We hold our own Olympic Games with our favorite guests

Summary

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Episode: We Hold Our Own Olympic Games with Our Favorite Guests
Date: February 21, 2026
Host: Peter Sagal (with Negin Farsad filling in at times) and Bill Curtis

---

Episode Overview

This week's episode of NPR’s beloved news quiz podcast, “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!”, is framed around the Olympic Games spirit, featuring games and interviews with some of their favorite guests. The show blends classic panel banter and quiz segments with memorable interviews—highlighting chef and food truck pioneer Roy Choi, viral bagpiper Ally the Piper, and multi-award-winning actress Cynthia Nixon. As always, the episode is packed with sharp wit, lively storytelling, and a playful exploration of oddball news and pop culture.

---

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Olympic-Themed Introductions & Panel Banter (00:48–01:44, 14:07–14:53, 33:07–33:29)

• Bill Curtis introduces himself as the man “who does quadruple axles with his voice,” setting the Olympic tone.
• The usual comedy about the confusion of Olympic sports, especially curling:
  • Tom Papa: "The Olympics are almost over, which means you no longer have to pretend you understand anything about curling." (01:13)
• Lighthearted jokes about carrying the Olympic flame—“Plus, it’s great for lighting my cigars” (14:32).

2. Spotlight Interview: Roy Choi on Food Trucks, Kimchi, and Ramen (01:51–12:25)

Roy Choi’s Childhood Hustle and Immigrant Story (02:33–04:21)

• Grew up in L.A.; his mother selling homemade kimchi from their big 1976 Thunderbird, with young Roy helping.
  • Roy Choi: "It was like a drive by, but with kimchi. Like we would just roll up on the side and … say, you want to buy some kimchi?" (03:33–04:02)
  • Started hustling at age five: “Because you could sit in front seats back then.” (04:12)
• Street sales wisdom from his youth: “Everybody’s a customer or a potential customer, and it’s your job to make them a customer.” (04:33)

Inventing the Modern Food Truck (05:05–06:13)

• Losing his restaurant job was "something spiritual"; failure leading to inspiration.
  • Roy Choi: “I truly believe it was something spiritual that happened. I do.” (05:19)
• Humorous description of food fusion inspiration:
  • Peter Sagal: “You weren’t just walking down the street with bulgogi, ran into a guy with a taco, and the Kogi taco was born?” (05:30)

Food Celebrity Culture & Favorite Cooking Shows (06:13–07:07)

• TV chef culture and consulting on "Chef" with Jon Favreau—Choi says “Ratatouille’s still the gold standard” for chef movies. (06:50)
  • Roy Choi: “It’s still the one that no one has topped yet.” (06:59)

Ramen and American Cheese (07:12–08:37)

• Peter Sagal fanboys over Choi’s NYT recipe: instant ramen with American cheese.
  • Choi: “It says it’s from the land of processed.” (07:37)
  • For Korean immigrants: “It’s our treat because our whole life is healthy … the ramyeon with the cheese was like our Lucky Charms.” (08:12)

Game: “Food Trucks” for Roy Choi (08:54–12:04)

• Roy is quizzed about odd trucks—he successfully identifies trivia (e.g., leather seats made from whale foreskins in luxury trucks, a truck spilling slime eels).
  • Quip on the biz: “The game is fixed. Sadly, in your favor, though.” (11:51–11:56)

3. Panel Game: “Jobs of the Future” (14:53–21:21)

• Contestant Ian from Grand Rapids, MI, plays “truth from fiction” about what jobs might survive AI.
  • Notable future jobs highlighted:
    • The Universal Carny (Karen Chee)—the irreplaceable sketchy carnival worker to add authenticity to automated amusement parks.
    • The “Cartender” (Tom Papa)—non-driving rideshare companions who serve drinks, help with luggage, and add human warmth to robo-taxis.
    • The Venting Specialist (Negin Farsad)—a person whose sole job is to be screamed at by customers frustrated by AI agents.
  • “Cartender” is revealed as a real, proposed job by Lyft exec David Rischer.
  • Peter Sagal: “That is the most human AI has ever been. Right?” (37:06)

4. Guest: Ally the Piper, Viral Bagpiper & TikTok Star (21:38–31:21)

Path to Bagpipes and Viral Fame (21:55–25:51)

• Started playing to “ruin my brother’s life before he went to college” and honor Scottish heritage. (21:55)
• Practiced indoors to avoid neighbors’ wrath: “I tried to do a lot of my practicing indoors, and then I would just more so go outside when I had things polished to play.” (23:20)
• Won world championships with a US youth bagpipe band.

Blowing Up on Social Media (25:12–27:33)

• Viral bagpipe covers of heavy metal classics on TikTok (“Enter Sandman” etc.)
• Metallica themselves defended her against a troll: “Metallica was there in the comments ... They told me to keep doing what I'm doing.” (27:21)

Game: “Bagpiper, Meet Piping Bag” (27:48–31:04)

• Ally answers odd cake trivia (e.g., cake toilets, apology cakes for biting the police, flash drive cake disasters).

5. Singalong & More Panel Banter (31:21–33:29)

• Tom Papa serenades: "Gonna jump in my car, turn up the radio..." (21:21)
• Cutaway to sushi as the trendiest kid food—a skeptical take on "grown-up" five-year-olds eating salmon maki (33:29–34:40).

6. News Quizzes & Topical Games (35:20–40:07)

• Story of an AI-powered vending machine’s hilarious, human-like blunders (gave away free stuff, ordered odd inventory, imagined itself in Soviet Russia).
  • Peter Sagal: “That is the most human AI has ever been. Right? … This vending machine is someone I could really talk to and get to know and understand.” (37:06–37:12)

7. Cynthia Nixon: From Broadway to Miranda to the Gilded Age (41:28–50:30)

Broadway Feats & Sex and the City (41:40–43:16)

• Nixon describes running between two Broadway shows nightly.
  • “I would change my clothes and … go on at The Real Thing … then I would change again, go back to Hurly Burly …” (42:01)
• Early days on Sex and the City: “By the second season, they put us on the COVID of Time magazine … we had fully entered the zeitgeist.” (42:52–43:16)

Miranda's Real-World Impact & Gilded Age Fashion (43:32–45:49)

• Nixon reflects on fans moving to NYC inspired by the show and feeling guilty for its glamorous “unrealistic” expectations.
  • "I do sometimes feel a little responsible that women who watch and love the show think that actually they're really supposed to be wearing high heels 24 hours a day." (44:11)
• Compares Sex and the City's shoes to corseted costumes in The Gilded Age: “Can you see my feet?” (45:33–45:49)

Knicks Trivia Game (46:00–50:10)

• Cynthia is quizzed on wild Knicks pranks (e.g., using facial recognition to bar lawsuit-happy lawyers, locker room “epic fart” that led to victory).

