Going Super Sonic! with Ben Schwartz | 4

Summary

'Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast

Episode 4: Going Super Sonic! with Ben Schwartz
Release Date: December 1, 2025
Host: The Grinch (voiced by James Austin Johnson)
Guest: Ben Schwartz

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Episode Overview

In this festive and irreverent episode, the Grinch welcomes comedian, actor, and “Sonic the Hedgehog” voice Ben Schwartz up to Mount Crumpet for a delightfully chaotic, joke-packed conversation. The Grinch dishes out his signature holiday rants, banters with sidekicks Cindy-Lou Who and Max, and tries to rope Ben into both a wild Sonic movie remake and the existential debate over Christmas music. The episode combines playful jabs at holiday traditions, showbiz, and Ben’s iconic hair, with plenty of Christmas mischief—and unexpectedly, a “heart swell” moment engineered by Schwartz himself.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Grinch's Rants and Lists

Timestamp: 03:18 – 10:57

• Name Trends: The Grinch airs out his annoyance about modern kids’ names, lamenting the move away from classics like "Cindy" and "Max."
  • “Parents, your child is not an aerodynamic machine that is ruining our environment… Kids’ names these days are crazy.” (Grinch, 03:33)
• Naughty/Nice List with a Grinchy Spin:
  • Naughty: Teenagers who say “bruh,” office workers who over-email, Lorne Michaels (unless the Grinch gets to host SNL), Mr. Beast (“Stop appropriating beast culture!”)
  • Nice: Confusing pharmaceutical name writers, people who chew with mouths open, his garbage man Ken.
• Holiday Obsessions: Grinch mocks doorbell cameras ruining classic pranks and denounces celebrity three-name syndrome.
  • “Middle names are not first names for a reason. They’re embarrassing and they’re supposed to stay hidden.” (Grinch, 04:27)
• Memorable Quote: “How about you circle back to talking like a human being? Okay, C3PO.” (Grinch, 08:16)

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2. Introducing Ben Schwartz: Hair, Heritage & Hollywood

Timestamp: 11:03 – 12:27

• Ben’s Iconic Hair: Grinch claims to be a huge fan—not of Ben’s comedy, but of his hair, leading to a playful exchange about genetics, Jewishness, and Bumble & Bumble Sumo Tech.
  • “It’s Judaism. And then I use something called Bumble and Bumble Sumo Tech. Those are the two things that I do.” (Ben Schwartz, 11:18)
• Family Banter: Ben asks if the Grinch is close to his family, prompting the Grinch’s evasive (and hilariously vague) answer about parents in Boca Raton.

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3. Sonic, Jim Carrey, and Movie Mayhem

Timestamp: 12:27 – 16:41

• Jim Carrey Connections: Grinch bristles at Carrey’s portrayal of him in 2000’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” calling it “propaganda.”
  • “They basically made him out to be this kind of romantic, quixotic hero…that’s not it at all.” (Grinch, 12:54)
• Ben’s Movie Snacks Hack: Schwartz shares his move of mixing Reese’s Pieces into popcorn, skipping fake butter.
• On the Children’s Taste for Legacy IPs: Grinch and Ben mock Hollywood’s obsession with “Intellectual Properties” and joke about the next classic (Chess: The Movie, anyone?).
• Favorite IP White Whale for Ben: Schwartz wishes to be in a big Disney animated movie, calling “Sonic” a dream come true, but “Aladdin” or “Lion King”-level Disney is his holy grail.

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4. Wild Movie Pitches & Sonic Goes Full Hedgehog

Timestamp: 16:08 – 18:32

• Grinch's Pitch: The Grinch jokingly pitches a “Sonic” remake where all live-action roles are CGI, but Sonic is just a real English garden hedgehog jazzed up with movie effects and rockets.
  • “The magic hedgehog who runs really fast—that’s a real hedgehog in front of a green screen.” (Grinch, 16:41)
  • “So you’ve just lost me as an actor.” (Ben, 17:53)
• Ben’s Role? Not as Sonic’s voice anymore (“It’s a real hedgehog, so we’re gonna lose your audio track”), but The Grinch says Ben can finance the production.

