eva–a sitcom about a 90s girl g...

Jazz musician Shabaka Hutchings

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shabaka Hutchings makes brilliant, beautiful genre blending songs. His music is vivid, complex and hypnotic. He recently hung up his saxophone and is ...

R&B singer SiR on his latest record 'Heavy'

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On the latest episode, R&B singer SiR joins us to talk about his new record Heavy, growing up in Inglewood and his musical family. Plus, he gets vulne...

Jenny Slate

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jenny Slate has starred in films like Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Obvious Child and Everything Everywhere All at Once. She's also a standup - she ...

John Malkovich

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There aren't many actors who can straddle the worlds of high art and blockbusters as deftly as John Malkovich. His latest project is The New Look, a T...

Hey, What's Your Job?

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Movie stars, writers, artists: these are the typical fare for Bullseye interviewees. For our production company's annual MaxFunDrive, though, Jesse ta...

Peter Dinklage

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Dinklage joins us on the latest episode to talk about his new film American Dreamer and working alongside Shirley MacLaine. We also get into Gam...

Kali Reis

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kali Reis is a boxer, with two championships in two weight classes. She's also an actor. She first starred in the indie film Catch the Fair One, and h...

Bill Bradley

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Bradley is a two-time NBA champion and hall of famer, Olympic gold medalist, and former U.S. Senator. He recounts all of this and more in his one...