WTF with Marc Maron Podcast<br>Episode 1682 – Judd Apatow’s Favorite WTF Moments

Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Marc Maron
Guest: Judd Apatow

Overview

In this milestone WTF episode, Judd Apatow—a longtime friend of both Marc and the show—joins Marc Maron to curate and revisit some of his favorite WTF podcast moments as the show approaches its official end. The format is unique: Judd brings surprise clips from the past, prompting reactions, reminiscence, and deep discussion. Together, they explore the emotional evolution of the show, the podcast’s impact on guests and audience, and the transformative power of honest, vulnerable conversation in comedy and beyond.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Genesis of the Episode & Process

• Judd Apatow, a dedicated longtime listener and early supporter of WTF, proposed the idea of an episode built around his favorite moments from the show—playing clips Marc often barely remembers, then riffing and reflecting together ([00:00], [10:09]).
• Marc shares how he rarely listens to his own interviews after recording, likening the experience to hearing these moments for the first time ([00:00], [14:43]).

  "I don't listen to it. I do it, and then Brendan does his thing, and then it goes out into the world." —Marc ([00:00])

2. WTF’s Legacy and Impact

• Announcement: The show’s official end date is revealed: Monday, October 13th ([00:00]).
• Marc reflects on the podcast as a vehicle for real connection and introspection—how the show's vulnerability has unexpectedly changed both him and its audience ([00:00], [52:10]).

  "In many cases I've had a profound impact with this show, with my guests, and with what I talk about on people's lives one way or another." —Marc ([00:00])

3. Judd Apatow’s Book and His Comedy Archive

• Judd discusses his upcoming book, “Comedy: A Lifelong Obsession in Stories and Pictures,” and the process of documenting his life in comedy, including his youthful autograph collection ([10:10]).
• The pair discuss the act of archiving creative work, the fate of “papers,” and obsession with memorabilia ([11:09]).

4. Clip & Conversation: Barack Obama on Craft and Fearlessness

• A clip from the groundbreaking Obama episode ([17:45]):
  • Obama likens the craft of comedy and the presidency, emphasizing experience, instinct, and outgrowing fear ([17:50]).

    "The more you do something and the more you practice it, at a certain point it becomes second nature." —Barack Obama ([17:50]) "It's one of the benefits of age... I know what I'm doing, and I'm fearless." —Obama ([18:45])

• Marc and Judd reflect on the vulnerability and genuine presence Obama brought, contrasting it with political personas and the refusal, in some quarters, to admit mistake ([19:00]).

  "He wasn't, you know, doing the politician him." —Marc ([20:09])

5. The Landmark Louis CK Confrontation

• Clips and discussions about the pivotal series with Louis CK, in which long-standing personal tensions were aired ([24:59]):

  "It takes a good friend to stay with you in hard times. It takes a good friend to stay with you in good times." —Louis CK ([25:57]) "You shut me out because you were having a hard time." —Louis CK ([26:54]) "Can we get back on track or what?" —Marc ([27:06])

• Judd and Marc discuss how this moment helped define the medium—men addressing conflict, honesty, and vulnerability in a public forum ([24:25], [24:36]).

  "It's almost unheard of to do that." —Judd ([35:34])

• Marc reflects on friendships and how personal and professional boundaries blur and shift over time ([28:59], [33:11]).

6. The Infamous Gallagher Interview

• A tense, confrontational excerpt from the Gallagher interview, demonstrating Marc’s willingness to challenge guests and dig into uncomfortable topics ([35:41]):

  "Why are you drawing lines?" —Marc ([38:59]) "You're just arguing with me. I have 30 years of experience." —Gallagher ([39:24]) "Well, maybe it really went well. I don't know. I'm certainly not going to chase after him." —Marc ([39:36])

• Post-clip, Marc and Judd analyze the conflict, the shifting norms of comedy, and the role of confrontation versus indulgence ([40:01]-[44:41]).

7. Mike DiStefano: Humanity Amid Hardship

• A moving clip recounts DiStefano’s story of taking his terminally ill wife on a final Harley ride, exploring deep love, redemption, and the beauty in mortality ([45:49]).

  "People are dying. They don't know they're dying... they want to be loved and they want to give and share." —Mike DiStefano ([46:41]) "The biggest things that we're afraid of are really... can be the most beautiful if you look them right in the fucking eye and you don't flinch." —DiStefano ([49:43])

• Marc and Judd discuss the emotional range WTF explored, making space for empathy and personal transformation through these stories ([50:05], [52:10]):

  "That's the human stuff that is missing... from a lot of people's interactions." —Marc ([53:10])

8. Robin Williams: Humor and Despair

• Clip of Robin Williams riffing on suicide, death, and humor—showcasing his improvisational genius and personal struggle ([55:31]):

  "Let's put the suicide over here on discussable... First of all, you don't have the balls to do it." —Robin ([56:01])

• Marc reflects on Robin’s unique talents and how the interview sought to reintroduce him to a younger generation of comics ([57:57], [59:10]):

  "That is the genius in that little piece... to have that in the moment." —Marc ([57:57]) "He was always there, a constant." —Judd ([62:53])

9. Bruce Springsteen: Performance, Intimacy & Loneliness

• Clip and discussion with Bruce Springsteen about boundaries, control, and chasing love through performance ([66:15]):

  "Your desperation, your hunger, your desires, your ego, your ambition has to be greater than your fear of complete humiliation." —Bruce Springsteen ([69:13]) "There ain't no love nowhere. That's why those nights are bad." —Bruce ([69:22])

• Judd credits this as one of the best interviews Bruce has given, at once intimate and transformative for both parties ([63:16]).

