Ed O’Neill’s his early days working in an Ohio steel mill and contemplating a potential career hustling for mobsters didn’t seem like a path to Hollywood. Nor did his days playing football and coming up short during NFL tryouts. But his working class Irish background wound up making Ed the perfect portrayer of Al Bundy, a performance partially based on his own uncle. Ed talks with Marc about everything that led up to Married… with Children and Modern Family, and why he was determined to say no t...
Jun 10, 2024•2 hr 30 min
Larry David says he regrets saying yes to everything right after he agrees to do it. But it’s too late to back out of the garage now, so he’ll try to convince Marc that he actually has a much better disposition than the Larry David character on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Larry talks with Marc about his early days at Catch a Rising Star, how he found his familiar character while working on Joy Behar’s Lifetime show, his fights with network executives, and the origin stories of Seinfeld and Curb. ...
Jun 06, 2024•1 hr 24 min
After twenty-four years and twelve seasons as Susie Greene on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Susie Essman’s life has become strangers seeing her on the street and asking her to curse them out. Susie tells Marc the ins and outs of making Curb and why so many people have trouble separating the characters from the people who play them. They also talk about Larry David, doctor fathers, making depressed parents laugh, her new History of Curb Your Enthusiasm podcast, and why Susie is glad to be done with stand...
Jun 03, 2024•1 hr 22 min
Despite a family name that goes back to the dawn of Hollywood, Tony Goldwyn’s father did not want him to get into the family business. It took Tony achieving his own success and landing a lead role in the movie Ghost for his father to accept this career path. Tony tells Marc the hardscrabble immigrant story of his grandfather, the man who became Samuel Goldwyn, before sharing his own ups and downs in the business and why he moved from acting into directing. They also talk about his new movie Ezr...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 24 min
There was a time when Molly Ringwald knew she had to get out of America for a while so she didn’t have to be That Girl anymore. Now, with a career that includes being a jazz singer, a novelist, and a translator of French literature, Molly is much more than That Girl. Molly and Marc talk about her early days on The Facts of Life, her global stardom in the John Hughes movies, and her current day projects, including the recent season of Feud: Capote vs The Swans. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the fu...
May 27, 2024•2 hr 30 min
In a role reversal for WTF guests, Steph Tolev thought Marc didn’t like her. And as Marc usually finds out when he assumes another comedian dislikes him, Steph discovered that Marc is actually totally intrigued by who she is and interested in how she developed her unique comedic style. So Steph explains that it has a lot to do with Canada, highland dancing, sketch comedy, spite, pissing off the wrong people, farting, and Bill Burr, roughly in that order. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full sho...
May 23, 2024•2 hr 37 min
Daniel Stern made a radical decision in show business after achieving success and financial independence: He decided to stop. After culture-defining projects like Home Alone, The Wonder Years, City Slickers and more, Daniel tells Marc why he decided to devote more time to his family, farming, sculpture and public service, all based on the example set by his co-star Jack Palance. Daniel also explains why he wrote a memoir despite having no interest in selling it or making money off it. Sign up he...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 29 min
When Marc saw Billy Strings play live on stage at Willie Nelson’s birthday show, he watched a born performer make bluegrass music vital to a modern audience. Billy talks with Marc about his joy of guitar playing as an adolescent in Michigan, how his family helped shape his musical sensibilities, and how substance abuse in and around his life worked hard to crush his dreams. Now invested more in playing than in partying, Billy also talks about the music he loves and the musical heroes he’s been h...
May 16, 2024•2 hr 37 min
Before discovering comedy, A. Whitney Brown dropped out of the eighth grade, bounced around reform schools, had a criminal record, and spent time in jail. Now, after a career that saw him do standup on Carson, write for SNL during its late-‘80s renaissance, and help launch The Daily Show, Whitney says he’s happy to be out of show business. Marc caught up with Whitney at his home in Austin, Texas to talk about his life, his leisure and Mark Twain. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show ...
May 13, 2024•2 hr 34 min
Joe Mande’s past appearances on WTF involve him being a sort of merry comic prankster, like back in the heyday of Twitter when he was trolling politicians and corporate brands on a daily basis. But in today’s polarized social environment, Joe and Marc talk about how tricky it is to be a modern day troublemaker. They also discuss their shared love of Michael Clayton, courtside basketball, and Joe’s hand in the making of the show Hacks. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekl...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Chris Pine is in the position to offer Marc some advice. As the first-time director of the new movie Poolman, Chris gives Marc practical tips as Marc entertains the possibility of directing a film. But Chris also provides Marc with some insight into why people like them still feel a need to keep going despite their clear measurements of success. They also talk about Star Trek, Hell or High Water, Chris’s dad Robert Pine, Denzel Washington and the eclipse that was happening during this conversati...
