The Gist – Episode Summary

Episode: Christine Wenz: The Onion’s Straight Face Made It Funnier
Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Mike Pesca
Guest: Christine Wenz, author of Funny Because It’s True: How The Onion Created Modern American News Satire

Overview

In this episode, Mike Pesca talks to Christine Wenz, one of The Onion’s early contributors and author of a new book about the publication’s legacy. The discussion explores The Onion’s origins, its distinctive style, its influence on American satire, and the peculiar lines between business and creativity. The pair reflect on the publication’s evolving comedic structure, the behind-the-scenes battles over headlines and details, the impact of ownership changes, and whether The Onion ever got “preachy.” The episode is a deep dive into what makes The Onion tick and why its famously straight-laced delivery makes its brand of humor so effective.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Onion’s Origins (04:21–07:53)

• Christine Wenz’s Connection: Christine describes knowing the founders through her roommate, Tim Keck, and how the paper began as a rent-paying scheme inspired by his background in newspapers.
  • “Tim, who grew up in a newspaper family... ran out of money from his gas station job and he needed to do something to pay his rent... he started a newspaper.” (04:26 - B)
• Editorial Evolution: Initially, The Onion's content was a mix, with area man/local mundane stories drawn directly from regional Wisconsin newspapers.
• Local Newspaper Satire: Mike draws parallels to the film Airplane as a parody that faithfully lifts moments from its predecessors.
  • “You have a montage of Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper headlines... this wasn't slightly inspired by different newspapers. This was ripped from the Oshkosh Northwestern, was it not?” (05:45 – A)

From Absurdity to AP-Style Satire (07:53–11:24)

• Shift in Comedy Structure: Christine highlights the early absurdist, anarchic tone, which was later transitioned into a strict AP-style parody format. This gave The Onion a unique comedic rigor.
  • “They decided to... redo the paper into the very straight news parody, like AP style news parody that we see today...” (08:14 – B)
• Increasing Funniness via Structure: The enforced AP-style provided constraints that “freed the comedy” and made punchlines funnier.
  • “Once you have the structure in a spine... it frees up the comedy. It allows pitching of headlines that are funnier... more resonant.” (09:14 – A)
  • “When you have that contrast between the very straight solemn and then the extreme silliness... it becomes funny.” (09:42 – B)
• Editing Precision: The importance of copy editors, particularly Stephen Thompson, who “made everything 5% funnier” by strictly enforcing style.
  • “Stephen would... make everything adhere exactly... to what AP style needed to be.” (10:23 – B)
• Limiting the Story’s Scope: The AP style kept Onion pieces tightly focused on single moments, often making them sharper.
  • “In forcing the fake story writers of the Onion to stick to only one and not tell the whole story, it did get better, didn't it?” (11:09 – A)

The Quest for Comic Accuracy (11:40–14:00)

• Obsessive Fact-Checking for Jokes: Christine relays an infamous debate among writers about which star Cheers would reach (“Alpha Centauri vs. Saint Bernard Star”)—highlighting their commitment to plausible details even in absurd premises.
  • “They had this huge fight... because... the only people that are going to get this joke will know that we picked the wrong star.” (11:56 – B)
• “Old Granddad Rule” in Comedy: Pesca explains Jackie Gleason’s theory that overly specific, unfamiliar details can distract and kill a laugh.
  • “If you inject something that causes the audience to say, wait, what are they talking about?... you can't laugh at the joke.” (13:24 – A)

Business Side & Cultural Impact (14:01–18:32)

• Early Sale & Writer Realities: The founders sold The Onion after only a year, exhausted and broke, despite the paper’s popularity. Subsequent owners included staff, with editorial and business strictly separated.
• Success Wasn’t Always Financial: The Onion’s explosive web success in 1996 brought cultural prominence, but huge fortunes eluded most creators—except some later business investors.
  • “What's the most that any one investor made from the Onion, would you say?” (17:02 – A)
  • “David Schaefer... made at least, probably 5, 10, $15 million... Pete Heisey... made like 1.7 million... Scott Deckers may have made ... less than that.” (17:23 – B)
  • “The writers kind of were sort of screwed over... very, very little of the money that was made from it...” (18:14 – B)

Headline-First Writing Process (18:32–19:11)

• Pitching Culture: Headlines are king; delivered deadpan in meetings, with only a select few chosen from hundreds pitched.
  • “My understanding is that... it's headline based and typically it's, you know, 100 headlines might get pitched for every two or three... supposed to be delivered... in a very, very straight way.” (18:38 – B)

The Onion’s Present & the Return to Form (19:11–20:59)

• Recent Ownership & Independence: The Onion’s new owners are supportive, restoring editorial independence reminiscent of its creative peak in the late 1990s.
  • “They've kind of gone back to the way they were early on when the Onion was so creative... They're independent, they're not part of some hedge fund portfolio anymore...” (19:26 – B)
• Signs of a Renaissance: Print subscriptions are up, and staff seem engaged with their history and legacy.

The Politics of The Onion (20:59–23:28)

• Political Balance, Perception of Preachiness: Pesca asks about complaints of The Onion becoming “preachy”; Christine says its political flavor is a product of its staff and era but acknowledges some periods were more overtly political.
  • "Everyone thinks that Onion is best from the era that they were from... the Onion had a... edge in the 90s that it maybe got, you know, sanded down a little bit later on." (21:38 – B)
  • “There's a little bit of bite back that I think was gone for a while and I'm like, oh good... that's when it's at its best. And the print format... allows that depth to happen.” (22:48 – B)

The Nature of Satire

• Satirists & Their Role: Christine sums up that great satire isn’t about heavy-handed politics but a “fight for truth” and “pointing out things others miss.” (22:48 – B)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They would have these huge fights over the facts and the details in... the stories.” (11:56 – B)
• “You can kind of put almost anything into that format and it becomes funny... that contrast between the very straight solemn and then the extreme silliness...” (09:42 – B)
• “The writers kind of were sort of screwed over... very, very little of the money that was made from it...” (18:14 – B)
• “Everyone thinks that Onion is best from the era that they were from... the Onion had a... edge in the 90s...” (21:38 – B)
• “Satirist is supposed to... fight for truth and... point out things that other people are missing...” (22:48 – B)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:21–07:53: Origins of The Onion, Wisconsin newspaper roots
• 07:53–11:24: Shift to AP-style, rise of structured parody
• 11:40–14:00: Debate over factual accuracy in jokes (Alpha Centauri story)
• 14:01–18:32: Business dynamics, sales, and cultural (not financial) impact
• 18:32–19:11: Headline pitching process and delivery style
• 19:11–20:59: Present-day Onion and editorial independence
• 20:59–23:28: The politics of The Onion and its satirical role

Tone and Style

The conversation is witty, intellectual, and self-aware, combining affectionate nostalgia for The Onion’s early days with critical analysis of comedy and satire. Christine brings historical insight and warmth, while Pesca offers sharp, playful observations and analogies.

Book Mentioned:
Funny Because It’s True: How The Onion Created Modern American News Satire by Christine Wenz

For listeners or readers, this episode provides a guided tour through The Onion’s history, unique processes, creative tensions, and ongoing influence in American satire—peppered with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and the quirks that made the publication legendary.