WTF with Marc Maron

Comedy podcast

Podcast

WTF with Marc Maron is a weekly podcast and radio show hosted by stand-up comedian Marc Maron. The show was launched in September 2009. The show is produced by Maron's former Air America co-worker Brendan McDonald.

Background

The show's title stems from the Internet slang abbreviation WTF (for "What the fuck?"). WTF launched in September 2009 following the cancellation of Maron's Air America terrestrial radio program Breakroom Live with Maron & Seder. Maron retained his Air America building keycard and, without permission, used their studios to record the first several episodes of WTF.

After the first episodes, Maron moved from New York to California. Most episodes of the show are generally recorded in Maron's home garage, nicknamed "the Cat Ranch", in Los Angeles. He ends most podcasts with the phrase "Boomer lives" in honour of a cat he brought from New York who went missing. The phrase became a hashtag and his production company name.^[1]

Occasionally shows are recorded in Maron's various hotel rooms (while on the road performing stand-up), the offices of his guests, or other locations. Every show opens with an audio sample of one of Maron's lines from the film Almost Famous: "Lock the gates!"^[2]

It began being distributed to radio by Public Radio Exchange in 2012.^[3]

Reception

WTF has received generally positive reviews, including positive write-ups in The New York Times^[4] and Entertainment Weekly.^[5] On average, it receives over 443,000 downloads per episode, with the show purportedly surpassing 600 million downloads by July 2022.^[6] In 2014, Rolling Stone listed WTF #1 on their list of The 20 Best Comedy Podcasts Right Now.^[7] In 2022, the episode featuring Robin Williams from April 26, 2010, was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," becoming the first recording from the 2010s to be inducted.^[8][9]

Awards

Notable podcasts

• On an episode released in April 2010, Robin Williams discussed contemplating suicide.^[17] Maron later reposted the episode following the news of Williams' death, complete with new host segments talking about how much the episode shaped the show and his own personal life.^[18][9] In 2022, this episode was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.^[19][9]
• Carlos Mencia discussed his plagiarism allegations in a May 2010 episode. Maron thought that "something didn't feel right", and in the next episode he interviewed comics Willie Barcena and Steve Trevino, who offered accounts of Mencia stealing material. Maron then contacted Mencia, who immediately returned for a follow-up interview. Mencia admitted that during the initial interview, he "had an agenda", and then went on to discuss the allegations and his reputation in a much less guarded, more forthright manner.^[20][21][22]
• Louis C.K. gave a two-episode interview in October 2010, in which Maron and C.K. revealed that the two of them had a falling out, and discussed and rekindled their old friendship. During the podcast, C.K. became audibly emotional when talking about the birth of his first daughter. Slate called the interview the greatest podcast episode of all time in a 2014 list.^{[23][24][25][26]}
• Kevin Smith in a January 2011 episode detailed his acrimonious working relationship with Bruce Willis on set of his film Cop Out, which triggered a public feud between the two of them.^[27][28][29]
• During his January 2011 interview with Gallagher, Maron brought up the accusations of Gallagher's recent material being racist and homophobic. An argument ensued, resulting in Gallagher walking out mid-interview.^[30][31]
• Todd Hanson in a July 2011 episode gave a detailed account of his suicide attempt in a Brooklyn hotel room, and spoke about his lifelong struggle with depression.^[32][33]
• Todd Glass used his January 2012 appearance to come out as gay.^[34][35]
• In 2013, Maron's assistant asked if he would be interested in interviewing "Kevin McDonald", to which Maron, a fan of The Kids In The Hall comedy troupe, agreed. On the day of the interview, Maron was greeted by a publicist who said that her client would be arriving to promote his movie. Maron was surprised, but thought little of it, as he rarely does much research or preparation before interviews. When the interviewee arrived, it was not Kids In The Hall comedian Kevin McDonald, but instead Scottish film director Kevin MacDonald, who Maron had never heard of. Since MacDonald had arrived early, Maron excused himself, then researched MacDonald and learned that he'd directed The Last King of Scotland, which he had seen, and Being Mick, which he had heard of. Maron used this knowledge as a starting point for the conversation, but the interview was shorter than a typical episode. Later, Maron bumped into Kevin McDonald while they were both performing in Los Angeles, and invited him to interview, so it could be a second segment of the same episode. McDonald noted that he had never met the director, but they were both represented by William Morris Agency and had been mixed up before (including once by the Internal Revenue Service). The episode was released with the title "Kevin MacDonald/Kevin McDonald" on March 10, 2014.^[36]
• U.S. President Barack Obama recorded an episode in June 2015 in Maron's garage. Recorded after the Charleston church shooting, the interview received attention due to Obama's use of the word "nigger" when discussing racism in America.^[37][38][39]
• Maron interviewed Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels in October 2015. The interview was significant because throughout the history of the podcast, Maron would frequently discuss Michaels and his own rejection from being hired for SNL in the mid-1990s. The two-hour interview was posted in November 2015.^[40]
• In a special episode from August 2017, Maron released a September 2016 recording with Jerry Lewis that was planned as a full episode. However, as Lewis ended the show abruptly after about 20 minutes of conversation, he held off on releasing it until Lewis died a year later.^[41][42]
• Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson appeared on the program in September 2017 and revealed his diagnosis and treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder.^[43]
• In February 2019, actress Mandy Moore said on the podcast that her marriage to musician Ryan Adams was "entirely unhealthy" and emotionally abusive.^[44]
• In January 2020, former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer discussed the circumstances surrounding his exit from the band in his first public interview since leaving.^[45][46]
• Peter Dinklage's appearance on the podcast in January 2022 attracted media attention for his criticisms of Disney's remake of Snow White, commenting on the "backwards" depiction of the Seven Dwarfs and accusing Disney of hypocrisy in using the film to promote progressive values.^[47]

