Episode Overview
Podcast: Joy, a Podcast
Host: Craig Ferguson
Episode: Thanksgiving Tweets & Emails
Date: December 2, 2025
In this solo “mailbag” episode, Craig Ferguson dives into listener questions ranging from snow activities and Scottish pride to the joys and aches of aging, celebrity encounters, AI in entertainment, sandwiches, and motorcycle nostalgia. As always, Ferguson brings his classic blend of wit, self-deprecation, and stream-of-consciousness musings, drawing on both personal anecdotes and spirited tangents. The episode radiates his curious, cozy perspective on finding joy amid a world that’s “by any rational measure…collapsing around us.”
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Joy of Cozy Rituals and "Hygge"
[01:20]
- Listener Rebecca from Sweden asks about Craig’s favorite snow-based activity.
- Craig shares a fondness for the Swedish custom of hygge (coziness), lighting a candle with his morning coffee—echoing a moment from Stockholm:
“So now every day when I'm having breakfast…we do it like this. She has a cup of coffee, I have a cup of coffee. And we do usually light a little candle.”
- Instead of skiing or snowball fights (which he recalls as painful slush battles in Scotland), his favorite snow activity is simply being cozy indoors:
“My favorite snow-based activity, to be honest, Rebecca, is probably ‘hygge’, which is the snow—sitting down and being cozy indoors.”
[07:00]
2. On Scottish Identity—And Scotch Tape
[10:25]
- Listener Lisa B. from Dallas asks whether Scotland should take credit for Scotch tape.
- Craig jokes about not being responsible for Scottish claims but surmises the name comes from “the little bit of tartan on the box.”
- Lighthearted demonstration of his snake mug leads to a practical tip:
“Don't drink with your right hand, because if you drink it with your right hand, the snake's going to bite you in the face.”
[12:30]
3. Accents, Ken Burns, and Voice Acting
[13:30]
- Richard from Merrimack, NH asks about Craig’s role in a Ken Burns documentary and whether he had to “up” his Scottish accent.
- Ken Burns’ invite felt like Hollywood jury duty:
“Ken Burns is kind of like an institution. It’s kind of like saying you have to be—it's like jury duty…so you go.”
[15:00] - On accents:
“I've had Scottish people tell me that I don't have an accent anymore…When I'm talking to Scottish people, I sound much more Scottish. When I'm talking to American people, I sound much more American.”
[16:45] - Craig reflects on adapting his accent to be understood and touches on voice work for film, including the How to Train Your Dragon series:
“When I was doing the Gobber voice, I was a lot more Scottish…But that's not really how people in Glasgow talk…”
4. The Exquisite Debate: Best Sandwich
[21:30]
- Carrie Howard from San Francisco asks Craig's take on the best sandwich.
- With characteristic comedic agility, Craig proclaims:
“The BLT. The bush, lettuce and tomato sandwich, or the bacon, lettuce and tomato. It depends on what your B is.”
- Admits he personally can’t eat bacon anymore, and never much liked the taste, despite loving the smell.
5. Movie Memories: Lemony Snicket & Jim Carrey
[25:10]
- Brock “Anders Vernal” (Craig muses on the name) asks about working with Jim Carrey on Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.
- Craig describes a largely offscreen, improvisational experience, but remembers Carrey as:
“Very, very nice...he was noticing people and being friendly…clearly an extremely talented and a bit, bit of a loony, I think, in some ways... My favorite people, really. Little unhinged, little crazy, very talented and kind.”
[27:30]
6. AI and Late Night: Can You Recreate Spontaneity?
[29:20]
- Listener Milton Mina wonders if AI could make a show about “the simple pleasures of Daffy Duke,” a callback to Craig’s Late Late Show improvisations with Josh Robert Thompson.
- Craig doubts AI truly captures spontaneity—unless it’s reassembling existing footage:
“Can it make my old late night show? No, I don't think so. Could it make my old late night show out of old late night shows? Yeah, maybe.”
- His litmus test: “If I get paid for it, it's good; if I don't, I'm against it.”
[32:45] - Notes that doctors and scientists he’s spoken to see real medical value in AI, while entertainers view it more warily.
7. The Game Show Life (& New Projects)
[35:10]
- John Templeton asks about pros and cons of hosting game shows.
- Craig loved Celebrity Name Game for its self-contained world and the joy of “giving people cash that isn’t mine.”
- Announces he’s the host of Scrabble—a new game show forthcoming on CW in January, having already filmed 30 hours of episodes:
“It really plays like Scrabble, but watching it on TV…And if they don’t ask me to do more, I’ll be all right. But I hope they do because I liked it.”
[38:20]
8. Motorcycles, Aging, and Letting Go of Invincibility
[41:00]
- “Anton from Croatia” asks why Craig doesn’t ride motorcycles anymore.
- Craig still rides, albeit infrequently, and shares pride in his century-anniversary Indian Scout bike (2001).
- Candid reflection on fear and wisdom after an old accident:
“I don’t think I ever quite got that out of my head. The feeling of invulnerability left me after I had that accident and I never quite got that back.”
[45:20] - Ties the theme to his earlier answer about skiing, explaining how awareness of fragility comes with age.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On Getting Older:
“If you’re young and you don’t know what it feels like to be old, imagine you’ve had a motorcycle accident. It feels like you’re recovering from a motorcycle accident all the time.”
[06:00]
On “Hygge” and Finding Joy:
“Sitting down and being cozy indoors is probably my favorite snow based activity.”
[07:20]
On Jim Carrey:
“Clearly an extremely talented and a bit, bit of a loony, I think, in some ways…kind of little unhinged, little crazy, very talented, very clever and, and, and kind.”
[27:50]
On AI and Showbiz:
“If I get paid for it, it’s good; if I don’t get paid for it, I’m against it.”
[32:50]
On Living Cautiously:
“The feeling of invulnerability left me after I had that accident and I never quite got that back.”
[45:20]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 01:20 — Discovering Hygge and Swedish coziness
- 07:00 — On skiing, slush, aging, and favorite snow activity
- 10:25 — Scottish pride and “Scotch tape”
- 15:00 — Getting recruited by Ken Burns & accent flexibility
- 21:30 — The best sandwich debate (BLT, bush, or bacon)
- 25:10 — On Lemony Snicket, Jim Carrey, and set experiences
- 29:20 — Can AI do late night comedy? The case for (and against)
- 35:10 — The joys of game show hosting; new Scrabble series
- 41:00 — Motorcycles, aging, and the end of invulnerability
- 45:20 — Concluding thoughts on risk and gratitude
Tone & Style
Craig Ferguson’s signature blend of whimsical storytelling, self-effacing humor, and reflective asides shine here. The episode is part warm fireside chat, part fast-moving Q&A—a rare, honest look at finding fleeting moments of joy, even if it just means lighting a candle at breakfast.
For listeners new and old, this episode affirms: Joy is found in the small things—candlelight, kindness, coffee, and a well-timed quip about growing old.