WWDTM: Josh Gad

Summary

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Episode Featuring Josh Gad

Introduction

In the January 11, 2025 episode of NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" hosted by Peter Sagal, listeners were treated to an engaging mix of humor, current events, and celebrity interaction. The panel for this episode included comedians Josh Gondelman, Rachel Koster, and Nagin Farsad. The highlight of the show was an interview with Josh Gad, known for his iconic role as Olaf in Disney's "Frozen."

Listener Quiz: Caroline from Stanton, Virginia [01:18 – 04:31]

The show kicked off with Caroline calling in from Stanton, Virginia. Despite Caroline’s initial uncertainty about her hometown's recognition, she delighted the audience with her work on organic vegetable farms. The panel humorously remarked on the typical NPR listener's penchant for visiting farmer's markets, encapsulated by Josh Gondelman's light-hearted comment:

“Everybody listening to this is currently holding a tote bag on the way to a farmer's market.” [02:26]

News Quiz: Donald Trump's Greenland Ambitions [04:31 – 10:05]

Bill Curtis presented Caroline with three news quotes. The first quote discussed Donald Trump's continued interest in purchasing Greenland, an initiative Trump humorously referred to as a national security priority. Peter Sagal joked about the logistics and irony involved:

“Trump says if Denmark doesn’t cede Greenland, he’ll impose massive tariffs.” [04:54]

Caroline accurately identified the Greenland quote, winning the first prize. The discussion then shifted to New York City's congestion pricing, with panelists sharing their humorous takes on the reduced traffic and speculative improvements to public transport. Rachel Koster added levity by recounting an unpleasant subway experience:

“I just want that one wet. Not to come on my feet.” [07:19]

Bluff the Listener: Welsh Controversies [15:34 – 20:19]

In the "Bluff the Listener" segment, Greg from Daytona Beach participated by distinguishing between fictional and real stories about Wales. The panelists presented three outrageous tales involving harp scandals, cockle-eating cheating incidents, and the misuse of Welsh culture in literature. Josh Gondelman correctly identified the real story concerning Welsh scholars' criticism of romantasy novels misrepresenting Welsh culture:

“It’s about making that distinction that the people in the historic stories aren't fairies and are Welsh.” [20:43]

Not My Job: Interview with Josh Gad [20:19 – 31:00]

The "Not My Job" segment featured an in-depth interview with Josh Gad, who discussed his new memoir, "Gad We Trust." Gad humorously reflected on his recognition in various roles, expressing mixed feelings about being synonymous with Olaf the Snowman:

“I regret that now. But at the same time, I'm grateful that so many people love the voice of Olaf.” [22:43]

He shared anecdotes about being recognized for different characters, including a funny encounter with director David O. Russell, who failed to connect Josh Gad with his famous roles. Gad's self-deprecating humor shone through as he navigated questions about his varied acting career and personal experiences.

Listener Limerick Challenge: David from Baldwin Wallace University [38:36 – 43:35]

David Safford from Baldwin Wallace University participated in the Listener Limerick Challenge, where he successfully completed three limericks related to quirky news stories. His witty interpretations included celebrating a 50-year no-haircut streak and humorous takes on toxic Christmas trees.

Fill in the Blank: News Highlights [43:35 – 49:57]

Panelists Rachel Koster, Nagin Farsad, and Josh Gondelman engaged in a rapid-fire "Fill in the Blank" game covering recent news topics. Rachel showcased her quick thinking by correctly answering five out of six prompts, including:

• Wildfires: “On Wednesday, mandatory evacuation orders hit LA as multiple wildfires burned across the area.” [45:21]
• Avian Bird Flu: “On Tuesday, the first US Death from avian bird flu was reported in Louisiana.” [45:26]
• Ukraine Aid Package: “This week, the White House announced a $500 million aid package for Ukraine.” [45:32]

Josh Gondelman clinched the win by answering five questions correctly, including identifying Meta's policy changes and recognizing Justin Trudeau's resignation.

Final Predictions: What’s Next for New York? [50:34 – 51:35]

In the final segment, the panelists humorously speculated on what New Yorkers might have to pay for next following congestion pricing. Rachel Koster suggested payments for rat sightings, while Josh Gondelman jested about paying to interact with friends across the street. Their playful predictions underscored the show's signature blend of humor and topical commentary.

Conclusion

The episode concluded with heartfelt thanks to Josh Gad for his participation and an invitation to listeners to join future quizzes and challenges. The blend of celebrity insight, panelist banter, and interactive games made this episode of "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" a memorable blend of information and entertainment.

Notable Quotes

• Josh Gondelman on the prevalence of tote bags among NPR listeners:

  “Everybody listening to this is currently holding a tote bag on the way to a farmer's market.” [02:26]

• Rachel Koster on dealing with messy subways:

  “I just want that one wet. Not to come on my feet.” [07:19]

• Josh Gad reflecting on being known for Olaf:

  “I regret that now. But at the same time, I'm grateful that so many people love the voice of Olaf.” [22:43]

• Rachel Koster's quick responses in the Fill in the Blank game:

  “Wildfires.” [45:21] “Avian bird flu.” [45:26]

Final Thoughts

This episode exemplified "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" commitment to blending humor with current events, all while engaging listeners through interactive segments and celebrity interviews. Josh Gad's appearance provided both comedic relief and personal insight, enriching the overall experience for longtime fans and new listeners alike.

Transcript

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[Bill Curtis]

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Weight Wolf. Wait, don't tell me the NPR News quiz. My voice is so smooth you think it just got Botox. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you, Bill. Thanks, everybody. We have a great show for you today. Later on, we are going to be talking to actor Josh Gad, who is probably most famous for playing Olaf the Snowman, the beloved character from the Frozen movies. That is, unless you are listening to us right now with young children, in which case later on we will be interviewing Olaf the Snowman. Remember, be yourself, whoever you might be, when you call in to play our games. The number is 1-888-wait, wait. That's 1-888-924-8924. Now let's welcome our first listener. Contested. Hi. You're on. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi, this is Caroline calling in from Stanton, Virginia. Stanton, Virginia. I don't know it. Where is it?

[Caroline]

It's right in the Shenandoah Valley.

[Peter Sagal]

Oh, it's beautiful there. I know that much. What do you do there?

