WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

Episode 1209 - Laraine Newman

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Laraine Newman titled her memoir May You Live in Interesting Times, a phrase many people believe to be a curse. But Laraine thinks it's an appropriate...

Episode 1208 - Hugh Grant

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hugh Grant thinks he's only getting better as an actor now. The work he's done for the past few years feels real to him, as opposed to felling like he...

Episode 1207 - Eddie Murphy

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In order for Eddie Murphy to become “Eddie Murphy” he had to become a comedian. Eddie tells Marc, comic-to-comic, what it was like being a...

Episode 1206 - Jake Gyllenhaal

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jake Gyllenhaal knows he has a great job as a celebrated film actor. But the thing that brings him true joy is bursting into song as part of a stage m...

Episode 1205 - Tim Allen

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Allen has embodied enough different personas - Tim Taylor, Mike Baxter, Buzz Lightyear, Santa Claus - that he often doesn't know which guy he actu...

Episode 1204 - Michael K. Williams

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Michael K. Williams knows that a lot of people consider his character, Omar Little, to be the best character on The Wire. But he has a different opini...

Episode 1203 - Melissa Leo

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Melissa Leo's acting style is a combination of gut instincts and a compulsive need to ask questions. It's a style that already earned her an Oscar and...

Episode 1202 - Sam Neill

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Neill never had any ambitions as an actor, which is not true about his ambitions as a wine maker. Speaking to Marc from one of his vineyards in Ne...

Episode 1201 - Jodie Foster

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jodie Foster came out on the other side of being a child actor as a two-time Oscar winner, a celebrated director, a producer and someone who is conten...

Episode 1200 - Mark Harris

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Harris is a writer, journalist, critic and lover of film, which is why Marc wanted to talk with him. After months of at-home movie watching, Marc...

Episode 1199 - Salma Hayek

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Salma Hayek says she survived in Hollywood because she didn't let anger get the better of her. And she'd have good reasons to be angry, facing a barra...

Episode 1198 - Stanley Tucci

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stanley Tucci is fortunate that he broke into the mainstream with his movie Big Night because it combined two of the things he loves the most: acting ...

Episode 1197 - David Duchovny

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

David Duchovny knows you know him from The X-Files. He knows you know him from Californication. But that's not going to stop him from wanting to be ta...

Episode 1196 - Rick Glassman

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Not unlike a lot of comedians, Marc's relationship with Rick Glassman started out with an apology. But that apology led to both of them liking each ot...

Episode 1195 - George Wallace

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For a guy who's been working at the top of the comedy scene since the 1970s, George Wallace has held a lot of other identities too. He was a computer ...

Larry King from 2013

23 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From 2013, Marc talks with talk show icon Larry King about his start in the business, how he got over being nervous on the mic, and the interview subj...

Episode 1194 - Andy Zaltzman

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Marc first met Andy Zaltzman, Andy was in his element at the Edinburgh Fringe. They talk about why the festival circuit was important for Andy an...

Episode 1193 - Daniel Lanois

18 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's a good chance Daniel Lanois is responsible for some of your favorite music ever and it's all thanks to a penny whistle he bought with his allo...

Episode 1192 - Kate Winslet

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Winslet is all about learning on the job. She never trained to be an actor, she just observed her talented co-stars on set. She used her work in ...

Episode 1191 - Nicole Kidman

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole Kidman keeps going for a very simple reason: She feels like her job helps her understand the meaning of life. After winning pretty all the majo...

Episode 1190 - Thundercat

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thundercat thinks bass players run the world and not just because he's a great one. The multi-talented singer-songwriter talks with Marc about growing...

Episode 1189 - Mandy Patinkin

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mandy Patinkin is a renowned star of stage and screen, beloved for his roles in The Princess Bride and Homeland, admired for his mellifluous voice and...

Episode 1188 - David Ritz

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

David Ritz is one of the most prolific biographers of music industry titans, writing about the lives of artists from BB King to Willie Nelson to Janet...

Episode 1187 - Patty Jenkins

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Patty Jenkins's connection to superheroes runs deep. Long before she became the first woman to direct a major superhero film, Patty was relying on Sup...

Episode 1186 - Sam Tallent

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Tallent felt compelled to write a book about the guy he was afraid to turn into. As a comedian plying his trade on the road, Sam did enough one-ni...

