Go Fact Yourself – Episode 180: Stephen Tobolowsky & Aparna Nancherla

Date: September 19, 2025
Host: J. Keith van Straaten
Co-host: Helen Hong
Guests: Aparna Nancherla & Stephen Tobolowsky
Location: Live at The Crawford LAist, Pasadena

Episode Overview

This lively episode of Go Fact Yourself brings together two acclaimed talents: comedian and author Aparna Nancherla (whose special is set to launch on Dropout TV and whose book Unreliable Narrator is garnering accolades) and the beloved character actor, storyteller, and memoirist Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day, Memento, The Goldbergs).
The pair square off in trivia about their personal obsessions—ranging from naked mole rats to Charles Dickens—with real-life experts and surprise moments, plus a special performance from Shani Wallis, the original Nancy from Oliver!.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introductions & Light Banter

• Helen and J. Keith kick off with relatable humor about trivia, cheapskating, and $61,000 suitcases.
  • Quip: “Does it carry you onto the plane?” – Helen, on the suitcase (01:44)

Guest Backgrounds & Personal Anecdotes

• Aparna Nancherla
  • Discusses her essay collection on imposter syndrome, Unreliable Narrator. Recognition hasn’t necessarily cured her self-doubt.
    • "Writing a book about self-doubt does supersize your self-doubt." (03:09)
  • Jokes about the key to feeling like an imposter:
    • “Enter into spaces you have no business in… what a lot of straight white men do with ease.” (03:21)
• Stephen Tobolowsky
  • Shares ongoing feelings of being an imposter even after iconic roles.
  • On career changes after Groundhog Day:
    • “Before Groundhog Day, I was ‘who is that actor?’ and after… ‘that’s the actor from Groundhog Day.’” (04:14)
  • On being typecast: “I made a career out of playing nudniks. You know, someone’s gotta do it.” (04:40)

Chosen Trivia Topics

• Aparna: Home Alone, Jurassic Park, and naked mole rats
• Stephen: Works of Charles Dickens, Children of Men, and the Jamaican Switch scam

What’s the Difference? (05:45–10:26)

Deposit vs. Down Payment (Aparna) – [06:25]

• Deposit shows intent/seriousness (applied before sale is finalized); down payment is substantial payment after offer is accepted.
• Aparna: “Deposit… just a portion of down payment, which is just to show you’re not going to ghost them.” (06:25)
• Stephen: “One purpose… is to secure the house for you. But after that, you’ve got to make the down payment or lose your deposit.” (06:51)
• Resolution: Both guests receive 1 point each for partial accuracy.

Extortion vs. Blackmail (Stephen) – [08:31]

• Extortion is threat/damage to coerce action; blackmail is threat to reveal damaging info for money.
• Stephen: “Blackmail is just saying, you pay up or we drop the axe on your puppy dog or whatever.” (08:55)
• Aparna: “Blackmail sounds sexier… if you’re writing a drama… the villain should say, ‘I’m gonna blackmail you.’” (09:12)
• Resolution: Stephen scores 1 point for correctly stating extortion involves threats.

Getting to Know the Guests (10:26–16:47)

Aparna Nancherla:

• Voicing “Moon”—“a 10-year-old Caucasian boy”—on The Great North:
  • “It is healing and cathartic…a big stride in representation to be able to play a white child.” (11:29)
• New stand-up special coming to Dropout TV, working title “Hopeful Potato”. (12:21)
• Appearing in the anxiety+comedy documentary Anxiety Club:
  • “I’m already anxious about the regrets I’ll have driving home from the show.” (13:07)

Stephen Tobolowsky:

• Talks about enduring popularity of Groundhog Day and how the script was constantly rewritten:
  • “Bill and I didn’t know what we were doing.” (13:44)
• Recounts his Tony nomination experience and quintessential New York walk-of-shame in a tuxedo. (15:25)
• Won an eighth-grade storytelling award but doesn’t remember what story he told. (16:21)

Aparna’s Expert Round: Naked Mole Rats [17:18–35:35]

Why the Fascination?