[Caroline]

It is so beautiful. I work on organic vegetable farms.

[Peter Sagal]

Yay. We got a big yay here. Wow. You know our audience. That's.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Josh Gondelman]

Everybody listening to this is currently holding a tote bag on the way to a farmer's market.

[Peter Sagal]

It's true. Yeah.

[Nagin Farsad]

I thought this would play well with the NPR crowd.

[Peter Sagal]

No fool you. Well, welcome to the show. Caroline. Let me introduce you to our panel this week. First, it's a comedian performing at Cobb's Comedy Club on January 25th as part of San Francisco Sketchfest. It's Josh Gondelman.

[Josh Gondelman]

Hello. Thank you so much for having me here.

[Peter Sagal]

Next, a comedian and host of the podcast Fake the Nation. And you can also see her at San Francisco sketch fest on January 31, it's nag. And making her debut on our panel, it's the host of the TikTok series, Boy Room. It's Rachel Koster.

[Rachel Koster]

Hi.

[Nagin Farsad]

It's an absolute pleasure.

[Peter Sagal]

So, Caroline, you of course, are going to start us off. Who's Bill this time? The first new one of the year. Bill Curtis is going to read you three quotations from this week's news. If you can correctly identify or explain just two of them, you will win our prize. Any voice from our show you might choose for your voicemail. Are you ready to do this?

[Caroline]

I'm ready.

[Peter Sagal]

Okay. Your first quote is from the prime minister of a certain island northeast of Canada.

[Bill Curtis]

It's not for sale.

[Peter Sagal]

Nonetheless, Donald Trump still wants to buy it. That would be Greenland. Yes, Greenland. At a press conference this week, Donald Trump, who will really be president again quite soon, said one of his national security priorities is annexing Greenland, AKA not the Bjork island, the other one. He's also talked about annexing Canada, taking over the Panama Canal. And this is big. He's also going to try to buy all four railroads. So this is true. He became obsessed with taking over Greenland years ago when a friend of his showed it to him on a map. And because of the projection of the map, it looked really, really big. That's tr of course it's big. It's yellow land and blue land put together.

[Nagin Farsad]

I went on vacation one time to Iceland.

[Josh Gondelman]

Yeah.

[Nagin Farsad]

And I think if we're gonna go for something awesome, that's the place to go. They had a lot of little chubby horses and a place that only had white Russians. If we're gonna go for something far away but close enough, that's the one to do.

[Rachel Koster]

Oh, you think? You're treating it like he's at a bodega, like picking a country to be to shop for.

[Peter Sagal]

Actually, it' good pitch to Trump, actually, to buy Iceland because as you say, you mentioned two things he really likes white and Russian. This is interesting. He says that if Denmark does not cede Denmark, which sort of has sovereignty over Greenland, if it doesn't cede Greenland to the United States, he will hit Denmark with massive tariffs. Right. But that's not going to work. It's going to fall apart as soon as people realize, and this is true, that all our Ozempic comes from Denmark.

[Josh Gondelman]

Wow, this is a beautiful irony. The same company gave us Ozempic and Danishes.

[Peter Sagal]

Exactly. True. Yeah.

[Nagin Farsad]

Pick a side.

[Peter Sagal]

I know. All right, here is your next quote.

[Bill Curtis]

A number of license plates were coated with some kind of Translucent, goofy.

[Peter Sagal]

That was a reporter from the New York Post describing the lengths that some New Yorkers are going to in order to get out of the way of paying what new fee? Oh, they're like surge pricing. Traffic tolls. Yes. Congestion pricing. Very good. Yes. As of January 1st, New York now charges a toll to drive your car into midtown Manhattan. They take a picture of your license plate as you cross the border, and then they'll send you a bill. It's part of a scientific study. How far can you push rich people before they finally take the subway? And people are outraged as New Yorkers. Right. The three of you, you know this. It's your God given right to take half an hour to drive four blocks.

[Josh Gondelman]

It's been incredible since congestion pricing was in effect. My wife and I were in downtown Manhattan the other day and it was. There were no cars in the street. It was amazing. It made me feel like if the. If the rapture happened and like, I would still be there because Jew. And I feel like my second response would be like, oh, no, what happened to all these people? But my first response would be to, like, tap my wife and be like, honey, we can finally go to Carbone.

[Peter Sagal]

The money from congestion pricing. I guess this is good news for New Yorkers. It's going to go towards public transportation, which presumably will get really great. Now. It's gonna, you know, like, you'll get on, you'll be like, I don't remember this bus having a chandel. And in the subway, waiters will come around, they'll be like, would you prefer to sit in tap or sparkling urine?

[Rachel Koster]

Oh, my God, Peter. Yeah, I mean, you're forget. I mean, I was on a subway the other day and just like a wet thing just fell into my brow. And I was like, what was that wet thing? And I think it was some sort of a leak because maybe the train had been outside and then went underground or whatever. But forget chandeliers. I just want that one wet. Not to come on my feet.

[Peter Sagal]

Not to fall on your face. Phone.

[Nagin Farsad]

Dry trains.

[Rachel Koster]

Yeah, just a dry train would be so delightful.

[Josh Gondelman]

You're dreaming of a New York City that can afford towels.

[Nagin Farsad]

Go back to sleep.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, your last quote is a line of dialogue from a recent Lindsay Lohan movie on Netflix.

[Bill Curtis]

After this job is over, I am off to Bolivia to photograph an endangered tree lizard.

[Peter Sagal]

Now, Caroline, that line was written after Netflix advised TV and film producers to assume that their audience was always doing what? While they're watching oh, gosh on their phones, I'm going to give it to you because the answer is anything else. Netflix has admitted, at least internally, that they have lost the battle for our attention. They now assume everybody watching their service is either cooking or knitting or watching Hulu on their phone. In an article that came out this week, screenwriters said that Netflix execs instructed them, quote, have this character announce what they're doing so the viewers who have this program on in the background can follow along. Unquote. Right? So that's. Now, you know, that's why characters in, say, Bridgerton are always saying things like, I'm in the room now and I'm removing my clothes. And people on Love is Blind are saying, I am making a terrible mistake.