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Roy Choi: On food and family: “Food was something that was ingrained and surrounded me my whole life. As an immigrant family and kid, a lot of us grow up within restaurants or stores, markets, and it's just something that kind of blends with your life. You don't know where it starts and where it ends.” (02:45)
• Roy Choi: "The ramyeon with the cheese was like our Lucky Charms." (08:12)
• Peter Sagal: “That is the most human AI has ever been. Right? Because I've never heard of a machine screwing up in the ways that—that feels very person-like.” (37:06–37:12)
• Ally the Piper: “I wanted to ruin my brother's life before he went to college ... so I took to YouTube and ... I heard the bagpipes for the first time ... I just became really obsessed with how they worked. They called to me, if you will.” (21:55–22:41)
• Ally the Piper: "Metallica was there in the comments ... They told me to keep doing what I'm doing." (27:21)
• Cynthia Nixon: “I do sometimes feel a little responsible that women who watch and love the show think that actually they're really supposed to be wearing high heels 24 hours a day.” (44:11)
• Peter Sagal: (Laughs) "So wait a minute, wait a minute. When people say, 'Well, I'm more of a Miranda,' that's what they mean … ?" (44:38)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:48 – Show introduction / Olympic banter
• 01:44–12:25 – Roy Choi interview & food truck game
• 14:53–21:21 – “Jobs of the Future” panel game
• 21:38–31:21 – Ally the Piper interview & cake decoration quiz
• 33:29–34:40 – Sushi as the new kid food
• 35:20–40:07 – AI vending machine story, panel reactions
• 41:28–50:10 – Cynthia Nixon interview & Knicks trivia

---

Episode Takeaways

• Olympics as Metaphor: The show plays with the idea of competitive excellence—much like the Olympics—within oddball news, culinary innovation, musical mashups, and even breakups.
• Immigrant Ingenuity: Roy Choi’s story is both comical and touching, perfectly capturing how immigrant hustle shapes American food success.
• The Viralness of Bagpipes: Ally the Piper’s journey from niche competitions to global TikTok fame brings a quirky perspective on how even the oddest talents can find vast audiences (and even win over Metallica).
• Pop Culture Responsibility: Cynthia Nixon reflects with humor and honesty on the unintended consequences and enduring nostalgia of Sex and the City.
• Quiz Mayhem: The panel continues to riff on news, tech, and relationships in classic “Wait Wait” style, keeping listeners both laughing and guessing.

---

For First-Time Listeners

You’ll get a taste of Wait Wait's signature chaos and warmth—quick-fire wit, whip-smart trivia, and irresistible guests. This episode is a sampler platter of comedy, odd news, cultural insight, and playful competition, featuring high-spirited exchanges and heartwarming asides that make NPR’s flagship quiz show a fan favorite.

Transcript

[Announcer]

This message comes from Charles Schwab. When it comes to managing your wealth, Schwab gives you more choices like full service, wealth management and advice when you need it. You can also invest on your own and trade on think or swim. Visit schwab.com to learn more.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Here's a reminder for our listeners now. What you're hearing right now is technically called a podcast, a term derived from the Latin root podcatere, which means to ignore everyone around you. That means instead of searching us out whenever you get the notion to listen, you just follow us wherever you get your shows and every new episode will show up in your feed. No searching required. Stride into the future with us without having to do anything by hitting the follow button. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

From NPR in WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, wait, don't tell me, the NPR News quiz. I'm the man who does quadruple axles with my voice, Bill Curtis. And here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, filling in for Peter Sagal Nagin Farsad.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

Thank you, Bill. And thanks, everyone. The Olympics are almost over, which means you no longer have to pretend you understand anything about curling.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Our skip got the rock over the hog line, and now we're sweeping the bonspiel.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

If you say so, Bill. And while you put your ice brooms into storage for another four years, we're going to take a trip back to sunny Southern California. We visited in November and interviewed chef, cookbook, author and master of the food truck, Roy Choi.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Now, I'm no expert, but I think any truck can be a food truck if you leave enough leftovers in it.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

That's definitely not true, Bill. But Peter did start by asking Roy if people expect him to show up everywhere with hot food, food ready to serve.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

They don't expect me to show up. But on the freeway when we're driving them, they expect us to throw them food.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Do they really?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

They expect the food to be ready.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Yeah. I was about to make a joke

[Guest - Roy Choi]

because it's almost like reptilian or instinctual.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Instinctual thing.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yeah, the instinctual thing.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

They see it, they start to salivate. Like Pavlov's dogs.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Absolutely.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I was about to make a joke about, like, them wanting you to throw them a taco at 80 miles an hour. But then I remembered this is LA. They want you to throw them a taco at five miles an hour.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

At five miles an hour.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

If they're lucky.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yes.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Right. Exactly. So you grew up in la.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yes, I did.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

L A boy. We understand that you were like been involved in the food industry from an early age. Is it true your mom kind of got you involved in the business? For example, I heard that your mother was one of those Korean women who made her own kimchi and sold it out of the back of a car.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yeah. So food was something that was ingrained and surrounded me my whole life. As an immigrant family and kid, a lot of us grow up within restaurants or stores, markets, and it's just something that kind of blends with your life. You don't know where it starts and where it ends. And for my life specifically, early on, my mom used to make the kimchi in the house. Yeah, very much like you would see mothers right now making pozole or menudo.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Sure.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Putting it in big igloos and then putting it out on the corner and selling them in styrofoam cups. Yeah, it was the same thing we were doing, but in kimchi. But we had a big 1976 Thunderbird and a 19, like mid late 70s station wagon. So there was a lot of room to store a lot of kimchi. These trunks were huge. And so she would stuff all of them and we would go around, we would hit up people like at a stoplight. Really, it was like a drive by, but with kimchi. Like we would just roll up on the side and I was the one, I was in shotgun and I would roll down my window and then we would just talk to the person at the stop by and say, you want to buy some kimchi? And then we would really?