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5. A Very Sonic Christmas — And the Christmas Conundrum

Timestamp: 18:32 – 20:35

• Grinch Gotcha Question: Grinch playfully confronts Ben about participating in "A Very Sonic Christmas" as a nice Jewish boy.
• Ben’s Defense: Schwartz confesses to loving the classic Coca-Cola Santa/polar bear ads and Christmas music, though he jokes about separating the art from the artist.
  • “That really got me into Christmas… I like the music from Christmas very much.” (Ben, 19:30)
• Christmas Music Debate: Ben serenades the Grinch, trying to warm him up to the genre. Grinch is momentarily thrown: “Oh my gosh, you have a beautiful voice.” (Grinch, 20:29)
• Memorable Joke: “I’m still so mad about what Leslie Odom Jr. did to Alexander Hamilton.” (Grinch, 19:52)

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6. Unexpected Heart Swell: The “Dad” Moment

Timestamp: 21:22 – 23:12

• Fake Out or Not? Ben claims to have brought in the Grinch’s dad (actually a quick voice bit). The Grinch has a classic “heart swell” and gets emotional.
  • “Son, Dad, I love you.” (Ben, as Grinch’s dad, 21:56)
  • “Heartswell.” (Grinch, 22:01)
• Unwilling Sentimentality: Grinch debates whether the moment was real or just Ben’s impression, but ultimately decides to believe (sort-of).

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7. Chill Vibes, Goodbye Banter, and BBQ Plans

Timestamp: 23:12 – 24:08

• Both declare each other “chill dudes” and joke about grabbing Korean BBQ—though Grinch worries (or relishes) that his fur will smell of Bulgogi for days.
  • “We’re gonna get Bulgogied… Bulgogi, to the dome!” (Grinch, 23:46)
• The friendly, absurd rapport continues right up to the end.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Stop appropriating beast culture. It’s not cool. Double Naughty List.” (Grinch, 10:11)
• “Kids are into IPs. Kids are always looking at Daily Variety; they’re going, what is Iger gonna do with Spider Babies?” (Grinch, 14:54)
• “I’m kind of inspired by you. I thought I was gonna come in here being like, this is a tough dude, but… off the pod, you seem like a pretty chill dude, man.” (Ben, 20:49)
• “Normally, these people, they come on the show, they give me all this guff about how I got to like Christmas… and it makes my heart swell, and that causes a cardiac event.” (Grinch, 21:01)

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Segment Timestamps

• The Grinch's Rants: 03:18 – 10:57
• Meeting Ben Schwartz & Hair Talk: 11:03 – 12:27
• Jim Carrey & Movie Banter: 12:27 – 14:52
• Hollywood IPs, Sonic Pitch: 14:52 – 18:32
• Christmas Music & Ben’s Serenade: 18:32 – 20:35
• The Grinch “Dad” Heart Swell: 21:22 – 23:12
• Chill Ending & Korean BBQ Plans: 23:12 – 24:08

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Tone and Style

The episode is filled with witty, rapid-fire jokes, playful contrarianism, and a satirical take on both Christmas traditions and pop culture. The Grinch maintains a sardonic, self-deprecating persona, while Ben Schwartz meets him with genuine warmth and quick improvisational humor. Their chemistry drives the episode, balancing roast-y banter and surprisingly sweet moments.

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This summary covers all the memorable banter, Grinch-isms, and Ben Schwartz’s best comedic moments—perfect for listeners who want every laugh (and brief moment of Grinch vulnerability) without sitting through the full show.

Transcript

[A]

Wondery subscribers can listen to Tis the Grinch Holiday podcast ad free. Join Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Wondery. All right. Jack's gonna seal up this cease and desist for Santa. Who is that? Grinchpot headquarters. What do you want?

[B]

Oh, hey, it's Ben. I'm here for the podcast.

[A]

Ben Schwartz.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Hey, what up, fam? Listen, the mountain lion I employ to drag guests Mount Crumpet is on PTO this week, so we've come up with a little workaround to get you up here safely, if that's cool. Yeah, you probably haven't noticed, but I have pretty long, lustrous green hair. Most of the time I wear it up in a rather large man bun that at different times has housed a family of naked mole rats, several flies, and some drifter named Cyrus. Oh, wow.

[B]

So there's a human being named Cyrus living inside your hair?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, he was really handy with a butterfly knife. You should ask him to show you that sometime.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But today for you, I had Cindy braid it into a long ponytail, which is just now long enough to reach you all the way down there.

[B]

There's no. The only way to get into your house is literally by being flung by your oiled up hair.

[A]

The chair lift is being maintained.

[B]

Okay, you don't have to give me the other examples. You can just send it down.

[A]

I'm gonna throw it out of my kitchen window for you to climb up.

[B]

Okay, send it over.

[A]

Let's do it. Grab ahold and hang on. Here it comes.

[B]

Okay, here we go.