[Rachel Koster]

But, I mean, it's so clunky. If they had been doing this, instead of it being like, go ahead, make my day, it would be like, as you can see, I am carrying a gun now.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. No, no. We are so lucky that there have been so many great movies made before Netflix. For example, can you imagine, like, the Godf father, It's like, oh, there's a horse's head in my bed. How did it get there?

[Nagin Farsad]

Not really quotable.

[Peter Sagal]

No, not as much. Not as much.

[Josh Gondelman]

I. Sam, am playing it again here in Casablanca.

[Nagin Farsad]

It puts the lotion in the basket.

[Peter Sagal]

Oh, they do that?

[Josh Gondelman]

Well, then it would be like, I'm putting the lotion on this.

[Rachel Koster]

That'll bring, like, a third category of actor. Like, you know, you have a face for radio, so you can have, like, a face for, like, movies, or you can have a face for Netflix, you know?

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, I see what you mean. Where no one is actually going to look at you.

[Rachel Koster]

Yeah, no one's gonna look at you.

[Peter Sagal]

It doesn't really matter.

[Josh Gondelman]

I actually would be perfect for that because I have a face that bartenders love to ignore. Like, my whole. I feel like I spend hours every year being like, sir, excuse me, ma'am, excuse me. I just wanna. Excuse me. So I feel like I could be on one of those shows and people would be like, no idea what was happening. But he told me everything he was doing. I'm ordering a drink. I'm trying to get a vodka soda for my wife. Just ordering a bill.

[Peter Sagal]

How did Caroline do in our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

Two right. One freebie. She's a winner.

[Peter Sagal]

Congratulations, Caroline. Thank you so much. Right now, panel, it is time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Josh. This week, we learned about the hottest new trend in baby showers. Instead of doing things like, oh, guessing the baby's gender or bringing Presents. Guests are asked to do what?

[Josh Gondelman]

There's so much you could do at a baby shower. And it's all kind of deranged.

[Peter Sagal]

Deranged.

[Josh Gondelman]

Like all the games where it's like, you gotta put baby food in the diaper and people, ooh, it's gross. That's gross. Anyway, can I have a hint, please?

[Peter Sagal]

Yes, you may have a hint. We're talking about baby showers, the new trend. So, for example, if you did want to have a game, you could have. First person to fill up the vacuum bag wins a Starbucks gift card.

[Josh Gondelman]

Have people do chores.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. To have people do chores for you. According to the New York Times, more and more couples are replacing flashy babies baby showers with what are called nesting parties, in which your friends come over and do what new parents normally have to do on their own. Painting the nursery, assembling a crib, realizing their lives are effectively ruined for the foreseeable future.

[Josh Gondelman]

Hearing that you can get your friends to clean your apartment for you does make me feel more ready to have children.

[Peter Sagal]

You think so? Finally you're ready to do it. Yeah.

[Josh Gondelman]

I mean, no. I guess I'm just ready to tell my friends we're gonna have children. I don't think we need the children. I think we just need a trick.

[Peter Sagal]

You could trick them over and you can get, like, through three or four good cleanings with, like, hysterical pregnancies.

[Rachel Koster]

You get, like, some IKEA furniture that needs assembling.

[Josh Gondelman]

How many chores can you get if you're just like, we're trying.

[Peter Sagal]

I don't.

[Josh Gondelman]

Wanna clean my room.

[Peter Sagal]

I don' Coming up, our bluff, the listener is all about whales, the country or the animal. Stay tuned. To find out, call 1-88- wait, wait to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of wait wait, don't tell me from NPR. Support for NPR and the following message come from GoodRx. Looking for relief from cold and flu symptoms this new year? With Goodrx, you can save an average of $34 on cold and flu medications. Plus, Goodrx lets you compare prescription prices at over 70,000 pharmacies and instantly find discounts of up to 80%. And even if you have insurance or Medicare, Goodrx may beat your copay price. Save on cold and flu prescriptions and [e-mail] wait.

[Sponsor Announcer]

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[Caroline]

This message comes from BetterHelp. Every January brings you 365 blank pages waiting to be filled. What do you want your 2025 story to be? Therapy can help you craft the next chapters with purpose. BetterHelp offers therapy 100% online with a diverse network of over 30,000 therapists worldwide. Visit BetterHelp h e l p.com NPR today to get 10% off your first month.

[Bill Curtis]

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, don't tell Me the NPR News quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Rachel Koster, Josh Gondelman and Nagin Farsad. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you, Bill. Right now it is time for the Wait, wait, don't tell me bluff the listener game. Call 1-888-wait-WAIT to play our game on the air or check out the pinned post on our Instagram page, atw. All the info is there. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, don't tell me. Hi, my name is Greg, and I'm calling from Daytona beach, home of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, where I work. Oh, and what do you teach there? I teach mathematics. You teach mathematics? Like the math that a pilot needs to know? Well, most of my students are the engineers. Okay. All right. It's not like you teach them how to read a fuel gauge. Zero is bad.

[Josh Gondelman]

My favorite pilot math is like we can't tell you exactly when we'll be leaving, but we are 10th in line for takeoff.

[Peter Sagal]

Greg, it's nice to have you with us. You're going to play the game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. Bill, what's the topic?

[Bill Curtis]

What ails Wales?

[Peter Sagal]

There's controversy in Wales, and it's not just that the Welsh language is hoarding the world's supply of the letter Y. Our panelists are going to tell you about what's going on in that little section of the United Kingdom. Pick the one who's telling the truth. You'll win the wait waiter of your choice in your voicemail. Are you ready to play? Sure. Okay. First, let's hear from Negin Farsaddle.

[Rachel Koster]

The Welsh are known for their love of the harp. In fact, it's the national instrument. It was medieval Wales that created something called the Welsh triple Harp, which, from what I understand, is three times more harp than the average harp. Point is, the Welsh are unabashed harpies, which is why a scandal erupted at the Wales College of Music when a group of upstart harpists wanted to innovate. These radical harp apostates started by using gut strings on their harps instead of the traditional plaited horse hair. I mean, can you imagine? Then one of the musicians, Kylie Cadwalader, decided to lean her harp on her right shoulder instead of her left, like some sort of terrorist. Things really went off the rails when the musicians released a harp track set to a dubstep beat. Even though dubstep is so 10 years ago, the public was enraged. Tens of protesters gathered in front of the college. To date, the musicians and the public are at a standstill. Cadwallader is quoted as saying, I don't know, like, I might just take up guitar or. However she would have said it. And that's my approximation of how she would have said that.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes, okay. A scandal in the harp world as some people play it on the wrong side and to a dubstep beat. Your next story of controversy and Cardiff comes from Rachel Costner.