May 06, 2024•2 hr 31 min
Before Tiffany Haddish rocketed to stardom with Girls Trip, she saw Marc at the back entrance of The Comedy Store and told him that she was going to be on his podcast one day. Today is that day. Tiffany and Marc talk about who she was in those days before worldwide fame, how she came up in the foster care system, how she found her voice at comedy camp, and how she wound up navigating the new world of being a major celebrity. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus ma...
May 02, 2024•2 hr 33 min
While watching Neal Brennan’s new Netflix special, Crazy Good, Marc learned new things about Neal despite knowing each other for 30 years. They sit down to figure out how things have changed for them, whether they are truly feeling better in their lives, and why they are still pursuing some version of success they can’t quite pinpoint. Neal also shares some insight he received directly from Bono that might answer some of their questions. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and we...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 20 min
Nearly 30 years ago in the alt-comedy scene of New York City, Marc crossed paths with an evangelical country singer named Tammy Faye Starlite. She’s the alter ego of lifelong New Yorker Tammy Lang, who stormed the city’s cabarets and clubs with her own form of performance art and musicality. Tammy and Marc reminisce about the days at places like Luna Lounge, the creation of the Tammy Faye Starlight character, and why she started performing as real singers, like Marianne Faithfull and Nico. Sign ...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 27 min
Paula Pell is often celebrated as one of the funniest people alive by some of the other funniest people alive. The world is finally getting to see what they mean thanks to Paula’s standout role on Girls5eva, but for years she was comedy’s best kept secret, writing legendary SNL sketches, doing punch-up and script doctoring for major movies, and contributing to hit sitcoms and award shows. Paula tells Marc why it took her a long time to feel comfortable being in the spotlight as a performer. Sign...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 29 min
When Marc asked Jimmy Carr to be a guest on WTF years ago, Jimmy admits he wasn’t ready for it. He was already an established comedian at the time, but he felt like Public Jimmy was one thing and Private Jimmy was another. Now years later, Jimmy believes that age and experience have allowed him to get out of his comedy comfort zone and explore more personal truths, as he does in this talk with Marc and in his new Netflix special, Natural Born Killer. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show ar...
Apr 18, 2024•1 hr 22 min
When Malcolm McDowell left behind Liverpool to pursue acting in London, he didn’t imagine it would be the start of 60 years as a performer. Malcolm talks with Marc about his extraordinary career, including his work with Stanley Kubrick on A Clockwork Orange, the pornographic fate of Caligula, and stories about Lawrence Olivier, Alan Bates, Peter Sellers, Robert Altman, Mick Jagger and more. Malcolm also explains why he fell hard for Newfoundland while making the series Son of a Critch. Sign up h...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 27 min
Alex Edelman is the kind of comic who makes Marc immediately anxious. But it’s quickly apparent that Marc is reacting to the fact that he sees so much of himself in Alex. They’re both still dealing with complex feelings about their Jewish identities. They both paid their comedy dues doing road gigs in Boston. They both experiment with long-form storytelling, wondering if they’re doing one-man shows or standup, or if there’s a difference. They hash all this out as they discuss Alex’s new HBO spec...
Apr 11, 2024•1 hr 26 min
Carol Burnett turns 91 later this month and is still going strong with a featured role in the new series Palm Royale. But Carol is quick to remind Marc that the great success she achieved happened in part due to the kindness of strangers. Carol and Marc talk about the mysterious benefactors who helped her get to New York where she found success on the stage, then on television, and then with her own variety show. They also talk about her friendship with Lucille Ball, collaborating with Julie And...
Apr 08, 2024•2 hr 35 min
Standup comedy transformed Dina Hashem’s life. So why is she at a point, right after releasing her acclaimed first special, where she cares less about standup than ever before? Dina talks with Marc about her isolated upbringing in New Jersey, her revelatory first time doing comedy, and why she has a hard time recognizing herself in her own special. Dina also talks about drumming, skateboarding, and writing for The Daily Show. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus m...
