Los Angeles (AP) – Comedian and Actor Mark Maron announced on Monday that he is concluding his influential podcast, “WTF with Marc Maron,” after nearly 16 years.
In a recently released episode, Maron shared that the final installment of close to 2,000 episodes he has hosted will debut later this year.
“We’ve been at this for 16 years and decided it was time for an incredible run,” Maron remarked. “Now, it’s time. ‘WTF’ is coming to a close. That’s our decision. There will eventually be a final episode in the fall.”
At 61, Maron expressed that he and his producer partner Brendan McDonald felt “tired” and “burned out,” yet they were “very satisfied with the work we accomplished.”
Maron is a seasoned stand-up comic who began venturing into radio when he launched the show in 2009.
The initial episodes often featured Maron discussing conflicts with fellow comedians, which quickly became distinctive, evolving into thoughtful, in-depth interviews with prominent cultural figures, ultimately becoming a defining show.
It became a crucial stop for promotional tours of authors, actors, and musicians. Its peak was highlighted when President Barack Obama appeared in Maron’s makeshift Los Angeles garage studio in 2015.
Maron employed a straightforward interview style, encouraging guests to share stories they seldom recount elsewhere. He often asked, “Who has had the greatest impact on you?”
Notable episodes include a deeply personal and emotional conversation with Robin Williams in 2010, which gained renewed attention after Williams’ passing in 2014 and was preserved in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
While the show aired, Maron continued to release stand-up specials and starred in three seasons of the Netflix series “Glow,” furthering his acting pursuits.
The show’s guitar rock theme song opened with a clip of Maron shouting, “Rock the Gates!” from his role as a promoter in the film “Almost Famous.”
The solo episode introductions often became Maron’s confessional space, where he openly discussed his life, relationships, and ongoing struggles with drug addiction.
Maron shed tears as he spoke about his girlfriend, Director Lynn Shelton, in an episode following her death in 2020.
“People who listen to the podcast know me fairly well, and it’s all good. They have a relationship with me, but it’s authentic, and I’m striving to handle it with grace,” Maron told The Associated Press in 2019.
Source: apnews.com