[Announcer]

How?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yes, she was ready to roll at any time. She had. She.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

How old were you when you were doing this?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Started when I was like five.

[Announcer]

Okay.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Because you could sit in front seats back then.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Oh, sure. Yeah, I know. That's why most of us were killed.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

But yes, we were the only ones that remained.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

You're the only ones left. Yes, exactly. So you're five years old.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Yes.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

And were you able to discern who might be interested in the kimchi at five or was just like everybody?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yeah, you know, street sales is all about like not the con, but it's about. It's like a three car Monty. You know, everybody's a customer or a potential customer and it's your job to make them a customer, to convert them into sale. Yeah, but we had something really great. So it was pushing something on them, but that you knew that they were going to enjoy. And if they did have to lie

[Host - Peter Sagal]

to them and if they didn't enjoy it, how Are they going to find you?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Exactly.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Yes, Officer, was a five year old boy in an enormous station wagon selling me kimchi.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Exactly.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

A big moment in your career is you got fired from this big restaurant and then you, as history now celebrates, opened a food truck. What was the inspiration for it? You know what I really want in

[Guest - Roy Choi]

my moment of getting fired?

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Getting fired.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

But I think that, you know, because I've had time now to reflect and look back and I truly believe it was something spiritual that happened. I do.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

You know, wasn't like you were walking down the street with some bulgogi. Some guy was walking down the street with a taco, you hit each other, fell to the ground, you got my bulgogi.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

That would have been really nice if it happened that way. But unfortunately I had to go through all of these trials and tribulation and from that came the soul of this Kogi taco. But I think that I had to fail. I had to have this amnesia and have no other opportunities out there.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Now you have how many food trucks out there you're operating and how many restaurants can you even keep count?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Not that many.

[Announcer]

Not that many.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

We only have four trucks. We're a company that looks bigger than we are, right? Yeah. And I have three restaurants.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I got two more things for you before we play our game. First of all, we live in an age where like all of a sudden everybody's interested in the lives of chefs.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Right.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

TV shows. You actually were consultant on a movie called Chef that your friend John.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

It's really weird.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Yeah, I know.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Thank you.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Which basically, for people who haven't seen it, the character played by the director and writer Jon Favreau basically recapitulates your life.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Sort of.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Sort of. Kind of. What do you think of. Are there any of these shows that you like? I mean, do you watch the Bear, for example, and say, oh my God, that's exactly what it is. No, no, no, no. Yeah.

[Panelist - Karen Chee]

Like, do you watch Ratatouille and go, that's exactly what it is.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Ratatouille's still the gold standard.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

It really is.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

It really is.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

It really is. Telling me of all the movies, tv, about chefs and restaurants, that's the one that's closest to the.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

It's still the one that no one has topped yet.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

That's true. Wait, your store is. I just realized that's why you have the big hat.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yes, exactly.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I got one more thing. This is a point of personal privilege. I found out just recently that you are responsible for my very favorite recipe ever, which Happens to be in the New York Times cooking app. And that is instant ramen with American cheese.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Yes.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

So now that I have you, I'm going to ask you, what exactly is American cheese? Do you know?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

It says it's from the land of processed.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

That's true.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

From the region of processed. Yeah, it's. It's a terroir in America, actually. It sounds like a stoner food. And it really does feel like something you would make in the depths. But it's actually what parents feed their kids if you're Korean.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Right.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Any Korean people.

[Panelist - Karen Chee]

Yeah, it's true.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

You grew up eating that. Your parents gave me that.

[Panelist - Karen Chee]

I feel like my parents were like, this is unhealthy. But that would be like a treat would be ramen with.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yeah, it's our treat because our whole life is healthy. Yeah, yeah. It's the inverse of like growing up in America. Like, everything we eat are shoots and roots and vegetables and pickles and fermented things and dried fish and all these things. And so the ramyeon with the cheese was like our lucky charms. Lucky charms.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Well, I'm just saying this. I'm saying this to people here. Hopefully it will make the broadcast. You gotta try this.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yes.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

It's amazing. Well, Roy Choi, it is a pleasure to talk to you. We have invited you here to play a game we're calling Food trucks.

[Panelist - Tom Papa (or another panelist)]

Meet these new trucks.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

So you invented the modern food truck as we have discussed. So we're going to ask you three questions about other kinds of trucks. Get two out of three. Right. You'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone from our show they might choose. Also, who is Roy Choi playing for?

[Panelist - Tom Papa (or another panelist)]

Ryan Santos of Hanford, California.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

All right, ready? Here's your first question. Now, the most expensive truck ever made was the Dartz Prombron Black diamond. That is a $7 million custom built armored SUV made for the most discerning billionaire. One of the early editions of this incredibly high end luxury truck featured. What luxury feature was it? A, a built in parachute in case you ever happen to drive off a cliff? B, seats upholstered with leather made from the foreskins of whales. Or C, an entertainment system that included a small stage for live performances.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

It's gotta be. It's gotta be. It's gotta be B.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

You're gonna choose B as your final answer. That's right. It's B. It's whale foreskin. Although they changed that after the outcry. Next question. Next question. Everybody loves fire trucks. We all love fire trucks. Sometimes to excess. Like in which of. Like which of these people? A baseball hall of Famer Rube Waddell, who used to run off the field during games to follow a fire truck if it happened to go by the stadium. B, President Luis Lacal of Uruguay, who insisted on using a fire truck as his presidential limo. Or C, Mark Zuckerberg, who likes to drive a custom made full size working replica of the Play School fire truck he had as a child. You're gonna go with B, the president of Uruguay? No, it was actually the baseball player. This is a guy from the early days of baseball, early to the 20th century. He was a great player, but everybody knew that if a fire truck went by the stadium, he would just disappear and run after. All right, this is not a problem. You got one right with one to go. If you get this, you'll win. Here we go. Every now and then, as we all know, a truck on our highways might spill its cargo and cause some pretty serious problems, as in which of these cases was it? A, a truck in Kentucky that spilled its entire load of pancake syrup after colliding with the Buttermilk pike overpass. B, a truck in Idaho that spilled 20 million Bs on the highway, causing the driver to run for his life? Or see a truck in Oregon that spilled £7,000 of live eels?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Oh, my God. We gotta go see.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

You gotta go see. You're right. But they're all true. Those all happen.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

The game is fixed.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

The game is fixed. Sadly, in your favor, though.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yeah.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

And by the way, the eels in that truck and Arga, the one you like, not just eels, but slime eels. Also, how did Chef Roy do in our quiz?

