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Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Marc Maron to end his ‘WTF' podcast after 15 years of interviewing comics, actors, musicians, Obama
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comic and actor Marc Maron said Monday that he's ending his popular and influential podcast 'WTF with Marc Maron' after nearly 16 years. Maron said on a newly released episode that the last of the nearly 2,000 episodes he has hosted will be released later this year. 'Sixteen years we've been doing this, and we've decided that we had a great run,' Maron said. 'Now, basically, it's time, folks. It's time. 'WTF' is coming to an end. It's our decision. We'll have our final episode sometime in the fall.' The 61-year-old Maron said he and producing partner Brendan McDonald are 'tired' and 'burnt out' but 'utterly satisfied with the work we've done.' Maron was a veteran stand-up comic who had dabbled in radio when he started the show in 2009, at a time when stand-ups were trying out the form in big numbers, and many listeners still downloaded episodes on to iPods. The show early on was often about Maron talking through his beefs with fellow comedians, but it soon stood out and became a widely heard and medium-defining show with its thoughtful, probing longform interviews of cultural figures. It became a key stop on press tours for authors, actors and musicians and reached a peak when then- President Barack Obama visited Maron's makeshift Los Angeles garage studio for an episode in 2015. Maron used a simple interview style to get guests to share stories they'd rarely told elsewhere. Seeking to know the biggest influences on their lives and careers, Maron would ask, 'Who are your guys?' Other memorable episodes include a 2010 personal and emotional interview with Robin Williams that was re-posted and widely listened to after Williams' death in 2014. The episode earned a place in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Maron kept doing standup specials and expanded his acting career while the show aired, including a three-season run on the Netflix series 'GLOW.' The show's guitar-rock theme song opened with a clip of Maron shouting, 'Lock the gates!' in his role as a promoter in the film 'Almost Famous.' The solo episode openings became a confessional space for Maron where he talked about his life, relationships, years of doing stand-up comedy and struggles with drug addiction. Maron gave tearful tribute to his girlfriend, director Lynn Shelton , in the episode after her death in 2020. 'People who listen to the podcast know me pretty well, and it's all good. They have a relationship with me that's one sided, but it's real and I try to be as gracious about that as possible,' Maron told The Associated Press in 2019. 'My particular little slice of the show business world is very me specific and it's very personal and usually that's a good thing. But I've had to learn how to balance how much of my life I reveal and what I keep to myself, and try to find a little space.'
NBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Marc Maron to end his 'WTF' podcast this fall, citing burnout
Marc Maron announced Monday that he would end his acclaimed podcast, "WTF With Marc Maron," after nearly 16 years. In the latest episode of the popular show, Maron said he and producer Brendan McDonald made the decision to end the podcast sometime this fall. 'It was not some kind of difficult decision, necessarily,' Maron told comedian John Mulaney, who was his guest on the episode. 'Neither me nor Brendan, who are the only people in charge of this operation on every level… we both realized together that we were done.' Maron's show, which celebrates its anniversary Sept. 1, broke ground while the medium of podcasting was still in its infancy. Since its launch in 2009, Maron has recorded more than 1,600 episodes, with guests such as former President Barack Obama, rock star Keith Richards and comedian Carol Burnett. An episode he did with Robin Williams was entered into America's National Recording Registry as the first one-on-one podcast episode. Maron's decision to end the "WTF" podcast comes as podcasts are taking over TV screens amid video formats' increasing popularity. The medium first emerged in the mid-2000s and remained a small, niche market for years before several hits, including 'Serial,' gave the medium a jolt of attention and gravitas. While 2023 was a tough year for podcasts as a whole, popular podcasts retained — and in some instances grew — their audiences in 2024. 'We're tired, we're burnt out, and we are utterly satisfied with the work we've done,' Maron said during Monday's episode. 'We've done great work.' However, Maron said that he is not necessarily retiring from podcasting. "This doesn't mean I'm never going to do something like this again," he said. "It doesn't mean I'll never, you know, have talks like I do here, or or some kind of podcast at some point in time. But for now, we're just, uh, we're wrapping things up. It's OK. It's OK to end things." "And thankfully," he said, while talking about McDonald, "we both realized together that we were done."
