Podcast Summary: TV Dreams: The Moth Podcast (January 9, 2026)

Overview

This episode of The Moth Podcast, hosted by Michelle Jelawski, explores the enduring magic and impact of television through two vivid true stories. Both storytellers – Jessica Lee Williamson and Wes Hazzard – share their personal, humorous, and sometimes humiliating brushes with TV fame and fandom. Themes of self-respect, ambition, resilience, and nostalgia run throughout, as each reflects on what their experiences with television – be it talk shows or game shows – have meant to them.

1. Childhood TV Dreams & Hard Lessons – Jessica Lee Williamson

Told at: LA StorySlam (Theme: Respect)
Segment Start: [02:42]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Jessica’s Adolescent Dream: The only thing teenage Jessica wanted in life was to be a talk show host, fueled by her ritual of binging Rosie O’Donnell, Maury Povich, and Geraldo Rivera after school.
• Talk Show Audience Quest: Living in Maryland, three hours from NYC, Jessica obsessively applies for talk show audience tickets and plans her adventure with the “coolest” people she knows. Everyone bails except her mom.
• Unexpected On-Air Participation: Once at the Geraldo taping with her mother, she's selected to appear on stage for a segment called “Women Who Date the Wrong Men”—despite her limited dating history.
• On-Air Embarrassment: Geraldo, trying to stir drama, comfort-massages her hand (she notices his Star of David tattoo), then paints her as a pitiable figure. Jessica attempts a self-deprecating joke; it falls flat, prompting the crowd to lecture her on self-respect.
• Maternal Intervention: Geraldo senses Jessica’s mom has something to say and invites her to speak. Her mom delivers an impassioned monologue on women honoring themselves, earning a standing ovation, leaving Jessica mortified and overwhelmed.
• Lasting Lessons: Though humiliated, Jessica reflects how the experience shaped her understanding of self-respect and authenticity, but jokes that she unfortunately did not learn not to embarrass herself publicly.

Memorable Quotes

• “‘If you don’t make it as a talk show host, maybe you’ll make it as a writer instead.’ Happy birthday…” (Jessica, reading her sister’s journal inscription, [02:42])
• “It wasn’t my personality that squashed those dreams. It was Geraldo Rivera and his live studio audience.” (Jessica, [02:56])
• “Girl, don’t ever change yourself for a man!” (Studio audience member, [05:31])
• “You can't dye your hair blonde. You're pretty just like you are.” (Audience advice, [07:46])
• “...nothing in terms of getting up on a stage and humiliating myself in front of hundreds of people.” (Jessica, [08:37])

Notable Moments

• The unexpected poignancy and supportive wisdom from a talk-show crowd, and especially from Jessica’s loquacious mother.
• The discomfort and surrealism of being spotlighted in a daytime TV spectacle.

2. Jeopardy! Obsession Pays Off – Wes Hazzard

Told at: Jersey City StorySlam (Theme: Exercise)
Segment Start: [11:00]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Long-Held Ambition: Wes, a lifelong Jeopardy! fanatic and trivia buff, finally receives an email in October 2017 inviting him to audition after 20 years of trying.
• Intense Preparation: He embarks on a hardcore study regimen, reviewing old episodes, drilling with an atlas, flipping through online databases, and practicing with a ballpoint pen to master the timing.
• Odds & Audition: Of 300,000 initial hopefuls, only 400 make it on the show annually. The audition involves a written test, a mock game, and a personal interview. Wes nails the written portion and stands out with offbeat answers in the mock interview (“I want to reunite the cast of Living Single for my 40th birthday”).
• Anxious Awaiting: Even after a strong audition, there’s an excruciating 18-month window where candidates wait to see if they’ll be picked. Wes details the pressure, imagining the potential for either lasting fame — or humiliating error on live TV.
• Triumphant Outcome: Ultimately, he appears on Jeopardy! and becomes a three-time champion.

Memorable Quotes

• “Every year, Jeopardy says, yo, we're gonna have an online test. And about 300,000 people say, I would like to take that test… the odds are not in your favor, but I’m like, whatever, right?” (Wes, [11:51])
• “On that 50 question test, I frigging murdered that… Feeling real strong, like, ah. Whoo. Yeah.” (Wes, [13:34])
• “You just go home and wait 18 months for a phone call that may never come.” (Wes, [15:39])
• “If you happened to watch Jeopardy this past July, you would see that I was a three time Jeopardy champion.” (Wes, [17:16])

Notable Moments

• Wes’ hyper-dedicated preparation: “I wouldn’t allow myself to go to bed if I didn’t hit five Final Jeopardies in a row.” ([16:37])
• His tongue-in-cheek worry about embarrassing himself by missing a Black history question — a candid reflection on personal and community expectations.
• The quirky, heartfelt answer during his interview — wanting to reunite the Living Single cast — which sets him apart from other contestants.

3. Reflections on Alex Trebek & the Jeopardy! Set

Segment Start: [17:55]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Set Magic: Wes describes walking onto the Jeopardy! set as simultaneously surreal and familiar, noting its enormity compared to his expectations.
• Meeting Alex Trebek: Wes dispels any notion that the legendary host was intimidating; Trebek’s consummate ability to put nervous contestants at ease is highlighted as a defining quality.
• Legacy & Loss: Trebek’s death is likened to a missing piece of a cityscape — a subtle but profound change to something foundational in American culture.

Memorable Quotes

• “His job every single day is to take three people who are having the biggest moment of their entire lives and make them comfortable … it was just like, this is like an uncle or something…” (Wes, [18:34])
• “I was very sad by his passing, but it felt more like when you see a skyline that no longer has a building that you used to love. It felt like that.” (Wes, [19:00])

Timestamps for Major Story Segments

• [02:42] Jessica Lee Williamson’s story: Talk Shows, Teenage Dreams, and Self-Respect
• [08:43] Host context and storyteller’s background (Jessica Lee Williamson)
• [10:42] Wes Hazzard’s story: Jeopardy! Obsession and Triumph
• [17:55] Wes Hazzard’s reflections on the Jeopardy! set and Alex Trebek

Episode Tone & Final Thoughts

The tone throughout is intimate, self-deprecating, and nostalgic. Both storytellers speak with warmth and honesty, inviting the audience to share not just in their successes or failures, but in the childhood hopes and grown-up reckonings that TV, at its best, can foster.

Selected Quotes Cheat Sheet

• “It wasn’t my personality that squashed those dreams. It was Geraldo Rivera and his live studio audience.” — Jessica ([02:56])
• “Girl, don’t ever change yourself for a man!” — Unnamed audience member ([05:31])
• “On that 50 question test, I frigging murdered that… Feeling real strong, like, ah. Whoo. Yeah.” — Wes ([13:34])
• “If you happened to watch Jeopardy! this past July, you would see that I was a three time Jeopardy champion.” — Wes ([17:16])
• “[Alex Trebek]… was just like, this is like an uncle or something… It was just so great to be in his presence.” — Wes ([18:34])

For Listeners and Moth Fans

If you’re inspired to share your own story, The Moth reminds you to visit themoth.org to pitch your story for a live show or submit via their pitch line.