Apr 04, 2024•2 hr 30 min
Celebrated singer-songwriter and guitarist Alejandro Escovedo made one of Marc’s favorite albums, the 1992 solo record Gravity. But the raw, intimate poetry of that album came from a real place of grief and anguish in Alejandro’s life. They talk about what led up to that point, including his early bands The Nuns, Rank and File, and True Believers, and the rocky road afterward when Alejandro’s health took a turn for the worse. They also discuss his new album, Echo Dancing, and why he chose to rei...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 18 min
David Krumholtz lives and breathes Hollywood because, according to him, he has no other choice. The prolific character actor got what he considers a once in a lifetime break at age 13, so he needed to honor whatever fates gave him that opportunity by devoting himself entirely to acting. David talks with Marc about what he’s learned from co-stars like Judd Hirsch and Alan Arkin as well as directors like Christopher Nolan and the Coen Brothers, and he also reflects on his leading man status in the...
Mar 28, 2024•2 hr 32 min
Tig Notaro’s new comedy special is called “Hello, Again” which serves as a reintroduction of sorts, considering how much has changed in Tig’s life over the years. Tig explains to Marc how her previous tough, no-nonsense demeanor gave way to a different side after surviving cancer and falling in love. They talk about how Tig’s relationship developed with her wife Stephanie and why, after being pushed to the brink by illness, she just wants to raise her family and do work that’s important to her. ...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr 16 min
This is Eddie Pepitone’s 25th appearance on WTF, by far the most appearances on the show for anyone other than Marc. And yet Eddie and Marc have never had a full length one-on-one talk in the garage. They attempt to do so in this episode, despite of Eddie’s aversion to linear logic and his aggressive style of comedic free association. Will they stay on track? Will they be able to follow through on at least one thought? Find out as they also try to come up with a central concept for Eddie’s upcom...
Mar 21, 2024•1 hr 19 min
Dave Attell and Marc have known each other for 35 years but really only converse at length on this podcast. Back on WTF after 14 years, Dave explains why he’s still on the road all the time as he gets set to premiere his new Netflix special, Hot Cross Buns. Dave and Marc also marvel at the current comedy boom in comparison to some of the down times they’ve lived through and they both share notes on what it’s like to be sons taking care of elderly parents. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full sh...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 14 min
When Todd Glass was on WTF back in 2012, he decided to do something that changed his entire life. Now, twelve years later, Todd is looking to change the way he does comedy for the rest of his career. Todd tells Marc about his new stage show, The Event of a Lifetime, why he wants to do it forever, and the challenges he’s facing while putting it on its feet. They also talk about the state of comedy today, the benefits of tour buses, and hugging. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives ...
Mar 14, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Sonic Youth founding member Thurston Moore is not just an influential figure in the evolution of Noise Rock and the no-wave art scene. He’s a chronicler of subversive music and other forms of artistic expression, as detailed in his memoir Sonic Life. Thurston talks with Marc about living on the Lower East Side in the ‘70s and ‘80s and the people who were part of the scene, including Patti Smith, The Ramones and Thurston’s future bandmate and wife Kim Gordon. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full...
Mar 11, 2024•2 hr 30 min
Rory Scovel is back in the garage, fresh off premiering a new standup special on Max that Marc found extremely funny. Now at a point in his life where his smack in the middle between feeling young and feeling old, Rory talks with Marc veteran comic to veteran comic about their philosophies on building a comedy hour, riffing, flying by the seat of their pants, re-doing older material, getting jokes from other comics and the intent behind filthy jokes. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show ar...
Mar 07, 2024•2 hr 32 min
Hear Marc’s conversations with past WTF guests who are nominated for Oscars this year: Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy, Jeffrey Wright, Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, America Ferrera, Mark Ruffalo, Yorgos Lanthimos, Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig, Rodrigo Prieto, Lily Gladstone, and Robbie Robertson. This episode is sponsored by Acorns . Notices: Paid non-client endorsement. May not be representative of all clients. Tier one compensation provided. Compensation provides an incenti...
Mar 06, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Ben Mendelsohn is a prolific actor with a dynamic range, and yet most of his training came from watching movies as a young kid in Australia and learning from the stars he saw on screen. Ben and Marc talk about their shared love of AC/DC, the social gravity of Australia, and the enjoyment of doing nothing. They also dive into some of Ben’s notable roles in Animal Kingdom, Babyteeth and his portrayal of Christian Dior in the series The New Look. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives ...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 19 min
