SNAFU with Ed Helms

Season 4, Episode 23: Chelsea Handler and The Hindenburg
Release date: March 11, 2026
Host: Ed Helms
Guest: Chelsea Handler

Episode Overview

This episode pairs Ed Helms with comedian, author, and all-around force of nature Chelsea Handler to unpack one of history’s most infamous disasters: the Hindenburg airship explosion. The discussion weaves historical facts with personal insights, tangents about luxury travel, drugs, and the parallels between historic and modern “screwups.” With Handler’s signature irreverence and Helms’ nerdy curiosity, the episode is equal parts history lesson, comedy, and hangout—true to SNAFU’s ethos.

Key Topics & Discussion Highlights

1. Opening Vibes & Staying Positive Amidst the Chaos

[03:09 – 06:41]

• Coping with News Fatigue: Both discuss their attempts to stay optimistic while navigating constant bad news. Chelsea shares her “dip in/dip out” strategy with current events, feeling guilty when disengaged but recognizing it as essential self-care.
  • Chelsea Handler: “I find myself dipping in, dipping in and out of the news, but when I dip in, I feel so guilty for… having dipped out. It's a vicious, vicious cycle.” [03:34]
• Feeling the World’s Concern: Chelsea recounts being in Canada and sensing global anxiety about U.S. affairs—finding it oddly comforting that others are invested.
• The Importance of Community: Ed notes how sharing concern with others adds perspective and humanity—a group therapy for current global anxiety.

2. Chelsea’s Creative Process & Touring Life

[06:06 – 06:41]

• Diversity of Outlets: Chelsea shares her restlessness for routine and love for rotating between standup, writing, and her advice podcast.
  • Chelsea Handler: “If I do the same thing over and over again, I have a low tolerance for that.” [05:28]
• Meaning of Live Audiences: Touring gives her a sense of purpose, especially witnessing strangers come together to laugh despite turbulent times.
  • Chelsea Handler: “Definitely during times like this that we're experiencing, when you can get up and really look out into the crowd and see…strangers who definitely did not arrive together laughing together…that makes me feel purposeful.” [06:06]

3. Zeppelin 101: What Was the Hindenburg?

[07:07 – 14:57]

• History Lesson: Ed provides context—the Hindenburg was a massive German zeppelin (rigid airship) from the 1930s, larger and structurally different from a blimp.
  • “A zeppelin is like an erect blimp, if you will.” – Ed Helms [08:06]
• Blimps vs. Zeppelins: Zeppelins have a metal frame; blimps do not.
• Music Sidebar: The Led Zeppelin band name comes from a joke about crashing “like a lead balloon”—Handler is amused why “von Zeppelin” wasn’t chosen instead. [08:27]
• Celebrity Tangents: Brief detour through tales of legendary rock acts (Roger Daltrey, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger) still performing at old age, with Handler’s signature humor about their footwear preferences. [09:04 – 10:28]

4. Luxury, Engineering, and Hubris: Building the Hindenburg

[13:15 – 15:07]

• Scale & Opulence: The Hindenburg was over 800 feet long—almost four times a Boeing 747 (231 feet) [19:31], and operated like an “airborne luxury hotel” with private cabins, a dining room, a bar, and even a baby grand piano made of aluminum.
• Hubris in Design: Ed and Chelsea reflect on the recurring human drive for “the biggest ever,” connecting it to American/western consumer culture, huge cars, and “ugly” Tesla trucks.
  • Ed Helms: “Why do we keep equating the biggest ever built with the best or like the smartest thing?” [14:16]
  • Chelsea Handler: “I think that's a very American thing… The biggest and the best, rather than the most efficacious…” [14:23]
• Recycling Irony: Part of the Hindenburg was constructed from salvaged metal from a previous crashed airship—a fact both find darkly comedic.

5. The Fatal Flaws: Hydrogen, Helium, and Dangers of Innovation

[23:23 – 25:32]

• Hydrogen vs. Helium: Although intended for safe helium, U.S. control of global supplies forced Germany to use highly flammable hydrogen, increasing risk despite giving extra lift.
  • Ed Helms: “They were just like, I guess if we're not going to get helium, we'll just put hydrogen in there.” [24:40]
  • Chelsea Handler: “First of all, we should get rid of balloons altogether. Balloons are terrible for the environment.” [24:29]
• Nazi Symbolism: The Hindenburg bore huge swastikas on its tail—Chelsea’s irreverent “whoopsie doo” [23:34] about Nazi branding.
• The Smoking Room Paradox: The ship had a pressurized room for smoking, despite its hydrogen composition.