[Nagin Farsad]

Merriment came to a halt on Christmas morning when the champion of a local Welsh food competition was caught cheating. The cheers were deafening when preschool teacher Bethan Hughes broke the 10 minute world record by eating 72 pickled cockles, which are small mollusks that, I'm sorry to say, look like baby birds heads. The audience showered Bethan with roses while she took the stage to receive her gift card to Tesco's, worth £20. The celebration was interrupted, however, when the beloved stray tomcat of the town, Mr. Jellybeans, leapt to the stage and began pawing at Bethan's sleeve. It was clear something was really wrong, said a police officer. Mr. Jellybeans does not like drama, so this had to be big. Sure enough, with one tug, a funnel tumbled out from Bethan's sleeve with the shellfish with it. The audience gasped and Bethan shrieked, come on, guys. No one really likes cockles. Which was drowned out by boo. Some people are just plain bad. Wept the mayor. Mr. Jellybeans has been gifted a key to the city.

[Peter Sagal]

A cheating scandal at the pickled cockle eating contest. Your last rare Welsh bit comes from Josh Gondelman.

[Josh Gondelman]

One of the most popular genres in modern literature is romantasy. These books combine the traditions of romance and fantasy to create an entirely new type of nerd. Many romantasy stories take inspiration from Wales and No, they aren't love stories about orcas, sinking billionaires, yachts. That's a separate genre called Romarxism. Romantasy often draws on creatures from Welsh folklore and uses Welsh names for characters. But scholars and Welsh people are unhappy with this Welsh appropriation quote. It can be pretty patronizing, says Dimitra Fimi, who is a professor of fantasy and children's literature. And probably not an elf. It creates an image of the country which isn't realistic. That's not what Wales is. And that's true. Most Welsh people have never even met a warlock, never mind kissed one.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, these are your choices. One of these things happened in the ancient and storied kingdom of Wales. Was it from Nagin, a scandal when some harpists played dubstep music on their traditional Welsh harps? From Rachel, the winner of the pickled cockles eating contest found to be a cheater? Or from Josh that experts on Welsh culture complaining that all of these fantasy romance novels are doing Wales dirty. Which of these is the real story of Trouble and Whale? The last one I think sounds the most believable and I don't hear any audience. I guess the audiences don't only help the.

[Josh Gondelman]

They'Re really hanging you out to dry. They decided collectively. 600 people, he gets nothing.

[Peter Sagal]

I'll go with the last one. So you're gonna go then? That was Josh's story. Now, to bring you the correct answer, we spent spoke to a reporter who covered this scandal.

[Josh Gondelman]

It's about making that distinction that the people in the historic stories aren't fairies and are Welsh.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes, that was Katrina Aitken, a journalist in the BBC World News who reported on the fairy fact checking going on in Wales. Congratulations, Greg. You got it right. You earned a point for Josh. You've won our prize. The voice of anyone you may choose on your voicemail. Thank you so much for playing with us today. Take care. Thank you. Bye bye. And now the game we call Not My Job. Josh Gad keeps getting famous over and over again, but for different things. He became famous to many people when he starred in the original production of Book of Mormon on Broadway. Then again, he became famous to more people when he played Olaf the Snowman and the Frozen movie. And then again is Lefou in the live action Disney Beauty and the Beast. So we assume he's going to become famous all over again as an author because his new memoir is in Gad We Trust. It's out now. Josh Gad, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me. Thank you so Much for having me. It's a pleasure to have you. And congratulations on the book, which I devoured this week. Was it a little intimidating to write a memoir at the age of 40?

[H]

Well, it was just sitting there and typing all the words was intimidating because I had to come up with them. And, you know, as it started to expand, it just felt like, okay, this may be a story worth telling. And then a publisher paid me, and I was like, okay, it is.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, that'll do it. Now, I. You answered a question in the book that I often ask to people like you who've done a lot of different things.

[H]

I asked, and that's why I answered it.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Thank you.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. You anticipated this conversation. You figured, let's just save time. Peter, just read the damn book. The question I often ask people like you, who've done so many different things, is, what are you most recognized for? And you say in the book that you wish you had used a different voice for Olaf the Snowman, because whenever you're talking in public, children hear you and go insane.

[H]

Yeah. It was a stupid decision. I will get recognized in, like, grocery stores just being like, hi, is milk over there? It can be something as innocuous as that. And all of a sudden, three children will just give me an exorcist care. So I regret that now. But at the same time, I'm grateful that so many people love the voice of. Of Olaf, which is me. The other thing that I'm weirdly recognized for is Bear Claw from New Girl, which makes no sense. There you go.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. Okay, there's some people. So, yeah, I myself have never watched the show. Why is that surprising? Who is Bear Claw?

[H]

That's my question as well. I. I did two episodes of that show, and what's so funny is people went nuts for Bearclaw. He was this guy who, like, pined after Jess, played by Zooey Deschanel. And I was actually with Zoe's real life husband Jonathan yesterday. And he looked at me and he goes, bearclaw and Jess should have ended up together. Which is a very weird take.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. From her actual husband. Yeah.

[H]

Yeah. There's like a small community and including her own husband who just really loved Bearclaw.

[Peter Sagal]

Wow.

[Rachel Koster]

Can I ask a question about Olaf?

[Josh Gondelman]

Yes.

[Rachel Koster]

So I have a six year old daughter, so your voice is like, in my apartment all the time. And I. You're great.

[H]

It feels like less of a question and more like a threat.

[Rachel Koster]

Like, what kind of relationship do you have with the parents of the children that go nuts?

[H]

One that's very volatile. Like, whatever.

[Rachel Koster]

You're like this thing that's happening right.

[H]

Now, you know what's funny is I've now been on the other side of it where, like, my girls are obsessed with Wicked right now.

[Peter Sagal]

Sure.