[A]

I'm shaking it. Okay, yeah, yeah, you're shaking it. Go, go. Pull, pull, pull, pull, pull. Okay, all right. Here we go. Wow.

[B]

I can't believe it worked. By the way. Cool, man. Very cool.

[A]

I'll set inside.

[B]

Hey, how many days till Christmas, bro?

[A]

Just drop it. From Wondry and Dr. Seuss, broadcasting directly from Mount Crumpet Studios, let's be careful not to wake the hibernating grizzlies. It's Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast. As always, the Grinch is joined by his former nemesis, now sidekick, producer, and whoville Wonder Watch. Cindy Lou who.

[C]

Thanks for tuning in.

[A]

And right over there, he wishes the Grinch had other treats besides things he finds stuck in his green fur. It's Max the dog. Now, here's your host, Jack Frost won't dare nip in his nose because who knows what's in there? It's the Grinch. Okay, I haven't even met that guy yet. He has nose jokes about Me. So, Cindy, let's get a meeting with him and make sure we raise my desk and chair to be about 2ft taller than his. And let's make sure the room is about 22 degrees, okay?

[C]

Does that seem fair, Mr. Grinch?

[A]

Fair? Is life fair?

[B]

Look at me.

[A]

I look like an old leprechaun stuffed animal that was left in the toilet. That's not fair.

[C]

I'll see what I can do.

[A]

Moving on. Hello, listeners. How do my pipes sound today? Sultry, deep and resonant. Yes, yes. Good, good. Well, it is me after all, The Grinch. And yes, yes, of course I have something to rant about today. Hold on to your seats.

[B]

Keep on your pants.

[A]

The Grinch is going on one of his rants. You know, this morning I was organizing all my fan mail into a trash pile and a burn pile and I noticed the letters are all from names like Paxton or Jet. Parents, Your child is not an aerodynamic machine that is ruining our environment, okay? He or she is. Is a human. A snot nosed, foul mouthed little human, all right, but a human nonetheless. Kids, names these days are crazy. Why do they all gotta be trendy or unique? Whatever happened to good old fashioned names like Cindy and Max?

[C]

I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me.

[A]

