Summary: "Wicked" Director Jon M. Chu Talks Elphaba-Branded Swiffers and We Preview "Melania"

Podcast: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! (NPR)
Host: Peter Sagal
Panelists: Negeen Farsad, Peter Gross, Annie Rauwerda
Celebrity Guest: Jon M. Chu
Air Date: January 31, 2026

Episode Overview

This lively episode of Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!, NPR’s beloved news quiz, features acclaimed director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, Wicked, Wicked for Good) as the "Not My Job" guest. The panel—comedians and writers—jokes through topical news stories, including the quirks of the upcoming Milan Winter Olympics, the much-hyped "Melania" documentary, and weather-induced exploding trees. Later, Chu joins Peter Sagal to dish on his directing career, childhood dance routines, and the wild world of Wicked-branded Swiffers.

Key Segments, Discussions & Notable Moments

1. Panelist Quiz: Current Events with the Audience

[00:43–12:03]

A Cold Olympic Countdown

• Topic: Last-minute chaos before the Milan Winter Olympics, unfinished venues and the infamous ski lift.
• Highlights:
  • Peter Sagal: "This is the country that literally invented the phrase about not building stuff in one day." (03:32)
  • Panel banter explores comedic stereotypes about different winter sports' "sexual orientations":
    • Negeen Farsad: "We now as a globe have learned how gay hockey is… I think we might learn that everyone in ice dancing is very straight." (03:56)
    • Annie Rauwerda: "Luge is. It seems like, you know, famously luge is very bisexual." (04:27)

"Melania": The First Lady's $75 Million Biopic

• Topic: Melania Trump’s documentary premiere and the public’s (and crew’s!) response.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • Peter Sagal: "The movie follows the first lady for the 20 days leading up to the inauguration with the big drama being, will she ever complete that dalmatian coat she’s been working on?" (05:54)
  • Negeen Farsad: "I don’t really care. Do you?" (06:19)
  • Peter Sagal: "Two thirds of the movie’s crew asked not to be listed in the credits." (07:10)

The Exploding Trees Phenomenon

• Topic: Trees literally bursting in extreme cold, aka "frost crack."
• Fun Fact: Viral videos and public warnings surfaced during the storm.
• Panel Quip: Peter Sagal: "Frost crack, which is also what you get when your snow pants fall down. Right?" (09:12)
• Panelist Jokes: Botox for trees, Robert Frost references.

2. Peculiar News: Colonoscopies as 'Nirvana'

[09:58–11:34]

• The New York Times lauds colonoscopies as not only great but almost spiritual.
• Peter Sagal: "A writer… discovered that they’re actually wonderful. Why do you think we’re smiling all the time?" (10:12)
• Anecdotes on the joys (and horrors) of colonoscopy prep.
• "It's kind of fun to discover that your own body is a clown car." (10:41)

3. Bluff the Listener: Weird Tourist Attractions

[14:22–20:47]

Three tales are presented; the contestant must guess which is real:

1. Peter Gross: Stockholm’s minimalist design museum is a hit for its intentionally ugly "Vulgar Room."
2. Annie Rauwerda: Kids flock to see a Sumerian tablet at the British Museum resembling the numbers '6' and '7.'
3. Negeen Farsad: American tourists are obsessed with visiting Costcos in foreign countries (the true story).

• Reveal: Actual answer is the global Costco craze.
• Fun Quote: "The classic Costco hot dog and pizza are here, but you can also get a nice little creamy mushroom soup, tteokbokki and even bulgogi pizza." (20:28)

4. Not My Job: Interview with Jon M. Chu

[20:51–31:07]

Chu’s Early Life and Career Path

• Childhood spent in his parents' Silicon Valley restaurant, Chef Chu’s.
• Local tech legends loaned him editing gear after hearing stories at the restaurant.
  • Jon M. Chu: "It was a house of stories... people from Adobe gave me software to edit with, gave me cameras, gave me computers." (21:54)
• His USC film school short, When the Kids Are Away, featured housewives in big musical numbers—ending with a “deep” Michael Jackson twist.