[H]

And I'm having to listen to Ariana Grande's popular over and over and over again or Cynthia Erivo's song. So. So I'm with you. I'm struggling, and I know these people, and so I'm texting them and I'm like, can we please just put a moratorium on this? A great job. But I can no longer listen to these songs on a loop.

[Peter Sagal]

Wow. It's like a Twilight Zone episode thing where it happens to you, man.

[Josh Gondelman]

It took so much empathy for you to give that detailed answer instead of just saying as I would have. Negeen, let it go.

[Rachel Koster]

He has more dignity than that, Josh. He has more dignity than that.

[Josh Gondelman]

He's the superior. Josh G.

[Peter Sagal]

You did tell the story in the book of one person who did not recognize you, which was the director, David O. Russell.

[H]

Oh, God. Yeah. So, David O. Russell. This is such a crazy story. David O. Russell, brilliant director. We were at the same Mommy and me program because we're both mommies, and we were outside, and it was after he had just been nominated for one of the many films he was nominated for. And he looks at me and I said, congratulations on your nomination. He goes, oh, thank you. What do you do? And I said, oh, I'm an actor. And he says, well, what do you do? What do you act? And I said, oh, well, you know, I do this, I do that. He didn't recognize any of them. And then I said, you know, your kid may know me from something called Frozen. And he goes, what's that animated movie that's sort of, you know, everywhere but. And he goes, oh, what are you doing it? And I said, I'm a snowman. And it was, do it.

[Peter Sagal]

I said, what?

[H]

He said, do it. And I said, do the snowman. He goes, yeah. And I looked at him, this Academy Award winning director, and I said, hi, I'm Olaf. And he looked at me and he goes, huh? And I have not been in a David O. Russell film.

[Bill Curtis]

Really?

[H]

So there you go.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. Should have done a song, dude, that would have done it.

[H]

But then afterwards, he goes, oh, you're Bear Claw.

[Peter Sagal]

Well, game over. Amazing. Well, Josh, Gad, it is a pleasure to talk to you after seeing you do so many amazing things over the years, but we have asked you here to play a game. We're calling Josh.

[Bill Curtis]

Gad meet Posh Lads.

[Peter Sagal]

So we've decided to ask you about Posh Lads, those fancy boys produced by British universities and boarding schools. Bill, who is Josh playing for?

[Bill Curtis]

Larry Anderson of Denver, Colorado.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, here we go. Here's your first question. In 1805, posh lad and poet Lord Byron attended Cambridge University. But Cambridge wouldn't let him bring his dog with him as dogs were banned. So Lord Byron, that scamp, did. What was it? A, he kept a bear in his dorm room instead, because nothing in the rules said he couldn't do that. B, he built a doghouse 50ft away just off school grounds, with a tunnel connecting it to his room. Or C, he submitted a fake application that got his dog hired as a professor.

[H]

Hmm. I think it's the bear thing. Cause that's just crazy to come up with.

[Peter Sagal]

Well, you think it's the bear? Well, you're right. It was the bear. Yeah, he used to walk around. He used to walk the bear around campus on a chain. All right, Josh, your next question. The famously elite Eton College has a long standing tradition called the Eton Wall Game. It's a sort of combination of soccer and rugby, and it's played against this big brick wall.

[H]

Yes, I've played it.

[Peter Sagal]

You have.

[H]

No, I lied to you.

[Peter Sagal]

There's an annual game between the fanciest king, scholars and the rest of the school. It's a big deal. Even though which of these is true? A, the last time anyone scored a goal in the game was in 1909. B, the wall completely encloses the playing field so none of the spectators can actually see anything. Or C, the game is played with a 95 year old ball that deflates if you kick it.

[H]

I'm gonna go with C. You're gonna.

[Peter Sagal]

Go with C. That is played with a 95 year old ball. No. The answer is actually A, no one has scored a goal in this game for more than 100 years. Here's your last question. If you get this, you win. Here we go. Eton was founded in the year 1440. So obviously a lot has changed over the years. For example, in the 17th century, what was a rule imposed on all Etonians? A, before exams, the headmaster inspected each boy to ensure his upper lip was sufficiently stiff. B, students were forbidden from even learning the cleaning staff's first names. Or C, for their health, all students were required to smoke before breakfast.

[H]

I'm thinking it's B. Wait, what are. What are. What is your audience screaming at?

[Peter Sagal]

Getting. The audience is screaming. C. The audience is screaming C. All right.

[H]

Well, my friend in Denver, if the audience gets this wrong, it's on them, not me.

[Peter Sagal]

C. You're all right. It was C. Yes.

[H]

We did it.

[Peter Sagal]

They smoked tobacco. They were forced to smoke tobacco for their health. It probably protected them.

[H]

Oh, I love you guys. Thank you for bailing me out.

[Peter Sagal]

Bill. How did Josh Gad do in our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

Well, how can you get a bigger winner? Congratulations, Josh.

[Peter Sagal]

I don't know. Josh Gad's new memoir is is in Gad We Trust. Josh Gad, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, don't tell me. What a joy to talk to you and what a pleasure to call time. Stay safe. I'll talk to you soon. Take care.

[Bill Curtis]

Wonderful, Josh.

[Peter Sagal]

In just a minute, some advice for you psychopaths who still have your Christmas trees up. That's in our Listener Limerick challenge. Call 188 wait wait to join us on the air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from npr.

[Sponsor Announcer]

This message is brought to you by NPR sponsor LEESA in collaboration with West Elm. Discover the new natural hybrid mattress expertly crafted from natural latex and certified safe foams designed with your health and the planet in mind. Visit leesa.com to learn more.

[Peter Sagal]

This is Eric Glass on this American life. Sometimes we just show up somewhere, turn on our tape recorders and see what happens. If you can't get seven cars in 12 days, you gotta look yourself in the mirror and say, holy. What, are you kidding me? This car dealership trying to sell its monthly quota of cars and it is not going well.

[Josh Gondelman]

I just don't want one balloon to a car balloon the whole freaking place.

[H]

So it looks like a Circus.

[Peter Sagal]

Real life stories every week, Donald Trump promised to change Washington, D.C. a place where there's an old saying that personnel is policy. That's why we have created a new podcast called Trump's Terms, where you can follow NPR's coverage of the incoming Trump administration, from his cabinet secretaries to political advisors and top military leaders to understand who they are, what they believe and how they'll govern, listen to Trump's Terms from npr.

