Former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett and a panel of comedians, actors, journalists, and some of the many famous Friends of the Pod appear before a live audience to break down the week’s biggest news. Quizzes! Impressions! Shouting at cable news clips! And everyone’s favorite: nuanced discussion. New episodes every Saturday.
Commander Biden's Secret Menu
We’re back from studying spiders in the Amazon to bring you a fantastic new show, straight from L.A.’s Dynasty Typewriter. Ashley Nicole Black sees if she can escape the tangle of Madame Web. Nish Kumar and Lovett sit down for a cuppa British politics and reality TV. Comedian Brad Williams gives us the long and the short of it, and we gather around to self-consciously share all the things we hate to love. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/24/2024 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 39 seconds
Jon Lovett and Tim Miller on Losing Primaries (Inside 2024 - Extended Preview)
Lean into the long President’s Day weekend with this extended preview of Inside 2024, our subscriber-exclusive pod where we bring together campaign and political experts from the Crooked family to share behind-the-scenes stories from their time on the campaign trail. In this episode, Jon Lovett and Tim Miller unpack their tear-stained, scotch-soaked memories of primary defeats past including notable losses for Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush among others. Find out what liquor got Jeb cracking wise and how to spot a secretly gay (or simply pro-gay) Republican by just how much their heart isn’t in it. Producer Caroline Reston moderates. Take a listen and enjoy the conversation!If you want to hear the rest of the episode, or future ones, be sure to sign up for Friends of the Pod at crooked.com/friends.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/20/2024 • 23 minutes, 11 seconds
Grandpa Loves Us 2024
We stopped brainstorming new Taylor Swift conspiracies long enough to bring you a brand-new Lovett or Leave It! Natasha Leggero shares her ingenious childrearing strategy: stop after one. Rob Haze and Kevin Avery warm up the crowd with news both funny and frightening. Sam Pancake goes behind the scenes from The West Wing to The Penis Files, and we bid farewell to beloved chaos agent Producer Brian who is off to pursue his passion: electing RFK, Jr. the next President of the United States. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/17/2024 • 1 hour, 26 minutes, 47 seconds
What a Weekday: A rough weekend for Biden, NATO, and the Gaylors
RFK Jr. apologizes for existing. Donald Trump snaps at the end of Vladimir Putin’s leash. President Biden takes his penny farthing on a damage-control press tour following the Hur report, while Taylor and Travis win the Super Bowl. Or whatever happened, we just tuned in for Usher.
2/13/2024 • 24 minutes, 52 seconds
GOP 2024: Nobody Wins
Trump loses his immunity case and Haley loses to "none of the above." Marianne ends her presidential campaign to "spend more time in her dimension." And Biden is cleared by DOJ for mishandling classified documents, which we're calling a win! Nikolaj Coster-Waldau joins for some optimistic news on climate change (and his bone structure). Ify Nwadiwe shares his most beloved Moments In Black Nerd History. Andrew Farmer joins for Gay News. And Lovett and his guests send out a round of Valentine’s. Maybe one of them… is for you. It’s probably not, but look, we won’t know if you pretend. No one will. That’s the beauty of the podcast experience! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/10/2024 • 1 hour, 12 minutes, 32 seconds
What a Weekday: Border Deal from Both Sides Now
And the Grammy for Most Podcast goes to What A Weekday! Trump commands his raggedy, moth-eaten puppet army to reject a bipartisan border deal. Live from New York, it’s a Republican joshin' around! And Apple is finally here to hide as much or as little of the world as you'd like.
2/6/2024 • 26 minutes, 22 seconds
Look What You Made the Deep State Do
Get the chip in your brain ready for a great episode! Laci Mosley gives us the blow-by-blow of the Nicki Minaj vs Megan Thee Stallion feud. Dulce Sloan gets us ready for Valentine’s Day with some helpful dating tips. Politicians are doing zingers and Will Miles joins to rate a few, and Lovett and his guests share a few unsung moments in Black History. Well, maybe all these moments have been sung before, but who doesn’t need someone to sing about them every once in a while? For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/3/2024 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 13 seconds
What a Weekday: Trump Lost and Earhart Found
Biden and go toe-to-toe, and Trump is leaning allllllll the way forward on his. E. Jean Carroll adds $83 million to her rainy day fund. Nikki Haley clowns the Clown Prince, and we're joined by a surprise celebrity guest… why, it’s Amelia Earhart’s bones!
1/30/2024 • 21 minutes, 42 seconds
Lock Her Up (Haley's Version)
The burgers are good and the news is bad on this week's Lovett or Leave It. Kel Mitchell joins us to rank food and thrill Producer Kendra. Melora Hardin interrogates the audience with a round of Was I In This? Jermaine Fowler and Natalie Rotter-Laitman put their heads together to solve our Mysteries of the Week. And Lovett and his guests acknowledge the unacknowledged in the first annual Snubbies.
1/27/2024 • 1 hour, 29 minutes, 15 seconds
What a Weekday: Tim Scott Bends the Knee Twice
We pull up a chair to Nikki Haley's last stand and Meatball Ron’s last supper. Tim Scott proposes marriage, though he’s saving that first dance for Donald Trump, and insults fly from birdbrain to birdbrain ahead of tonight’s no-doubt-thrilling New Hampshire primary.Subscribe now for our exclusive pre-sale code: crooked.supercast.comFor a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
1/23/2024 • 33 minutes, 42 seconds
What Do You Know About Comedy, Rob Reiner?
Lovett or Leave It makes its glorious return to Dynasty Typewriter in beautiful Los Angeles, California. Rob Reiner grades the monologue and shares his thoughts on everything from Christian nationalism to polyamory. Lindsay Adams and Marcy Jarreau circle the wagons for a good old fashioned Loser Round-Up, and Lovett and his guests each take home the perfect souvenir, a Lifetime Achievement Award, courtesy of the Lovett Or Leave It Academy.
1/20/2024 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 54 seconds
What a Weekday: Iowa and the Emmys
Put your frostbitten hands together for another What a Weekday! Lovett sprinkles a layer of salt on the frigid Republican Iowa caucus, while the Emmys leave the Golden Globes out in the cold. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
1/16/2024 • 35 minutes, 32 seconds
New Year, New UTI
Lovett or Leave It is here to keep you warm on these long, cold January nights with a brand-new episode, live from The Lodge Room in Los Angeles. Bianca del Rio roasts the salty and the sweet, while Brian Bahe and Madison Shepard keep things balmy with a heated debate. Zach Zucker takes the temperature on our most blistering bozos, and Lovett and his guests huddle around a scorching new round of Hot Takes that’ll keep you toasty all winter long.
1/13/2024 • 1 hour, 27 minutes, 39 seconds
What a Weekday: Insurrection (at the Golden Globes)
New Year, New Weekday! Republicans celebrate their holiest of holidays, January 6, while Biden goes to Valley Forge to launch the 2024 campaign. Jo Koy brought his A-game to the Golden Globes and A-listers gave him an F, while Boeing offers an exciting new perk for their frequent flyers: the howling void.
1/9/2024 • 38 minutes, 55 seconds
Lovett or Leave It: What a Year
The snow is falling softy as the smoke drifts gently skyward from the chimney. Oh! What’s that sound? The patter of footsteps on the roof. St. Nick, perhaps? Yes, he's there. But it's also the entire Lovett or Leave It team, here to put a best-of episode under the Christmas tree that is your podcast feed. Kendra, Brian, Malcolm, Halle, Lazarus, Zuri, and Dunphy are here to spread some holiday cheer, so put on your footie pajamas, make yourself a cup of hot cocoa, and enjoy. Ho, ho, ho! Etc, etc, etc! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
12/23/2023 • 1 hour, 37 minutes, 51 seconds
Live, Laugh, Impeach
It’s the last Lovett or Leave It of the year, and like a celebrity on Ozempic, we've got nothing left to lose. Golden Globe nominees Greta Lee and David Oyelowo pay homage to the greatest minds of our generation: the listeners of this podcast. Kathy Griffin helps Lovett finally claw his way onto the D-List. Atsuko Okatsuka decides which 2023 trends we're ready to let go in 2024, and Lovett joins his guests in making 2024 predictions that we're predicting you’ll love. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
12/16/2023 • 1 hour, 22 minutes, 27 seconds
What a Weekday: College Presidents v. Crude Traps
It’s the last What a Weekday of the year and boy are our hearts tired. Vivek gets caught with his pants down. Texas, Ohio, and Missouri make life hell for women who need abortions. College presidents get housed. And Crooked's Ramzy Masri joins to talk about his family's experience in the West Bank and his experience as a Palestinian American as the war between Israel and Hamas has unfolded.
12/12/2023 • 33 minutes, 20 seconds
Dictator Says What?