Not a compliment. Old fashioned is its own category of weird. And before you say you have a weird name too, Grinch. Shut it. This isn't about me. This is about all the little boys and girls who suffer when class attendance is called because they have to answer to a name like Rocket or Winter. Winter is not a name, it's a season. A horrible Christmas bearing season that should not be mentioned unless absolutely necessary. Children of the world, our parents are failing us. It's like a mom gives birth. Mazel. But then looks around and names the newborn after the first thing she sees. I'm surprised more babies aren't named. Things like Steve Harvey playing on a little TV or bedpan. Oh, here's our baby credenza. First thought is not always miss that people. And don't even get me started on middle names. I get it. Not everyone can be as iconic as Zendaya, Rihanna or Grinch and just go by one name. Okay, so a first and last name I can handle. But going by three names, I mean, who do you think you are? Middle names are not first names for a reason. They're embarrassing and they're supposed to stay hidden, not put on display like these pretentious three name people. Yeah, I'm looking at you. Cindy Lou who? I know it's hyphenated, but at least you're a nobody who goes by three names. What really irks me is when celebs go by three names. It's like, we get it. Millie, Bobby Brown. You want to take up more screen space in the credits? I met her at James Austin Johnson's birthday party. Speaking of J, A, J. Yuck. If you couldn't already tell by his name, the guy's a real doof. Point is, that three name guy stinks. And kids names are stupid. You've been grinched. Moving on. You know how Santa has his naughty and nice list? Well, guess what? So does the cringe. So right now it's time to make up a bunch of sweeping generalizations and unfairly lump various groups of people into an oversimplified, completely subjective binary. How fun. Let's unveil it. Okay, here we go. First up, teenagers who use the word bruh too much Bruh. Let's get something to eat bruh. Let's play Fortnite bruh. We're on the naughty list for saying bruh too much. Indeed you are. And if for some reason they change bruh to brah, like, hey, brah, what's going on? What are you doing this weekend, brah? Well, guess what? You're on the super naughty list, brah. Next, it's the person in charge of naming new weight loss drugs that advertise on tv. Dude or dudette? Guess what? You're on the nice list. You know why the names you keep coming up with are so bad? I find them devilishly, deliciously, hilariously great. Wigovy Nimlovio. I mean, Ozempic is bad enough. It sounds like some weird cousin of the Olympics. Hey, you going to the Ozempics this year? Oh, is it that time again? Has it been four years? Sure, I'll go. My favorite event is cross country pie eating. Nimlovio. I can't even wrap my head around that one. I think they just reach into a bag of owls and throw them all on a table and put that one together Bananagram style. Either way, these unpronounceable pharmaceutical names are confusing and confounding. And they're officially on my nice list. Okay, moving on. Doorbell cameras. Naughty list. These smart doorbells are totally ruining the classics for pranksters like me. No more ringing and running. No more Flamin Poop on the doorstep. No more bananas in the tailpipe. Because everything has to be caught on camera nowadays for transparency. Hello, privacy concerns. Hello, deep State. Hello, big bruh. Look, I just want to go to the bathroom peacefully in a paper bag on your porch and then run away with your Amazon packages without a grainy black and white movie about it. Uploading to your phone for the authorities to see. Is that too much to ask? Okay, now I'm just gonna go rapid fire here, so strap in my garbage, man. Ken. Nice, Liz. Sorry I forgot to warn you last week about the raccoon with the flu that was living in my trash can. Here's a big one. Guy in the office who's always adding you to emails for viz. Naughty List. Just adding you for viz. Making sure we're all aligned before we circle back and deep dive on some front burner action items. Okay, guy, we get it. You work in an office. How about you circle back to talking like a human being? Okay, C3PO, here's one. People who chew with their mouths open. Nice list. I know, shocker. But look, as long as you're stuffing food in your mouth and breathing out through your nose, you can't bore me to death with one of your hilarious stories about something. You're not as cute as you think. Kids once said. Here's another Lorne Michaels Naughty List. Unless you finally let me host snl, Then we can change things real quick. But here's the stipulation. You have to let me be the musical guest and sing obscure Bob Dylan songs. And finally, Mr. Beast. Naughty list. If you have so much extra cash lying around, why not just give it away, bro? No, with you, it's always who wants 500 grand? Okay, let me just bury you alive for 50 hours. Let me send you to the world's most dangerous obstacle course. Let me put these bees in your pants. It's psychotic behavior. Why do I have to jump through all these hoops just for a free chunk of life changing money? How is that fair? Also, Mr. Beast. Who is he kidding? I'm the original Mr. Beast. Insofar as I'm an actual friggin beast. Okay, stop appropriating beast culture. It's not cool. Double Naughty List. Ugh. That was a slog. I don't know how the big man does it. Speaking of, you know, it'd be really nice right now. A quick nap, everybody. You're a monster, Mr. Grinch. Your heart's an empty hole. Your brain is full of spiders. You got garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch. I wouldn't touch you with a 39 and a half foot pole. My guest tonight doesn't celebrate Christmas. Ah. And therefore he has my undying admiration. But he definitely seems like the kind of guy who loves to tag along with Christmas carolers. Anyway, just for fun. Gross. You know him from Parks and Recreation. He's the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, Dewey Duck, and Leonardo from Rise of the Ninja Turtles. Oh. Plus his live touring improv show, Ben Schwartz and Friends is not how I'd prefer to spend an evening, but maybe you would. Please welcome the very talented and funny Ben Schwartz.

[B]

How are you, Grinch? How is everything, man? I'm so excited to be here.

[A]

I'm so happy to have you up here. I'm a big fan. Not so much your comedy or your performances, but your hair.

[B]

Oh, nice.

[A]

I just think you have one of the best heads of hair in the biz.

[B]

Thanks, Grinch.

[A]

What's the secret there?

[B]

It's Judaism. And then I use something called bumble and Bumble Sumo tech. Those are the two things that I do.

[A]

Okay. I think I'm more interested in the second one. But tell me about this first one. Are you saying that if I. Is there a path to conversion?

[B]

Well, it could be. For me, it was just that that's kind of like what my parents is. The same hair that my parents have and stuff like that. But where do you get your hair from? You just threw down an entire thing of hair.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What were your parents like? Have we ever met your parents?

[A]

We haven't. And it's been a long time and I think they're still down in Boca. I know that they've got a. They have like a 36 year long bridge game going with their neighbors.

[B]

Oh, my God. That's like a D and D that goes for so many years.

[A]

It's like a D and D campaign. And I'll be honest, the people that they play with do look like some sort of hobbit or elf style being.

[B]

Are you close with your family, by the way? This is exciting for me. Cause I never get to ask Gringe questions. Dude, dude, now's not the time. Is this not what the podcast is?

[A]

This is like not the kind of thing I'm trying to do right now. I'm not trying to. I know. You know, we're all looking for the heir apparent to marrying, but I'm not going for that on this show. Okay? This is kids. This is for the family.