[Bill Curtis]

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, don't tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Josh Gondelman, Rachel Koster and Nagin Farsad. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you, Bill. In just a minute, Bill annexes Raimia in our Listener Limerick Challenge Game. If you'd like to play, give us a call at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-9 right now. Panel though, some more questions for you from the week's news Negeen. This week, Kia Car Company recalled over 20,000 EVs because the seats may not be securely fastened to the chassis. They looked into the problem and they blame it on what?

[Rachel Koster]

Okay, the seats are not connected to the chassis, which I'm imagining is the main car.

[Peter Sagal]

Technical automotive industry.

[Rachel Koster]

And so why is it not fastened?

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, they've tried to figure out, like, not. They had to check 20,000 cars to make sure the bolts were fastened. Of course, they wanted to see how.

[Rachel Koster]

This one guy, Ron, did.

[Peter Sagal]

It was one guy. I was joking. I know you were. And yet, and this is, I think, the sign of the times we live in, you stumbled on the truth. They determined that it was one guy at one factory who forgot to tighten the bolts. Right. So the Kia EV9 is an all new electric SUV that the company promised would make electric vehicles exciting again. And guess what? They were right. And it's got three rows of seats, two of which are supposed to be removable, but not if you just stop suddenly. And so some cars were found with these loose seat bolts. And the problem was traced to this one worker in one factory who didn't tighten them. They found him by asking everybody who worked in that factory, Lefty, loosey, righty. What?

[Josh Gondelman]

Not to brag, but I believe I could be that guy.

[Rachel Koster]

Really?

[Nagin Farsad]

Me too. I used to be a barista. And we found out that somebody wasn't cleaning the espresso machine at the end of the day. And it turned out that it was me. And I just had no idea that that was part of my job because the person who taught me was getting paid $14 an hour. So it wasn't really in her best interest to go above and beyond. And I never really asked, so people were getting really scudsy espressos for like months. My bad.

[Rachel Koster]

But also, did anyone tell Ron that thing about how a chair is supposed to be on a thing called a chassis?

[Peter Sagal]

Possibly.

[Nagin Farsad]

Maybe because they didn't know.

[Peter Sagal]

On the other hand, I mean, he could have discovered a great new thing in cars. I mean, sure, maybe the chairs should move wherever you want them. I love an open concept Kia. Rachel, if you're a frequent flier, you have to be careful because according to the New York Times, airlines aren't just tracking where you fly and how often. They're also tracking what the snacks that.

[Nagin Farsad]

You get on the plane.

[Peter Sagal]

That would be a good guess. No, they're tracking something else you do on the plane. The plane to wildly how many times.

[Nagin Farsad]

Do you go to the bathroom?

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. And if you do it too many times, they throw you out midair.

[Nagin Farsad]

How much you talk?

[Josh Gondelman]

No.

[Nagin Farsad]

How much you cry. If you need a blanket.

[Peter Sagal]

What do people do on the. Especially on the ones with the screens and the seat backs. Now what do they do?

[Nagin Farsad]

Sleep. Sorry. Sorry. What's the answer? It's so obvious to everyone else.

[Rachel Koster]

I feel like watching the screens.

[Nagin Farsad]

Watching movies.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. Watching movies. Yes. The airlines apparently are keeping data on what all of us are watching on our little entertainment centers. Airlines know everything about what you're watching. They know what you like to watch when you paused it, how fast you press skip when the characters start disrobing and there are kids behind you. So now like your profile on like the United app is like TSA PreCheck number prefers aisle seats and watched 4 hours of milf manor seat alone when possible.

[Nagin Farsad]

For me, they know to put me between two tennis stars.

[Peter Sagal]

Two boy tennis stars.

[Nagin Farsad]

I watched Challengers maybe 14 times on the way here. It's a two hour flight. I went really fast.

[Peter Sagal]

This isn't fair. Everybody knows that what you watch on airplanes doesn't count. It's like doing a crime in international waters, right?

[Nagin Farsad]

I hope so.

[Peter Sagal]

I may have watched all of Young Sheldon twice, but since I watched, no crime was committed.

[Josh Gondelman]

Peter, I love that you brought this up. It's wild to me that international waters, anything goes. International air, so many rules.

[Peter Sagal]

Oh, it's true. Yeah.

[Nagin Farsad]

You can't even bring a gun anymore.

[Peter Sagal]

God. Coming up, it's lightning. Fill in the blank. But first, it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you'd like to play on air, call to leave a message at 1-88-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. You can see us most weeks right here at the Studebaker Theatre in downtown Chicago. You can catch us on the road. We will be at the Altria Theater in Richmond, Virginia on February 13th. For tickets and information, go to nprpresents.org Also check out our sister podcast, how to Do Everything. This week, Mike and Ian tell you what you should absolutely not name your baby. Hi. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi, Peter. This is David Safford calling as a student at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. Tell me about Baldwin Wallace University. It's very small. It's got a. It's mostly A music conservatory.

[Josh Gondelman]

I'm going there for a music education.

[Peter Sagal]

So, you know, cute little place, nice little town. Yeah. Cool people, music education. Why are you a musician? What kind of music do you play?

[Josh Gondelman]

Yeah, I've been playing the viola for.

[Peter Sagal]

A good chunk of my life and I also play the piano. Okay, cool. Well, David, welcome to the show. Bill Curtis is going to read for you 3news related limericks with the last word or phrase missing from each. If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly and to the limericks, you will be a winner. Ready to play? Absolutely. Here's your first Limerick since the 70s.

[Bill Curtis]

I have much flair. No barber put me in their chair. It has been 50 years since I faced any shears. Now I celebrate 10 foot long hair.

[Peter Sagal]

Hair, yes. A man named Andy Cherthow threw a party last month to celebrate 50 years since his last haircut. They knew it had been 50 years because they cut off a hunk of it and just counted the rings. He cut his hair the last time before an office Christmas party in 1974. And after that he decided to grow his hair out. And now he has 10 foot long dreadlocks. And I know you're wondering, is he white? Of course he is. Poe says his hair, his dreadlocks are so long that he cannot walk without picking them up and stuffing them in his pocket.

[Nagin Farsad]

Big pocket.

