Lovett or Leave It – “Nothin' But Netflix”

Podcast: Lovett or Leave It
Host: Jon Lovett
Date: December 13, 2025
Guests: Cameron Crowe, Tig Notaro

Episode Overview

In this lively, year-end episode of Lovett or Leave It, Jon Lovett brings his signature satirical wit to a whirlwind of topics, combining political lampooning, Hollywood industry chaos, and deep-dive interviews with iconic filmmaker Cameron Crowe and comedian Tig Notaro. The show captures the absurdity of U.S. politics under Trump, the instability and transformation of the entertainment business, and the personal journeys of two revered guests. The tone is irreverent and self-aware; Lovett’s live audience energy blends perfectly with the guests’ warmth and humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Political Satire & The Netflix/Warner Bros. Deal

(00:00 – 18:00)

• Lovett dives into the latest political and media absurdities, focusing on Trump’s tantrums over Paramount and Warner Bros. coverage, and the blockbuster announcement that Netflix plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $83 billion.
• Hollywood anxieties loom large as Lovett lampoons the concentration of media power and the sycophancy of entertainment execs courting Trump’s favor.
• The conversation riffs on imagined Rush Hour sequels, CNN programming takeovers, and the influence of Jared Kushner and Middle Eastern wealth funds in Hollywood deals.
• Alongside all this, Lovett skewers Trump’s public statements about the economy, healthcare debates in Congress, and Republican efforts to let Obamacare subsidies expire.

Notable Quotes

• Jon Lovett (03:53):
  “Will Warner Brothers be sucked up into a giant monopoly in which a half dozen people decide what a third of us watch every night after dinner? Or will it be sucked up into a different giant monopoly. I'm on the edge of my seat in a car that is going into the ocean.”
• On Trump’s economic claims:
  “He's never sounded more like a cartoon rich guy. They're making up new words. Affordability, bogo, coupon. No one knows what they mean.” (08:56)

2. Cameron Crowe Interview: Art, Listening, and Biopics

(19:45 – 42:43)

Crowe’s Journalism Origins

• Lovett and Crowe discuss Crowe’s new memoir, The Uncool, and his uncanny ability to get musical legends to open up to him as a teen prodigy.
• Crowe reflects on his art of interviewing: “Part of it was listening, because I was terrified the first time I did an interview with somebody who's kind of like, of great status... I realized by the end of the conversation that I made him really happy by not talking.” (20:47–21:32)

Finding Your Voice, Authenticity, and Criticism

• The conversation delves into the tension between being a “fan” vs. a critical journalist. Crowe recalls a defining moment at Rolling Stone when his editor challenged him to “write something that's coming from a deeper place.” (24:05)
• Crowe explains that his approach is not to judge but to include fans in the experience: “I just kind of want to be on receive and let people sit next to me...” (23:11)

On Biopics & Joni Mitchell Project

• Crowe, currently working on a Joni Mitchell biopic, details his philosophy: “Don’t leave the fans behind... but also bring in people that don't know who she is and don't whitewash the story. And she's, like, the queen of not whitewashing.” (25:20)
• The two criticize formulaic music biopics, especially cliches like the magical origins of hit songs. Lovett: “My least favorite thing in any biopic about any artist is... Ringo's walking down the street and he sees a yellow car and a submarine and he goes, I've got it.” (28:25)
  Crowe: “We're not gonna do that. Nor are we gonna have the record executive scene where it's like, that song is eight minutes, it'll never be a hit...” (29:04)

Vulnerability and Early Experiences

• Crowe recounts his traumatic encounter with Gregg Allman that inspired Almost Famous: “He threatened a kid, a literal child, and stole the tapes. Made you sign something fake and took the tapes from you, which was... basically a crime.” (32:15)

Internet & Writing Craft

• On the digital era: “Fact checkers don't exist anymore. People can just, like, spew stuff out. And the thoughtful stuff always lands best.” (35:47)
• On songwriting, he lauds Don Henley and Tom Petty for crafting songs that “sound simple and easy, like a conversation with a friend. And that's the stuff that I love most of all.” (36:33)

On Movie Theaters & Entertainment’s Evolution

• Crowe voices concern over the decline of movie theaters: “A good movie can break through on any format, I think. But yeah, I mean, going and sitting in a theater... that's the Tom Cruise version of moviemaking.” (37:03)

We Bought a Zoo—Title Regrets & Alternate Names

• In a comedic segment, Lovett puts Crowe on the spot about the much-memed title We Bought a Zoo:
  Crowe: “So nobody ever really stopped to say, should we really call this movie We Bought a Zoo? Nobody.” (38:47)
  Audience participates in brainstorming better movie titles, Crowe picks "Keeper" as his favorite. (42:05–42:29)

3. Tig Notaro Joins: Pop Culture, Comedy, and Vulnerability

(45:29 – 62:39)

Outsider to Pop Culture, Musings on Fame

• Tig admits her notorious lack of awareness about pop culture (“Who is Jen Shaw?” (47:58)), but is deeply attuned to music and documentaries.
• She describes her talk show “Under a Rock with Tig Notaro”, where she interviews celebrities she doesn’t recognize.