6. The Hindenburg Disaster: What Happened?

[28:38 – 36:48]

• Setting the Scene: On May 6, 1937, after a successful transatlantic run, the Hindenburg tried to dock in stormy weather at Lakehurst, NJ.
  • Tickets cost $450 (1937) ≈ $10,000 today—Handler’s response: “Yeah, that's almost exactly how much I'd like to pay for a flight.” [28:38]
• The Explosion ([31:58]): While dropping lines to ground crew, the airship suddenly caught fire and turned into a fireball in just 34 seconds.
  • Ed: “It's like the sky itself explodes. In just 34 seconds, the largest airship ever built turns into a catastrophic inferno…” [31:44]
  • Chelsea compares the visual horror to the Challenger disaster.
• Iconic Coverage: The phrase “Oh, the humanity” from Herb Morrison’s emotional radio broadcast originated during this live disaster.
  • Ed Helms: “It's where we get the phrase, ‘oh, the humanity.’ This is what he shouts in real time.” [33:04]

7. Aftermath & Survival Against the Odds ([35:13 – 36:48])**

• Shocking Survival Stats: Despite the fiery spectacle, 62 of 97 on board survived—most passengers escaped due to the relatively low, slow-moving descent.
  • Chelsea Handler: “That's pretty incredible that that many people survived. Wow. I would never have guessed that.” [35:58]
• Cause Remains Unclear: Multiple theories abound (sabotage, anti-Nazi plot, outer-coating spark), but most agree a static charge ignited leaking hydrogen.
• Permanent Legacy: The Hindenburg crash shattered public faith in airship travel, despite previous accidents, because it was so high-profile and dramatic.

8. Meta-Consequences & Modern Parallels

[39:15 – 40:59]

• AI as a Modern Hindenburg: Ed draws a parallel between the headlong rush into airship travel and today’s AI boom, noting hype, rapid rollout, and public unease.
  • Ed Helms: “AI is like our modern Hindenburg… It's wildly hyped, it's insanely powerful, but maybe it's rolling out a little faster than anyone understands.” [39:59]
• Space Tourism: Chelsea brings up the hubris of current space travel trends and billionaire adventures—neither host is keen to book a moon trip.

9. The Beauty of Slow Travel & Microdosing

[41:21 – 44:36]

• Embracing Slow Travel: Both hosts confess their love for long, “luxurious” travel (Handler: “There's nothing that gets me more excited than a 10 plus hour flight.” [29:12]), and debate if people would opt for a days-long blimp trip again.
• Chelsea’s Case for Microdosing: Handler extolls the virtues of microdosing LSD and MDMA for enhancing experiences, especially in nature, sharing drugs on tour, and finding more joy and gratitude.
  • Chelsea Handler: “It puts an exclamation point on whatever experience you're having.” [42:24]
  • Chelsea Handler: “I love sharing my drugs, too. I love giving them away. My whole tour is basically about me traveling around the world, handing out LSD to strangers.” [44:16]
  • Ed’s enthusiastic response: “You’re the Pied Piper of microdosing.” [00:08, callback]
• Safety & Disposal: Handler warns listeners to know their limits and praises Canada’s clean drug supply.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On coping:
  • Ed Helms: “The world is burning down, but I'm trying to stay positive. I'm in this, like, deep state of denial…” [03:23]
• On the American obsession with bigness:
  • Chelsea Handler: “Bigger is America, better is America. We need the tallest buildings, …the biggest phones…” [14:23]
• On disaster reporting:
  • Ed Helms (paraphrasing Herb Morrison): “Oh, the humanity…” [33:04]
• On psychedelics:
  • Chelsea Handler: “I feel like the whole world needs a microdose.” [43:26]
• On what she’d bring aboard a luxury zeppelin:
  • Chelsea Handler: “Well, probably LSD. Definitely some microdosing… I would bring a really good book… and then I would start to party.” [21:23]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Description | Timestamp | | ------- | ----------- | --------- | | Coping with World Chaos & News | Ed & Chelsea's strategies for staying positive | [03:09 – 04:34] | | Chelsea on Touring & Creative Process | Stand-up, podcasting, and writing | [05:06 – 06:41] | | Zeppelin/Dirigible History | Zeppelins vs. blimps, Led Zeppelin trivia | [07:07 – 09:04] | | Luxury on the Hindenburg | Comparing lengths, describing amenities, smoking room | [19:23 – 20:46] | | Hydrogen vs. Helium Problem & Nazi Branding | Engineering risk and politics | [23:23 – 25:32] | | Hindenburg Disaster Breakdown | The crash, Morrison’s broadcast | [31:44 – 33:04] | | Shocking Survivor Count | More survived than killed | [35:13 – 36:48] | | Modern Comparisons: AI & Space | Parallels between past & present tech risks | [39:15 – 40:59] | | Microdosing Advocacy | Handler’s passionate endorsement | [42:24 – 44:36] |

Tone and Personality

• Playful, irreverent, insightful: Chelsea’s mix of hard truth and high comedy is supported by Ed's nerdy and genuine curiosity. The episode has the feel of an intellectual and comedic hangout, with frequent sidebars, memorably wild metaphors, and occasional heartstring-tugging moments about the dangers—and joys—of being human.

Takeaways for New Listeners

• This episode delivers a dynamic blend of historical storytelling, personal anecdotes, and offbeat humor.
• Ed and Chelsea make the history of the Hindenburg not only accessible, but relatable and contemporary—connecting it to modern obsessions, technology, and the eternal desire to party (responsibly).
• You’ll walk away knowing what a zeppelin actually is, why the Hindenburg exploded, and what Chelsea Handler packs for a luxury airship trip (hint: it’s not just a toothbrush).

Where to Hear More

• Watch full episodes on YouTube (@SNAFUpod)
• Pick up Ed Helms’ book: snafu-book.com
• Catch Chelsea’s tour dates at chelseahandler.com

Summary by SNAFU Podcast Summarizer – Listen, laugh, and learn from history’s greatest faceplants!