Episode 1185 - Andrew Bird

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Bird's music defies categorization, so much so that he's not even sure how to categorize it himself. Andrew walks Marc through the process by w...

Episode 1184 - Bootsy Collins

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bootsy Collins is one of the world's preeminent practitioners of The Funk, although that might not be the case if he hadn't snuck his brother's guitar...

Episode 1183 - Scott Glenn

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Glenn is convinced that every good thing that's ever happened to him has been an accident. That includes serving in the Marines, getting his sta...

Episode 1182 - Brad Williams

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The first time Brad Williams got on a stand-up stage, he was just an audience member. Brought up on stage by a comedian who was telling little people ...

Episode 1181 - Zach Braff

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Zach Braff and Marc both dealt with a lot of loss in the past year. For Zach, keeping it all in perspective is helping him get through the daily stres...

Episode 1180 - John Densmore

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

John Densmore was the drummer for one of the most influential bands of the ‘60s, The Doors, but he's always been on a quest to find truth throug...

Episode 1179 - James Caan

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It may not surprise you that James Caan has been in a few fights. He also played football, boxed and was in rodeo competitions, among other “non...

Episode 1178 - Mike Campbell

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Campbell was more than Tom Petty's bandmate. He was more than a friend, too. He was a partner who had an almost telepathic writing relationship w...

Episode 1177 - Johnny Flynn

23 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Johnny Flynn and Marc already developed a rapport while they were road-tripping through Canada. They were playing David Bowie and Bowie's publicist at...

Episode 1176 - Michael J. Fox

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Michael J. Fox didn't intend to be an inspiration but he's glad he can help out. As Marc learned from talking with him, Michael maintains a perspectiv...

Episode 1175 - Glenn Close

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It took Glenn Close a long time to open up about some aspects of her past. Shame was stubbornly in the way. But Glenn tells Marc she was able to disco...

Episode 1174 - Rhea Seehorn

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Better Call Saul features characters who are not honest about their lives and identities, so it's appropriate that one of the show's stars, Rhea Seeho...

Episode 1173 - Frank Langella

09 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mel Brooks once told Frank Langella, “Nobody would believe you're from Bayonne. You look like a prince without a country.” But whether he'...

Episode 1172 - Heidi Schreck

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With the world still wondering what this year's Presidential election really means, it's the right time for Marc to talk with actor and playwright Hei...

Episode 1171 - David Cross

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

David Cross is one of Marc's oldest friends in show business. And right now is a good time for them to catch up, as David balances his life as the dad...

Episode 1170 - Melinda Hill

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If comedy equals tragedy plus time, comedian Melinda Hill has reached the point where she can make some funny out of the traumas from her past. Melind...

Episode 1169 - Hari Kondabolu

26 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When Hari Kondabolu was a college student, he interviewed Marc for a research paper about standup comedy. Twenty years later, they're talking to each ...

Episode 1168 - Matthew McConaughey

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

These are appropriate times for reflection and Matthew McConaughey just went through the process of reflecting on his whole life while writing his mem...

Episode 1167 - Patti Smith

19 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Patti Smith has been at the vanguard of art, poetry, rock and roll, and other forms of self-expression since the 1960s. But this talk with Marc happen...

Episode 1166 - Lewis Black

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone needs to let off some steam these days and there are few people better who do it better than Lewis Black. Marc welcomes his old friend back t...

Episode 1165 - Wayne Coyne

12 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne was in Los Angeles and decided to stop by the garage for a rare pandemic-era in-person chat. It's been a long time s...

Episode 1164 - Wynton Marsalis

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Wynton Marsalis created a profound examination of America, race, class, politics and human impulses with his latest epic composition, The Ever Fonky L...

Episode 1163 - John Cusack

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

John Cusack is always trying to stay engaged with the world. From a young age when activist priests used to visit his parents to the Reagan years when...

Episode 1162 - Barbara Kopple

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Barbara Kopple is known for her acclaimed documentary films, but for Marc the most memorable time Barbara spent behind the camera is the day she direc...

Episode 1161 - Cecily Strong

28 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The adage “you can never go home again” didn't apply to Cecily Strong. She did, and it's what got her on Saturday Night Live. Cecily tells...

Episode 1160 - Barry Levinson

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Barry Levinson finds himself waking up in disbelief to every outlandish and shocking item in the day's news. It's a different mode for a filmmaker who...

