This week, special guest Brian Tyree Henry joins panelists Brian Babylon, Negin Farsad, and Luke BurbankLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: Who are the panelists and guest on this episode of WWDTM?
Thank you, Bill. That's right, I'm Karen Chee, filling in for Peter Sagal. He's at home recovering from a fight with another NPR host right now. I don't want to name any names, but let's just say Steve Inskeep is a biter. You're all in for a treat because later we're talking to Oscar-nominated actor Brian Tyree Henry. You probably know him from Atlanta or his new show, Dope Thief.
Or, as I know him, as the voice of the absolutely jacked Smokey the Bear. But first, it's your turn to call in to play our games. The number is 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
Hey, Karen. This is Kevin Stroud. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Oh, Kevin. Hi. Welcome.
Thank you. Thank you.
Kevin, what do you do in beautiful Raleigh?
By day, I am a mental health therapist.
Oh, wow. That's an amazing job. Thank you for doing that. I'm sure you're doing great in your business, but if you need any referrals, I do have a lot of ex-boyfriends.
Oh. Well, we said we weren't going to talk about that, Karen. Yeah.
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Chapter 2: What are the latest news stories discussed in the quiz segment?
If you can correctly identify or explain two of them, you'll win our prize, which is any voice from our show that you choose on your voicemail. Are you ready?
Absolutely. Let's do it.
Amazing. Your first quote is from a spokesperson at a gambling site.
It's our biggest non-sporting event of the year, and we expect the betting to really pick up. as we head toward the Conclave.
So, people are betting on who is going to be the next what?
The voting for the next, for the papacy?
Yes, that's correct! People are betting on who is going to be the next Pope. People mourned Francis' passing all over the world, but no one more than the producers of the movie Conclave, who said, hey, couldn't he have at least done this during our Oscar campaign? LAUGHTER It is a sign of how in touch the Pope was with the people in the church that he was like, wait, conclaves are huge right now.
We got to ride this train.
I love that idea that he was so into pop culture because I feel like he had a really great sense of humor. And I feel like he was like, guys, wouldn't it be funny if I met J.D. Vance and then I died? Yeah.
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Chapter 3: What is the Bluff the Listener game and what stories are featured?
And then he had a meltdown. All of that cost that guy, Sam Altman, money, right?
Yeah, I was going to say it's costing him money, but it's also requiring a lot of power and electricity. So when you're asking it a request, you have to remember... that saying something like, write my term paper is fine, but please, hi, will you write my term paper? Thank you, burns down an entire Brazilian rainforest. Yes.
100%.
So, okay, so I have a question which is, Like, do we have a quota as people for how nice we can be? And then if we are nice to AI all the time, are we then mean to our moms?
Is it a zero-sum game of niceness?
Right, right. And if you're mean to your mom, how many icebergs does that melt?
Wait, Nagin, do you wake up every morning being like, I can only say five nice things today? Yeah, is that how we all do it?
Did you see the color of her smoke backstage, Karen? It was, I've used up all of my nice things.
Yeah, yeah. All right, Kevin, now we are on to our last quote.
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Chapter 4: Who is Brian Tyree Henry and what are his notable roles?
Right now, panel, time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Luke, loose-lipped Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth says he's going to be wasteful spending at the Pentagon. And he is making changes. According to CBS News, he's adding a what to the Pentagon's briefing room?
A makeup studio?
That's correct. Pete Hegseth is adding a makeup studio, and we know this because he texted his stylist, hey, I can't wait to try this new eyeshadow. Also, here are the nuclear codes.
So this CBS News, I think, reported this initially, that there was money being allocated to sort of remaking, remodeling this green room. And so then somebody over there said, this is totally made up. This is BS. Here's the room. And then they tweeted out what was clearly a photo of a makeup room. It was pretty much as advertised.
It was also, they went one step further, actually. The DOD struck back at this report saying, and this is exactly what you want your spokesperson to say if you are the Secretary of Defense. They said Pete Hegseth doesn't need a makeup room because Pete Hegseth does his own makeup.
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Chapter 5: What is Brian Tyree Henry’s experience voicing Smokey Bear?
I love the idea of a four-star general showing up at the Pentagon and a PA being like, should I take you to hair and makeup?
I did my own glam. Can you imagine Don Rumsfeld showing up in full glam?
You're so pretty. Oh, so pretty. You really knock me off.
Coming up, the only thing we have to fear is you missing this week's Bluff the Listener game. So call 1-888-WAITWAIT to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.
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But we do also like to get into other kinds of stories. Stories about policing or politics, country music, hockey, sex of bugs.
Regardless of whether we're looking at science or not science, we bring a rigorous curiosity to get you the answers.