[Rachel Koster]

Oh, you can fit all that hair in one pocket?

[Peter Sagal]

Apparently in his big pocket.

[Rachel Koster]

That's not that much hair.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. Whoa. Is that 50 years of coiled hair in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

[Josh Gondelman]

Honestly, if you're close enough to ask that question, probably both.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, probably. It's like the version of Rapunzel where the prince is like, yeah, no thanks, gonna stay down here. Here is your next limerick, though they.

[Bill Curtis]

Seem like a pine flavored treat. Leave your Christmas trees out in the street. If you value your life. Put away fork and knife. Cause your tree is too toxic to eat.

[Peter Sagal]

Eat. Yes. Officials in Belgium are pleading with their Belgian residents to refrain from discarding their Christmas trees by eating them instead. They're asking everyone to dispose of them properly by throwing the tree to the curb and watching as someone trips on it while looking at their phone. The warning came after the city of Ghent suggested reducing holiday waste by using all Christmas trees for pine needle spruce butter, which to their credit is great. On roast elf, you're spreading more rumors about whales.

[Josh Gondelman]

The Welsh scientists are gonna get so mad at you. You've punned full circle.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, I really have. All right, here is your last Limerick.

[Bill Curtis]

My texting tool rings. I just bawl. So I'll go to this big lecture hall. There I'll conquer my fear. Hold it up to my ear. I take classes in making a call.

[Peter Sagal]

A call? Yes. A college in England is teaching students how to make phone calls. This is in response to Gen Z's infamous phone phobia. They don't want to call people. And improves students. Quote phone confidence and etiquette. It's the only course in the world where the midterm is leaving a voicemail and the final is spending 20 whole minutes talking to your mother without also scrolling Instagram.

[Nagin Farsad]

Are they teaching pranks, too? I feel like phone pranks.

[H]

Yeah.

[Nagin Farsad]

Teach kids that refrigerators are running.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah.

[Nagin Farsad]

And to ask about it so they can look out for their fellow man. Or how to make a Chinese order. Pretending that you're, like, British or something so it's not so scary.

[Josh Gondelman]

Wait, is that something?

[Nagin Farsad]

Rachel, that was what I did when I was a little kid.

[Peter Sagal]

Wait a minute. What did you do?

[Rachel Koster]

You and I put on the phone to make a Chinese order when you were a child?

[Nagin Farsad]

When I would order Chinese food as a child, I would pretend that I was British because it made it less scary. Because when I'm me, it's vulnerable. When I'm British, I'm glamorous, and no one's gonna say no to me about mushu pork.

[Peter Sagal]

Can you give us a sample of what that sounded like when you small, childlike Rachel Koster would call up and order Chinese food in a British accent?

[Nagin Farsad]

I'm 30 old, and I would love to get Mapo tofu.

[Rachel Koster]

Definitely. If you start an order with your age.

[Nagin Farsad]

Darling, extra cookies for my daughter.

[Josh Gondelman]

No. Did you. Did you say that you were 30? Obviously the oldest age you could think of at the time. It helps because you were like, they would never say no to an adult woman.

[Nagin Farsad]

Yes.

[Peter Sagal]

Bill, how did David do in our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

David's now the king of beret.

[Peter Sagal]

He won them all.

[Bill Curtis]

Three in a row.

[Peter Sagal]

Congratulations. Yay. This is the greatest day of my life. Thank you so much for playing. Take care. Thanks for having me. Bye, bye, bye, bye.

[Josh Gondelman]

Hello, Hello, Hello. Hello. Can you hear me?

[Bill Curtis]

Consider.

[Peter Sagal]

This is a daily news podcast, and lately the news is about a big question. How much can one guy change? They want change. What will change look like for energy? Drill, baby, drill. Schools, take the department. Education, close it. Health care. Better and less expensive. Follow coverage of a changing country.

[H]

Promises made, promises kept.

[Peter Sagal]

We're going to keep our promises on. Consider this the afternoon news podcast from npr.

[Rachel Koster]

For every headline, there's also another story about the people living those headlines. On weekdays, up first brings you the day's biggest news. On Sundays, we bring you closer with a single story about the people, places and moments reshaping our world. Your news made personal every Sunday on the up first podcast from npr.

[Caroline]

Evergreen trees are Pacific Northwest icons in journalism. An evergreen story isn't tied to one news cycle. It goes deep and helps you understand the world.

[Rachel Koster]

The Evergreen is also a podcast from.

[Peter Sagal]

OPB about the Northwest.

[Rachel Koster]

I'm Jen Chavez.

[Peter Sagal]

Listen to the Evergreen podcast from OPD.

[Josh Gondelman]

Every Monday, part of the NPR Network.

[Peter Sagal]

Now it is time for our final game. Lightning. Fill in the blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill in the blank questions as they can. Each correct answer is now worth two points. Bill, can you give us the scores?

[Bill Curtis]

Naguil and Rachel each have two. Josh has three.

[Peter Sagal]

So, Nagim, we're going to pick you to go first. The clock will start when they begin. Your first question. Fill in the blank. On Wednesday, mandatory evacuation orders hit LA as multiple blanks burned across the area.

[Rachel Koster]

Wildfires.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. On Tuesday, the first US Death from Blank flu was reported in Louisiana.

[Rachel Koster]

Avian bird flu.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. This week, the White House announced a $500 million aid package for Blank.

[Rachel Koster]

Ukraine.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. On Monday, the surgeon general called for cancer warnings to be added to Blank.

[Rachel Koster]

Alcohol.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. This week, a woman trying to text her drug dealer put in the wrong number and accidentally texted Blank her mom. No. A narcotics officer. On Thursday, the WWE announced its live debut on Blank. Drew 2.6 million viewers.

[Rachel Koster]

Netflix.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. On Monday, fast food giant Blank announced changes to its menu.

[Rachel Koster]

Arby's.

[Peter Sagal]

Arby's. No. This week, a Good Samaritan in St. Louis helped a man dig his car out of the snow and then blanked.

[Rachel Koster]

Bought him some Arby's.

[Bill Curtis]

No.

[Peter Sagal]

Then stole the car. According to the victim, the thief spent a few minutes getting the car unstuck from the snow and then pulled out a gun and demanded the keys. And as if that weren't bad enough, he then helped someone shovel their driveway and immediately moved into their house. Bill, how did Negeen do on our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

Five.