[B]

All right.

[A]

Hey. As the voice of Sonic in all three films, you worked alongside Jim Carrey, who plays Dr. Robotnik, but he also famously played me in the 2000 propaganda film how the Grinch Stole Christmas. Fake news.

[B]

That's right. By the way, it was amazing. Did you see the film?

[A]

Of course I did. I sat there steaming.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

The whole time, arms crossed, brow furrowed. What did he get wrong?

[B]

Tell me what he got wrong.

[A]

Well, they took a lot of liberties with the story. Okay? They basically made him out to be this kind of romantic, quixotic hero type guy. And that's not it at all.

[B]

You're more like the first half of the movie, not the second half of the movie.

[A]

I'm more like the first. The first half of the movie. I'm going, yeah. Liking this.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're loving the first half.

[A]

In the second half of the movie, I was just like, all right, I think I'm gonna go get a complimentary large popcorn refill at the moment.

[B]

Good for you. Good for you.

[A]

Yeah. How many buckets do you clear over a screening?

[B]

You know what I do? This is my trick. And tell me if you do something similar. I take a. I usually do small popcorn, no butter, and then I put Reese's Pieces in it. And then I put my hand on top of the popcorn and I shake it so it's all the way in there. I find that if you put too much butter in there, then your hands are all weird the whole time. And you're wiping your hands the whole time.

[A]

Oh, I never get the butter.

[B]

You can't get the butter.

[A]

And hey, guess what, kids? Hate to break it to you, that stuff ain't butter, babe.

[B]

Oh, my goodness. Wait, can we start your new segment?

[A]

Hey, guess what, kids? Hey, guess what, kids? And then you sing the jingle. Here we go. It's time for Guess what, Kids. Oh, hey, guess what, kids?

[B]

You'll never guess what's up. Cover your front and cover your butts.

[A]

Guess what, kid. Here, we gotta. We kind of need to do a little harmony at the end. One, two, three. Guess what. Guess what, kid. Dude, one.

[B]

I'll count it down. I'll count it down.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Usually you count down three, two, one.

[A]

Guess what, kid.

[B]

You stop. Ready? One. One, Two, three.

[A]

Guess what, kids.

[B]

All right, now go tell them.

[A]

What?

[B]

Guess what?

[A]

The butter that they put on the popcorn at the movie theater. It ain't butter, babe.

[B]

I can't believe it's not butter, baby.

[A]

This is not what we're trying to talk about right now. I'm trying to talk about your career. Yeah, I'm trying to talk about what you do. This is for the children of the nation. Of the world. And you know what the kids want to talk about? They want to talk about all the legacy IPs that you are, like, the guy for.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Kids love IPs.

[A]

Kids are into IPs. Kids are always looking at Daily Variety. They're going, what is Iger gonna do with spider babies?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

He's gotta adapt it.

[B]

How am I gonna see Polly Pocket?

[A]

When's Yahtzee finally dropping?

[B]

Yahtzee's gonna be fantastic.

[A]

I mean, have we adapted enough board games?

[B]

Can you believe that we haven't done chess yet? Can you believe that you haven't played the bishop? It's insane. There hasn't been a chess game yet.

[A]

That's insane.

[B]

That's truly insane. There's so many different ways that the queen could go. You know what I mean?

[A]

Well, all right, here's the thing. You've done the Sonic Universe, the Ninja Turtles canon.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

DuckTales IP, even Star Wars IP. What's the white whale for? Ben Schwartz? What legacy IP, you know, still eludes you?

[B]

I really wanna be in. I've done a lot of stuff for Disney, but I'd love to be in, like, a big Disney movie. Cause, like, Aladdin and Lion King and all, those were huge deals when I was a kid. Aladdin was such a big deal for me. I love animated movies. So I think, I don't know, Sonic kind of broke it for me, where I'm like, this is it. This is what I've always wanted to do. Like play a video game character in a big old movie with Jim Carrey. It's a dream. But it would be fun to be in a big old Disney movie that is evergreen and stuff like that.

[A]

I got a pitch for you.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

Go, Sonic. That's a computer drawing, right? James Martin and all them. Those guys real? That's right.

[B]

They're live action. Yeah.

[A]

All right, here we go. Here's my pitch for you. Okay, Sonic, wait.

[B]

Do you want to do the theme song? Here's my pitch to you.

[A]

Yeah. All right, here we go. We're going to make this a new segment.

[B]

Okay? So say, here's my pitch to you. Not to the theme song. And by the way, hit me with harmony at the end. Don't mess around.

