She may have won an Oscar for her first film role, but Lupita Nyong’o spent the early part of her life hiding her desire to be an actor. Lupita tells Marc about growing up under autocratic rule, living in a country where creative voices were suppressed, and learning how to speak out even when it’s risky. Lupita also explains why she followed up 12 Years a Slave with Star Wars and how A Quiet Place: Day One helped cure her fear of cats. (Check out Lupita’s new podcast Mind Your Own, launching September 19, and her new animated film The Wild Robot, in theaters September 27.) Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It took Chris Robinson a long time to accept being a rock and roll frontman. Even at the height of The Black Crowes’ success, he just thought they were just a group of dudes from Atlanta playing roots music. Now reunited with the band and touring again after releasing their ninth album, Chris tells Marc why it took time and perspective to realize he liked being the guy on lead vocals. Chris also tells Marc about the influence of bands like The Faces and Humble Pie, how he was discouraged from being a singer when he was a kid, and how he healed the rift with his brother and bandmate Rich. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drew Lynch never planned on being a comedian. But his pursuit of an acting career got derailed by a traumatic brain injury that left him with a stutter and no career prospects. Drew tells Marc the reason he decided to get on stage and put together a standup act, a decision that made him a finalist on America’s Got Talent and helped him land a recurring guest stint on Marc’s IFC series. Drew also talks about his self-consciousness over his early breaks in comedy and why humility has become a necessary ingredient in his life. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the topic of past guests comes up, Marc often mentions Brendon Walsh, a comedian who was on several early WTF episodes as well as Marc’s IFC sitcom. Diving into a full conversation more than a decade since he was last in the garage, Brendon tells Marc about the changes in his life since then, including the break he took from comedy, the tragic death of his podcast co-host, the mistakes he’s come to terms with, and why he currently hosts The World Record podcast with his wife. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greg Fitzsimmons returns to WTF after a 13 year absence, but his dynamic with Marc remains the same as it was when they were comics starting out in Boston almost four decades ago. With a new comedy special out, Greg talks with Marc about his unhealthy relationship with worry, how he broke the self-destructive cycles of his family, and how his relationship with Marc evolved from trying to get in a fistfight with him backstage to reminiscing about their road stories and hard-earned victories. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past four years, Paul W. Downs has been one of the people responsible for constructing the ongoing story of a lifer standup comic on the show Hacks. Paul talks with Marc about how his comedy background is very different from the fictional Deborah Vance, with his training at the UCB Theater, his days at the vanguard of internet video comedy, and his entry into the world of Broad City. They also talk about embarrassment, becoming less odd with age, and the current crisis in comedy development. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Rooker is known for playing a variety of menacing and intense characters. But menace was something he was always good at, as the protective older brother of six sisters. And intensity is often something people misread because he’s hard of hearing. Michael talks with Marc about growing up in Alabama with no electricity or running water, his bus driver’s outfit helping him land Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, his epic Eight Men Out casting story, his embrace of the comic book world by way of Guardians of the Galaxy, and his Horizon reunion with JFK co-star Kevin Costner. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blair Socci comes from an athletic family with a hardened ancestral backstory involving throat slashing and exile. But despite her exterior toughness, Blair spent her youth enjoying poetry, journaling and creative writing. If she hadn't caught the comedy bug, she intended to become a novelist. Blair and Marc talk about her volleyball prowess, how athletics prepared her for comedy, and why she recently felt the need to abandon her anti-social media stance. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Moon Zappa was on the show back in 2013, she and Marc started dating shortly thereafter. Now that Moon has just written her memoir, Earth to Moon, she and Marc sit down for their first real conversation since their abrupt breakup. Moon talks about the forensic investigation she did of her life, the emotional damage she took from her mother, the pressure of carrying Frank Zappa’s legacy, and the realization that her upbringing was quite sheltered despite her family’s very public image. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Marc saw Beth Stelling’s Netflix special, he knew there was something he found familiar. It turns out they both have a similar process of making comedy out of trauma. Beth talks with Marc about the childhood event that informed most of the way she addresses difficult subjects in her act and how speaking up about an abusive relationship led to a backlash that left her reeling. They also talk about life in Ohio and what it was like to film a comedy special in her hometown. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the reasons singer-songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore didn’t get a solo record deal until he was in his 40s is because he took an extended time away from music to live in a spiritual community. Jimmie and Marc talk about the search for enlightenment in the midst of being a trendsetter for Americana music. They also talk about Jimmie’s band The Flatlanders, Texas barbecue, hearing loss, Willie Nelson, and Jimmie’s recent collaborations with Dave Alvin from The Blasters. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Moving from place to place throughout her childhood was difficult on Anna Akana, but it was growing up alongside the internet that really changed her life. Anna tells Marc how her career as a comedian and actor got going when she turned to YouTube after dealing with the lack of Asian representation in traditional media. Anna also explains how she became a mental health advocate due to her sister’s tragic death and why she decided to go back to comedy as a way to explore sensitive issues.  Content warning: This conversation contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know are struggling and need support, call 988 from any phone to speak with someone at the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Wolfgang Van Halen, learning the drums, guitar and bass came easier than learning to deal with the trolling and resentment he faced for being the son of Eddie Van Halen. Wolfgang tells Marc how touring as part of Van Halen taught him what to avoid in his career and helped him gain perspective on the type of music he wanted to make on his own. They also talk about the universal experience of grief and how Wolfgang has been able to move forward after the devastating loss of his dad. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When two comics are on tour together, one of the best places to get to know each other is in a car while driving between gigs. Clare O’Kane and Marc didn’t have much history together before Clare started opening for Marc, so they recorded their drive from Cleveland to Detroit and talked about their shared experiences with depression, shaving their heads, ailing parents, dreaming of being an artist, and growing into themselves, as well as Clare’s time writing for SpongeBob and SNL. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shalom Auslander gave voice to something Marc was thinking for most of his life: That he’s been living in a world of Feh. What that Yiddish word means and why Shalom believes it’s an organizing idea that’s been forced on human beings, particularly Jews, for thousands of years is the subject of Shalom’s new book. Shalom and Marc talk about breaking the cycle of Feh, how Shalom did so by completely breaking away from his family, and why the nonstop news cycle is one of the biggest causes of collective misery. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First, hear Marc's 2014 conversation with Bob Newhart from Bob's home in Bel-Air. Then, a follow-up conversation from 2018 where Marc and Bob talked on the phone. Bob Newhart died on July 18, 2024, at age 94. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a long time since Dan St. Germain had his first big gig as an opener with Marc in Sacramento. As the years have gone by, Dan took a few breaks from standup, worked as a writer on several TV series, dealt with the heartbreak of a declining parent, and struggled with sobriety. Dan tells Marc how he managed to pull things together, get clean and self-release his latest comedy special. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite Phish’s enormous following, frontman Trey Anastasio still sees himself as an outsider. Trey talks with Marc about his earliest influences, which were not jam bands, but groups like the Jackson 5 and musicals from Broadway. They also talk about the pressure Phish encountered after Jerry Garcia died, how the party scene surrounding the band spiraled out of control, and how Trey’s deep connection with his bandmates served him well when he was at his lowest point.  Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clarence Maclin was uniquely suited to make his film debut in the new movie Sing Sing, starring alongside Colman Domingo. That’s because the film is based on a real life group of incarcerated men at Sing Sing prison and Clarence plays a fictionalized version of himself. Clarence talks with Marc about how a theater program run by an organization called Rehabilitation Through the Arts turned around his life on the inside and helped him find who he needed to be when he got on the outside. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stavros Halkias titled his Netflix special Fat Rascal in part because he doesn’t know any other reality than a life with addictive food issues. Marc is no stranger to addiction or food-based trauma, so he can relate. But both Stavros and Marc can also still get really excited talking about Greek food and their love of diners. Stavros explains the food connection with his heritage, the formative moments of his life in Baltimore’s Greektown, and how he shares an unpleasant connection with Marc’s past in Astoria, Queens. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.