[Peter Sagal]

Right.

[Bill Curtis]

Ten more. Settled at 12. Puts you in the lead.

[Peter Sagal]

All right.

[Nagin Farsad]

12'S the number to beat, guys.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, Rachel, you're up next. Fill in the blank. On Thursday, President Biden delivered a eulogy at the funeral of former President Blank Jimmy Carter. Right. On Monday, Donald Trump said he wanted to put his entire legislative agenda in one massive blank. Country no. 1 massive bill. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors said they had uncovered additional alleged criminal conduct by New York Mayor Blank Adams. Right. In response to the strained health care system in his town. The mayor of Bel Castro, Italy, has blanked passed. I guess that would be a reaction in lack of health care simply to die. In this case, what he did was he banned what he did was he banned residents from getting sick. According to new research, drinking Blank in the morning could reduce risk of cardiovascular disease.

[Nagin Farsad]

Coffee.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. On Sunday, Shogun and hacks were the big winners at this year's blank awards.

[Nagin Farsad]

Golden Globes.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. This week, a man complained that he missed his flight home from Arizona thanks to blank Storm. No, thanks to the driverless taxi he got stuck in, which was just driving in circles around the airport parking lot. Couldn't get out, Couldn't get on his flight. Come on, man. Everybody knows you need to arrive at the airport at least two hours before your flight. Plus an additional eight hours for your driverless taxi to run out of gas so you can escape. Bill, how did Rachel do on our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

Very good for a rookie. Four. Right. Eight more points. A total of 10. Is still trailing by two.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, so how many then does Josh Gondelman need to win?

[Bill Curtis]

5 big ones to win.

[Peter Sagal]

Here we go, Josh. This is for the game. On Tuesday, Meta announced it would no longer be blanking posts on Instagram and Facebook.

[Josh Gondelman]

Fact checking.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Blank announced he was resigning.

[Josh Gondelman]

Justin Trudeau.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. After the Supreme Court refused to issue a stay. Blank was sentenced for his conviction in a hush money case. On Friday, Donald Trump. Right. California highway patrol officers who pulled over a Rolls Royce for speeding found blank inside.

[Josh Gondelman]

Nobody?

[Peter Sagal]

No. They found five cell phones, four bins of marijuana and a riding shotgun. A baby spider monkey wearing a onesie.

[Josh Gondelman]

That was my next guess.

[Peter Sagal]

On Monday, a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist at the Washington Post resigned from the paper because they refused to publish a cartoon critical of blank.

[Josh Gondelman]

Billionaires like Jeff Bezos.

[Peter Sagal]

Jeff Bezos and other billionaires.

[H]

Yes.

[Peter Sagal]

On Tuesday, Peter Yarra, one third of the folk group Blank, passed away at the age of 86.

[Josh Gondelman]

Peter, Paul and Mary.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. This week, 17 year old Luke Littler became the world darts champion, overcoming the.

[Josh Gondelman]

Fact that he cannot legally blank play darts in bars.

[Peter Sagal]

No, he cannot legally buy darts in the United Kingdom. There's a law in the UK banning the sale of dangerous weapons like knives, swords and even darts to anyone under 18. And the new world champion doesn't turn 18 for two more weeks. But if it's really a problem, he could just fly to America, buy any gun he likes, and then hold up a dart shop. Did Josh do well enough to win?

[Bill Curtis]

Well, he got five, right. Ten more points. You put all his points together, he has 13, which is a win.

[Peter Sagal]

There you go.

[Josh Gondelman]

I was worried. I was worried you were going to put them together.

[Peter Sagal]

I know. They're all just lying there. Congratulations, Josh. In just a minute, we're going to ask our panelists to predict after congestion pricing, what's the next previously free thing that New Yorkers will have to pay for? But first, let me tell you, 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 Koticker writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our tour manager is Shana Donald. Thanks to the staff and crew at the Studebaker Theater. BJ Lederman, composer, our theme our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Norbaus and Lillian King. Special thanks this week to Blythe Roberson and Monica Hickey. Peter Guinn has not been seen since he left here in a Rolls Royce with a Spiderman. Emma Choi is our vibe curator. Technical direction is from Lorna White. Her CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Neuhaus. Our senior producer is Ian Chillag. And the executive producer, Way, way down Tommy is Mr. Michael Danforth. Now, panel, what will New Yorkers have to pay for next? Nagin Farsad.

[Rachel Koster]

They'll have to pay for rat sightings. And the toll is a slice of pizza paid directly to each rat.

[Peter Sagal]

Rachel Koster.

[Nagin Farsad]

In order to watch the YouTube video of the subway taker next to you's phone, you'll have to give them a fiver.

[Peter Sagal]

And Josh Gondelman.

[Josh Gondelman]

Brooklyn residents will be forced to shell out 11 bucks just to elbow their friend, point across the street and whisper, I think that's Ethan Hawke.

[Bill Curtis]

Well, if any of that happens, we're gonna ask you about it on. Wait, wait, don't tell me.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you so much, Bill Curtis. Thanks to Negeen Farsad and Josh Galmen and for making making a great debut, Ms. Rachel Saucer. Thanks to our fabulous audience here at the Studebaker Theatre and to all of you wherever you might be listening, I'm Peter Sagal. We'll see you next week. This is npr.

[Sponsor Announcer]

This message comes from Capella University. With Capella's Flexpath learning format, you can set your own deadlines and learn on your schedule. A different future is closer than you think. With Capella University. Learn [e-mail].

[Caroline]

This message comes from DSW. Where'd you get those shoes? Easy. They're from DSW. Because DSW has the exact right shoes for whatever you're into right now. You know, like the sneakers that make office hours feel like happy hour, the boots that turn grocery aisles into runways, and all the styles that show off the many sides of you, from daydreamer to multitasker and everything in between. Because you do it all in really great shoes. Find a shoe for every you at your DSW store or dsw.com every weekday.

[Rachel Koster]

Up first gives you the news you need to start your day. On the Sunday story from up first, we slow down. We bring you the best reporting from NPR journalists around the world. World all in one major story, 30 minutes or less. Join me every Sunday on the up first podcast to sit down with the biggest stories from NPR.