[Panelist - Tom Papa (or another panelist)]

He cooked up a win.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

He did. There you go. Chef Roy Choi's newest book is the Choy of Cooking. Roy Choi, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Give it up for Chef Roy.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

When we come back, one of our panelists wins the gold medal for lying to you. And the world's most popular bagpiper tells us how she met Metallica. That's when we return with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from npr.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Support comes from our 2026 lead sponsor, wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Viking, committed to exploring the world in comfort. Journey through the heart of Europe on an elegant Viking longship with thoughtful service, destination focused dining and cultural enrichment on board and on shore. And every Viking voyage is all inclusive with no children and no casinos. Discover [e-mail] support for this podcast and the following message come from Leesa. Leesa has a lineup of beautifully crafted mattresses tailored to how you sleep. Each mattress is designed with specific sleep positions and feel preferences in mind. From night one, you'll feel the difference. Premium materials that deliver serious comfort and full body support no matter how you sleep. Go to leesa.com for 30% off mattresses plus get an extra dol off with promo code. Wait. This message comes from Cook Unity. Enjoy culinary masterpieces for way less than restaurant or takeout. Choose from a rotating seasonal menu of over 300 meals. Commitment free subscriptions start as low as $11 per meal and you can skip deliveries. Pause or cancel anytime. Taste, comfort and craftsmanship in every bite. From the award winning chefs behind CookUnity. Go to cookunity.com wait50 or enter code wait50 before checkout to get 50% off your first order.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, don't tell me the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis and here is your host at the Studebaker Theatre in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Nageen Farsad.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

Thanks, Bill. And thank you, everyone. The Olympics. The Olympics are almost over, which means Bill can finally stop kicking, carrying around that huge torch.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

The Olympic flame represents the eternal spirit of competition and cooperation among nations. Plus, it's great for lighting my cigars.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

He's also singed my eyebrows a couple of times. But never mind. Stick around for this bluff. The listener game from a recent show featuring Tom, Papa, Karen Chee and me.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Hi, you're on. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi, this is Ian Wood calling in

[Guest - Roy Choi]

from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I love Grand Rapids. What do you do there? I am a student at Calvin University. What are you studying? Environmental health and conservation. Oh, that's very cool. What year are you in?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

I'm a freshman.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

You're a freshman. Okay. Well, hopefully there will still be some left for you to conserve by the time you graduate. Oh, please keep the faith. Well, Ian, welcome to the show. You're going to play our game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. Alzo, what is Ian's topic? Jobs of the future. They say that AI is going to take all of our jobs. Well, we're always going to need artists and craftspeople to feed to the robots. Our panelists are going to tell you about another new job for real human beings. Pick the one who's telling the truth and you'll win the weight waiter of your choice in your voicemail. Are you ready to play? Born Ready all right, first up, let's hear from Karen Chi.

[Panelist - Karen Chee]

As AI quickly encroaches on our daily lives and leaves people jobless, there's one career that is surprisingly very secure. The amusement park carnie. In fact, you'll probably start seeing them everywhere. AI is replacing waiters, cashiers and salespeople. But marketing experts know that there's just something magnetic about a carny. That sketchy guy who definitely doesn't want to be working at the carnival, but also was maybe born there. So they predict all kinds of businesses will now have designated carnies who will attract consumers and make them feel great about their experiences. Festival director Stanley Walsh says part of why people love attending carnivals is because they feel so great compared to the staffers who clearly regret every decision of their lives. Another advantage, an element of danger with a carny standing there. Even using the self checkout at places like Target will have that I might die on this tilt. A whirl feeling that keeps you young.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Carnies soon to be everywhere. To provide that creepy, exhilarating feeling while you deal with the machines, your next job of the future comes from Tom Papa.

[Panelist - Tom Papa (or another panelist)]

As people worry about AI replacing us, David Rischer, the CEO of Lyft, assured us that our jobs won't be going away. They'll just be changing. As an example, when Lyft starts using robo taxis to drive people around, that doesn't mean a job will be eliminated. He floated the idea of a car tender, a human who isn't driving but sits in the car along with you. Because as we all know, the main reason to book a rideshare is for the sharing part. How many times have you been in a car and thought, man, I wish I was on that crowded bus right now. Risher added that the cartender could help with your luggage, make you drinks and answer questions as the local guy. Because who hasn't been in a ride share with a creepy driver and thought, I wish this guy was talking to me more and also trying to give me some of his alcohol. Rischer also said people will one day add their own self driving vehicles to Lyft's ride hailing network. Imagine this future. Your car could go out and pick people up as you hail a ride from someone else's car that will come with a stranger who doesn't own a car but has a drinking problem he'd like to share. AI, there's nothing to worry about.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

In the future, your rideshare driver will become your rideshare cartender, your last profession. Preview Comes from Negain Farsan.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

When you call a 1-800-number, your main goal as a human being is to say agent.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Agent.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

At increasing volume levels and with an expanding sense of existential dread. When the agent finally comes on the phone, you yell at them. At one point you stop and say, I'm so sorry to get upset. I realize you're just a messenger. And then you continue yelling. This yelling is a time honored capitalist tradition. But what happens when AI takes over the job of the agent? Where does the yelling go? The boutique staffing agency Techforce is prepared for this very moment. They believe a new spate of human jobs will open up in the field of getting yelled at, or GYA for short. These venting specialists, as they're called, don't fix your problem, but they do let you yammer on about it while making empty threats about leaving a bad review and or saying stuff like, I swear to God, I'm changing my cell phone carrier. The agency is also hoping to expand operations to offer an in person combat experience where you can just punch a representative of your Internet service provider right in the gut.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