Episode 1159 - Alicia Keys / John Leguizamo

21 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's a New York City doubleheader! First up, Marc talks with the woman behind the modern day New York anthem, Alicia Keys. On the release of her seven...

Episode 1158 - Wendell Pierce

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Wendell Pierce isn't doing a lot of acting during the pandemic, but he's keeping busy. He's spending more time with his 95-year-old father in New Orle...

Episode 1157 - Toni Collette

14 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Toni Collette might be the first actor to tell Marc that, yes, she does learn about herself through the characters she plays. That's a lot of learning...

Episode 1156 - Martin Short

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Even in the face this year, Martin Short remains an optimistic guy. Maybe it's because he's had a career he loves, or maybe it's his mild-mannered Can...

Episode 1155 - Bad Internet w/ Matt Furie, Arthur Jones & Andrew Marantz

07 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One year ago, Marc used the Labor Day episode of WTF to find out why so much bad stuff in the world gets birthed in the darkest corners of the interne...

Episode 1154 - J.K. Simmons

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

J.K. Simmons faced a tough balancing act when his lifelong nonchalance about awards for acting came up against him becoming the runaway favorite to wi...

Episode 1153 - Chelsea Peretti

31 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chelsea Peretti joined Marc in the garage more than ten years ago on a very early episode of WTF. Since then she became a writer for Parks and Rec, pl...

Episode 1152 - Billy Crudup

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's been 20 years since Marc demanded that someone “lock the gates” on Billy Crudup and the rest of the band in Almost Famous. Now that b...

Episode 1151 - Giancarlo Esposito

24 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Whether it's Gus from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul or Buggin' Out from Do The Right Thing or Moff Gideon from The Mandalorian, Giancarlo Esposito...

Episode 1150 - Kieran Culkin

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A lot is going on for Kieran Culkin right now. He's a new dad, he has an Emmy nomination, he's dealing with life during the pandemic like the rest of ...

Episode 1149 - Kerry Washington

17 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kerry Washington has a lot to talk about with Marc, but it's appropriate that they spend the first portion of their conversation singing the praises o...

Episode 1148 - Elliot Page

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

[NOTE: This episode and its synopsis were published on August 13, 2020.] At the time when Juno became an award-winning hit film, Ellen Page experience...

Episode 1147 - Sarah Snook

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Snook plays a character on Succession who exists in the center of the American power structure. But in real life, she's riding out the pandemic ...

Episode 1146 - Joe List

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe List shot his new standup special a week before everything shut down, but that doesn't mean he's given up on comedy. He's been performing in parks...

Episode 1145 - Ice-T

03 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tumultuous times call for sensible comments from voices of reason. Who better to speak to the issues of the day than Ice-T? The legendary rapper, rock...

Episode 1144 - Marsha Warfield

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Not only is Marsha Warfield one of the early pioneers of the Comedy Store scene, she was also there at the start of standup comedy as we know it in Ch...

Episode 1143 - Seth Rogen

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Trigger warning if you are an anti-Semite: First of all, why are you listening to this show? Get lost! Secondly, you are REALLY not going to like this...

Episode 1142 - Chris Fairbanks

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Fairbanks lives the life of a comic, which means a lot of his life is on hold right now. Chris and Marc compare notes on what it's like to live ...

Episode 1141 - Marc and Tom's Normal Things

20 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Scharpling and Marc spend some time talking about the kind of things we all cared about when life was normal: music, coffee, comedy, live performa...

Episode 1140 - Jim Carrey

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Carrey just wrote his first novel, a semi-autobiographical look at show business and an examination of persona. It makes sense because Jim has bee...

Episode 1139 - Colin Jost

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Colin Jost has 15 years of Saturday Night Live under his belt but the time in his life he feels he's still running away from is his upbringing on Stat...

Episode 1138 - Helen Mirren

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dame Helen Mirren is a winner of the Oscar, the Tony, the Emmy, and the BAFTA, and is in the middle of an illustrious career in which she played the g...

Episode 1137 - John Legend

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

John Legend is a multiplatinum recording artist, a winner of the coveted EGOT, a loving family man and, as Marc found out in this conversation, a trem...

Episode 1136 - George Lopez

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

George Lopez says much of his career is driven by spite. He talks with Marc about how the people who told him he wasn't going to make it served as fue...

Carl Reiner from 2013

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

From 2013, Marc talks with Carl Reiner about his journey from writing to acting to directing, as well as his collaborative relationships with Sid Ceas...