The sun might set at 3:30pm right now, but Lovett or Leave It keeps the lights on all night long over at the Sirius Garage in Los Angeles, California. Benny Safdie stops by to Curse out Lovett. McKenzie Goodwin and Rachel Scanlon give 2023 a long, lingering, lesbian look back. Zainab Johnson has twelve siblings, but only one can be the winner, and the Rant Wheel has these bottoms spinning like a top over tell-all books, swimsuits, and gift guides for the sapphic set.
12/9/2023 • 1 hour, 45 minutes, 43 seconds
What a Weekday: Trump’s Legal Troubles and McDonald’s New McDoubles
As Trump loses in court (several times), he also heads to Iowa to preview his second term agenda. And if that hasn’t cost you your appetite, McDonalds looks at the Big Mac and says “we can do better, it can be wetter.” And we’re probably lovin’ it, ok?
12/5/2023 • 36 minutes, 18 seconds
Santos Sashays Away (Live from Boulder!)
The Errors Tour ends with our biggest error yet: Colorado in December. But it’s toasty by the fire, and by “fire” we mean the heated local debate about the reintroduction of wolves. David Gborie hears tell of Celestial Seasonings’ ancient war against prairie dogs. Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo joins to talk about her race against anti-abortion extremists. We tried to find the happiest audience member in what’s said to be the happiest city but just found more weirdos. Plus some hot rants and warm notes on a chilly night. Boulder? I actually know ‘er really well!
12/4/2023 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 51 seconds
Dry Heat and Open Carry (Live from Phoenix!)
Lovett or Leave It's in Phoenix and Kissinger's in Hell as the last leg of the Errors Tour begins. Jared Goldstein joins to bring you Gay News from coast to coast. Jaynie Parrish of Arizona Native Vote discusses everything at stake in the Grand Canyon state. The audience fishes some weird facts from the ice-cold bottom of Kari Lake, and we all win the first annual Kyrsten Sinema Pageant, before we rant about the worst in the best of the Southwest.
12/2/2023 • 1 hour, 38 minutes, 39 seconds
What a Weekday: Trump Attacks Obamacare, Santos Attacks Everyone
Lovett or Leave It shocks you out of your Thanksgiving break with a brand-new What a Weekday! Trump’s vows to replace Obamacare. George Santos headlines for Felons Galore. Elon Musk travels to Israel for some reason.
11/28/2023 • 30 minutes, 30 seconds
George Santos Reality Show Countdown
Lovett or Leave It wants to stuff you… with a delicious pre-Thanksgiving episode! Vice President Kamala Harris (Allison Reese) is ready to pardon a turkey, but the rest of us aren’t getting off so easy. Lizzy Cooperman and Victoria Vincent lay out a potluck of non-political news topics for your weird family members to nibble on, and the Gratitude Wheel invites you to slice off a piece of appreciation, whether it’s for time off, our wonderful coworkers, or, of course, Matt Dallas from Kyle XY, who seems to be thriving on his farm with his husband and kids. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/18/2023 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 59 seconds
What a Weekday: McCarthy throws hands and Scott drops out
It’s fisticuffs for the frisky sluts in Congress! This week, Markwayne brings the mark-pain while Ex-Speaker Kevin hits and runs. Tim Scott finds love and gives up on the White House. Donald Trump calls everyone reading this description “vermin,” and Lovett asks the most important question of all: where was Foghorn Leghorn on January 6?
11/14/2023 • 37 minutes, 14 seconds
Pot, Porn, and Planned Parenthood
And we're back in Los Angeles to get high off some big election wins. A newly single Brad Turbo (Matt Rogers) returns to solve male loneliness after his girlfriend leaves him for a certain South Carolina Senator. Casey Wilson gets baked (off), while River Butcher tries to distinguish Biden from BID3N. And it finally dips below 70 in LA, so we pour ourselves a steaming cup of Hot Takes.
11/11/2023 • 1 hour, 20 minutes, 5 seconds
What a Weekday: Trump's Testimony, Biden's Polling, and Mike Johnson's Accountability Partner
By his hand, it’s another What A Weekday! Mike Johnson’s new app brings plenty of Big Brother for the whole family. Donald Trump throws a temper tantrum in front of Papa Engoron. President Biden pulls in black sheep poll numbers, and Lovett dreams of his future husband, Pedro Pascal. We've got a seat at the table for you anytime, Pedro! Our lines are open. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/7/2023 • 36 minutes, 21 seconds
Don Jr. Does a Line of Questioning (Live from Seattle!)
It’s a heaping helping of tossed salad, scrambled eggs, and civil fraud here in Seattle. We give her 24 hours, Rep. Pramila Jayapal gives us the world. Lovett doesn’t really get Seattle, so the audience uses Fraiser to help explain its appeal. Madeleine Smithberg talks Letterman, Stewart, Carson and French Onion Dip. And we do rapid fire rants, high notes, and a check in with the Batman to Seattle’s Gotham: The Green Jacket Lady. Thank you, Moore Theatre! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/6/2023 • 1 hour, 21 minutes, 58 seconds
DeSantis on His Heels (Live from Portland!)
Lovett or Leave It heard Portland, Oregon wants to keep it weird, and boy, did we take it to heart. Comedian Shain Brendan and author Lydia Kiesling gasp at the mystifying gaffes of the GOP presidential campaign. Comedian Imani Denae and drag queen Silhouette thrill at the city’s strangest sights and sounds. Lovett tries to find the biggest wackadoodle in our heater audience, and the Rant Wheel dazzles with the eerie complaints of our local guests, from Portland driving to heteronormativity to rustic potatoes. See you next tour, freaks!
11/4/2023 • 1 hour, 47 minutes, 25 seconds
Haley v. Trump, Biden v. AI, Newsom v. Gravity
Step right up and grab a treat from What A Weekday’s big bucket of news! Gird yourself for the latest jumpscares from the 2024 campaign trail, as the first GOP candidate ghosts us. President Biden has a spooky warning about AI, and Gavin Newsom haunts at least one child’s nightmares. Happy Halloween, sluts.
10/31/2023 • 21 minutes, 27 seconds
The Grind Begins at Conception
It’s Halloween here at Lovett or Leave It, and we’ve got all the pennies and raisins your heart could desire! Producer Brian’s ghost has unfinished business: the business of show. Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien has our skin crawling with the most horrifying non-horror movies. Kiran Deol and Jamie Loftus weigh in on which specters and ghouls are just their (blood) type, and the Scream Wheel opens the crypt on the most grotesque horrors of all: the Minions. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/28/2023 • 1 hour, 24 minutes, 59 seconds
What a Weekday: Georgia v. Trump, Clooney v. Drescher, and House GOP v. Itself
The week’s news overfloweth. Come drink from Lovett or Leave It’s What A Weekday cup. This week, Trump’s cronies flip like so many disgusting human pancakes in Georgia. Fran Drescher lets George Clooney down easy over his proposed SAG-AFTRA contract, and Tom Emmer runs for House Speaker just long enough for you to go to the bathroom and come back to a House in disarray. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/24/2023 • 29 minutes
Republicans Shoot the Moon (Live from Charlottesville!)
The Errors tour heads to Charlottesville as Trump violates one gag order and evades another. Virginia assembly candidates Lily Franklin and Kimberly Pope Adams fight to save abortion access in the Cavalier State. The Washington Post’s Alexandra Petri is back to take on the zoo that is the House (analogy) and the White House (actual). We help give Charlottesville a little brand refresh because… well you know why. If Republicans come begging for help to elect a Speaker, we have demands. And rants on the hot pop culture topics you’ve been begging for: Ancient Greek poetry and neoclassical French architecture.
10/23/2023 • 1 hour, 31 minutes, 30 seconds
#BelieveAllWrestlers (Live from DC!)
And we're back at the Lincoln Theatre in our nation's perfect capital to cheer up Jim Jordan after what has to be the fourth or fifth worst week of his life. Commander Biden is loose in the theater, and hungry for blood. Jen Psaki on 2024. Journalists Dave Weigel and Daniella Diaz place odds on the House Speaker race. We ask the audience to spill their worst politicians-behaving-badly-at-a-coffee-shop stories, and we roll down the majestic Potomac using the hydroelectric force generated by the Rant Wheel.
10/21/2023 • 1 hour, 54 minutes, 10 seconds
What a Weekday: Biden visits Israel, Jordan vies for Speaker, Will Smith turns off notifications
There’s too much news to cram into one Lovett Or Leave It episode per week, which is why we’re here with our new Tuesday comedy dispatch, What A Weekday! Jim Jordan loses his first vote for House Speaker, Jada and Will enlist all of us in their psychosexual games, and Biden travels to Israel. And yet somehow, it’s not even Wednesday.
10/18/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
The Rivers and Kari Lakes That You're Used To (Live from Chattanooga!)
Are you from Chattanooga? Because you're the only ten I see. The Errors Tour continues with a torrent of chaos in the River City. We meet three of Chattanooga’s finest queens: Alyvia St.Claire, Sasha Dior, and T'yana Montice. And, because we asked the audience to bring friends who weren't fans of the show (for political or other reasons, we. don't know) we put our assumptions to test to find out who in the crowd is more progressive. Plus the rant wheel spins and some pretty great high notes send us out of the station and back to Los Angeles. (Please note: this episode was recorded last week.)