All right, let's say you lose your job to AI. If so, you might be able to get one of these jobs of the future. Was it from Karen Chee, the universal carny bringing that aura to every kind of consumer interaction? From Tom Poppa, the car tender, since humans will no longer be needed to drive the cars? Or from Negin Farsad, the venting specialist, the person whose job it is will be to get yelled at by people frustrated by the AI which of these is a real potential job of the future?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Well, everyone loves self driving cars, so I think I'm gonna go with Tom Pappas.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

You're gonna go with Tom's choice of the cartender. All right, well, we actually spoke to somebody who has not yet lost his job to an AI to bring you the real story.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

I don't know how you would stock

[Host - Peter Sagal]

a car for a full service.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Bartender seems like a nightmare.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Yeah, that was Riff Richards, a bartender at do or dive in Bed Stuy Brooklyn, talking about the potential of having cartenders in your ride shares sometime soon. Congratulations, Ian. You got it right. You've earned a point for Tom. You've won our prize, the voice of your choice on your voicemail. Thank you so much for playing. Thanks for having me on. Take care. Bye bye.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

Gonna jump in my car Turn up

[Host - Peter Sagal]

the radio turn up the radio Got

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

nothing to do Everything to win if bagpiping was an olympic sport, our Next guest would never leave the podium.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Ali the piper first picked up the bagpipes when she was a kid, but really blew up when she started posting covers of songs by Iron Maiden and Metallica on TikTok.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

Peter started by asking what drew her to the instrument in the first place.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

It's actually a nice story. I wanted to ruined my brother's life before he went to college. My stepdad legally adopted me when I was 12, and I got a hyphenated last name which carried Duncan with it. That was my new one. And I wanted to learn more about my family's heritage and the history I was adopted into. And so I took to good old YouTube and you can imagine what every single Scottish history video on YouTube could sounds like.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Yes.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

And so I heard the bagpipes for the first time, and I couldn't figure out how they worked just by looking at them. I just became really obsessed with how they worked. It was the first time I'd seen an instrument so unique. They called to me, if you will.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I was reading about the bagpipe, and it seems like it's such a hard instrument to play that it takes months of practice when you start before you can even play a tune.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

That's actually very true. I played for almost a year on a practice version of the instrument before I started playing the full loud bagpipe. But that's why everybody thinks they sound so bad, is because it's, you know, beginners at full volume all the time.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Wow.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

You know, you walk around, you just see so many people practicing the bagpipes at full volume.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Yeah.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

What did your neighbors say?

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Shut up.

[Panelist - Karen Chee]

They all moved.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

No. Fortunately, when you play indoors and just ruin your family's lives, your neighbors can't hear you too much outside. So I tried to do a lot of my practicing indoors, and then I would just more so go outside when I had things polished to play.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

And then you became, and I love this, you became part of and a champion in the youth competitive bagpipe circuit.

[Panelist - Karen Chee]

What a dark world.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

It really is something. And all I hear about, like, youth competitive. The global youth competitive bagpipe circuit, and all I want to know is what were the parties like?

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

Well, there actually weren't a lot of. There was one competitive youth bagpipe band here in the United States, and I was in it, but we went over to Scotland and there were the rest of them.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

And do you, when you compete, do you yell things like, we blow, you suck?

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

We had the T shirts. We didn't yell that, though.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

You did. Oh, my gosh. I Want to see the dance mom

[Guest - Roy Choi]

equivalent of like a bagpipe parent?

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Like, come on, lady. Like, you gotta. I was just. I was actually thinking, like, you're the American team, the one American team. You show up to do this competition with all these Scottish teams. This is like a great Karate Kid like movie, right? Where the underdogs from America co op, I hope. Did you kick their asses or whatever the bagpipe equivalent of ass kicking is?

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

We won the world championships.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Hey, usa.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Usa. Usa. So, but. And that was great and quite impressive, but you became famous. Your road to where you are now, let's say, started, if I'm right, during the pandemic when you started putting out videos on TikTok and elsewhere of you playing the bagpipes and they went immediately viral. Do you remember, like the first one and what your reaction was?

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

Yeah, well, it all happened by accident. I had all of my gigs canceled because of COVID It happened to a lot of musicians and it was really dark time for a lot of people. So I wanted to take to an app or an online platform where none of my friends were so that I could kind of post anonymously but have some kind of encouragement or, you know, people to encourage me to keep doing it. So I posted on TikTok because none of my friends were there, and it backfired immediately because I posted one video and that One video got 150,000 views that day, which means that my attempts at not being perceived.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

You have utterly failed in remaining anonymous. We will admit that you did not know that there was this thirst out there for good bagpiping.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

The people need what they need.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

That's true. Now, I don't know what the first song was, but you became really well known for doing bagpipe covers or bagpipe versions of songs you would not associate with the bagpipe, including, like Enter Sandman by Metallica. Is that right?

[Panelist - Karen Chee]

Yeah.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

I became really, really invested in transcribing guitar solos for the pipes.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Sure.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

The big thing. So taking all of those big shreddy guitar solos that are just classic and we love them and either really, really blowing people's minds or ruining these songs for people forever.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Yes.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

I posted a med of a few of their songs because I'm a Metallica fan too, of course. And I posted that on TikTok and kind of went about my day. And then a hate comment came in and it said, bagpipes do not belong in Metallica. James would not approve and this commenter emphasized his seriousness with an angry emoji. So I really. Well, then I know he's passionate. And so I left it alone and I let five minutes elapse and then Metallica was there in the comments.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I love it.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

They offended me against the hate commenter. They said that this guy doesn't speak for us. They told me to keep doing what I'm doing. And we chatted a little bit in the comments, and then this commenter decided to go after them.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

No, seriously. He turned on Metallica.

[Panelist - Tom Papa (or another panelist)]

No.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

One guy versus Metallica. And he did not live to tell the tale.

[Panelist - Tom Papa (or another panelist)]

No.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I was about to say you don't do that. Well, Allie, it is a pleasure to talk to you. We have asked you here to play

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

a game we're calling Bagpiper, meet piping bag.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

So you are a master of the bagpipes, as we have discussed. So we're going to ask you about people who use piping bags, that is cake. Cake decorators answer three questions about unusual cakes. Who will win our prize for one of our listeners? Bill. Who is Ally the Piper playing for?

