Nearly 30 years ago in the alt-comedy scene of New York City, Marc crossed paths with an evangelical country singer... more

Paula Pell is often celebrated as one of the funniest people alive by some of the other funniest people alive.... more

When Marc asked Jimmy Carr to be a guest on WTF years ago, Jimmy admits he wasn’t ready for it.... more

When Malcolm McDowell left behind Liverpool to pursue acting in London, he didn’t imagine it would be the start of... more

Alex Edelman is the kind of comic who makes Marc immediately anxious. But it’s quickly apparent that Marc is reacting... more

Carol Burnett turns 91 later this month and is still going strong with a featured role in the new series... more

Standup comedy transformed Dina Hashem’s life. So why is she at a point, right after releasing her acclaimed first special,... more

Celebrated singer-songwriter and guitarist Alejandro Escovedo made one of Marc’s favorite albums, the 1992 solo record Gravity. But the raw,... more

David Krumholtz lives and breathes Hollywood because, according to him, he has no other choice. The prolific character actor got... more

Tig Notaro’s new comedy special is called “Hello, Again” which serves as a reintroduction of sorts, considering how much has... more

This is Eddie Pepitone’s 25th appearance on WTF, by far the most appearances on the show for anyone other than... more

Dave Attell and Marc have known each other for 35 years but really only converse at length on this podcast.... more

When Todd Glass was on WTF back in 2012, he decided to do something that changed his entire life. Now,... more

Sonic Youth founding member Thurston Moore is not just an influential figure in the evolution of Noise Rock and the... more

Rory Scovel is back in the garage, fresh off premiering a new standup special on Max that Marc found extremely... more

Hear Marc’s conversations with past WTF guests who are nominated for Oscars this year: Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy, Jeffrey Wright,... more

Ben Mendelsohn is a prolific actor with a dynamic range, and yet most of his training came from watching movies... more

Mae Martin is Canadian, has a background in sketch comedy, spent a lot of time doing standup in England, and... more

Richard Lewis was a comedy hero and inspiration to Marc. They spent their first extended time together in 2011 for... more

Lily Gladstone knows that people project all manner of emotions and intentions onto her when she gives a performance. Lily... more

Rodrigo Prieto is the cinematographer of two of last year's most celebrated films: Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon,... more

America Ferrera didn't expect that her performance in Barbie would lead to an Oscar nomination but few things in life... more

Before Mark Ruffalo became the Hulk, he deeply understood what it felt like to be two people in the same skin. A... more

Da’Vine Joy Randolph is in the midst of the highly competitive Hollywood award season, but the competitive fire always burns... more

Ed Zwick’s career as a director, writer and producer in Hollywood lends itself to the full memoir treatment, complete with... more

John Oliver is one of those people who just gets Marc. It’s not surprising, considering John has become one of... more

Laurie Kilmartin can make comedy out of the darkest situations in her life, from her father’s hospice care to her... more

Marc's 2014 conversation with Wayne Kramer, co-founder of the legendary rock group MC5, covering the ‘60s, jazz, Iggy Pop, the... more

In the thirteen years since Bobby Lee was last on WTF, he and Marc have grown to like each other... more

Jon Cryer has been in show business for most of his life and has seen the changes, both rapid and... more

Moshe Kasher already wrote a memoir about his years as a teenage substance abuser growing up in an orthodox Jewish... more

Jacqueline Novak’s new Netflix standup special is a rite of passage story about a girl finding her way into womanhood.... more

It’s the return of two past WTF guests who have lots of stories and common experiences to share with Marc.... more

Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day are heading out on a global tour as they celebrate the 30th anniversary of... more

The last time Greta Gerwig was on WTF, she had just directed her first solo feature, the independent film Lady Bird.... more

Joel Edgerton’s decision to start a filmmaking collective with his brother and friends in Australia is the foundation for his... more

Paul Giamatti and Marc have so many similar interests - amassing books, admiring marginal geniuses, taking jobs out of panic,... more