10/14/2023 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 31 seconds
GOP in Chaos and Trump on Trial (Live from Asheville!)
Governor Roy Cooper stops by to talk Medicaid expansion, abortion access, and the fight for democracy in North Carolina, before telling us how to live it up in the Tar Heel State. Drag Race star LaLa Ri gets as congenial as possible given… the world. Tressie McMillan Cottom talks books, bans, and blondes. We spend a Happy Hour with our audience’s high notes, and we go a round with the Carolina Rant-thers. Look, not every Rant Wheel pun is going to work, but when you’re in beautiful Asheville, a city we could move to tomorrow, you just don’t care.
10/9/2023 • 1 hour, 27 minutes, 18 seconds
Dogs That Caught the McCarthy (Live From Atlanta!)
Lovett Or Leave It is back on the road, and we’re heating things up in the beautiful Center Stage Theater in Hotlanta, Georgia! Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock is here to talk gun control, legalized marijuana, and whether Commander Biden has gotten a chance to bite him yet. Real Housewives of Atlanta's Kandi Burruss sits the LOLI team down to clear the air, and then immediately fill it with thrown chardonnay. Court is in session when Ms. Pat settles our audience’s grievances. TS Madison ate, in more ways than one, and we end the evening with a spin of the Rant(lanta) Wheel.
10/7/2023 • 1 hour, 45 minutes, 10 seconds
Hot for Teacher's Union
Lovett or Leave It returns to the SiriusXM garage in Los Angeles, home sweet home. Russell Howard explores scandals that could have happened in the US, but didn't. Baratunde Thurston goes full Dr. Doolittle and breaks down the latest from the animal kingdom (and has a whale of a time doing it). Zach Zucker and Eugene Cordero see if they can come up with innocent explanations for completely hypothetical scenarios, like gold bricks in your Mercedes and thirty grand in your varsity jacket. And the rant wheel spins for Taylor Swift and Travis... something.**We recorded this before the passing of Senator Feinstein, but she was a real one
9/30/2023 • 1 hour, 36 minutes, 44 seconds
Oh these gold bars? (Live from Madison!)
Lovett or Leave It brings the dairy sweats to the beautiful Barrymore Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin! Ben Wikler, Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, calmly walks us through the anti-democratic onslaught the state is constantly experiencing. The super cool and supremely nerdy Alice Wetterlund looks to the stars for societies more civil than our own. Peter Sagal and T. J. Jagodowski have a (CIVILIZED) debate about theatre etiquette when every one of us is the most important person in the world. And comedian Felonious Munk takes a look back at a summer of fails, just in time for autumn/pon farr. Plus, fire finally gets torched during the rant wheel. May your name be inscribed in the book of life, sluts! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/25/2023 • 1 hour, 47 minutes, 57 seconds
Fetterman Gets Dressed Down (Live from Chicago!)
Lovett Or Leave It goes deep in Chicago, live from the beautiful Vic Theater. Mayor Brandon Johnson gives Lovett at 24 Hour tour of the second city that's second to none. Gillian Flynn stalks the famous devils of the Windy City. Elizabeth Warren (Alice Wetterlund) has a plan for this gerontocracy of ours. Lovett and Clark Jones battle over famous Chicago beefs while their stomaches battle the city’s famous Italian beefs. And we close out the show with a very special hog-butchering, tool-making, wheat-stacking spin of the Rant Wheel. Plus live high notes!
9/23/2023 • 1 hour, 52 minutes, 49 seconds
Beetlejuice Cleanse
Lovett Or Leave It asks “why so Sirius?” as we welcome a whole new cast of jokers to our stage. GOP candidate Tim Scott’s very real girlfriend (Lisa Gilroy) stops by to discuss their wonderful, extremely plausible relationship. Sam Sanders and Danielle Schneider discuss the most important news of the week, both Real Housewife and original flavor. Morgan Jay finally answers the question that has plagued philosophers for centuries: would you have sex with this alien? And we end the show with a rare Rave Wheel, because sometimes, very rarely, we actually do enjoy things. Shana Tova, sluts! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/16/2023 • 1 hour, 29 minutes, 37 seconds
There Will Be Mud
Lovett Or Leave It takes a Sirius turn as we host this week’s show from our brand-new location. When Lovett goes high, Marcella Arguello gets even higher, while London Hughes joins us from across the pond to make America sound downright utopian. Congressman Ro Khanna tells Big Business do not pass go, and definitely do not collect $200. Bobby Berk gives the queer side eye to 2023’s most played-out interior design trends, and we roll the Rant Wheel all over the 2024 Candidate Playlist, because yikes. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/9/2023 • 1 hour, 33 minutes, 37 seconds
A Very Online Summer (Friends of the Pod Preview)
We're off for Labor Day! Please enjoy this exclusive episode of Terminally Online, our new Subscription show and loosest pod here at Crooked Media. Every week Pod Save America hosts are joined by your favorite Crooked producers and staffers to commiserate about being way too online as they make their shows. Get episodes of Terminally Online, ads free Pod Save America and so much more by signing up for Friends of the Pod at crooked.com/friends.
9/2/2023 • 32 minutes, 3 seconds
Lovett Gets Steamrolled: A Best-Of
Lovett learns a lesson or two when his guests take the reins in this week’s very special Best-Of episode. Do steamrollers have reins? Well, they do now! Abby McEnany commandeers the anchor’s seat while presenting Gay News. Jake McDorman picks up Lovett and charges into virgin territory. Paula Poundstone’s Lesley Stahl puts Lovett in the hot seat. Luenell riles up the Swifties, and Ms. Pat challenges our audience to answer two truths and a lie, all while Lovett holds on for dear life.All of these segments were recorded before the WGA and SAG strikes were a twinkle in David Zaslav’s craven eye. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/26/2023 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 49 seconds
Rude and Delicious: Live from Philadelphia!
Lovett Or Leave It arrives in the city of Brotherly Love, and don’t worry, we brought plenty for everyone. Delaware state senator Sarah McBride helps the Diamond State shine. An over-worked conspiracy theorist (Kylie Brakeman) begs for a return to normalcy. R. Eric Thomas helps mend our audience’s broken hearts. Mary Radzinski and Lovett share their hottest Philly cheese takes, and the Rant Wheel runs down the things we hate about the city that loves you back. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/19/2023 • 1 hour, 45 minutes, 6 seconds
Thoughts & Chairs
Lovett or Leave It prepares for a much needed holiday this week at LA’s Dynasty Typewriter. Laci Mosley and Lovett set sail for the Montgomery riverbank, and they’re bringing their own folding chair. Maria Bamford considers vacationing with the cult of her choice. We all bring plenty of baggage when Ian Harvie unpacks iconic LGBTQ commercials. Bridger Winegar hopes America’s celebrities left room in their suitcase, because he’s got something special for everyone. And the Rant Wheel brings you some souvenirs for the road: the truth about 12-step groups, the Regal Cinema intro, and, of course, the lack of soft serve on the West Coast. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/12/2023 • 1 hour, 53 minutes, 11 seconds
Pence's Christmas Miracle
Lovett Or Leave It is hotter than hell this week at Los Angeles’ beautiful Dynasty Typewriter theater. Lovett and Ify Nwadiwe heat things up with a journey through Diablo 4. Luenell roasts Ron DeSantis so hard, his white go-go boots melt onto the Florida asphalt. RK Russell grills Lovett on professional football, not to mention the sexual orientation of NFL mascots, and we beat the heat, but not the legal consequences, of a new end game, Class Action Hero. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/5/2023 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 50 seconds
Live! From New York! It's One Thousand Rats!
Start spreading the ooze! This hot humid New York summer is only getting stickier, now that Lovett or Leave It is at Town Hall! LOLI’s own Rat King goes claw-to-claw with the NYC Rat Czar herself, Kathleen Corradi. Lovett terrifies a very analog Janeane Garofalo with dispatches from our very digital world. Isaac Mizrahi gives Lovett a dressing down. BD Wong plumbs the depths of his Broadway knowledge. Cat Cohen helps New Yorkers make it here with some candid advice, and we bust out the Rant Wheel. Hey, we’re spinning’ here! Special thanks to The Town Hall in New York! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/29/2023 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 25 seconds
Ice Cream So Good, Popcorn So Gay | Terminally Online [TEASER]
Enjoy this episode of Terminally Online, Crooked's new subscription exclusive show. In this episode, Jon Lovett and producers Elijah Cone, Halle Kiefer and Brian Semel admire Pinkydoll’s entrepreneurship, choose which presidential grave they would serenade and talk about all the other things that made them feel way too online while making shows at Crooked.Get episodes of Terminally Online every Saturday, support Vote Save America and get much more by subscribing to Friends of the Pod at http://crooked.com/friends
7/27/2023 • 40 minutes, 38 seconds
Doctors Hate This One Weird Kennedy
Lovett It Or Leave It is back with a steamy new episode, and we’re summer lovin’ it. Nimesh Patel has a ball as Lovett puts his jokes to the test-es. Dan Ahdoot helps us put the WTF? in RFK Jr. The band MUNA gets gayotic at the behest of Crooked’s gays and theys, and we keep both hands on the Rant Wheel at all times. Brought to you by No Labels. No Labels: it’s not right, it’s not left, it’s straight off a cliff, Wile E. Coyote-style.