10. Lightness & Mischief: Molly Shannon’s Childhood Adventure

• Molly Shannon tells a hilarious tale about sneaking onto a plane as a child, layered with nostalgia and the recklessness of another era ([76:21]):

  "We went to the airport and we had ballet outfits on, and we wanted to look really innocent." —Molly ([76:33]) "The irresponsibility of all the adults in this story is somehow undermining my appreciation of it." —Marc ([77:49])

11. The Evolution of Comedy, Talk Shows & Podcasting

• Judd and Marc reflect on the changing landscape of talk shows and podcasts: the pros and cons of democratized media, the perceived drop in show quality, and nostalgia for the creative bar set by Letterman and others ([85:21]).

  "I think they're just dealing with, like, this is enough. What else do we need?" —Marc ([84:02]) "At some point, you need the lunatics who want to really take it to the next level creatively." —Judd ([85:32])

12. Maria Bamford: Vulnerability & Empathy as Healing Agents

• Maria Bamford opens up about surviving an abusive relationship, the cycle of love and harm, and the value of talking honestly about difficult experiences ([87:27]):

  "I kept thinking, oh, I'm gonna fix it... And then it was like... I gotta let him go because I'm feeling so bad." —Maria ([88:03]) "In addition to being entertained, there are a lot of people... learned about things that they didn't know other people had or experienced." —Marc ([91:47])

13. “White Whale” Guests: Albert Brooks, Lorne Michaels, and Others

• Marc recalls finally booking elusive legends like Albert Brooks and the thrill and vulnerability of those conversations ([95:33], [97:27]).

Notable Moments:

• Albert Brooks recounting a lesson from Jack Benny:

  "If the God of comedy in my mind doesn't even know three days before he dies how important he was... you better not hold on to anything." —Albert Brooks ([96:54])

• Lorne Michaels explaining the SNL process:

  "The lions are scary when you go to the zoo... and the third, you want to see the monkeys because they're funny. And occasionally one of them jerks off." —Lorne Michaels ([113:12]) "I wasn't ready for that job. There was no fucking way." —Marc ([117:04])

14. Remembrance: Garry Shandling, Sam Kinison, and the Comedy Store

• Marc and Judd reminisce about comedians they lost, the haunted significance of the Comedy Store, and the addictive nature of both substance and creative ambition ([99:34], [106:15]).
• Marc shares how grappling with the Comedy Store's mythology was a personal quest for closure ([104:48]).

15. Norm Macdonald: Laughter and Vulnerability

• Close with Norm Macdonald discussing fear, sensitivity, and finding laughter in the absurdity of existence ([118:13]):

  "Instead of always looking inward... that one time I was looking outward." —Norm Macdonald ([119:01]) "Now I find everything funny except, like, real serious... like, I'm no fear of going on stage, but about death..." —Norm ([120:24])

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Craft & Fearlessness:

  "I've been through this. I've screwed up... and I emerged and I lived. And that's always... that's such a liberating feeling." —Barack Obama ([19:15])

• On Friendship in Comedy:

  "You shut me out because you were having a hard time." —Louis CK ([26:54])
  "With comics, a lot of our communication is very precise, whether it's busting someone's balls or, you know, 'I get it'... There's a shorthand." —Marc ([28:59])

• On Vulnerability and Empathy:

  "That's the human stuff that is missing... from a lot of people's interactions." —Marc ([53:10])

• On Tragedy and Humor:

  "Let's put the suicide over here on discussable... First of all, you don't have the balls to do it." —Robin Williams ([56:01])

• On Comedy’s Evolution:

  "At some point, you need the lunatics who want to really take it to the next level creatively." —Judd ([85:32])

• On the Podcast’s Impact:

  "In addition to being entertained, there are a lot of people... learned about things that they didn't know other people had or experienced." —Marc ([91:47])

• On Letting Go (Albert Brooks):

  "If the God of comedy in my mind doesn't even know three days before he dies how important he was... you better not hold on to anything." —Albert Brooks ([96:54])

• On Comedy Store and Legacy:

  "I was a young guy and I was kind of out of my mind and on drugs. And once I sort of enmeshed myself with that place in the history, I was haunted by it forever." —Marc ([104:48])

Memorable Segments and Timestamps

• [17:45] – Obama on craft, vulnerability, and leadership
• [24:59] – Louis CK confrontation on friendship and jealousy
• [35:41] – Gallagher’s defensive meltdown over comedy and stereotypes
• [45:49] – Mike DiStefano’s motorcycle hospice love story
• [55:31] – Robin Williams’ riff on suicide and self-doubt
• [66:15] – Bruce Springsteen on the stage as refuge from loneliness
• [76:21] – Molly Shannon’s wild childhood adventure
• [87:27] – Maria Bamford on surviving abuse and setting boundaries
• [95:33] – Albert Brooks reflecting on Jack Benny and legacy
• [99:34] – Garry Shandling’s strategies for getting out of his own way
• [113:12] – Lorne Michaels explains SNL and Marc's long-standing myth
• [118:13] – Norm Macdonald on fear, laughter, and acute sensitivity

Conclusion & Tone

The episode brims with warmth, candor, and a bittersweet sense of completion. Marc and Judd’s mutual respect, humor, and self-awareness shine—never shying away from the messiness of real life, creative rivalry, or internal struggles. For long-time fans and newcomers, this episode is a treasure trove: a celebration of the podcast’s legacy, of comedy as communal therapy, and the hard-won wisdom that comes from looking one another in the eye and really listening.

"This show is so amazing that I didn't do a podcast. I knew it couldn't be topped." —Judd Apatow ([122:24])

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