Episode 1135 - Alan Zweibel

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One thing Alan Zweibel learned by being a writer for so many funny people is you have to set your ego aside. In doing so, Alan was able to have a care...

Episode 1134 - Nora McInerny

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As Marc dealt with personal grief, he looked around the Internet for some guidance on coping with loss. He found a TED Talk by Nora McInerny, who spok...

Episode 1133 - Janelle Monáe

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Janelle Monáe is not going to stop creating, but right now she feels the urge to use her creativity in the service of action. Marc talks with J...

Episode 1132 - Amber Preston / J-L Cauvin

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's been five years since President Obama joined Marc in the garage and WTF is marking the occasion not with Donald Trump, but with comedian J-L Cauv...

Episode 1131 - Joe Pantoliano

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Pantoliano is widely known for playing bad guys, lowlifes and disreputable characters. He even has his own pseudo-Mafioso nickname: Joey Pants. Bu...

Episode 1130 - Stacey Abrams

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Stacey Abrams believes deeply that the problems facing America today - police brutality, racial discrimination, economic inequality, Covid-19, creepin...

Episode 1129 - Jerry Seinfeld

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

WTF started as a comedy podcast. It’s a show made by a comedian who wanted to talk to other comedians about comedy. Finally, after more than 10 year...

Episode 1128 - Chris Cooper

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Cooper was a guy who worked with his hands. He was raised to be a cowboy on his father’s ranch, spent time building Arrowhead Stadium in Kansa...

Episode 1127 - G.E. Smith

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

G.E. Smith started playing guitar when he was four. As he grew up, he liked The Beatles fine but it was really the Kinks and the Stones that grabbed h...

Episode 1126 - Jeffrey Wright

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Film and television production is on hold, but Jeffrey Wright is using the time to focus on his community. Jeffrey tells Marc how his attempt to help ...

Episode 1125 - Kenya Barris

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kenya Barris retreated from the abusive situation in his childhood home by listening to party records and reading comic books. Those early influences ...

Episode 1124 - Samantha Bee

25 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Samantha Bee says there was a point in her teenage years when she was clearly headed toward a life of crime. Thankfully, that was also the point when ...

Remembering Fred Willard

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marc revisits his 2012 conversation with comedic actor Fred Willard, in which they discuss Fred’s career in improv-heavy films and beloved televisio...

Remembering Lynn Shelton

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marc pays tribute to his creative collaborator and romantic partner Lynn Shelton, who passed away at age 54 on May 16, 2020. This episode includes her...

Episode 1123 - Eliza Hittman / Dan Savage

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Filmmaker Eliza Hittman talks with Marc about telling the stories of teenagers in ways that feel like the lived experiences of actual teenagers. That’...

Episode 1122 - Cate Blanchett

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Conventional wisdom holds that Cate Blanchett is one of the world’s greatest living performers, but one person who disagrees with that is Cate Blanc...

Episode 1121 - Liz Garbus / Andy Kindler

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Filmmaker Liz Garbus knows the importance of telling stories. Her father is one of America’s preeminent First Amendment lawyers, defending people wi...

Episode 1120 - Dan Levy

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The OTHER Dan Levy joins Marc to talk about the Canadian perspective of America, the rite of passage for all Canadians that is Degrassi, and having E...

Episode 1119 - Whitmer Thomas

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Comedian Whitmer Thomas and Marc made a movie together in Alabama. But while Marc was just a visitor, Whitmer knows Alabama to the core. Growing up in...

Episode 1118 - Laura Linney

27 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Laura Linney thinks about mortality a lot and not just because of the current global predicament. Her thoughts are driven mostly by late-in-life paren...

Episode 1117 - Barry Sonnenfeld

23 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Director Barry Sonnenfeld had zero interest in film and went to college mainly to get away from his parents. His obsession with lenses and f-stops put...

Episode 1116 - Rosie O'Donnell

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a first for WTF, Rosie O’Donnell joins Marc over video chat for a bicoastal conversation about her standup career, musical theater and life durin...

Episode 1115 - Sam Morril

16 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The other half of a quarantined comedy couple, Sam Morril joins Marc in the garage at a six-foot distance to talk about the circumstances keeping him ...

Episode 1114 - Taylor Tomlinson

13 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor Tomlinson is possibly the first guest who grew up listening to WTF and learned the comic trade from comedians on the podcast. At the time, she ...