7/22/2023 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 25 seconds
Hot Dummies 🤝 Anxious Weirdos
All aboard a brand-new episode of Lovett or Leave It, setting sail from Los Angeles’s beautiful Dynasty Typewriter theater. A vacationing tourist (Janet Varney) gives us the low down on a festively dystopian new cruise ship. Jared Goldstein helps us pack our bags with the most out-of-pocket celebrity endorsements. Tien Tran joins us for an early bird dinner on the gerontocracy deck, and Emily St. James reviews our on-board entertainment. We close out the show with the one thing you don’t really need on a ship: a wheel. Fortunately, this one is chock full of rants. See you at the sundae bar, if you have any room left! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Want Pod Save America ad-free? Subscribe to Friends of the Pod: crooked.com/friends
7/15/2023 • 1 hour, 20 minutes, 55 seconds
Queer the Buffet (A Pride Standup Special!)
Lovett Or Leave It closes out this year’s Pride month with a fantastic stand up special. The legendary Paula Poundstone joins Jon as co-host and basically takes over, which rules. Plus Jon and Paula welcome the phenomenal Pink Foxx, Nori Reed, Roz Hernandez, and Robin Tran who crush. Hope you got your pride levels replenished this June for the next calendar year! Like a bunch of gay ass squirrels. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/8/2023 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 54 seconds
Wack Mirror (Live from San Francisco!)
Lovett Or Leave It is gay by the bay for our second tour show at San Francisco’s beautiful Palace of Fine Arts. The incredible Snaxx kicks off a night of laughs, while the Phantom of the Westfield Mall (Chris Fleming) shakes his fist at God and new housing construction. Casey Newton walks us through our tech dystopia, while we quiz him on others. Chef Nate Park gives Lovett a taste of cultivated meat, and Dylan McKeever has us California screamin’ over San Francisco on the big screen. Plus we close out the night with a round of Y-Not-Combinator in honor of Big Tech asking, “Why not?” instead “Why in God’s name?” For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/1/2023 • 1 hour, 20 minutes, 13 seconds
Every City has Fresh Bread (Live from San Francisco!)
The wonderful Carnie Asada welcomes us to the city by the bay as we kick off the first stop of Lovett Or Leave It: The Errors Tour at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts. Mayor London Breed walks us through the current state of SF. Adam Savage helps us demystify myths both queer and platonic. An old-timey prospector (Chris Fleming) convinces us there’s crypto in them there hills. Emily Van Dyke and Marcus Williams help Lovett find a unicorn, and not the one you think. Unless you’re thinking of the other two meanings as well, in which case… it was the one you’re thinking of. And we close out the show with a spin of the Rant Wheel as Karl the fog starts to creep back in.Special Thanks to the Palace of Fine Arts! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
6/24/2023 • 1 hour, 33 minutes, 46 seconds
Queerest and Dearest: A Pride Best-Of
In honor of Pride Month and Lovett being on vacation, we present to you: a very queer Best Of show! California candidate Will Rollins takes us to the overlapping center of Palms Springs’ two most vibrant communities: senior and gay. Matt Rogers’ Brad Turbo tries to make a mint off masculinity. Gus Kenworthy rates sports on the Kinsey Scale and it’s 10s, 10s, 10s across the board. Oscars expert Louis Virtel tests his knowledge of the only other awards show that matters: the Guys Choice Awards. While Robin Tran and Brendan Scannell get ethical. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Will Rollins episode: Forbidden Flute. Will Rollins is running to unseat monstrous homophobe Ken Calvert again in 2024! Find out how you can help at https://willrollinsforcongress.com/Matt Rogers episode: Tony’s AngelsGus Kenworthy episode: Queerbait of the NationLouis Virtel episode: Trial by Fire EmojiRobin Tran/Brendan Scannell episode: James and the Giant Divorce
6/17/2023 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 1 second
Introducing Ruined with Alison Leiby & Halle Kiefer!
Introducing Crooked's new horror movie podcast Ruined, from LOLI head writer Halle Kiefer and Alison Leiby! If it’s in a word, or it’s in a look, do not read your kid that mysterious book. Halle and Alison welcome The Babadook, and open the door to the scariest horror of all: motherhood.Listen to new episodes of Ruined each week wherever you get your podcasts: crooked.com/ruined.
6/14/2023 • 48 minutes, 32 seconds
The Rage of Innocence
We got ‘im? We’re gonna need 1850 boxes to carry all the Trump indictment jokes packed into this week’s episode of Lovett or Leave It. Lovett slips into something a little more uncomfortable when he tries on the new Apple Vision Pro. Ronnie Woo and Michaela Watkins party plan Lovett’s emotional eating. George Santos (Oscar Montoya) stops by to bear false witness, and he looks good doing it! Brendan Scannell delivers you some Gay News, hot off the presses, and the Rant Wheel spins us into the Multi-Verse… and beyond.For more information on Here 4 the Kids, visit their website at Here4theKids.com, and follow them @here4thekidsaction on Instagram. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
6/10/2023 • 1 hour, 24 minutes, 44 seconds
Criminalize Straight (Pride Special 2023!)
March into June, brick in hand, for this year’s Pride Show! We look back at a few infamous queer qriminals. Gay Branum and Irene Tu try to remember all the gay history we should have learned in school. Kel Cripe has some non-binary diktats because… they/thems the rules. Bernie Sanders (James Adomian) loves the gays but hates a parade. Danielle Perez and Gina Yashere review this year’s corporate Pride merch. And we spin the Rant Wheel with a little more sparkle than usual.
6/3/2023 • 1 hour, 19 minutes
No Bueno Toxic
Lovett Or Leave It eases you into the long weekend with the dulcet tones of Ron DeSantis’s hideous voice, while Janet Yellen (Jenny Zigrino) reminds you what catastrophe awaits if we don’t sort out the debt ceiling by, uh, today. Mrs. Davis’s Jake McDorman enters virgin territory, while Jessi Klein ranks the LOLI moms from best to even better. Schuyler Bailar dives into the right’s anti-trans sports neurosis, and we spin the Rant Wheel to start your holiday road trip off right.Chip in today to our FUCK BANS: LEAVE QUEER KIDS ALONE fund at votesaveamerica.com/fuckbans
5/27/2023 • 1 hour, 23 minutes, 44 seconds
Defund the Splenda Police
It’s a barn burner of an episode! Luenell answers the hard questions (and a ton of easy ones), while Scott Aukerman and Kyle Kinane ponder the question: would you rather? Tig Notaro and Todd Stashwick go where no Lovett has gone before, and we keep our tootsies warm with the fiery glow of these Hot Takes. Join Friends of the Pod for bonus content, exclusive access and more: crooked.com/friends For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/20/2023 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 32 seconds
God Save the King’s Fingers
This week, Lovett Or Leave It has an episode only a mother could love. Elizabeth Holmes (Nicole Travolta) makes a pit stop on her reputation rehabilitation tour, and did she mention she has two kids? Scam Goddess’s Laci Mosley weighs in on the ultimate mama’s boy, King Charles III. Stiffed host Jennifer Romolini gives your mom what she wants most this Mother’s Day (full-frontal nudity), and we spin the Rant Wheel in honor of 79-year-old new parent Robert DeNiro. Quick! It’s not too late to buy your mom a gift! Go! Order it now! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/13/2023 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 9 seconds
Guild Back Better
The king of Lovett Or Leave It welcomes his queens to Los Angeles’s beautiful Dynasty Typewriter theater ahead of this coronation weekend. Representative Katie Porter plays monarch in a minivan with “Queen For a Day,” and joins Drag Race’s Alaska and Willam for a royally funny round of Taboo. A TV writer (Demi Adejuyigbe) takes power back to the sunburned, dehydrated people during the WGA strike. Saturday Night Live legend Julia Sweeney looks back at non-binary boss Pat, and Lovett gathers his subjects ‘round for a majestic Rant Wheel. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/6/2023 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 32 seconds
2 Dark 2 Brandon
Lovett or Leave It is back at Dynasty Typewriter to give Tucker Carlson the sendoff he deserves: one he has to share with Don Lemon. Hari Kondabolu stops by to wash down some unpleasant news with some even worse ice cream. Alan Ruck takes an expletive-heavy stroll down memory lane with Succession’s spiciest insults. Pat Regan and Marcy Jarreau school Lovett on the finer points of reality TV, and we top it all off with a big ol’ batch of fresh-baked Hot Takes. Hari Kondabolu's comedy special and album “Vacation Baby” is available for viewing worldwide on YouTube and streaming as album on all platforms. Hari also self-released “(Extended) Vacation Baby” on Bandcamp as a digital download with tracks not found on the special or streaming album. Check out dates and tickets for Hari's Spring/Summer tour at harikondabolu.com For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/29/2023 • 1 hour, 26 minutes, 21 seconds
Fox News Gets Dom'ed
Lovett Or Leave It sparks up a very special episode at Los Angeles’ Dynasty Typewriter. Lovett rolls the dice with Weed Gummy Three-Card Monte. A Spanish cave diver (Kiran Deol) emerges from beneath the earth after 500 days, and boy, is she behind on the news! Chris Gethard is a certified DILQ as he tackles the week in fathers. Judy Greer and Beth Lapides join us for the Highest Thoughts Bracket in celebration of 4/20, and we go out with a blaze of glory as the Rant Wheel spins.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/22/2023 • 1 hour, 15 minutes, 41 seconds
Resigning Women
Take a (Senate) seat, relax and kick back with a nice, cold Lovett Or Leave It. Jon reaches out to the deranged Republican billionaires in the audience. Joe Mantegna challenges us to answer the age-old question, “Was I in this?” Jena Friedman, Aparna Nancherla, and Blair Socci give us the latest in Girl News (spoiler alert: the news… is bad!) and we close out the show with a spin of the Rant Wheel that will leave you AND your personal Supreme Court judge feeling dizzy! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/15/2023 • 1 hour, 14 minutes, 32 seconds
Arraign-y Season
Why is this night unlike any other nights? Why, it’s a Lovett Or Leave It Passover, Charlie Brown! Lesley Stahl (Paula Poundstone) stops by to interview the Pharaoh from Exodus and probably could have followed up a bit? Zach Zimmerman rates each of the Biblical plagues on the Kinsey Scale, and his answers… might surprise you. The world’s deepest fish (Andrea Jin) ponders our complicated lives on land. Adam Conover weighs in on a potential writers' strike, and we tuck into some Cadbury eggs and chocolate covered matzah for a festive round of Hot Takes.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.-Lovett or Leave It is nominated for a Webby Award in the Podcasts: Features - Best Live Podcast Recording category.Winners are determined through online voting which is open now through April 20th at 11:59pm PT at vote.webbyawards.com. Help us win! We hate to lose!Zach Zimmerman's book, "Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)" is available everywhere April 18th.For more Paula Poundstone, check out her podcast, "Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone".For more Adam Conover, check out his podcast "Factually! with Adam Conover".Check out"An Evening with Andrea Jin" at Dynasty Typewriter on April 15th.
