Barack Obama, Billie Jean King, Ronan Farrow, and more great episodes of ‘WTF with Marc Maron’

Comedian Marc Maron wants to crack you up with his podcast’s intro monologues and interviews incredible guests on each episode of “WTF with Marc Maron.” Marc speaks with actors, comedians, directors, musicians, writers, and all kinds of people for real and raw conversations. Marc’s home studio and garage served as the recording space for many of these episodes.

“WTF with Marc Maron” has been topping the streaming charts for more than a minute. With so many excellent episodes and long-form interviews to choose from, we’ve rounded-up some of our favorites in case you’re just getting into the series.

Barack Obama

Marc Maron was joined by then-President Barack Obama in 2015 for a historic episode. Obama complements Marc’s garage decor filled with pictures and bric-a-brac. Obama speaks about journaling from his 20s to law school, and he feels like the same guy. Marc and Obama discuss race, education, gun violence, and fatherhood. They also spoke about comedians, rising above fear, and changing the world. Marc was honored and totally starstruck to interview Obama!

Billie Jean King

Tennis and advocacy legend Billie Jean King chatted with Marc about her autobiography, All In. Rallying for equal pay, equality, and non-discrimination, Billie Jean changed the world and founded the Women’s Tennis Association. In this interview, Billie Jean shares the pressures she experienced from the sports world and explains how she was mentally, physically, and emotionally impacted. Billie Jean tells Marc about her journey, coming to terms with her sexuality, and her eating disorder struggles.

Paul McCartney

Sir Paul McCartney’s career trajectory! Whew! Marc interviewed Paul at a live event for Capitol Records. Naturally, Paul spoke about The Beatles and how influential artists like The Stones, Little Richard, The Who, The Beach Boys, Wings, and Egypt Station continue to shape his music. Paul shared stories about touring and explores the roll The Beatles went on with their records. Some awesome anecdotal songwriting memories are shared like how The Who inspired “Helter Skelter.”

Dan Levy

Schitt’s Creek star and creator Dan Levy dropped by Marc’s podcast to speak about his time on the hilarious show that hallmarks the cringe humor genre. Dan speaks about his hometown in Canada, the teen drama show Degrassi, and how he started writing after leaving showbiz for a bit. Before Schitt’s Creek, Dan worked for MTV and did several hosting gigs. Dan also discusses what it’s like to work and write with his dad, Eugene Levy, and how they initially conceived the idea for Schitt’s Creek.

Rick Rubin

Producer Rick Rubin chatted with Marc about his early life, career, and how his music obsession started with The Beatles. Rick shared his relationship with transcendental meditation, affinity for comedy, and what he thinks of wrestling. Rick’s legendary career includes production credits Run DMC, LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, and Lady Gaga, just to name a few. Rick delves into his hosting gig on the Hulu series, McCartney: 3,2,1 where the two replay Beatles songs and Paul tells stories. Rick also hosts the music history podcast, “Broken Record.”

Ronan Farrow

Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, writer, and podcast host Ronan Farrow detailed investigations in his book, Catch and Kill. Ronan agreed to come on the podcast when he met Mark at Vanity Fair’s party. In Ronan’s conversation with Marc, he discusses attending college as a kid, working for Obama, hitting the ground in Afghanistan, and his writing process. With Audacy’s Pineapple Street Studios, Ronan presents “The Catch and Kill Podcast” following clues after his Harvey Weinstein investigation to expose abusers and tell victims’ stories.

Amy Sedaris

Marc and Amy are old pals, and she’s such a joy to listen to! Marc’s first TV job was in NYC at HBO’s office. They met when Amy worked down the hall and was doing sketch comedy in the 1990s. In this episode, we learn that Amy kickstarted her career without a plan. She wanted to try sketch comedy in Chicago and perform in plays with her brother, David Sedaris. Amy talks about how her lack of planning inevitably led to a course of action toward her Comedy Central sketch show, Exit 57, and then her spoof, At Home with Amy Sedaris.

Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio

Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio were wrapping up a press jaunt for Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, and chatted with Marc about starting in showbiz, how they gauge a movie’s success before it hits theaters, and why they’re drawn to producing.

Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino spoke with Marc in the summer of 2021 about his novel, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Marc read the book before the interview and absolutely loved it. They bond over fatherhood, humor, and how perspectives change as you get older. Quentin discusses the changes he experienced during quarantine. The conversation winds around Old Hollywood, the Manson family, Quentin’s upbringing, and more.

Janelle Monáe

Singer/songwriter/actor/performer Janelle Monáe discusses creativity and using her work to advocate for change. Marc and Janelle have a socially-conscious conversation about the state of the world, the country’s political unrest, and how everyone must use their voice. The conversation then veers toward her inspirations and influences: Prince, Bowie, Stevie Wonder, the midwest, and robots.

Danny Elfman

On this episode, we learn that Danny Elfman did not intend to score films. We learn about his childhood proclivities toward jazz, Stravinsky, and learning to play and write music. He wrote and performed with new wave group Oingo Boingo. When approached by Tim Burton to score his films, a partnership was struck. We hear about how he wrote iconic scores for Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Simpsons, and more. In 2021, Danny released his latest solo album.

Tune in to “WTF with Marc Maron” for even more excellent interviews. New episodes are released weekly. If you’re a fan of Marc’s, you might want to check out his other podcast, “Dark Fonzie,” co-hosted with Dean Delray.