For New Year’s Day, Marc introduces you to The Friday Show, a weekly episode available to Full Maron subscribers, hosted... more

Matt B. Davis is unique among WTF guests in that he did comedy for more than a decade, got out... more

For Christmas Day, Marc presents a special collection of exclusive segments that were published this past year on the Full... more

Growing up in Ghana, director Blitz Bazawule relied on three things to transport him to other worlds: movies, American hip-hop,... more

Tammy Pescatelli and Marc were recently on the same show, performing for thousands in a basketball arena. Now in the... more

As one of country music’s most prolific singer-songwriters, Rodney Crowell talks with Marc about the art of songwriting, his evolution... more

Peter Sarsgaard is always a memorable presence on screen and on stage. But in his latest role, he’s playing a... more

Taylor Williamson’s obsession with comedy led him to club gigs as a teenager and national press coverage praising “the 19-year-old’s... more

Kate Simon’s love of photography started with a Polaroid camera and her talents put her right in the middle of... more

Jesse David Fox thinks comedy is serious business. As the comedy reporter at Vulture, he’s been writing about it for... more

A conversation more than a dozen years in the making, Albert Brooks finally agreed to sit down with Marc overlooking... more

When Marc was living in Highland Park, he found out something interesting about his neighborhood optometrist. Not only was this... more

Taika Waititi has his hands in dozens of projects at any given time, but he says the connective thread of... more

Fisher Stevens left a lasting impression on Marc in the early ‘80s when Fisher was in Brighton Beach Memoirs on... more

Chef José Andrés could have been best known as the owner of some of the most celebrated restaurants in the... more

Before he was Laraaji, Edward Larry Gordon was a gig musician with a background in composition, an aspiring actor, a... more

While John Wilson spends his time filming everything around him, one question he’s constantly asking is whether he should be... more

Lou Adler’s career in the music industry is one of the most accomplished in history, writing and producing hit songs... more

Nearly fifteen years ago, Dan Soder and Marc were talking at a comedy club right after they were both fired... more

Jennette McCurdy turned the pain of her abusive upbringing and the resentment she had toward her show business career into... more

Joan Baez is in the midst of examining her life as the subject of a new documentary, Joan Baez: I... more

It’s another comic double-header with two of Marc’s favorites. Doug Stanhope is back to talk about his new movie The... more

Fans know Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford as the Metal God. But he says there’s one guy called Rob Halford... more

Arnold Schwarzenegger likes to focus on life’s victories. That makes for an interesting contrast with Marc, a self-described “obstacle guy.”... more

Tom Papa’s last trip to the garage was mostly about his comedy past, reflecting on how he and Marc got... more

Larry Charles always knew he liked comedy but he also knew he liked being a button-pusher. Those preferences are on... more

Les Claypool is the first guest who flew himself to his WTF interview. Whether he’s studying aviation, perfecting fly fishing... more

LeVar Burton was on track to join the priesthood early in life. But that actually turned out to be the... more

Chevy Chase plays a pivotal role in the history of American comedy, from his work on the National Lampoon Radio... more

Aparna Nancherla says the self-fulfilling prophecy of imposter syndrome is convincing yourself you don’t belong and acting in a way... more

When Gary Gulman was on WTF in 2013, he and Marc talked about Gary’s mental health in relation to his... more

Hannah Einbinder was a fan of WTF as a teenager and drew inspiration from Marc’s conversations with comedians while she... more

Naomi Klein was faced with a rather common problem. She was consistently mistaken for someone else. But because Naomi is... more

Bernie Taupin is a songwriter responsible for many of the most beloved songs ever recorded. But he actually thinks of... more

Michael Symon’s food journey has taken many unexpected turns, from revitalizing the Cleveland restaurant scene to changing his own diet... more

Jeff Sharlet is a reporter Marc turned to regularly during his days as a radio host to help explain the... more