4/8/2023 • 1 hour, 31 minutes, 28 seconds
The Age of Gwynnocence
Trump is indicted! Paltrow is free. Ari Shapiro (All Things Considered, The Best Strangers in the World), Langston Kerman (My Momma Told Me), Tawny Newsome, Andrew Ti (Yo, Is This Racist?) and Josie Riesman (Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America) join for a barn burner of an ep as we cover a momentous week - from charges to verdicts, and A.I. popes to Ice Age meatballs. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/1/2023 • 1 hour, 39 minutes, 8 seconds
Lovett or Leave It: The Errors Tour Presale
Tickets: www.crooked.com/eventsPresale code: ERRORSPresale is live NOW and runs through 3/30 10 PM localPublic on-sale: 3/31$1 of every Lovett or Leave It: Errors Tour ticket sold will be donated to the F*ck Bans: Leave Queer Kids Alone Fund. You can donate too by heading to www.votesaveamerica,com/fuckbansTour Dates:Friday, June 23 San Francisco, CA Thursday, July 27 New York, NYFriday, July 28 Philadelphia, PA Thursday, Sept 21 Chicago, ILFriday, Sept 22 Madison, WI Thursday, Oct 5 Atlanta, GAFriday, Oct 6 Asheville, NCSaturday, Oct 7 Chattanooga, TN Friday, Oct 20 Washington DC Saturday, Oct 21 Charlottesville, VA Friday, Nov 3 Portland, OR Saturday, Nov 4 Seattle, WA Thursday, Nov 30 Phoenix, AZ Saturday, Dec 2 Boulder, CO
3/27/2023 • 1 minute, 37 seconds
Tony's Angels
Lovett Or Leave It brings you March Radness as we welcome everyone’s favorite surprise celebrity sighting, Tony Hawk, who offers the LOLI team some much needed advice. Liv Hewson must vote yes or naur on the question: are Australians as dumb as Americans? Kimberly Clark puts the period at the end of Lovett’s sentence (which is also about periods). Brad Turbo (Matt Rogers) has something for fans of toxic masculinity, and we rant our way though Gwyneth Paltrow’s skiing suit. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
3/25/2023 • 1 hour, 28 minutes, 3 seconds
If It Ain't Woke Don't Fix It
Lovett Or Leave It brings a stellar array of comedy’s best and brightest to the Dynasty Typewriter stage with a special stand up episode. Lovett and Emily Heller discuss dating strategies in this modern age of ours. Will Miles takes solace in Lifetime movies, while Ellington Wells shares the trials and tribulations of babysitting. Rob Haze takes on SCOTUS, and Cara Conners takes us camping. Ian Karmel reckons with the legacy of Kanye West, and we’ll be back next week with a classic Original Flavor Lovett Or Leave It, so enjoy! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
3/18/2023 • 1 hour, 26 minutes, 1 second
Trial by Fire Emoji
Lovett Or Leave It welcomes all the beautiful people to Los Angeles’s gorgeous Dynasty Typewriter theater, including Keep It’s own Oscars trivia star Louis Virtel. Jiavani sings a musical number for America’s catastrophic blunder, the GOP. Jonathan Braylock and Jerah Milligan sweep the spring cleaning categories. An old-timey villain (Jenny Yang) crosses their fingers for a televised trainwreck, and Lovett asks for the envelope, please, to celebrate the winners of this year’s first-annual Lovies. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
3/11/2023 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 37 seconds
History in the Making: The Making of History
Are you smarter than a Hulu cast? Live from NeueHouse Hollywood, Lovett sits down with some of the cast and producers of Hulu’s, “History of the World Part II” and tests all of our elementary school knowledge by seeing if anyone, anyone at all, can name a single historical event. Ike Barinholtz brags about being a friend of the pod, Mitra Jouhari takes a stand for Diet Coke, David Stassen settles the time-old debate: David or Dave?, and Poppy Liu’s rant evokes existential uncertainty as we all ponder whether there is any actual truth behind "The Da Vinci Code” (there isn't… is there?). “History of the World Part II”, is narrated by Mel Brooks, and Ike Barinholtz, Nick Kroll, and Wanda Sykes headline an allstar cast. This new, original series and long-awaited sequel is a four-night event streaming now, only on Hulu. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
3/6/2023 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 20 seconds
The Wizard of Ozempic
We march into a new month with another stellar phalanx of guests at Los Angeles’ beautiful Dynasty Typewriter theater. Gretchen Carlson talks about why she sued Roger Ailes and what she’s learned since leaving Fox News. Lizz Winstead talks abortion access and, against all odds, even makes it funny. Ms. Pat has lived a storied life, and sees if our audience can guess which tales are even too tall for her. Kara Swisher puts the AI in “aye yai yai” in her conversation about ChatGPT, and Lovett promotes the latest invention to hit the ever-expanding This Will Drive Humanity Insane market. Wheel we end it all with a Rant Wheel? We wheel. We wheely, wheely will. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
3/4/2023 • 1 hour, 53 minutes, 55 seconds
James and the Giant Divorce
In this week’s show, Lovett Or Leave It welcomes President Biden to the Dynasty Typewriter stage to address all these audio deepfakea of him on TikTok. At least it sure sounds like President Biden? Robin Tran and Brendan Scannell weigh in on the pressing ethical questions of our time, while Marjorie Taylor Greene (Megan Gailey) drops off America’s divorce papers, whether we want them or not. Our audience tries to guess which linguistic worms got yoinked out of Roald Dahl’s literary peaches, while our guests’ Hot Takes warm our hearts on this chilly, rainy Los Angeles night. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/25/2023 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 13 seconds
Shooting Ourselves in the Balloon
This week, Lovett temporarily left it, asking the brilliant Guy Branum to steer the ship in his stead. Lance Reddick teaches us from Ron DeSantis’s new Florida AP African-American Studies course, and tries to differentiate between the villains of the MCU and the villains of the GOP. River Butcher and Guy crack open a nice cold round of Gay News. One of the Mars Wrigley employees who fell in a molten vat of chocolate (Ana Gasteyer) stops by to talk about labor activism, the upcoming writers strike, and the crushing weight of molten chocolate. We end the show by collectively pitching the aliens (which absolutely are here now, right?) on reasons not to blow up the planet. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/18/2023 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 56 seconds
Queerbait of The Union
Biden mixes it up and Mitt says what we’re all thinking. What a week. Ron Perlman teaches us how to tell people off. Gus Kenworthy evades Lovett’s hard-hitting questions by suggesting he take up curling. Anyone can do it! Cupid points his bow at Producer Malcolm, as Katrina Davis helps him find love on a conservative dating app. And Harry Styles’ stylist (Christina Catherine Martinez) explains the method to Harry’s queer(bait?) madness. Plus, mwah mwah mwah — it’s the Love Wheel. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/11/2023 • 1 hour, 24 minutes, 33 seconds
Saved By The Bel-Air
Live from the SiriusXM studio, Lovett Or Leave It pits DeSantis vs Trump in a battle for the... well, not the soul of the country. The Academy’s own private detective (Brandon Scott Jones) pulls back the red curtain on this year’s Oscars scandal. Lovett and Larry Wilmore discuss police brutality and the debate over reform. Plus Josie Totah and Olly Sholotan face a 90s TV quiz, and the Rant Wheel? It spins. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/4/2023 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 49 seconds
America's Next Top Secret
Whether you’re on the lanai or inside Los Angeles’s beautiful Dynasty Typewriter theater, this week’s Lovett Or Leave It thanks you for being a friend. Gabe Mollica platonically speed dates our other guests, in search of a real connection. Zach Schiffman and Carl Tart answer the question, “what’s a few misplaced classified documents between pals?” Lovett has a monopoly on our live audience’s understanding of what the hell a monopoly is. The Earth’s molten core (Alyssa Limperis) turns up the heat, and we gather our friends and lovers together to bask in the warming glow of all these Hot Takes. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
1/28/2023 • 1 hour, 14 minutes, 4 seconds
Ms. Kitara Goes To Washington
