Podcast
The Next Best Thing
Hosted by Jonathan B. Lerner · EN
The Next Best Thing is a mix between The Tonight Show, Howard Stern and Rachel Maddow. Hosted by Jonathan B. Lerner, episodes touch on everything from current events & politics, to pop culture and the arts. Occasional guest interviews feature interesting people from all walks of life. Show draws comedy from recent news stories, political figures and prominent celebrities, as well as from aspects of the show itself! Airs LIVE every Monday night from 10-Midnight on Radio Free Brooklyn!
11episodes
Episodes
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Giulio Gallarotti
Mar 28, 202501:22:25Tap to summarizeComedian Giulio Gallarotti joins the show for a fast, funny, and unexpectedly heartfelt conversation. He talks with Jonathan about his unconventional path into comedy—including the surreal experience of performing original characters for Alec Baldwin at a private lunch—as well as the origin and evolution of OOPS The Podcast. Giulio shares what it was like to build the show with Francis Ellis, then keep it alive after Francis left, including one hilarious attempt to retain a sponsor by cold-visiting their office, then being gaslit. Later, he gives Jonathan advice on how to get out of singing (solo and a capella) at an office holiday party, then they wrap it up with a spirited draft of ‘90s one-hit wonders. Giulio thinks the lyrics to Mmmbop! are perfectly understandable, while Jonathan thinks they sound like utter gibberish...who's right??Catch new episodes of The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on Radio Free Brooklyn! And follow the show, as well as the host, on Twitter! @NextBestRadio and @jonblerner!
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The Supremely SCARY Court of The United States
May 10, 202401:21:14Tap to summarizeDonald Trump has managed to avoid being held accountable and/or paying any real consequences for his actions his entire life. Whether bullying his classmates at military school, stiffing contractors, lawyers and anyone else who has ever worked for him, sexually assaulting women, defrauding investors, refusing to rent apartments to African Americans, evading taxes or calling for 5 black teenagers to be put to death for a crime they were eventually exonerated and found NOT to have committed—he’s never been arrested, never spent a day in jail, never so much as apologized. Not once. In 2020, it looked like that might finally change. Despite living 74 years with impunity, illegally conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, both federally and at the state level, stealing and mishandling highly classified documents, and then obstructing the FBI's efforts to retrieve them was finally going to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Trump’s only hope for continuing to live life without ever answering for his misdeeds would be if the Supreme Court somehow stepped in to help him—which was never going to happen. Until it did. Catch new episodes of The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on Radio Free Brooklyn! And follow the show, as well as the host, on Twitter! @NextBestRadio and @jonblerner!
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Talking Politics (feat. John William Schiffbauer)
Apr 17, 202401:18:59Tap to summarizeJohn William Schiffbauer, former Deputy Communications Director for the New York Republican State Committee, makes his 3rd appearance on the show to discuss politics, the state of the Republican party, and what to expect in this election year. Hear why, despite Jonathan’s best efforts, he remains a loyal Republican to this very day.Catch new episodes of The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on Radio Free Brooklyn! And follow the show, as well as the host, on Twitter! @NextBestRadio and @jonblerner!
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The Kansas City Chiefs: From Misery to Dynasty
Feb 1, 202401:04:33Tap to summarizeAfter just five years of success and dominance, most of American football fans seem to have turned on the Kansas City Chiefs. Right after the 2019 season, when KC made it to the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years, the news was all about the upstart Chiefs, and a feel-good story about how a franchise that had been so snake-bitten for so long was FINALLY getting their chance in the sun. A mere 5 years later, everyone outside of Chiefs Kingdom seems to have turned on us. In this episode, Jonathan explains how many decades of utter misery Chiefs fans had to endure to get to this point, and why everyone else should just shut up and enjoy watching something they'll almost certainly tell their kids about one day.Also in this episode, Jonathan delves into a recent news story about a 9-year old Chiefs fan who dressed up for game, showing his abundance of spirit, and got accused of doing BLACK FACE. Hear why that, and the complaints about the team name are so utterly misguided.Catch new episodes of The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on Radio Free Brooklyn! And follow the show, as well as the host, on Twitter! @NextBestRadio and @jonblerner!