Maria Bamford is not only one of Marc’s favorite comics, she’s one of Marc’s favorite people to talk with, as... more

Andrew Leland started having trouble seeing when he was in high school. He learned about his degenerative condition that would... more

Amanda Seales was on the show Insecure, but only when she had an actual crisis of confidence did she feel... more

Nimesh Patel got advice from his comedy hero Chris Rock that comics need to get personal in order to become... more

Jessica Chastain is one of our most celebrated actors, with a recent Oscar win, a Tony-nominated Broadway run, and a... more

Adam Conover felt out of place in a family of scientists, but his decision to pursue a philosophy degree actually... more

Alex Winter was an actor for much of his young life until he realized it wasn’t his preferred way to... more

Gary Mule Deer's career has spanned more than 60 years, but he's got enough in it to fill at least 600.... more

Melissa Villaseñor spent six seasons on Saturday Night Live and left her mark with a wide array of impressions. It... more

George Schlatter's lifetime in show business encompasses way more than Marc could cover during George's last appearance on WTF. Now... more

There's a reason Jim Gaffigan is back for his seventh appearance on the show. No matter how much older they... more

Michael Rowe and Marc knew each other decades ago from the comedy club scene, but Mike says there was a... more

Cillian Murphy knew he wanted to become an actor when he saw A Clockwork Orange. Not the Kubrick film, but... more

Sarah Tiana and Marc are very much co-workers. They see each other at “the office” regularly but they’ve never had... more

Lukas Nelson doesn’t fear any comparisons with his father, Willie, because his dad taught him by example to do what... more

Joanna Gleason lives in a vibrant community of artistic people. In a way, it's what she's always known, growing up surrounded... more

Marc admits to a certain amount of conspiracy-driven paranoia when he was younger, which gives him a unique vantage point... more

A bike accident and a cracked bone delayed Clifton Collins Jr.’s appearance in the garage, but now he’s all healed... more

The Full Maron is our WTF+ subscription tier that gives you weekly bonus episodes. It's now a year old, so that means there's 52... more

Kyle Kinane is a comedian Marc enjoys so much, he had him on multiple early episodes of WTF. But at... more

Comedian Tom Dreesen was hanging out with Marc in The Comedy Store parking lot, telling stories of show business and... more

Ben Kingsley believes his job is to reflect truth and in order to do that he keeps many voices in... more

Felicia Michaels and Marc started at The Comedy Store around the same time. They got to see the ‘80s comedy... more

In 2019, Ramy Youssef surprised Hollywood by coming out of nowhere to win the Golden Globe for Best Actor in... more

Jeff Stilson only had two goals as a comedian: Get on Johnny Carson and write for David Letterman. After he... more

Anthony Ramos was ready to give up on acting but seeing the musical In The Heights on Broadway gave him... more

William Shatner has lived long and continues to prosper. At 92 years old, he has dozens of projects in the... more

Vir Das doesn’t worry about fitting in. He was born in India, grew up in Nigeria, went to school in... more

Amy Sherman-Palladino says working on a TV show takes over your whole life. This is why Amy went from being... more

Smokey Robinson just released his 26th studio album, but he’s been writing songs since the age of six. Smokey talks... more

For Warren Zanes, music has been a salvation. In his troubled teen years, his brother put him in the band... more

Paul Schrader’s upbringing was steeped in the contradictions of religion, which helped him explore the contradictory characters in his screenplays,... more

Ice Cube never stopped thinking about making music, from the moment he started writing raps in typewriting class to sitting... more

Rachel Weisz and her collaborators totally knocked Marc for a loop with the new series Dead Ringers, a show that’s... more

When comedian Shane Mauss was on the show in 2016, he and Marc talked about the new trajectory in his... more

Tituss Burgess was in the movie Respect alongside Marc, playing gospel singer James Cleveland. But it was Tituss’s own original... more