Join us as Lovett Or Leave It gets sopping wet this Dry January at L.A.'s beautiful Dynasty Typewriter. A black market egg dealer (Brian Posehn) stops by to give Lovett a taste of scrambler’s delight. Jamie Loftus schools us in which hot dogs have actually earned the title. Brian Posehn and Amy Miller weigh in on whether or not the straights have gone too far with MILF Manor. Spoiler alert: they have. Ashley Ray looks for love amongst our live audience, and the Rant Wheel fires off hot, angry sparks over haunted hayrides, Babylon, and the derth of fat people on dating shows. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
1/21/2023 • 1 hour, 23 minutes, 46 seconds
The Artful Todger
The secret’s out… Lovett Or Leave It is back with another episode! Lovett finds out what dirty dealings Kevin McCarthy got up to when he unearths House Rules’ shadow document. We see if Star Trek: Picard’s Michelle Hurd knows her princes. The L.A. Times’ Julia Wick unpacks our fair city's city council mayhem. Holmes joins us to present the first-ever Ussy Awards, musical improvisers Zach Reino and Jess McKenna sing us into the weekend, and the Rant Wheel spins on and on. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
1/14/2023 • 1 hour, 27 minutes, 44 seconds
Stairway to Kevin
Lovett or Leave It rings in 2023 with a full house of festive guests, including the most famous Nepo Baby of all: Baby New Year (Zach Noe Towers). The audience updates their "America, Bizarre To Live In" file with all the new, strange state laws that went into effect January 1. Alex Edelman and Andrea Jin have MILFs on the mind as we struggle to separate TV fact from TV fiction. Lovett says farewell to a broadcast legend, and we end our show with some absolutely spot-on predictions. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
1/7/2023 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 48 seconds
Holiday Grift Guide
Lovett Or Leave cozies up in front of the roaring fire we’ve hurled 2022’s desiccated hull into during this, our last show of 2022. Mike Lindell (James Adomian) stops by with pillows for all the good little boys and girls of the RNC. Jena Friedman and Atsuko Okatsuka pull up a chair to your family’s holiday drama. Elon Musk (James Adomian) tries his hand at stand-up and spoiler alert: the audience is wrong. Lovett provides a personalized gift guy for the right-wing whack jobs in your life, and we end by putting our grateful well-wishes in the Thank Bank. Happy Holidays, everybody, and see you in 2023! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
12/17/2022 • 1 hour, 34 seconds
Season's Cheatings
There’s no place like Lovett Or Leave It for the holidays, as we gather with our loved ones: an AI chatbot who answers to our every whim. Sam Sanders and Zach Stafford bring the end-of-year vibes way up when they tackle our prestige drama soundscape. A goblin (Danielle Perez) stops by to rail against goblin mode. The one-and-only Jennifer Tilly bets you can't answer the question, “Was I In This?” Curtis Cook and Danielle Perez say “Good Boning America” to cheating scandals, and we get heated as we gather around the Rant Wheel. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
12/10/2022 • 1 hour, 24 minutes, 4 seconds
Three Antisemites is a Crowd
It’s a December to remember as Lovett or Leave It returns to Los Angeles’s beautiful Dynasty Typewriter and we celebrate Christmas with a new slate of “traditional” holiday rom-coms. Margaret Cho and Moshe Kasher gather 'round for a very special Hanukah-inspired edition of Gay News: Gay Jews. A "normal" Republican voter (Andrea Savage) stops by to explain how to have it both ways on Trump. Spoiler alert: it’s delusion! Danielle Schneider and Crooked's own Ryan Wallerson pit the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and the World Cup against each other in Reality vs. Reality TV, and we keep our little toesies warm with the cracking heat of all these Hot Takes. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
12/3/2022 • 1 hour, 22 minutes, 16 seconds
Lovett or Leave It Presents: Thanksgiving Leftovers!
Lovett is currently asleep under a big pile of coats on the guest bed, but we here at Lovett or Leave It have prepared you a sumptuous feast of favorite segments, hand-selected by all the non-Lovett members of the LOLI universe. Join producers Brian Semel and Kendra James, associate producer Malcolm Whitfield, head writer Halle Kiefer, managing video producer Narineh Melkonian, and producer/editor Zuri Irvin as they share moments from this year’s Pride Show, our tour in Pennsylvania, and more. Don’t worry, we’ll carry Lovett to the car and make sure he’s home in time for next week’s show. Have a great Thanksgiving, everybody! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/26/2022 • 1 hour, 41 minutes, 55 seconds
It’s a Crypto Polycule Friendsgiving, Charlie Brown!
The whole Lovett Or Leave It family welcomes you and your hot dish to this year’s first-ever crypto polycule Friendsgiving! Byron Bowers and Diallo Riddle help Lovett put the “bit” in Bitcoin, while Stacey Abrams (Ashley Nicole Black) flies in on her way to a much-needed vacation. We conclusively decide who is the most annoying Thanksgiving guest, and end the show with a wholesome turn of the Gratitude Wheel. Because we’ll all have plenty to rant about. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/19/2022 • 1 hour, 21 minutes
Not With a Wave but a Whimper
Lovett or Leave It survives the red wave that never was after this week’s midterms, and celebrates the only way we know how: gorgeous gay mayhem. Matt Rogers channels this era’s two greatest villains, Donald Trump and Lydia Tár. Abbott Elementary’s Lisa Ann Walter reminds the world: yes, she was in that, too. Unspooled’s Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson see if our audience has the 411 on AFI’s Top 100 movies. Anne Helen Petersen helps you put in the work, and our dais of stars welcomes these chilly autumn nights with a piping round of Hot Takes. Thank you, thank you, thank you for voting, you beautiful listeners, you! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/12/2022 • 1 hour, 37 minutes, 54 seconds
Democracy or Else
Midterms are making the kids squirm at this, our last Lovett Or Leave It before we see you next Tuesday at the polls. Larry Wilmore looks at Biden’s closing message, while Rainn Wilson screams for your dollars on behalf of the Democrats. A newly-motivated post-Dobbs voter (Kiran Deol) promises Lovett she’ll vote, provided she is actually real and not his hope-fueled fever dream, while Josh Gondelman offers heartfelt pep talks to the despondent, the lonely, and the zebrafish. And we end the show with a spin of the Rant Wheel, to clear some space for whatever we feel when we find out what happens next week. In the meantime, get out there and vote, babies! We’re all in this together! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/5/2022 • 1 hour, 27 minutes, 16 seconds
Hershel Walker’s aBOOOOOrtions
Lovett or Leave It turns L.A.’s Dynasty Typewriter into a Halloween spooktacular during the only week of the year when we don’t mind hearing boos. Lovett inadvertently summons Ivana Trump (Lizzy Cooperman) and you will not believe what’s been going on under that golf course. Tig Notaro stops by to decide which classic movie monster has a limp wrist to go with those sharp fangs and neck bolts. It’s all treats, no tricks when Ed Helms crowns the king of Halloween candy. Kevin Avery and Lizzy Cooperman put the eff off in offensive costumes, and the Rant Wheel transforms into the Fear Wheel for this one magical night only, or until we decide we like the format and want to do it again. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/29/2022 • 1 hour, 24 minutes, 39 seconds
High on Grassley
It’s the devil you know AND the devil you don’t when Lovett or Leave It welcomes Lucy and Danny DeVito to L.A.‘s wonderful Dynasty Typewriter theater. Planned Parenthood’s Jodi Hicks stops by to break down how California can be a guide to other states in the fight for reproductive rights. Chris Fleming and Ellington Wells try to tell the difference between Senator Chuck Grassley and a glitching AI, while the Rant Wheel takes mice, TikTok, and leaf blowers to task.Ellington Wells: @EllingtonWells on Instagram and YouTube. Chris Fleming will be performing at The Egg in Albany, NY on 12/15, and The Wilbur in Boston, MA on 12/17. For more information, visit https://chrisflemingfleming.com/ For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/22/2022 • 1 hour, 16 minutes, 16 seconds
Brotherly Love in a Sandwich Town (Live from Philly!)