[A]

Okay, I won't mess around. All right. And that means it's time, kids, for another. Here's my pitch for you. I said, here's my pitch for you.

[B]

Here's my pitch for you. For you.

[A]

Here's my picture you. Okay, here's how we reshoot Sonic the Hedgehog to rake in some more cash. The whole Movie, everything that was live action. Real practical, that whole thing. That's cgi. And then the magic hedgehog who runs really fast. That's a real hedgehog in front of a green screen.

[B]

So like a small, tiny hedgehog.

[A]

We go to a garden in England, we get a real hedgehog, we zoom them around real fast. Maybe on a skateboard or something.

[B]

Oh, that's amazing. So there's a scene where Sonic runs so fast that he runs over the ocean. And just take me through how we would do that with this live English hedgehog.

[A]

Okay, so what we'll do is we'll make a kind of a paper boat situation.

[B]

Okay, so now there's a boat.

[A]

Got it. We'll put the real hedgehog on it. Okay. Straps. Whatever. Those little rockets were on the cars in the Fast and Furious movies, you know when they flick the switch.

[B]

Yes. The nitrous. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Yes. Nitrous.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, we got a hedgehog strapped to some nitro. We flick it on. We watch him. I love this idea. We just watch him launch right across the ocean. Grinch.

[B]

I love this idea.

[A]

We can even livestream it.

[B]

Do I still play the voice or. No, there is no voice. Cause it's a real hedgehog, so I can't talk.

[A]

It's a real hedgehog, so we're gonna lose your whole audio track.

[B]

Okay, so you've just lost me as an actor.

[A]

I'm out. I'm out. You're out? You're producing. Cause I need somebody with some shmoney to put up for this.

[B]

Oh, you want me to finance a film where Sonic is fully live action and everybody else is. And probably $100 million production. Right?

[A]

Yeah, at least. I mean, because I think that if you were to do this hedgehog movie, this would be, like, a gift that you could give to the children. Okay. Because you're.

[B]

So Sonic is not a big enough gift. You want me to change it to live action so we could really get to the kids?

[A]

Live action with a real hedgehog is. Real hedgehogs are actually cute.

[B]

It's smart. You're right.

[A]

Not fake anime cute. Real cute.

[B]

You're right.

[A]

Okay, so I'm legally required to ask you about Christmas. I just gotta get this out of the way before we wrap up here. Okay, go. Here's where the interview really goes off the rails. Buckle up for a classic Grinch Gotcha question. Maybe a segment jingle here. Grinch Gotcha question.

[B]

Who's gotcha? The Grinch.

[A]

Oh, I wasn't ready for that little thing at the end. But here's what it is. What is a nice Jewish boy like you, Ben Schwartz, doing in something called A Very Sonic Christmas? Were you forced against your will to participate?

[B]

Oh, my goodness. Sonic got to meet Santa. It was unbelievable. And also Shadow was there, and I think Tails and Knuckles were there, and it was Claymation. It was like Rudolph Red nosed reindeer. It's awesome.

[A]

Yeah, I like that. It's awesome. But just like. I mean, did your parents disown you after that? I mean, how did you even get. How did someone like you even get swallowed up by Big Christmas? Okay, this is what I want to know.

[B]

I really loved. Remember those polar bear commercials that Coca Cola did?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That was like half Santa, half polar bear.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That really got me into Christmas.

[A]

You like the postcard Christmas?

[B]

I like postcard Christmas. I like the music from Christmas very much. Can you separate the art from the artist for you? Can you enjoy the music of Christmas but not enjoy Christmas or.

[A]

No.

[B]

If Bing Crosby comes on or if Leslie Odom Jr's Christmas album comes on, are you able to really enjoy it or. You can't separate Christmas from. You can't separate the art from the artist.

[A]

I just. I'm still so mad about What Leslie Odom Jr. Did to Alexander Hamilton. I'm still pretty ticked off.

[B]

No, sorry. He played a character named Burr and Burr shot Hamilton. He's an actor.

[A]

No, I saw the play. I watched him do it. I watched him take out Alexander Hamilton and I'm still mad.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

All right. I was there. I was in the room. How did we get. I'm so confused.

[B]

Oh, Christmas. Do you like Christmas music? And can you separate the art from the artist?

[A]

Make me like Christmas music. Make me like Christmas music. Do it.

[B]

Okay, ready? Here comes Poppy Claus. There goes Mama Claus. Write down all their friends.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. You have a beautiful voice.

[B]

Oh, thank you. I appreciate it.