Current Projects & Humor

• Notaro shares about her appearance in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and a Zack Snyder film, joking about pitching “a whole action film full of lesbians. And the poster will say, hot lesbian action.” (52:17)

Cameron Crowe and Tig: Embarrassment & Self-Acceptance

• Lovett and Crowe discuss the catharsis of writing/sharing embarrassing personal stories:
  • Crowe: “The more embarrassing, the better. Don't you see? ... Embarrassing is cathartic and ultimately funny.” (56:39)
  • Tig: “I used the world as my toilet growing up... I never would have imagined that I would be completely fine talking about any of that kind of stuff.” (58:26)
• The trio reflect on how humor and creative work reframe past vulnerabilities and failures.

4. Resolutions: What We’ll Change and What We Won’t

(62:45 – 76:54)

• The hosts and guests spin a wheel to muse on their resolutions and what in themselves they steadfastly refuse to change in 2026.
• Cameron Crowe:
  • Won’t change: his compulsion to “keep everything” – he’s a pack rat who saved copious notes for his memoir. (65:15)
  • Will change: Time “to direct again,” referencing his two-year writing period and excitement for the Joni Mitchell film.
• Tig Notaro:
  • Won’t change: newfound love for working out, despite not seeing instant results: “No difference in the look of my body. But I feel good.” (68:27)
  • Will change: saying no more often, and cultivating directness in communication—"I want people to tell me no." (69:29–70:11)
• Jon Lovett:
  • Won’t change: using his phone in bed (“I'm just gonna use my phone in bed before bed until it's time for my eyes to literally close.” (71:30))
  • Will change: treating his (recently diagnosed, “terminal”) ADHD with medication; embraces his quirks, jokes about replying to emails only on Fibonacci-numbered years. (74:41–76:00)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• 03:53 – Lovett on Media Monopolies:
  “Will Warner Brothers be sucked up into a giant monopoly... I'm on the edge of my seat in a car that is going into the ocean.”
• 08:56 – Lovett on Trump’s Language:
  “They're making up new words. Affordability, bogo, coupon.”
• 20:47 – Cameron Crowe on Interviewing:
  “I realized by the end of the conversation that I made him really happy by not talking.”
• 28:25 – Lovett on Biopic Tropes:
  “My least favorite thing in any biopic... Ringo's walking down the street and he sees a yellow car and a submarine and he goes, I've got it.”
• 29:04 – Crowe on Biopic Cliches:
  “Nor are we gonna have the record executive scene where it's like, that song is eight minutes. It'll never be a hit.”
• 32:15 – Lovett on Gregg Allman Incident:
  “He threatened a kid, a literal child, and stole the tapes. Made you sign something fake and took the tapes from you.”
• 35:47 – Crowe on Internet & Writing:
  “Fact checkers don't exist anymore. People can just, like, spew stuff out. And the thoughtful stuff always lands best.”
• 45:58 – Tig Notaro on Industry Cliches:
  Her wife’s favorite: “When somebody from a label is listening... on a payphone, they're like, ‘Man, you gotta hear them.’”
• 52:17 – Notaro:
  “Why don't we just make a whole action film full of lesbians? ... The poster will say, hot lesbian action.”
• 56:39 – Crowe on Embarrassment:
  “The more embarrassing, the better. Don't you see? ... Embarrassing is cathartic and ultimately funny.”
• 68:27 – Notaro on Working Out:
  “No difference in the look of my body. But I feel good.”
• 71:30 – Lovett on Phone Habits:
  “I'm just gonna use my phone in bed before bed until it's time for my eyes to literally close.”
• 74:41 – Lovett on ADHD and Medication:
  “Every day from about 9 to 3:30pm, I'm a superior being... And then I'll crash and burn. Yeah, then I'll crash and burn. Worth it.”

Closing Thoughts

This episode combines Lovett’s biting political analysis, insider Hollywood commentary, and thoughtful, funny interviews with Cameron Crowe and Tig Notaro. The live format sparkles, as guests trade barbs, confess neuroses, and muse freely about art, embarrassment, and the state of the world. The recurring theme is one of self-acceptance and learning: as individuals, as a culture, and as citizens in a chaotic political moment. Both listeners seeking insight into the entertainment industry, and those wanting a smart laugh about politics and getting older, will find plenty to enjoy.

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