Tap-Dancing Trauma

• Forced as a child to do tap routines with his sister, culminating in a unitard-clad, talent-show memory:
  • Chu: "I'm in this big black unitard as her shadow. And so I haven’t lived it down since then, really." (24:10)
  • Peter Sagal: "She’s never seen any movie you’ve ever done because she’s still mad." (24:26)

Wicked and Wicked Merch

• Chu saw Wicked pre-Broadway; describes being “Patient Zero” of its fandom.
• He dishes on the Wicked merchandising blitz—Crocs, Barbies, Stanley Cups, and… Swiffers.
  • Chu: "The Swiffer is pretty cool. When you go to Target and you see the Elphaba and Galinth sections… it’s not a broomstick, but it’s close enough." (26:00)
• Peter Sagal: "Honestly, a Wicked Swiffer makes sense!"

Directing Advice and Justin Bieber

• Chu recalls staging Bieber’s flying, winged stage entry and offers creative tips:
  • Chu: “You need some blazers and you need your wings. [...] his wings were made of all his things that he actually knows how to do." (27:12)
  • Sagal: "My wings… standardized tests and antidepressants." (27:24)

Quiz: Wicked Good Boston

• Chu nails all three Boston trivia questions, winning “the voice of anyone he likes” for listener Joe Robbins.
• “We were all sobbing [at Wicked].”

5. Rapid-Fire News, Limericks, Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank

[33:11–48:36]

Fun Science & Offbeat News

• Oreos: New Zealand uses Oreos to catch invasive possums.
  • Sagal: "So tempting that it triggers reward seeking behavior to override caution." (34:18)
• WD40: Its formula is so secret it’s kept in a bank vault in San Diego.
• Beluga Whales: Scientists reveal they’re "swingers," switching partners often.
  • Sagal: "The findings were reported in the New England Journal of Ocean Perverts." (41:40)

Lightning Fill-In-The-Blank: Headline Round-Ups

• Hot trends from government policy to self-driving car crashes blamed on humans.
• Cadillac F1 debut, the Doomsday Clock, and AI generating cobblestone-floored cars.

Closing Gags: If trees can explode, what’s next?

• Negeen Farsad: "They’re gonna get into skincare so their barks look hot." (50:18)
• Peter Gross: "They’re gonna break out singing 'Defying Gravity!'" (50:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Olympics:
  "This is the country that literally invented the phrase about not building stuff in one day.”
  — Peter Sagal (03:32)

• On Colonoscopies:
  "It was as liberating as a spa day. He called it, 'my diarrhea vacation.'"
  — Peter Sagal (10:12)

• Wicked Product Tie-ins:
  "The Swiffer is pretty cool. When you go to Target and you see the Elphaba and Galinth sections and they're there… It's not a broomstick stick. It's like, you know, but it's close enough."
  — Jon M. Chu (26:00)

• Justin Bieber’s stage entrance:
  “His wings were made of all his things that he actually knows how to do. It’s built of all the things that have carried him, you know, Again, I'm very deep.”
  — Jon M. Chu (27:12)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------|:-------------| | Cold Open & Quiz | 00:43–12:03 | | Colonoscopy as Nirvana | 09:58–11:34 | | Bluff the Listener | 14:22–20:47 | | Jon M. Chu Interview | 20:51–31:07 | | Panel News/Limericks | 33:11–41:40 | | Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank| 43:53–48:36 | | Closing Thoughts | 50:18-50:54 |

Tone & Style

The episode's tone is witty, irreverent, and friendly, with a rapid-fire cadence, smart banter, and plenty of pop culture references. Panelists riff freely, embrace absurdity (exploding trees; Elphaba Swiffers), and interviewees like Chu match them in self-aware, good-humored candor.

For New Listeners

If you missed the episode, expect clever humor, sharp and topical news satire, game show fun, and a delightfully personal, revealing conversation with Jon M. Chu—plus all the ridiculousness you’d expect from a week in the news, from Olympics mayhem to beluga whale swingers to product placement in Oz.