[A]

Has anyone ever told you that you have a great voice?

[B]

Grinch? I thought your whole thing is to never compliment people.

[A]

Well, I'm in the Whoville Men's Choir and we need tenors.

[B]

I'm kind of inspired by you. I thought I was gonna come in here being like, this is a tough dude, but you seem. Can I say something? Honestly?

[A]

Go for it.

[B]

Off the pod. You seem like a pretty chill dude, man.

[A]

I'm chill as heck, man. I'm so chill. You know what? I wanna thank you for coming in on the pod today. We have had such a chill. You're a chill dude, too.

[B]

Oh, come on, Grinch. We don't need to do this.

[A]

We've had such a ch. I haven't even had to have, like, a heart swell moment. Normally, these people, they come on the show, they give me all this guff about how I got to like Christmas. They tell me these little childhood stories about all the little unfortunate children that they give their little trinkets to, and it makes my heart swell, and that causes a cardiac event.

[B]

Can I say one thing, Grinch?

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Before this is over.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

I. I brought your dad into the podcast.

[A]

No.

[B]

Can he just say one thing to you?

[A]

What are you talking about?

[B]

Your dad. I got him.

[A]

Dude, quit messing around, man. Why are you messing with me right now, bro? Bro, you better not, like, be messing with me.

[B]

Just give me a second. He just wanted to come in and say one thing. I know you didn't want your heart to grow. That's not. But he wanted to say one thing if he could.

[A]

Okay, Bro, what are you talking about right now, bro? Son, Dad, I love you. You're just. Are you just a shadow on the wall right now being controlled by Ben Schwartz with a flashlight? Or is it really you, Papa?

[B]

Ah, it's me, son. And I love you.

[A]

Heartswell.

[B]

There it is on the cry. Oh, my goodness.

[A]

What do you think about Christmas? What do you think about Christmas? What do you think about Christmas? It's fine. And whatever. It's fine. I think I'm chill with it now. Heartswell. Heartswell.

[B]

You're throwing up riots everywhere. You're throwing up rice literally everywhere.

[A]

I think I did it.

[B]

You okay, Grinch?

[A]

I think I'm okay. I think it's where it's supposed to be.

[B]

God, that must have been a huge moment for you, man.

[A]

All right, I think I'm good. So is my dad really here, or was that really you just doing shadow puppets?

[B]

That was him. He really. No, that was him, and he had to leave.

[A]

Well, I don't see him. Where'd he go? I didn't hear the door open.

[B]

He had to leave. He was so overwhelmed by connecting with you for the first time in so long.

[A]

And you swear it wasn't just you doing a shadow puppet with the flashlight on your phone.

[B]

It seems like you want to believe so badly that your dad doesn't love you that you're saying that I could possibly have brought this flashlight, which I hold in my hand right now, and put it next to my fist, which I put extra hair on top to make it look like your father, and then do a high pitched voice just to fool you for a Second. To think that your father was here until you. Love you. Just for the sake of the pod, my man, I'm telling you, your dad was right here.

[A]

All right, bro, I believe you. I look in your eyes and I believe you.

[B]

Can I tell you something?

[A]

Sure, whatever.

[B]

You're a chill dude. Cringe, dude.

[A]

You're so chill.

[B]

You're so chill.

[A]

I mean, are you doing anything? You want to get like Korean barbecue or something like that?

[B]

Are you in Manhattan? Are we going to 32nd and 5th?

[A]

Who feels pretty far from Manhattan? I think I can get there in like a day and a half.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, I'll meet you for. I would love Korean barbecue.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Although your hair, your fur wouldn't. You smell like. You would smell like it for days.

[A]

Yeah, that's kind of the point, my man.

[B]

I love your. I love your whole thing. I love your whole thing, my man.

[A]

All right, I'll meet you up. We're gonna get Bulgogied.

[B]

Bulgogi. I love it.

[A]

To the dome. Bulgogi. To the dome.

[B]

It's pronounced Bulgogi, by the way. It's three different words. You've messed up.

[A]

All right, dude, it's off. It's off the table.

[B]

Bye, guys. Bye.

