After 16 years and nearly 1,700 episodes Marc Maron has officially ended his WTF podcast, closing out by once again interviewing Barack Obama. While Maron skipped out on a lot of sentiment (he got that out of the way in the penultimate episode), there were moments that offered the host a chance to come to terms with the moment.
When Obama – who Maron traveled to, switching up the usual requirement that guests visit him in his garage-turned-studio – asked him how he was feeling about moving past WTF, Maron said, “I feel OK.I feel like I’m sort of ready for the break, but there is sort of a fear there, of what do I do now? I’m busy. But, not unlike your job…I’ve got a lot of people who over the last 16 years have grown to rely on me.”
On landing Obama once again for WTF – having previously interviewed him in a landmark chat back in 2015 – Maron said, “It became clear that the guest we needed to have was singular in that he could address the importance of this being our final episode, but also address how we move through the world we’re living in, as frightening as it is.”
Maron Maron only announced back in June that he would be ending WTF, giving plenty of speculation as to who the final guest would be. Considering the absolutely expansive gallery of past guests, it did seem like it had to be someone who was previously on. As such, Obama may have been one of the more fitting choices available.
The importance of WTF with Marc Maron is undeniable in the podcast world, serving as one of the longstanding examples of what the medium could do. It took a while, but the Golden Globes will even be recognizing podcasts with their own category beginning next year. Shockingly, WTF with Marc Maron didn’t even make the list of eligible podcasts – although Maron would never need such an award to know just how important his own was.
What is your favorite interview from the history of WTF with Marc Maron? Give us your pick below, folks!