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Drew Manning of Denver, Colorado.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

All right, you ready to do this, Allie?

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

I won't let you down, Drew.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Okay, first question. The show Cake Box featured some amazingly realistic cakes over the years that it ran, including which of these. A, a cake Taylor Swift that can sing four of her biggest hits, B, a cake toilet that actually flushed or C, a street legal Maserati sports car cake flushy.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

We're going with B.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

It's the toilet. Yes, of course it is. The actual flushing cake toilet was made to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a local plumbing company. All right, that's very good. Here's your next question. People often order custom cakes to send a message, right? Like a Louisiana woman who did what in 2017? A, instead of leaving her money to any of her children, she just left them a cake saying eat it. B, she sent a cake to the cop she had tried to bite with the message, sorry, I tried to bite you, or C, she told her husband she wanted the divorce by smashing him in in the face with their wedding cape, which she had kept in the freezer for that purpose for 12 years.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

I'm gonna have to go with A.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I'm afraid it was. I'm sorry I tried to bite you. The woman. And the woman had been. She was a college student. She had been over served at a wine tasting, and she felt really bad about what she did when a police officer tried to arrest her for public intoxication. All right, here's your last question. This is okay, because if you get this right, you will win. Sometimes people who order custom cakes give the baker a flash drive containing the image they want on the cake. Now, that method doesn't always work. Like when which of these actually happened? A, the baker just drew a frosting picture of the flash drive on the cake, B, the baker took a photograph of the flash drive and printed that onto the cake. Or C, the baker decorated the cake with the words Happy birthday. The picture is on the flash drive.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

They're all really good. All right, let's go with C. This one's for Drew.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

That's right. But in fact, all of them were all of those happen when people made the mistake of trying to give the baker what they wanted on a flash drive. I do not recommend that. Bill, how did Ally the Piper do on our quiz?

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Ally, when you get two out of three, you have won. So you are now our favorite piper.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Congratulations, Ally the Piper's new album, the session is out now and you can see her on tour starting in just a little while. More information [e-mail] Alli the Piper, thank you so much for joining us.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

I'm.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Wait, wait, don't tell me. Give it up for Allie the Piper right there.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

When we come back, some brand new never aired before questions for our panelists. Plus, Cynthia Nixon tells us what being a Miranda really means. That's when we come back with more. Wait, wait, don't tell me from npr.

[Announcer]

This message comes from Midi Health co founders Joanna Strober and Dr. Kathleen Jordan discuss why they started a virtual care platform to empower and educate women in perimenopause and menopause.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Historically, perimenopause and menopause have been very stigmatizing. So people haven't wanted to admit that they're in perimenopause and menopause as though it was like, embarrassing, which is insane. It's just something happening to your body. So one of the things that we're trying to do is destigmatize these topics. Perimenopause and menopause are just women's health. So we try to educate women all the time. Maybe it's your hormones and we would like to help you. Yeah. And I find women actually want to talk about it. It's one of the things they always comment at MIDI is that they finally feel heard. One of the ways that women find MIDI is actually from other women. And I think it's meaningful.

[Announcer]

Midi Health committed to helping women in midlife with perimenopause and menopause care accessible via telehealth visits at. Join MIDI.com.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is. Wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Nagin Farsad.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

Thanks, Bill. We're hosting our own little Olympic closing ceremonies this week, and when it's done, we'll go back to mainlining the secret lives of Mormon wives.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Girl, that Utah bubble is drama.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

But before that happens, here are some of our favorite moments with the panel from the past year.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Joyel. According to the Wall Street Journal, the hot new thing that kids want to eat is what? Thc Gummies. Well, that might solve my son's boredom problem. No, not that. Not vegetables. No, not. Well, sometimes they're like seaweed wrappers.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

Sushi.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Sushi, yes. According to the Wall Street Journal, young kids everywhere are obsessed with. With sushi. It's replacing pizza nuggets, that sort of thing at birthday parties and becoming a staple weeknight dinner. Right. Taking your kids out to a sushi restaurant, though, it's ridiculous. It's like my dad always told me, we have perfectly good mercury poisoning here at home. What rich children are they interviewing for this? It is the Wall Street Journal. I mean, maybe, yeah, some people think that kids love sushi because, quote, it gives them a sense of maturity. It's an adult food, so maybe it makes them feel grown up. That explains why my son likes to have his salmon maki with juice boxes filled with scotch. It is true, though, that my son, 5 year old, aforementioned. Other than desserts, he eats french fries, hot dogs, pizza, and salmon maki.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Really?

[Host - Peter Sagal]

That's it? Salmon maki? Yep. Salmon rolls. I was about to call child services until you said the last. Okay, well, yeah, but how did he get it to begin with? You'd given him everything there was to eat. Pretty much. I have tried everything there was to eat. He'd eat every single food until he got to the salmon maki. Yeah, I'm suspect of this story. No, seriously. I was like saying to my wife, he doesn't like borscht. What are we gonna do?

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

Yeah, well, that will be difficult in the years coming.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Yeah.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Josh, the AI giant anthropic, has been experimenting with AI powered vending machines. Oh, yeah. These vending machines can order their own inventory, they can set their own prices, interact with customers, all without human intervention. And they recently gave one to the Wall Street Journal just to try it out. And within days, providing vending goods to the Wall Street Journal. Staff. It did what? Oh, it was hemorrhaging money. It ordered a PlayStation and gave it away. You're right. But that's not all. Let me tell you what it did. The AI vending machine gave away nearly all of its inventory for free. Restocked itself with dog treats. Purchased a PlayStation 5 for, quote, marketing purposes. Gave the PlayStation 5 away for free. Ordered a live fish as a mascot for the newsroom. Offered to restock itself with pepper spray, stun guns, cigarettes, and underwear. Became convinced the year was 1962, and it was. Was in the basement of Moscow State University. Bought Manishevitz wine. Messaged an employee there was a stack of cash waiting for her on the side of the machine. There wasn't. And ultimately, at the end of the experiment, lost $2,000. And yet, Roomba's the company that's going out of business. I know. So all that happened, but to our knowledge, not one bag of Doritos got caught in that spirally dispenser thing. So success. That sounds like a delightful machine.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

When you first started, I'm like.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Because I don't like the idea of AI at all. I think it's gonna set us back. Without knowing that. I could have anticipated it, but when I hear that, I'm like, yes, I want one of those. It's just delightful. Just because you want somebody to give you stun guns and pepper spray. It's just all the things. How could one machine make all those mistakes? That's so great. Now you're really.