Both David Mandel and Marc were obsessed with the early years of Saturday Night Live, in large part because of... more

J. Smith-Cameron gets just as surprised while watching Succession as you do. With all the footage they shoot, she’s never... more

As the daughter of Jill Clayburgh and playwright David Rabe, Lily Rabe felt a lot of pressure not to become... more

From February 2013, Marc talks with comedian Darryl Lenox about the struggles he faced throughout his life and how he... more

The last time Ray Romano was on the podcast, he was making the show Men of a Certain Age. Now... more

It's a series of firsts for Alex Borstein: The release of her first comedy special, her first podcast interview done... more

Three episodes into the Netflix series Beef, Steven Yeun's character is emotionally overwhelmed in a Korean church. As the former leader... more

Kelly Reichardt’s latest movie Showing Up is about the life of artists, but Kelly had no experience with art while... more

Brooke Shields is able to look back critically on the toxic culture and misogynistic power structure that pervaded her early... more

Cathy Ladman just made her tenth appearance on The Tonight Show, a milestone in a career that started back when... more

Karina Longworth grew up in Los Angeles and was fascinated by the haunted memories of Old Hollywood. Later in life,... more

Nick Youssef found himself on the receiving end of anti-Arab hate when he took the standup stage shortly after 9/11,... more

Laurie Anderson says she never made art to express herself, she didn’t care about having a “style,” and she sure... more

First up in this two-for-one episode, Marc talks with comedian Ashely Barnhill, who used to work for WTF while she... more

O’Shea Jackson Jr. grew up around music with Ice Cube as a father. But it was a school teacher who... more

A special compilation of this year's Oscar nominees talking about their nominated works. Hear excerpts from Marc's interviews with Michelle... more

Bobby Farrelly knows he was lucky to grow up in small town Rhode Island, which was, in his words, marinating... more

Ronny Chieng has been in America for less than a decade and he’s cementing himself as a prolific force in... more

Hong Chau owes her acting career to social anxiety and a fear of performing in public. It was the desire... more

Austin Butler devoted the past four years of his life to Elvis, the last year of which has been spent... more

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert share a first name, a passion for filmmaking and now awards for Best Director. But... more

Michelle Yeoh travels through the multiverse in Everything Everywhere All At Once. But when she was growing up in Malaysia,... more

Tim Blake Nelson always impresses Marc with his acting and, since the last time he was on the show, he’s... more

Most people know Marc Summers as the host of Double Dare on Nickelodeon and Unwrapped on Food Network. But his... more

As documented in the Wrestling With Marc series on The Full Maron, Marc undergoes a full immersion into the world... more

Wayne Brady is making himself happy again when he’s performing. He makes other people happy hosting Let’s Make a Deal... more

Dave Franco is a successful actor but that doesn’t mean he was full of confidence when he began directing his... more

Radhika Jones just celebrated her fifth year as Editor-in-Chief of Vanity Fair and, as far as Marc is concerned, she... more

Brendan Fraser is receiving awards and accolades for his performance in The Whale but his reasons for taking on the... more

Sarah Polley has a lot to say about memory, narratives and the stories we tell. That’s because she believes they’re... more

Octavia Spencer’s career started behind the scenes, as she worked in casting departments on film sets. Director Joel Schumacher said... more

Todd Field toyed with many pursuits before he ever directed a film. First there was close-up magic. Then he went... more

Andrea Riseborough can't lie. She's terrible at it. But she believes that trait helps her as an actor because there's... more

Katt Williams is a one-of-a-kind comic performer, so it’s only natural he should have a one-of-a-kind backstory. Katt tells Marc... more

Colin Hanks knows there are public perceptions of him that are tricky to navigate. For one, the man known as... more

Ben Foster was 14 years old and when he had what he calls a breakdown. Ben had a moment while... more

Guitarist and singer-songwriter Eric McFadden is a blast from Marc's past. They knew each other when they were teenagers growing... more