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Getting Laid...off.
Jan 13, 202401:01:31Tap to summarizeAn emotional episode, where Jonathan walks you through his day, which began by being unexpectedly laid off from his lucrative job at Spotify. Other items covered include Mark Cuban's announcement that he'll be leaving Shark Tank after season 16, and a ridiculous story about a 9-year-old fan of the Kansas City Chiefs who has been put on blast for simply wearing face-paint. Catch new episodes of The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on Radio Free Brooklyn! And follow the show, as well as the host, on Twitter! @NextBestRadio and @jonblerner!
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Where is all the ADDERALL?!?
May 24, 202301:14:51Tap to summarizeOn Oct. 12, 2022, the FDA announced there was an official, nationwide shortage of Adderall, a stimulant commonly used to treat ADHD. Over 8 months later, and nothing has changed. Folks laugh about all of the housewives, or over-medicated toddlers who are "tweeking without their Addy!" but as the shortage languishes on and on, and more and more people struggle to function without their medication, we're starting to see just how many people this impacts, and why the extreme limitations and regulations there are regarding how the drug is manufactured, and how much a pharmacy can order of the drug per month, are antiquated and counter-productive.On this episode, Jonathan is joined by Snezhana Kostornova, who was interviewed by the New York Times for a piece they did on the crisis last year. She and Jonathan share what their experiences have been like as people who have been clinically diagnosed with ADHD, and rely on Adderall to function at full capacity. Catch new episodes of The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on Radio Free Brooklyn! And follow the show, as well as the host, on Twitter! @NextBestRadio and @jonblerner!
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Get MAD About The GUNS!!
Jul 1, 202201:10:49Tap to summarizeIn 2020, 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S., according to the CDC. It was a record at the time, with no close second. Then in 2021, 46,661 people died. Year-after-year America sees more citizens killed by guns than countries like Canada, Australia, France, England, Germany, and Japan COMBINED, and it just keeps getting worse. The deaths are tragic and heartbreaking, but the responses? The empty words and LACK OF ACTION is absolutely infuriating.Enough is enough. Until steps are taken--LAWS ARE PASSED--to fight the scourge that is gun violence in America, nothing else matters. The time has come to be a one issue voter. Mental health, the Second Amendment, "hardening" schools--they're distractions, and asinine. Stop debating, and GET ANGRY!! Catch new episodes of The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on Radio Free Brooklyn! And follow the show, as well as the host, on Twitter! @NextBestRadio and @jonblerner!
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Losing a Parent: Reuben Mullins
Apr 21, 202201:14:28Tap to summarizeLosing a parent is truly a unique form of pain, grief and loss. Our parents guide and protect us. They take care of us when we're sick, pick us up when we fall, and provide unconditional love. No matter how old you are, no one is ever truly ready to lose a parent. This is the second episode in our series of conversations Jonathan has with others who have had to say goodbye to their Mom and/or Dad far soon. How they've learned to cope, what they miss the most, and other things you can never prepare for. In this episode, Jonathan chats with his friend and colleague, Reuben Mullins, about the loss of his father. Catch new episodes of The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on Radio Free Brooklyn!
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Haunted New York City
Nov 17, 202100:52:07Tap to summarizeOften called the city of dreams, New York City can also be the city of nightmares. Every single street is steeped in history, and in the four-hundred-plus years of construction, destruction, and rejuvenation, you're bound to hear more than a few legends and tales of the supernatural. In this episode, we reveal all of the most haunted buildings/locations in the Big Apple. Most of them are open to the public, too, so by all means--check them out. If you dare. Catch new episodes of The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on Radio Free Brooklyn!
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O, Woke is Me!
Oct 27, 202100:38:38Tap to summarizeA kid comes out of the closet as...something other than straight...but uses it to remind the world that if you were born white, you need to sit down and shut up at all times. Is this really where we are now?! Join Jonathan as he reminds us why stuff like this isn't progressive, it's just DUMB. Catch new episodes of The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on Radio Free Brooklyn!
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