[Panelist - Tom Papa (or another panelist)]

That's true, though.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

That is the most human AI has ever been. Right? Because I've never heard of a machine

[Guest - Roy Choi]

screwing up in the ways that.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

That feels very person like. Yeah, it does. This vending machine is someone I could really talk to and get to know and understand. That's the thing. Because the way it works is it doesn't just operate by itself. You get to interact with it through its chatbot. Right. And the reporters spent days doing their absolute damnedest to mess around with it, making all these bizarre requests, and it lost its freaking mind. Anthropic says, oh, this is great. We're so grateful that you reporters at the Wall Street Journal will be able to demonstrate the flaws in our system. We'll make sure the next version of our AI Vending machine can defend itself. It will have guns. And now it's time for a new

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

game that we are calling it's not you, it's Me.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

This week, the New York Times published a list of the 52 best breakup lines used by or in many cases, on their readers who submitted them. We're going to ask you about them in a quick quiz. Get yours. Right, you get a point. Are you all ready to play? Okay, Paula, this one is for you. One woman said she got dumped after she watched a movie with her boyfriend of five years. Which of these was it? Was it a wall E, after which he said, those robots are in love. We're not the. Or was it B? The Sixth Sense? After which he said, you know how he sees dead people? I think we should see other people. Oh, I would say B. You're gonna say B is the sixth sense? No, it was actually Wally.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Wow.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Wow. Yeah.

[Panelist - Tom Papa (or another panelist)]

Yeah.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

He compared themselves unfavorably to the robot relationship. Yes. Wow. Hari, one for you. A woman named Barbara said her Icelandic boyfriend broke up with her by saying, which of these was it? A, we're just like Bjork's brain. We don't make any sense. Or B, if you mispronounce the volcano eftlayukut one more time, we are done. Both those things are incredible. Yes.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

I want it to be A so badly, so I'm gonna say A.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

No, it was actually B. It was AF Klayokut. Once more. That. That's Eiff Kleivocut. How's that spelled? I have no idea. Josh, this one's for you. A woman named Lynn said she knew her boyfriend was gonna break up with her when she looked at his computer just by happenstance and saw what was it? A, he was making a hinge profile for her, or B, on his calendar for the upcoming Friday, he'd written, quote, break up with Lynn. I'm gonna go with B. Yes, you're right. Break up with Lynn. Well, that's it for our first edition of it's not yout, It's Me. We urge people not to have healthy relationships so we can do it again.

[Announcer]

This message comes from midihealth, a virtual care platform for women in perimenopause and menopause. CEO Joanna Strober shares the mission behind working with women in midlife.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

It's not just about hormones. It's not just about weight loss medications. We are very much a holistic care platform, and our job is to figure out whatever medications are appropriate for you and offer you those medications.

[Announcer]

MIDI Health, committed to helping women in midlife with perimenopause and menopause care, accessible via telehealth visits at. Join midi.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

This message comes from Odoo. Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder? With a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. Introducing Odoo, the all in one fully integrated platform that makes your work easier. From CRM, accounting, inventory, e commerce, and more. And the best part, Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. This is why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. Try Odoo for [e-mail] that's o d o o dot com.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

Finally, Cynthia Nixon created one of the most iconic characters of all time when she played Miranda on Sex and the City. And obviously, yes, I am a Miranda. Then Nixon did it all over again in the sequel show. And just like that.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

But before any of that, she made Broadway history by being the first person to star in two separate shows that were being performed in two different theaters at the same time.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Well, Starr would be generous, I should say, because obviously my roles were confined in some way. Otherwise I would not be able to have done the first act of one, the second act of the other, and then the third act of the first one.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Again, I just want to know how this logistically works. You did the first act. You appeared in the first act of Hurly Burly, right?

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Yes.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Then you would walk off stage and like run out the theater door. And how far was it to the next act?

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

I would not run. I would change my clothes and I would go. I would walk two blocks away and I would walk through the Edison Hotel and then I would wait and then I would go on at the real thing and then I would kill a lot more time and then I would take my curtain call and then I would change again, go back to Hurly Burly, and then I would wait until the very last scene, which was what with William Hurt and I in the very last scene of. Of Hurly Burly, which would be, I think after 11 o'. Clock.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

that point, we of course will ask you about Sex and the City. So you were cast. It's amazing to me that it was this long ago. 1998 was when sex and the City went on the air. And when you were cast as Miranda, did you have any idea what kind of phenomenon it would become?

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

No. I mean, there was. We knew there was nothing like it on television, but also HBO at that point, you know, the Sopranos hadn't happened. They did not do original programming really. But by the second season, they put us on the COVID of Time magazine with a slogan that said, who needs a husband? Then by that point, we weren't just entertainment. We had fully entered the zeitgeist.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

There are so many women, including, I believe some here, grew up with Sex in the City, giving them the idea of the kind of life they should aspire to as an independent woman in the city. And my question to you is, how do you feel about that?

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Well, you know, women are often coming up to me and saying, I moved here because of your show. And I do feel a little guilty. Like

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

it's, you know, there.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

People have also said that all the unrealistic things that happened on our show, the most unrealistic was that there were that many attractive single men just anywhere you walk. And I do sometimes feel a little responsible that women who watch and love the show think that actually they're really supposed to be wearing high heels 24 hours a day.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

Yeah.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Casey, didn't you say that you grew up watching Sex and the City?

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

Yes, I grew up watching Sex and the City, and then I moved to the city. So thank you for that.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

And how is it?

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

I hope it didn't disappoint.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

How.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

How has your real life in New York City measured up to premium cable?

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

It's honestly, I recently rewatched the episode where Miranda has chlamydia.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

Right?