• Started as research for a joke about aging—discovered their unique resistance to aging and disease:
  • “They don’t age the way like, pretty much any other animal ages… they have figured out the secret of not aging.” (19:17)

Trivia Questions (19:58–24:36)

1. Rodent Order: Correct – Rodents
2. Hair Location: Correct – Tail (besides mouth)
3. Diet: Correct – Vegetarian/Vegan (mostly tubers, occasionally feces)
4. African Range: Correct – NOT native to Uganda
5. Social Structure Name: Correct – Eusocial

Fun banter on poop-based diets, hints, and deducing “Djibouti” (“Thank you for allowing me to say Djibouti.” – 23:55)

Cluster Fact – Expert Level (25:13–34:43)

Expert: Dr. Rochelle Buffenstein, preeminent naked mole rat scientist (27:00)

• Q1: Disease they’re resistant to?
  • Aparna: Cancer (Correct)
  • Dr. Buffenstein: “That is correct.” (33:24)
• Q2: Substance produced that helps prevent disease and used in wrinkle creams?
  • Aparna: Pepper (Incorrect; Correct answer: Hyaluronic acid)
• Q3: Oldest known naked mole rat?
  • Aparna: 38 (Close—Correct is 40.5; expert gives partial credit)
  • Dr. Buffenstein: “The oldest animal I had lived 40 years and a half in captivity.” (34:08)
• Notable Quotes:
  • Dr. Buffenstein on motivation: “The queen doesn’t motivate them by shoving, but she represses them from going into reproduction…by being a bully.” (35:04)

Stephen’s Expert Round: Charles Dickens [36:10–57:44]

Why Dickens?

• Dickens “never wanted to be a writer—he wanted to be an actor, a comic actor,” and started writing to entertain friends. Stephen admires his range and humanity. (38:23)

Trivia Questions (39:39–43:23)

1. Scrooge’s real title: Correct – A Christmas Carol
2. Tale of Two Cities opening line: Correct – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
3. Fake Dickens character: Correct – Thelonious Farron (main character, Children of Men)
4. County in Great Expectations: Correct – Kent
5. U.S. president Dickens met in 1842: Correct – John Tyler

Cluster Fact – Expert Level (44:47–57:44)

Expert: Shani Wallis, legendary star of 1968’s Oliver!

• Q1: What novel is Oliver! based on?
  • Stephen: Oliver Twist (Correct)
• Q2: Main female character who tries to save Oliver and is murdered?
  • Stephen: Veronica (Incorrect; Correct: Nancy)
• Q3: Name of dog owned by the character sung about in “As Long As He Needs Me”?
  • Stephen: Pooch (Incorrect; Correct: Bullseye—real name: Butch)
• Special Moment:
  • Shani Wallis (age 92) sings “As Long As He Needs Me” to a standing ovation (53:19–54:43).
  • Mark Lester (original Oliver) sends a video greeting for Shani and the cast (50:19).

Shani on acting:
“The hardest thing is being truthful to yourself…” (57:01)
“The most rewarding thing? Everybody’s saying, ‘Oh, you’re wonderful.’” (57:16)

Fast Facts Finale (57:56–59:33)

• Rapid-fire True/False: Car models named after animals/insects (e.g., Beetle, Firefly, Cricket, Honeybee).
• Aparna wins with sharp intuition, despite momentary stumbles.

Scores & Winner

Final Score:

• Aparna Nancherla: 12
• Stephen Tobolowsky: 8

Winner: Aparna Nancherla

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Writing a book about self-doubt does supersize your self-doubt.” – Aparna (03:09)
• “Before Groundhog Day, I was ‘who is that actor?’ and after… ‘that’s the actor that was in Groundhog Day.’” – Stephen (04:14)
• “I think it is such a big stride in representation to be able to play a white child.” – Aparna on voicing Moon in The Great North (11:29)
• “They’re nature’s labubu.” – Aparna on naked mole rats (19:53)
• “As soon as you start writing it, you’re like, who am I to write a book about self-doubt?” – Aparna (03:12)
• “I made a career out of playing nudniks. You know, someone’s gotta do it.” – Stephen (04:40)
• “Don’t cut the hairs off of naked mole rats, and don’t kill any puppies.” – J. Keith (33:00)
• (Live song performance) – Shani Wallis, “As Long As He Needs Me” (53:19–54:43)

Experts Featured

• Dr. Rochelle Buffenstein – Leading international naked mole rat researcher. [27:00–35:31]
• Shani Wallis – Legendary star of Oliver! (film, 1968), “Nancy.” [45:30–57:44]

Episode Highlights

• Insightful and often hilarious reflections on career, identity, and personal passions from both guests.
• Informative and engaging expert interviews showing the power of curiosity and fandom.
• An impromptu, heartfelt live performance by a Broadway legend.

Where to Find Them

• Aparna Nancherla: Instagram @parnapkin; Dropout TV special coming late 2025
• Stephen Tobolowsky: See him on Netflix (“Nobody Wants This” and more upcoming releases)
• Helen Hong: Socials @funnyhelenhong
• J. Keith van Straaten: All socials @jakeith.net; also producing “Rant and Rave” storytelling
• Dr. Rochelle Buffenstein: UIC, Wikipedia, nakedmoleratsrock.net

Go Fact Yourself – Maximum Fun | Full Episode Archive