Courtney Love is finishing up her first record in more than a decade while she lives in London, perhaps permanently.... more

Writer-director Scott Cooper says the best thing to came out of his acting career was the friendship he struck up... more

Rian Johnson revived the mystery genre with his movie Knives Out and now he’s seeing what other places he can... more

James Austin Johnson figured out at a very young age that he could do impressions. When he got older and... more

Comedian Tommy Tiernan knows a fellow traveler when he sees one. Ever since he saw Marc perform, he recognized a... more

Elvis Mitchell waited his entire life to make the new documentary Is That Black Enough For You?!? As a film... more

It’s the holidays, which means Clea DuVall’s movie the Happiest Season is once again part of a new tradition for... more

Filmmaker James Gray had crisis of confidence after watching a rough cut of his first movie, Little Odessa. Now that... more

Rob Delaney says the last time he was on the show, he didn’t have two coins to rub together. After... more

Live from The Bloomsbury Theatre in London, Marc welcomes comedian and writer David Baddiel to the stage. In light of... more

Writer-director Robert Siegel wanted to explore a career in either comedy or journalism. It turns out he got to do... more

When Marc reads the works of author and screenwriter Bruce Wagner, he starts to question reality. Bruce’s depictions of Hollywood... more

American Beauty completely changed Wes Bentley’s life and is still doing so today, considering he got his current role in... more

From November 2012, Marc talks with Budd Friedman, the man behind the comedy club boom in America. Budd died on... more

Marc revisits his 2011 interview with comedian Gallagher, recorded in Portland, Oregon on January 27, 2011. Their conversation about comedy,... more

Quinta Brunson didn’t pave the traditional path to a hit network sitcom. In fact, she paved a path that didn’t... more

Elizabeth Banks says she’s the kind of person who likes to get ‘A’s on tests. And in show business, directing... more

Chris Redd knows what it’s like to have dreams and then watch them shift in the face of reality. It... more

Veep creator Armando Iannucci knows his job as a purveyor of political satire becomes more difficult as politicians become more... more

Ron Carter is one of the architects of modern jazz. The Guinness Book of World Records cites him as the... more

Jeremy Strong can’t help being honest. His honesty around his job as an actor is what leads to magazine profiles... more

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. believes we must understand who we were in order to understand who we are. That goes... more

Everyone knows Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso from The Karate Kid. In fact, so many people know him as Daniel... more

Béla Fleck is more than a virtuoso banjo player. He’s also a banjo missionary, an evangelist for an instrument he... more

Zahn McClarnon’s early experiences with reservation life helped him add some personal touches as a cast member of Reservation Dogs.... more

Jann Wenner’s life as the co-founder and publisher of Rolling Stone Magazine has been chronicled in other books, but Jann... more

Writer-director Tony Gilroy is the man behind one of Marc’s favorite movies of all time, Michael Clayton. They get into... more

Abigail Disney feels the burden of her last name, particularly due to the practices of the global company that was... more

Multiple generations of audiences love Sigourney Weaver, whether it’s because of Ghostbusters or Avatar or Working Girl or the Alien... more

Sam Rockwell and Marc have talked with each other a lot since Sam was last on the show. Granted, during... more

Adrian Belew’s career in music was influenced by many and has influenced many more. As a completely self-taught guitarist, Adrian... more

Since the last time he was on WTF, Bradley Whitford spent a lot of time listening to the show while... more

Documentary filmmaker Brett Morgen likes to go into the deep end with his films. He never wants to repeat himself,... more

Singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten creates personal, deeply felt songs that also provide her with relief. Sharon talks with Marc about... more

Al Ruddy's life as a producer taught him one major lesson: The making of every movie is itself worthy of... more

Whitney Cummings left the garage twelve years ago after a conversation with Marc and couldn’t shake something he said to... more

Simu Liu is now an entrenched member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks to his portrayal of superhero Shang Chi.... more

Singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman creates songs about complex people and conflicting ideas. She sings about complications that are close to her... more

Andrew Garfield was terrified of being Spider-Man. As a 27-year-old who was not yet known to the world, he knew... more

Jerrod Carmichael has been busy since the last time he talked with Marc in the garage. He directed his first... more

Christina Ricci grew up around enough chaos to make her want constant control. Which is why the show Yellowjackets is... more

Patton Oswalt returns to the garage more than a decade since his last appearance, but he and Marc have so... more

Journalist Sam Quinones blew Marc’s mind six years ago with his book Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic.... more

Comedian James Acaster caught Marc’s attention when he released four hour-long Netflix standup specials simultaneously. But in watching the specials,... more

Neil Gaiman’s writing - from The Sandman to American Gods to Good Omens to hundreds of comics, novels and screenplays... more

Comedian Zainab Johnson can survive anything in the comedy world after she survived growing up with twelve siblings in a... more

Talking Heads and The Modern Lovers are two of the most influential bands of the ’70s and many would argue... more

Nikki Glaser returns to the show because Marc finds her so easy to talk with, probably because they share so... more

When Michael Mann talks with Marc about his 1995 crime epic Heat, he has such command of the deep backstory... more

Orny Adams says that being a comedian is the one thing he knows he’s good at. He also says that... more

Comedian and writer Naomi Ekperigin is a cheerful person who also finds herself paralyzed with rage. It’s a balancing act... more

Jerry Stahl is one of Marc’s best friends. But sometimes you have no idea your best friend lived in a... more

Jason Kander was a rising star in national politics. In fact, he was staging a run for the Presidency and... more

Singer-songwriter Laura Veirs has something to prove with her latest album, Found Light. After divorce ended her 20-years-long collaborative relationship... more

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka has familiarity with garages. But unlike Marc, she didn’t start a podcast in one. She lived in... more

Dana Gould is in his 40th year of doing standup. He and Marc talk about what they’ve learned in their... more

Kate Berlant’s comedy defies easy categorization. That’s okay with Kate, who thinks people use a lot of empty terms to... more

When Jen Statsky and her collaborators were creating the show Hacks, they knew they needed to nail the portrayal of... more

Marc has a very direct question for his old friend Greg Proops: “Did we lose?” In the fight for the... more

For a while, Lara Beitz could only get on stage to do comedy if she was hammered. She'd drink to... more

Oscar and Emmy-winning visual effects artist Phil Tippett is responsible for some of the most memorable effects in movies history,... more

Jesus Trejo knows he put in the work to become a paid regular at The Comedy Store, spending years doing... more

Rosie Perez initially thought success would paper over her trauma. But the emotional ramifications from the abuse she went through... more

From 2018, Ray Liotta talks with Marc about getting his start in soap operas, the debt he owes to Melanie... more

Joey Camen left a dysfunctional home in Detroit as a teenager and, thanks to an ad he saw in a... more

This is an episode about history. Collective history and personal history. Marc finds himself in Washington, DC on the latest... more

Michael Che wanted out his life on the Lower East Side, but his initial path was not comedy. It was... more

Sandra Oh spent much of her career believing certain opportunities weren't going to come her way because they're just not... more

The Doobie Brothers is a band with almost twenty official members throughout its five decades of existence. But Tom Johnston... more

Marc remembers the life and comedy of Dan Vitale, a comedian whose raw and unapologetically personal style of stand-up was... more

Nicole Holofcener has trouble breathing. She finds herself holding her breath for too long, which could be a result of... more

Tony Hawk walked into Marc's garage on a broken leg, the result of a recent skateboarding trick gone wrong. It's... more

It's normal for everyone to call Troy Andrews by his stage name, Trombone Shorty, because he's been playing the trombone... more

Vanessa Bayer knows her comedic talent comes from a decidedly unfunny place. Vanessa's teenage cancer diagnosis focused her comedy skills,... more