Joy, a Podcast with Craig Ferguson

Episode: Checking In From The Road
Date: December 16, 2025

Episode Overview

In this solo check-in episode, legendary late-night host and comedian Craig Ferguson records from a hotel room in California during a busy period on the road. With no special guest (and adamantly no guests in his hotel room), Craig addresses listener emails and tweets, riffs on topics from veganism to Scrabble, and provides his trademark humorous take on joy, self-compassion, show business, and the everyday quirks of travel and life. Despite feeling tired, Craig delivers a warm, rambling, and intimate episode—equal parts confessional and comedic monologue.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Life on the Road & Comedy Gigs

• Craig describes touring for his "Pants on Fire" comedy tour and his recent set at the legendary Comedy Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, where Jay Leno regularly performs.
  • He reflects positively on the experience, feeling welcomed and hoping to be invited back:

    "The audience were still there and people were like, hey, why don’t you come back? And I felt like they sort of meant it. So that’s good." (03:04)

Listener Questions: Advice, Banter & Personal Stories

GPS Voices & Self-Forgiveness

• Kirk asks if Craig would consider recording a GPS voice that gives drivers grief for missed turns.
  • Craig jokes about AI voiceovers, his discomfort with hearing his own recorded voice, and the need for kindness over self-reprimand:

    "I don’t think that’s a good idea...You need a therapist. I think, Kirk, you need to lighten up and get a therapist. Stop being too hard on yourself." (07:25)

  • Life advice:

    "You start any journey, you’re two degrees off course...but if you continue to do two degrees off course, you get farther and farther away from where you’re meant to be going...as soon as you can, try and get back on course." (08:34)

What Should I Do? Just Breathe

• Nico from Croatia writes in simply, “What should I do?”
  • Craig’s advice:

    "Maybe lighten up. I think we should all try and do that. Take a breath. Everybody take a breath." (10:21)

Veganism, Weight Loss & Self-Image

• Gina from Madison asks about veganism and travel.
  • Craig’s current diet: No longer vegan (due to travel) but does not eat red meat.
  • Discusses the pressures and community passion around veganism, his plan to possibly return for health reasons, and his recent weight loss:

    "I’ve lost like 25, maybe 30 pounds over the last year. I’ve got this step app on my phone...Sometimes...I march up and down my hotel room. I gotta be honest with you, it’s not a good look. But sometimes that’s the only way I get my steps in." (15:15)

  • On social reactions to veganism:

    "If you say you’re a vegan, other vegans are like, hooray. And then if you stop being a vegan, they get mad at you...It’s a personal choice, man. I’m not trying to make everybody a vegan." (17:00)

Scrabble, Game Show Hosting & Fair Play

• Richard from Merrimack asks: Is memorizing the Scrabble dictionary cheating?
  • Craig reveals he’s hosting a new "Scrabble" game show starting Jan 22 on the CW, and discusses his love for the game, both casually and competitively:

    "I like playing Scrabble with my family. But sometimes, if you’re on your own, Scrabble on your phone is what I do...I don’t think it’s cheating memorizing the dictionary. I just think it’s hard. It’s probably harder than just playing Scrabble." (22:20)

Moving to a New Country

• James from London seeks advice about relocating to Dubai.
  • Having lived in both Scotland and America, Craig shares:

    "Keep your trap shut for a while until you figure out what people are into and what’s considered good manners." (27:55)

  • On language/cultural faux pas between Scotland and America.

Punk Returns & Drummers’ Dilemmas

• Margot asks Craig to return to punk rock drumming.
  • Craig expresses skepticism about a sixty-something returning to the scene, but admits love for playing drums at home:

    "I don’t think anyone wants to see a 63 year old punk artist unless that artist has been a punk rocker all the way through...But I love to play the drums. I find it very satisfying and therapeutic." (31:15)

  • Reflects on the economics of music touring and the early impact of drum machines and AI:

    "I was like, fucking computer’s taking my job..." (34:01)

Salsa Preferences & Skydiving

• “How do you like your salsa?” — Spicy, if any, per Craig.
• “Are you anti-skydiving?” — Not anti, but doesn’t wish to do it:

  "The idea of jumping out of a plane with a hanky on some wires...I learned enough about the rules of aerodynamics to go: I think this is an unreliable way to get yourself onto the ground." (38:30)

Christmas Album, Nostalgia, and Late Night Life

• On making a Christmas album:

  "Does anyone need a Christmas album from me? I don’t think so...Although, I will say this: when I was doing Late Night, we used to do little songs." (39:45)

• Fond (but not nostalgic) memories of Late Night, and singing carols with Pepe the King Prawn of Muppets fame.

  "If I miss anything in Late Night, and I don’t miss much, to be honest, I certainly don’t miss the schedule...but I feel happy that I did it, and I’m happy that it’s done." (42:25)

Relationship Advice & The Snake Cup

• Listener bought a “snake cup,” drawing ire from his snake-phobic wife.
  • Craig’s relational advice:

    "If your wife is frightened of snakes, maybe you shouldn’t buy a snake cup...Be judicial about your use of drinking out of the cup." (47:30)

  • On tastes and preferences:

    "You’re allowed to not like things. It’s okay." (49:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being too hard on yourself:

  "Everybody makes mistakes...Trick in life...try and get back on course as quickly as you can. But you don’t need to give yourself a hard time about it." (09:05)

• On maintaining joy and lightness:

  "Maybe lighten up. I think we should all try and do that." (10:50)

• On travel, hotels, and performance:

  "It comes out of your money...Some things you got to pay for and can’t remember the name of it. But sit in Madison on the water, stay there, it’s good. Although I know working for them.” (20:09)

• On the gig economy of showbiz:

  "My feeling is, what I like about show business, what I’ve always liked about show business, is the gig nature of it. Like, you do a job, it gets done and you move on to the next job." (43:52)

Memorable Segments & Timestamps

• Comedy Magic Club & Jay Leno: 02:00–06:00
• GPS Voices, Self-Forgiveness: 07:00–09:30
• Lighten Up & Breathe: 10:15–11:00
• Veganism Journey & Weight Loss: 12:00–19:30
• Scrabble Hosting Reveal: 22:10–25:10
• Advice to Expatriates: 27:50–29:00
• Punk Rock & Drumming Reflections: 31:00–34:30
• On AI, Drum Machines & Musicianship: 34:30–36:10
• Salsa & Skydiving: 37:50–39:00
• Christmas Album, Late-Night Reminiscence: 39:30–44:00
• Snake Cup & Taste Differences: 47:20–50:00

Tone & Style

Craig speaks with warmth, candor, and wit, threading gentle self-mockery with philosophical asides and affectionate ribbing of listeners. The episode is conversational, meandering, and peppered with autobiographical nuggets, delivered in his familiar mix of storytelling and off-the-cuff humor.

Episode Takeaways

• Maintain self-compassion: It's okay to go “off course” and easy to course-correct—no self-flagellation required.
• "Lighten up:" A message repeated throughout—life's too short not to take a breath and laugh at our foibles.
• Personal choices (from veganism to music, travel, and hobbies) are yours—not for others to police.
• Showbiz and life on the road are exhausting but rewarding; keeping in touch—even via rambly hotel podcasts—matters.
• The pursuit of joy, even in little things, is present, as is Craig’s gratitude towards listeners for checking in week after week.

Next Episode: Craig promises to return with a full episode and possibly guests, once he’s home—and well-rested.