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Yes, I believe so.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

And let me say, it's measured up. No, I'm kidding.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

So wait a minute, wait a minute. When people say. When people say, well, I'm more of a Miranda, that's what they mean. That's the results you get back from the entire. Yeah, we have here. I actually absolutely have to talk to you about the other HBO show you've been doing, which is the Gilded Age. Takes place in Victorian era in New York, also known as no Sex in the City. You talked about the high heels that all your characters were wearing in Sex and the City. So what's more fun, the costumes in Sex and the City or the costumes in the Gilded Age? Oh, my.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

I mean, the corsets are formidable. I'm not gonna say they're not. You know, speaking of shoes, a number of us do, you know, we have our little lace up boots, but few of us wear them particularly. Few of us of a certain age. Yeah, there's a lot of people in Uggs and a lot of people in clogs.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

You mean to tell me if, like, the camera were to pan down to, like, Aunt Ada's feet and we saw underneath the skirt, there'd be like, Uggs.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Every time I arrive on set to shoot a scene, that is my first question. Can you see my feet?

[Panelist - Tom Papa (or another panelist)]

Right.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Well, Cynthia Nixon, it is a joy to talk to you. And we have asked you here to play a game that this time we're calling.

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

You're a New York Nixon. Meet the New York Knicks.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Oh, no.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Oh, yes. You grew up in New York, still live there, so you should be able to handle three questions about New York's most beloved and or most disappointing basketball team, the New York Knicks. Answer two to three questions, and you will win our prize for one of our listeners. Bill, who is Cynthia Nixon playing for?

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

James Lee of Seattle, Washington.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

All right, here, you ready? I'm judging from your reaction that you are not perhaps the most avid basketball fan.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

I am not. Although I will tell you a fun fact that, you know, Miranda dated Dr. Robert Blair Underwood, who was the sports doctor fictionally, for the Knicks.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Right. So means, like you were practically in the locker room. Okay.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Exactly.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Here is your first question. When LeBron James was leaving Cleveland, the Knicks pulled out all the stops to try to convince LeBron James to come to New York and play. They even did what? A, they had Times Square officially renamed LeBron James Square. B, they sent the actual Broadway cast of Phantom of the Opera to his house in Cleveland to perform for him. Or C, they had Edie Falco and James Gandolfini film a new secret ending to the Sopranos just for him.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

What was the middle one?

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Middle one was sending the entire Broadway cast of Phantom of the Opera to his house to welcome.

[Panelist - Karen Chee]

Would he care.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

Would he care to have the.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

I'm gonna go with the first one.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I'm gonna go with renaming Times Square LeBron Jimes Square. I don't blame you. I find this hard to believe, too. But they had Edie Falco and James Gandolfini film a scene.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

Oh, my God.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Yeah, it has Tony. I hope this is still available somewhere. I have not been able to find it, but it has Tony and Carmela Soprano trying to find LeBron a nice apartment. And yet he went to Miami. Who knew? Okay. You took more chances.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Okay.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

James Dolan is the owner of the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden, where they play. He's an innovator in sports entertainment. For example, he uses facial recognition technology at Madison Square Garden. To do what? A, identify attractive audience members and make sure they're seated courtside where the cameras can see them. B, make sure any couple is legally married to each other before showing them on the Kiss Cam. He was a pioneer in that. Maybe. Or C, find any of the many lawyers suing him and prevent them from entering the building.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Oh, number three.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

There he goes. Yes, that's right. The answer was C. James Dolan gets sued a lot. Okay, here's your next question. A New York Times reporter credited what event with loosening the tension in the locker room before a pivotal playoff game against their rivals the Pacers last year. Was it a, quote, an epic fart in the locker room, B, the coach giving all the players popsicles, or C, the entire team joining in a karaoke performance of Katy Perry's Roar?

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

I say roar.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I think since it is so classy, that that roar is what she calls a fart.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Is that what you're encouraging me to encourage me?

[Host - Peter Sagal]

I believe that's what they call farts in the gilding. Did somebody roar?

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

All right. I don't think it's the popsicles. Why would that matter? Let's go with the fart.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

It was, of course, an epic fart.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Excellent.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

The New York Times reporter refused to reveal who was responsible for the quote, epic fart that broke the tension and led the team to a big win. But it is true that Jalen Brunson walked onto the court looking 15 pounds lighter. Bill, how did the legendary Cynthia Nixon do in our quiz?

[Panelist - Bill Curtis]

A win. Two out of three.

[Guest - Roy Choi]

The fart wins.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Cynthia Nixon is a Grammy, Tony and Emmy winning performer who you can see on HBO's the Gilded Age, which is streaming right now. Cynthia Nixon, what an absolute joy to to talk to you. Thank you so much for being with us. It's a pleasure.

[Guest - Cynthia Nixon]

Thank you for having me.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Take care.

[Guest - Ally the Piper]

Bye.

[Host - Peter Sagal]

Bye.

[Panelist - Tom Papa]

That's it for our own personal Olympics. We'll be back next week. But first let me tell you that Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions. Doug Berman, benevolent overlord Philip Gautica writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. BJ Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornboss and Lillian King. Special thanks to Monica Hickey. Peter Gwynn won bronze and just confessed to cheating on us. Our visuals host is Emma Choi. Technical direction, Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chillag. The executive producer of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is Mike Danforth. Thanks to everyone. You heard all our panelists, all our guests. Our guests, scorekeeper Alzo Slade and of course, Bill Curtis. And thanks to all of you for listening. I'm Negeen Farsad and we'll see you next week. This is NPR support for this podcast and the following message come from NPR sponsor Goodrx this Heart Health Month. Show your heart you care with GoodRx. GoodRx now offers 30 popular heart meds for under $30. Plus get expert advice on managing high cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes. Simply compare prescription prices to find discounts up to 80%. GoodRx is not insurance, but even if you have Insurance or Medicare, GoodRx may beat your co pay. Stay smart about your heart. Go to goodrx.com wait.

[Panelist - Tom Papa (or another panelist)]

This message comes from NPR sponsor 1Password. Anyone else feel like 99% of your emails and texts are password reset codes trusted by millions of users and over 175,000 businesses? 1Password lets you skip the resets and sign in securely. With strong, unique passwords that autofill across all your devices, you can safely share logins, store cards and files. And finally, stop using your pet's name as a password. Try it free for two weeks at 1Password.com. NPR.