The (cheese)stakes are high when Lovett or Leave It fills Philadelphia’s Fillmore Theater with a night of gorgeous gay mayhem. Your future PA Governor Josh Shapiro sits down to discuss the “ugh” in Doug Mastriano. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta talks about building a queer coalition of anyone who wants to keep their rights in Pennsylvania. Taylor Swift’s publicist (Gill McGuire) stops by with some shocking intel about the pop star, and Jared Goldstein shares the Gay News with yinz. We close out the show with some Hot Takes, just in time for that chilly Midwestern 74-degree autumn to come sweeping in. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/15/2022 • 1 hour, 22 minutes, 26 seconds
Old Bay v. Pumpkin Spice (Live from Baltimore!)
Lovett Or Leave It takes the stage at Goucher College and enjoys a little bit o’ Baltimore (okay, more specifically, Towson, Maryland). The Washington Post’s Alexandra Petri looks back at the incredible women who girl bossed, gaslit, and gobbled sailors whole throughout history. Reporter Dave Weigel leads us up the mountain that is the midterms. Halle and Brian are forced to chose between the flavor of the city and the flavor of the season, and the Rant Wheel spins at the touch of Edgar Allan Poe’s spectral hand.
10/12/2022 • 1 hour, 18 minutes, 26 seconds
The Eyes Were Made For Crying (Live from Pittsburgh!)
Lovett or Leave It hits the road to Pittsburgh’s Roxian Theatre. Lovett and the Second Lady of Pennsylvania Gisele Barreto Fetterman take Dr. Oz to the pound. Pittsburgh’s own Damon Young hands out the Nobel Prize for Posting, and joins Lovett in doling out the advice yinz need. And the Rant Wheel spins next to the beautiful Ohio River, powered by vacations, nuclear weapons and, of course, Lovett’s take on the Bros takes. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/8/2022 • 1 hour, 26 minutes, 40 seconds
Forbidden Flute
Lovett Or Leave It likes it hot with the arrival of Blonde’s own Marilyn Monroe (Kel Cripe) to Los Angeles’ Dynasty Typewriter theater. Stephen Merchant and Josh Barro debate whether the U.K. should Truss Liz. Demi Adejuyigbe uncovers whether politician tattoos are only skin deep. Will Rollins, currently running in California’s 41 district, ponders the Venn Diagram of Palm Springs’ vibrant gay community and its even more vibrant senior community, and the Rant Wheel returns to reveal the devastating truth about tall men’s clothing brands. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/1/2022 • 1 hour, 20 minutes, 25 seconds
She NyQuil Be Loved
Lovett or Leave It finds a way to have yet another excellent show at Los Angeles’ gorgeous Dynasty Typewriter theater. Dare We Say’s Alycia Pascual-Peña and Yasmine Hamady yums our yucks in the Ickuation Room. Mitra Jouhari and Brian Bahe find themselves caught between the Rock Hall and a hot place while staring down the midterms. Jeff Goldblum (Gianmarco Soresi) is dispatched by the FDA to stop Lovett from eating TikTok’s latest creation, and we end the show with takes so hot, they’ll cook your NyQuil Chicken in seconds. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/24/2022 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 25 seconds
Lovett or Grieve It
Cover the mirrors and don your kippah, it’s time to sit shiva for Lilibit. Grab some nosh and swap stories of Her Highness with Senator Bernie Sanders (James Adomian). Enjoy the dulcet tones of the very real bagpiper playing Hava Nagila as Brandon Kyle Goodman and Sam Pancake pay homage to Her Majesty’s famously sharp sense of humor with some Gay News. If you drop your coat on the bed with all the coats, just avoid MyPillow’s own Mike Lindell (also James Adomian), who got an invite as well. Guy Branum brought some rugelach to share with Zachary Schiffman as they decide if the British or the Jewish have better food. And though we all appreciate a stiff upper lip, some ranting never hurt anyone. Show notes:ANCA.org/907alert For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/17/2022 • 1 hour, 28 minutes, 32 seconds
Death Becomes Her Majesty
Lovett or Leave It is dead. Long live Lovett or Leave It! The show makes its triumphant return to Dynasty Typewriter. Author and Dem strategist Lis Smith stops by to break down just how much Mayor Pete can’t stand Lovett. Andrew Farmer and Marcella Arguello ready themselves for the Emmys, while Trump’s personal injury lawyer (Alyssa Limperis) takes the FBI to task for putting those slippery folders all over the floor of Mar-a-Lago. , Plus Emily Heller brings a heatwave-inspired edition of Emily’s Garden Show: Fury Road Edition. And we say goodbye with a new segment we’re calling Our Apologies, where our guests must say they’re sorry for their sins and, also, there is an Edible Arrangement. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/10/2022 • 1 hour, 14 minutes, 44 seconds
You Got Your Hot Takes In My Rant Wheel! I Got My Rant Wheel In Your Hot Takes!
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/3/2022 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 22 seconds
Lunch It or Leave It: Best of Food
Open wide, because Lovett Or Leave It is serving up a hot, fresh best-of episode with all our favorite food-obsessed segments of the past year. Ashley Ray, Alice Wetterlund, and Max Silvestri give us the hot dish on the best holiday foods. Nancy Pelosi (Michaela Watkins) spent hours making this beautiful democracy for you; the least you can do is taste it. Shalewa Sharp and Lovett bemoan the cookies that have come and gone, while Lindsay Adams and Marcy Jarreau try not to turn green after eating the pink sauce from TikTok. Jared Goldstein sips an experimental “healthy Coke.” A local reporter (Megan Gailey) warns parents against the new razorblade in the apple: weed gummies. Lovett, Akilah Hughes and pit master Ali Clem talk LGBT BBQ in the Lone Star state, while Ashley Ray joins Lovett in sampling the delicacies of Minnesota… and also lutefisk. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/27/2022 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 31 seconds
Lovett in Wonderland
Depressed by the prospect of turning 40 and losing his youthful optimism about politics, Lovett chases Pundit into Wonderland in this week’s fully scripted, extremely experimental episode of Lovett or Leave It. America’s Cheshire Cat Kyrsten Sinema (Kylie Brakeman) gets Lovett even more lost, while CerberusXM demands ad reads… from Hades! Lovett plays court jester to Red Queen Kamala Harris (Allison Reese), and attempts to answer the Neoliberal Riddles of The Sphinx. Nancy Pelosi the Caterpillar (Michaela Watkins) offers him a nibble of her moderate mushroom. Lovett gains strength from historic Bavarian gay rights advocate Henry Gerber (Sam Pancake), which he’s going to need to survive the Unsurrection Tea Party (Danielle Perez, Bryan Safi, Brendan Scannell, Max Silvestri, and Kel Cripe.) In the end, Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor give Lovett the advice he needs to survive until 2024. After that? Well, we’re gonna need a bigger mushroom. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/20/2022 • 48 minutes, 8 seconds
Filibustin’ Makes Me Feel Good
It’s the dog days of summer and Lovett or Leave It is unleashed on L.A.’s Dynasty Typewriter theater. Salem resident Elizabeth Johnson Jr. (Kara Klenk) takes a stand against witch hunts. Lovett sends the Choco Taco off to the great freezer section in the sky with an audience game that asks, “Do the youth know?” The Filibuster (Yoni Lotan) begs us to plan ahead and kick him the hell out of Congress now. Lovett and Nori Reed say goodbye to Nichelle Nichols, and hello to new TV firsts, while these Hot Takes send the thermometer climbing. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/13/2022 • 59 minutes, 18 seconds
Introducing Dare We Say
Join Josie Totah, Alycia Pascual Peña, and Yasmine Hamady – three young actresses, disruptors, and best friends as they navigate the issues that affect our lives; from hookup culture and social media to structural racism and LGBTQ+ rights. They won’t shy away from diving deep into controversial topics, even turning to their elders – actors, activists, comedians, experts, politicians, 26 year olds – to try to understand the world their generation was handed. Catch a new episode of Crooked's newest launch Dare We Say every Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts. Follow on http://instagram.com/darewesaySubscribe to https://www.youtube.com/c/darewesay
8/11/2022 • 3 minutes, 18 seconds
Private Jets, Public Frets
Nancy Pelosi might be trotting the globe, but Lovett or Leave It is home sweet home at Dynasty Typewriter. There’s no such thing flying as flying too close to the sun when Luenell buys a ticket to the celebrity private jet scandal. President Biden’s personal physician (Vinny Thomas) diagnoses us with a bad case of hustle culture. Crooked’s own Dr. Imani Walker offers her words of wisdom to our audience, and our guests pass the Rant Wheel with flying colors. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/6/2022 • 56 minutes, 26 seconds
Joe News is…Good News?