And hopefully make you see the world anew.
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Chapter 6: What was Brian Tyree Henry’s first acting role?
Right now, it's time for the Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me Bluff the Listener Game. So call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to play our game on air or check out the pinned post on our Instagram page at waitwaitnpr. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
Howdy, this is Chris Robinson calling in from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Chris, how are you doing this week?
Pretty good this week. I'm in law school right now, so I decided to take some time out and do a fun NPR show and try to relax a little bit before finals come up.
Nice. I love it. I love when a true nerd calls into NPR saying, I'm taking a break from finals by doing a quiz. Yes. Thank you so much for joining us. You're going to play our game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. So what's the topic, Bill?
Childhood fears come true.
You know, the classic kid fears like the dark, the boogeyman, the creeping realization that you've peaked at age seven. This week, somebody's childhood fear did come true, and our panelists are going to tell you about it. So pick the one who's telling the truth, and you'll win our prize, the weight-waiter of your choice on your voicemail. Chris, are you ready to play?
I'm ready.
All right. First up, it's Nagin Farsad.
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Chapter 7: How recognized is Brian Tyree Henry for his different roles?
One day, he was doing a VIP tour with vendors when the laces of his Oxfords came undone. He didn't notice and led the group to the escalator. That's when the escalator began to eat his shoe. He was reflexively pulled to his knees, and that's when his pant leg got sucked in, pulling his trousers down and showing off his tighty-whities. It was a double whammy childhood nightmare.
He was rescued, but only after his clients and a steady stream of shoppers were treated to the rear end of a man perched like he was getting a public prostate exam. Co-workers cut him out of the pants, after which he scurried to the men's section looking business on top, party on the bottom. Nowadays, Ronald takes the elevator.
Oops.
That is a workplace pantsing from Nagin Farsad. And your next story of a wee one's worry come to life comes from Brian Babylon.
This week, Mitchell and Brianne of Traverse City, Michigan, had their first date. They decided to go hunting for rocks. That's what romance looks like in Michigan. So they headed up to the beach looking for some special bluestones, sort of like a Bachelor and Indiana Jones spinoff. Now, Breanne sees a spot near the water and says, that looks dangerous.
Mitchell hears that, and just like a typical man, goes, oh, word? Well, that's exactly where I'm going. This fool steps into the danger zone and gets snatched up to his waist in two seconds by quicksand. And get this, he wasn't even shocked. He said, oh, not this again. Again? How many times have you been in quicksand, bro? What kind of lifestyle is this? Who raised you, Shaggy from Scooby Doo?
But here's the real rom-com moment. During the 911 call, they both accidentally dropped the girlfriend and boyfriend title for the first time to the 911 caller. The firefighters finally showed up and pulled Mitchell out like a human cork.
Moral of the story, if your date starts with yard work and turns into a rescue op and then ends with relationship titles, congratulations, you're not in love, you're in a Lifetime movie.
And that's the story about how quicksand is real from Brian Babylon. And your last story of a fear becoming fact comes from Luke Burbank.
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Chapter 8: What is the B.T.H. meet B.T.S. game with Brian Tyree Henry about?
The noises were coming from under the house, in the ground, where a sinkhole was slowly opening up. When the city finally came out to investigate, it turned out the hole was part of a rich vein of opals. Unfortunately, the family had to move out of their home, which was torn down.
But fortunately, they now own the rights to a very profitable opal operation, allowing them to build a huge new home just down the street, complete with toilets that flush in the normal direction... and a beautiful fenced backyard where the family's pet koala, Crikey, can relax with her babies, safe from area dingoes.
Okay, Chris, so you've got Nagin's story of a man getting pantsed by an escalator during a big day at work, Brian's story of a man getting stuck in quicksand on a first date, and from Luke, a woman who finds out that the monster under her bed is actually a sinkhole. So which one do you think is real?
I think I'm going to go with Luke's because it sounds more realistic. He's hoping I'm not wrong.
Okay, so your choice is Luke's story about a misadventure in Australia. To find out the correct answer, we spoke to a reporter covering the real story.
There are probably easier ways to get a girlfriend than getting stuck in quicksand. Wow.
There is. That was Kara Berg of the Detroit News talking about the quicksand romance. I'm so sorry, Chris, but Brian had the real answer. You got to go with your heart. You got to go with your heart, and that's how you should think about your law school finals.
Yes.
Chris, I'm sorry you didn't win, but you did earn a point for Luke, so thank you so much. Thank you. And now the game we call Not My Job. Brian Tyree Henry is an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony-nominated actor who first came to national attention playing the rapper Paperboy in FX's Atlanta.
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