[A]

We return now to our Countdown to Christmas featurette. It's Cindy versus the Grinc in dueling holiday events, the Whoville Tree lighting ceremony and Grinchapalooza. Last we heard, Grinch tried to sabotage Sidney, but was attacked by a rogue pack of squirrels. Stop connecting my finger. But will Grinch be able to climb his way back into Grinchapalooza glory? Let's find out. Of course I'll be able to pull it off. Yeesh. I can hear you, you know. Anyway, folks, I'm walking around the grounds of Grinchapalooza and I'm headed to a meeting with my new head of security. Maxi boy, congrats on the promotion to head of security for Grinchapalooza. All I ask is that you're willing to put your life on the line for a bunch of festival goers that you've never met. Just a reminder. It pays nothing. I give them room and board. It's fair. Let's get down to business. You found a full security crew, right? Great. Where are they? Ooo. Oh wow. I was thinking you'd found some guard dogs or maybe a couple massive scary hoodudes. Not wolves and bears. And is that a badger? Oh, cute. Apologies. Not cute. But how can I be sure this group of late round draft picks for Noah's Ark has what it takes to make sure my festival is safe. I mean, that bear is wearing a pink bow. I mean, can she really handle this tough, high pressure job? Security is all about brute strength and intimidation. Whoa. Look at her nails. Let's. Let's. Let's retract those, right? Can you guys do that? I just want to make sure that she and the rest of the security team isn't all talk. So how about this? I simulate potential granted palooza security threats, and you show me how you'd handle it on the job. Okay, I'm gonna run full force into that bear's belly. Here we go. Oh, Cheet baba. Oh, she took me down. She took me down hard. Sheesh. That's gonna bruise. And, folks, my bruises are really weird colors. Ugh. Bear with the bow, you're officially higher. Okay, next up, the wolves. Fun fact. I once mistook a wolf for a dog and gave it a belly rub. When it woke up, I lost a finger. I thought you'd find that relatable. Instead, I am terrified. Okay, listen up. Mosh pits are all the rage, but they can get dangerous, right? All those angsty teens aggressively dancing and shoving each other. I love it. I love when the pit opens up, but I can't have anyone seriously injured at my festival, okay? I just can't take on another lawsuit right now. So my security team needs to keep the moshing safe. So I'm staging a mosh pit with some of the bears.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right. Come on, bears. Yummy back. Ow.

[C]

Ow, that hurts.

[A]

Do not try this at home. Ow. Why do people find this fun home? Step in. Show me how you'd handle moshing out a grenche polo. Okay, the wolves are hired. That one scooped me up by the neck like she would with a cub. I felt small and dainty. It was nice. And then it hurt. A lot. Plus, this one's fur is the perfect texture for a security guard. Like a barbed wire sandpaper hybrid. Remind me to get your shampoo brand out after the show. Yes, Max, I agree. The other moshing bears are hired too. You're all unbelievably strong, and quite frankly, you know how to dance, which makes me respect you. I don't know why, but it does. Okay, that leaves you, cute badger. Here at Grinchapalooza, we have a very strict no holiday decor policy. All right, we're even gonna make all the patrons walk through a decor detector before they're allowed entry. But I have a feeling some of these who villains are gonna try to sneak stuff in. So, cutie patootie badger, here's your test. I've hidden some tinsel on my person. The decor detector doesn't catch it, so I'm sneaking it into the big festival. What do you do? All right. The badger's giving me a very thorough countdown. Might want to consider trimming those nails. Yikes. Nope. Nothing in my belly button, buddy. Besides maybe some leftovers I was saving for lunch. Oh, yeah, yeah. You found it. Doesn't matter where it was hiding. But he found the tinsel. Might wanna throw that away, my man. But you're hired. Max, excellent work. But sadly, I still can't approve that PTO you requested. Nope. Can't grant access to the employee fridge either. It's interspecies stuff. HR's weird about it. Take it up with them. You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch. You have termites in your smile. You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Greench. Given the choice between the two of you, I'd take the seasick crocodile.

[C]

Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast is a production of Wondery and Dr. Seuss Enterprises, starring James Austin Johnson as the Grinch with Anjulika Nupeneni and as Cindy Lou who? And Anthony Atamanick as the announcer. This episode was written by our lead writer, Dan Cronin and Joe Redlingschafer. Our sound designer is Jamie Cooper. Music supervision by Scott Velasquez for Frison Sync. Senior producers are Adam Azeroff, Jennifer Klein Walker and Brian Taylor White. Our associate producer is Kim Baekema. Sarah Mathis is our managing producer and Callum Plews is our senior managing producer. Carlos Hernandez is our audio engineer and Adrian Tapia is our studio manager. Executive produced by Susan Brandt for Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Executive producers are Andrew Goldstein and Marcia Louie. For wondering.

[A]

Follow Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast on the Wondery app, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast ad free by joining Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short [e-mail] survey if you have a tip about a story you think we should investigate, please write to [e-mail] tips.