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Marc Maron to end his 'WTF' podcast after 15 years of interviewing comics, actors, musicians, Obama
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comic and actor Marc Maron said Monday that he's ending his popular and influential podcast 'WTF with Marc Maron' after nearly 16 years. Maron said on a newly released episode that the last of the nearly 2,000 episodes he has hosted will be released later this year. 'Sixteen years we've been doing this, and we've decided that we had a great run,' Maron said. 'Now, basically, it's time, folks. It's time. 'WTF' is coming to an end. It's our decision. We'll have our final episode sometime in the fall.' The 61-year-old Maron said he and producing partner Brendan McDonald are 'tired' and 'burnt out' but 'utterly satisfied with the work we've done.' Maron was a veteran stand-up comic who had dabbled in radio when he started the show in 2009, at a time when stand-ups were trying out the form in big numbers, and many listeners still downloaded episodes on to iPods. The show early on was often about Maron talking through his beefs with fellow comedians, but it soon stood out and became a widely heard and medium-defining show with its thoughtful, probing longform interviews of cultural figures. It became a key stop on press tours for authors, actors and musicians and reached a peak when then- President Barack Obama visited Maron's makeshift Los Angeles garage studio for an episode in 2015. Other memorable episodes include a 2010 personal and emotional interview with Robin Williams that was re-posted and widely listened to after Williams' death in 2014. The episode earned a place in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Maron kept doing standup specials and expanded his acting career while the show aired, including a three-season run on the Netflix series 'GLOW.' The show's guitar-rock theme song opened with a clip of Maron shouting, 'Lock the gates!' in his role as a promoter in the film 'Almost Famous.' The solo episode openings became a confessional space for Maron where he talked about his life, relationships, years of doing stand-up comedy and struggles with drug addiction. Maron gave tearful tribute to his girlfriend, director Lynn Shelton, in the episode after her death in 2020. 'People who listen to the podcast know me pretty well, and it's all good. They have a relationship with me that's one sided, but it's real and I try to be as gracious about that as possible,' Maron told The Associated Press in 2019. 'My particular little slice of the show business world is very me specific and it's very personal and usually that's a good thing. But I've had to learn how to balance how much of my life I reveal and what I keep to myself, and try to find a little space.'
NBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Marc Maron to end his 'WTF' podcast this fall
Marc Maron announced on Monday that he would end his acclaimed podcast, "WTF With Marc Maron," after nearly 16 years. In the latest episode of the popular show, Maron said he and producer Brendan McDonald made the decision to end the podcast sometime this fall. 'It was not some kind of difficult decision, necessarily,' Maron told comedian John Mulaney, who was his guest on the June 2 episode. 'Neither me nor Brendan, who are the only people in charge of this operation on every level… we both realized together that we were done.' Maron's show, which celebrates its anniversary on September 1, broke ground while the medium of podcasting was still in its infancy. Since its launch in 2009, Maron has recorded more than 1,600 episodes, with guests such as former President Barack Obama, rockstar Keith Richards and comedian Carol Burnett. An episode he did with Robin Williams was entered into America's National Recording Registry as the first one-on-one podcast episode. Maron's decision to end the "WTF" podcast comes as podcasts are taking over TV screens as video formats grow increasingly popular. The medium first emerged in the mid-2000s and remained a small, niche market for years before several hits, including 'Serial,' gave the medium a jolt of attention and gravitas. While 2023 was a tough year for podcasts as a whole, popular podcasts retained — and in some instances grew — their audiences in 2024. 'We're tired, we're burnt out, and we are utterly satisfied with the work we've done,' Maron said during Monday's episode. 'We've done great work.' However, Maron said that he is not necessarily retiring from podcasting. "This doesn't mean I'm never going to do something like this again," he said. "It doesn't mean I'll never, you know, have talks like I do here, or or some kind of podcast at some point in time. But for now, we're just, uh, we're wrapping things up. It's OK. It's OK to end things." "And thankfully," he said, while talking about McDonald, "we both realized together that we were done."
USA Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Marc Maron to end 'WTF' podcast after 16 years: 'We're burnt out'
Marc Maron to end 'WTF' podcast after 16 years: 'We're burnt out' Show Caption Hide Caption John Mulaney praised girlfriend Olivia Munn for 'fighting so hard' during her breast cancer battle John Mulaney has praised his girlfriend Olivia Munn, with whom he has a two-year-old son, for "fighting so hard" during her battle with breast cancer. Bang Showbiz Marc Maron is signing off. The comedian will end his influential interview podcast "WTF" this fall after 16 years. Maron announced the news at the start of his Monday, June 2, episode interviewing John Mulaney. Maron, 61, said he made the decision to end the show with his producer, Brendan McDonald. "We both realized together that we were done," he said. "There was no convincing or pushback or arguing. We were done, and it's OK for things to end." He went on to explain, "It really comes down to the fact that we have put up a new show every Monday and Thursday for almost 16 years, and we're tired. We're burnt out. And we are utterly satisfied with the work we've done." Maron launched "WTF" in September 2009, years before the proliferation of similar celebrity interview podcasts hosted by stars like Dax Shepard and Conan O'Brien. He has spoken to many of the world's biggest stars and in 2015 sat down with former President Barack Obama for what The New York Times described as "almost certainly the first time that a sitting president has recorded an interview in a comedian's garage." Kylie Kelce's podcast 'Not Gonna Lie' tops Apple, Spotify less than a week after release In 2022, Maron's conversation with Robin Williams from 2010 was added to the National Recording Registry. On his June 2 episode, Maron said that the quality of the podcast is important to him and that he doesn't want to "keep plugging along because we can at the risk of our burnout, or our passion (starting) to drift." He said it's possible he could return to podcasting at some point down the line but noted that "for now, we're wrapping things up." Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Sean Hayes on 25-year friendship: 'I'm my best self with them' After Maron's solo introduction, the comedian broke the news to his guest, Mulaney, who expressed his shock. But Maron told the comic, "I don't think we live in a time where people of my generation and slightly older know how to move on from anything or stop." Maron, who has starred in shows like "GLOW" and his own IFC series "Maron," also told Mulaney he doesn't "really know what this means for me," quipping that the podcast "is most of my social life."