References

1. "Flavorwire Interview: Marc Maron on Life at the "Cat Ranch"". June 12, 2013. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
2. Movieclips (October 11, 2011). "Almost Famous (5/9) Movie CLIP - Do You Wanna Buy a Gate? (2000)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
3. "Marc Maron's podcast headed to public radio". Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
4. Saltzstein, Dan (January 6, 2011). "The Comic Who Explores Comedy's Darkest Side". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
5. Rottenburg, Josh (January 17, 2015). "Marc Maron: The comedian's comedian". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
6. Berman, Marc. "Pioneering The Podcast: 'WTF With Marc Maron' Celebrates 13 Years With A New Partnership With Acast". Forbes. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
7. "1. 'WTF With Marc Maron'". Rolling Stone. May 8, 2014. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
8. "National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
9. Ulaby, Neda (April 13, 2022). "The Library of Congress adds 25 titles, including Alicia Keys and Ricky Martin". NPR. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
10. "2015 AofP Winners and Finalists". Academy of Podcasters. Podcast Movement. 2015. Archived from the original on October 14, 2016.
11. "2017 Finalist". Academy of Podcasters. Podcast Movement. August 23, 2017. Archived from the original on February 5, 2019.
12. "Academy of Podcasters: Past Winners". Academy of Podcasters. Podcast Movement. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017.
13. "'WTF With Marc Maron' awarded the Governors Award by The Podcast Academy". CNN. April 12, 2021. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
14. "Marc Maron to Accept Top Accolade". The Ambies® — Awards for Excellence in Audio. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
15. "iHeartRadio Podcast Awards: See The Full List of Nominees". iHeart. October 22, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
16. "'WTF With Marc Maron' awarded the Governors Award by The Podcast Academy". CNN. April 12, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
17. Avins, Jenni (August 12, 2014). "Listen to Robin Williams 'interview' himself about the time he considered suicide". Quartz. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
18. "Remembering Robin Williams". August 11, 2014. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
19. "National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
20. Marc Maron (May 4, 2010). "Episode 75 - Carlos Mencia". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023. (subscription required)
21. Marc Maron (May 27, 2010). "Episode 76 - Willie Barcena / Steve Trevino / Carlos responds". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023. (subscription required)
22. Stranahan, Lee (May 31, 2010). "Marc Maron Enters Mind of Carlos Mencia, Then Has Trouble Leaving". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
23. Marc Maron (October 4, 2010). "Episode 111 - Louis CK part 1". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023. (subscription required)
24. Marc Maron (October 7, 2010). "Episode 112 - Louis CK part 2". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023. (subscription required)
25. Haglund, David; Onion, Rebecca (December 14, 2014). "The 25 Best Podcast Episodes Ever". Slate. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
26. Gadino, Dylan P. "Marc Maron shooting scenes for 'Louie' so we transcribed the famous friendship chat from WTF". Laugh Spin. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
27. Marc Maron (January 17, 2011). "Episode 141 - Kevin Smith". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023. (subscription required)
28. Ferrier, Aimee (January 29, 2023). "Understanding the feud between Bruce Willis and Kevin Smith on the set of 'Cop Out'". Far Out Magazine. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
29. Ferrier, Aimee (March 30, 2022). "Kevin Smith Apologizes to Bruce Willis Over Petty 'Cop Out' Complaints: 'I Feel Like an A–hole'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
30. Marc Maron (January 31, 2011). "Episode 145 - Gallagher". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
31. Nathan, Rabin (November 16, 2015). "That Time Gallagher Displayed His True Awfulness and Then Stormed Out on Marc Maron". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
32. Marc Maron (July 7, 2011). "Episode 190 - Todd Hanson". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023. (subscription required)
33. Rabin, Nathan (June 1, 2015). "What Made Todd Hanson's Episode of 'WTF' One of the Most Powerful Podcast Episodes Ever". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
34. Marc Maron (January 16, 2012). "Episode 245 - Todd Glass". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023. (subscription required)
35. Luippold, Ross (January 16, 2012). "Beloved Comedian Comes Out As Gay On 'WTF'". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on December 23, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
36. Horst, Carole (December 12, 2013). "Marc Maron's Morning Scramble Was a True 'WTF' Moment". Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
37. Marc Maron (June 22, 2015). "Episode 613 - President Barack Obama". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
38. Larson, Sarah (June 22, 2015). ""WTF" with Barack Obama". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
39. Deena, Zaru (June 22, 2015). "Obama uses N-word, says we are 'not cured' of racism". CNN. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
40. Matthew Love (November 9, 2015). "10 Things We Learned from Lorne Michaels' WTF Interview". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
41. Marc Maron (August 20, 2017). "Remembering Jerry Lewis". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
42. Ross, Martha (August 21, 2017). "Jerry Lewis was difficult but awkwardly hilarious in his final interviews". Mercury News. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023. Finally, Lewis sat down with comedian Marc Maron last August for Maron's WTF podcast. Maron held off airing the interview for several months because it initially seemed like such a disaster.
43. "'SNL' Star Pete Davidson Reveals Borderline Personality Disorder Diagnosis". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
44. "Mandy Moore Addresses Ryan Adams Relationship on Marc Maron's 'WTF' Podcast". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
45. Marc Maron (January 23, 2020). "Episode 1091 - Josh Klinghoffer". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
46. DeVille, Chris (January 23, 2020). "Josh Klinghoffer Calls Red Hot Chili Peppers Ouster "A Complete Shock But Not A Surprise"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
47. Salam, Maya (January 25, 2022). "Peter Dinklage Calls Disney's 'Snow White' Remake 'Backward'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.

External links

• Official website