Lovett or Leave It is back at Dynasty Typewriter this week, as we toast beloved statesman Joe Manchin with a glass of TikTok’s pink sauce. With just 100 days left until the midterms, Sam Sanders stops by to help Lovett figure out what that actually means. GOP congresswoman Jamie Rochester (Lindsay Adams) takes a break from celebrating her gay son’s wedding to explain why she voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, Marcy Jarreau tests her knowledge of 2022’s most concussed Senate candidate, and we close out the night with a scorching dip in the Hot Take hot tub. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/30/2022 • 59 minutes, 5 seconds
Malort the Merrier
It’s bottoms up when Lovett or Leave It rolls into town for a show at the beautiful Chicago Theater. The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus reminds us we were born this way: tired and gay. Ali Barthwell does the Cell Block Tango with Trump’s murderers’ row of henchmen. Abby McEnany serves up the Gay News deep dish. A former Jane (Kim Quindlen) gives us hope in a post-Roe world. Ashley Ray and Lovett raise a shot glass to the Second City, and our Hot Takes are the only thing steamier than this humid Windy City summer.--Thanks to The Chicago Theatre and MSG Entertainment for hosting this week's show. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/23/2022 • 1 hour, 21 minutes, 49 seconds
Coup-y with a Chance of Meatballs
Lovett or Leave It stops by the North State to visit the Mary Kate to Minneapolis’s Ashley, Saint Paul! Mayor Melvin Carter stops by to explain all the moves, literal and figurative, his fair city is making. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan explains what it means to be a good neighbor (providing abortion services to other states, for starters.) Ashley Ray is fearless in the face of lutefisk, and we spin the Rant Wheel to let out our frustration at inferior bagels, sartorial critics, and, of course, the ocean. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/16/2022 • 1 hour, 32 minutes, 4 seconds
Trump Take the Wheel
Join Lovett or Leave It as we celebrate women's and LGBTQ rights (and, more importantly, their wrongs) this holiday weekend. Head writer Halle Kiefer stops in with some thoughts on Roe vs Wade. Cassidy Hutchinson (Alice Wetterlund) ponders a career move. Matteo Lane spends a brief interlude with some truly hideous men. Vanessa Bayer looks back on the dubious ethics of ‘90s comedies, and the Rant Wheel spins like a Roman candle.--You can find everything you need to fight back at votesaveamerica.com/roe, but here’s a few things you can do:The first, and most important thing we can do is minimize the harm that this ruling will inflict. One way to do that is to support our Immediate Impact Fund. All funds raised go directly to local abortion funds, independent clinics, and legal defense for patients: votesaveamerica.com/abortionfundsWe have a lot of work to do to fight back, and one place to start is with our Fight Back Fund, which supports grassroots organizing and power-building organizations in states where we can make a difference, as well as supporting ballot measure campaigns in four states. By contributing, you can help local activists defend abortion rights this year and build towards the future: votesaveamerica.com/fightbackGet to work supporting winnable races in 2022 where abortion is at stake—like the governor’s races in Pennsylvania, Michigan, or Arizona—by signing up for Midterm Madness: votesaveamerica.com/midterms For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/2/2022 • 1 hour, 33 minutes, 49 seconds
It's A Wonderful Lifeguard
Lovett or Leave It welcomes you to Dynasty Typewriter, and to take a breath and recharge. An Arizona election worker (Jana Schmieding) tells her tale of woe, while a Long Island lifeguard (Rose Kelso) wades into the so-called national "lifeguard shortage.” Joe Mande shares his opinion of celebrities going big for biopics, while Lovett reveals how he thinks “Baz Luhrmann” is pronounced. Dan Mertzlufft composes an amazing original song for all of us, and we close out the night with a round of Hot Takes for absolutely no one, except maybe fans of Cartesian dualism.--You can find everything you need to fight back at votesaveamerica.com/roe, but here’s a few things you can do:1. The first, and most important thing we can do is minimize the harm that this ruling will inflict. One way to do that is to support our Immediate Impact Fund. All funds raised go directly to local abortion funds, independent clinics, and legal defense for patients: votesaveamerica.com/abortionfunds2. We have a lot of work to do to fight back, and one place to start is with our Fight Back Fund, which supports grassroots organizing and power-building organizations in states where we can make a difference, as well as supporting ballot measure campaigns in four states. By contributing, you can help local activists defend abortion rights this year and build towards the future: votesaveamerica.com/fightback3. Get to work supporting winnable races in 2022 where abortion is at stake—like the governor’s races in Pennsylvania, Michigan, or Arizona—by signing up for Midterm Madness: votesaveamerica.com/midterms4. RSVP for our live virtual event on Tuesday 6/28: After Roe: Reproductive and Civil Rights Move to States, where our expert panel incl Erin Ryan and Leah Litman, moderated by Shaniqua McClendon will discuss what this means, what comes next, and how we can fight back: https://www.mobilize.us/crooked/event/464892/ For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
6/25/2022 • 1 hour, 12 minutes, 44 seconds
Pride 2022: Choose Wrath
This week, Lovett or Leave It celebrates Pride the best way it knows how: with the help of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s ghost (Abby McEnany). River Butcher, Tre’vell Anderson, and Zach Noe Towers solve gender, answering definitively if cats really are all girls. Solomon Georgio and Sydnee Washington have all the gossip, while Jared Goldstein spreads the good gay news. Bob the Drag Queen tries to locate the lone straight at the show, and we say goodnight to all our beloved LGBTQ listeners with a round of Queer Hot Takes. Happy Pride, everybody!!! For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
6/18/2022 • 1 hour, 22 minutes, 54 seconds
Pod Save Drag Brunch
Lovett or Leave It takes summer by storm with the help of the good people at Los Angeles’s fabulous Dynasty Typewriter. Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton (Brendan Scannell) death drops into the non-debate about children watching drag. Mother Jones’ Hannah Levintova goes public with the truth about private equity. Adam Conover takes a seat to explain the impact of public transportation. Brian Simpson sends his apologies to Sarah Palin in Ok, Stop, and we cool ourselves down after a round of Hot Takes. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
6/11/2022 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 35 seconds
Real Housewives of Autocracy
This week, Lovett or Leave It journeys to Boston where a Selling Sunset star (Eugene Mirman) susses out your starter home, and the fate of American democracy goes toe-to-toe with the Real Housewives of New Jersey courtesy of authors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt and comedian Pat Regan. Who remains standing… might not surprise you. Representative Ayanna Pressley gives us hope for student loan forgiveness and abortion rights, and we welcome legendary drag queen Lady Bunny to partake in a round of takes so hot, you could use that harbor as a jacuzzi for a week.--Crooked Coffee launches 6/21. Sign-up to be the first to sip: http://go.crooked.com/coffee-loli For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
6/4/2022 • 1 hour, 21 minutes, 35 seconds
Gun Control > Door Control
Lovett or Leave It returns to Dynasty Typewriter as we choose to be mad after a sad week. Comedian Nish Kumar busts up Partygate, while author and actor Ryan O’Connell calls ‘em like he sees ‘em. Tom Cruise (Kel Cripe) stops by in disguise, while the time traveler (Langston Kerman) from The Time Traveler’s Wife joins with a harrowing warning about the future: it’s going to be the same as now, unless we do something about it. And we cap the evening with a galvanizing roll of the Rant Wheel.Got to https://votesave.us/texas to learn how you can help. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/28/2022 • 1 hour, 11 minutes, 52 seconds
Darkest MAGA Before the Dawn
Lovett or Leave It mentions the bisque during our wind-swept tour stop in Portland, Maine! Cosmologist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein has Lovett reaching for the stars, while a grizzled lighthouse keeper (John Hodgman, Judge John Hodgman live at Lincoln Center on June 29) laments how quickly conservatives have slipped into madness. That’s his thing! Hollis candidate Eric Kuntz takes on the right-wing invasion of school boards, and the Rant Wheel steers us through the choppy waters of The Sims, the CDC and Bling Empire---With our constitutionally protected right to abortion under attack, abortion funds are working nonstop to make sure people can still access (and afford) abortion.Visit votesaveamerica.com/roe to learn more, donate, and take action. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/21/2022 • 1 hour, 28 minutes, 16 seconds
Wanda Maximoff v. Sam Alito
Lovett or Leave It is up past our bedtime at the ‘ol Hollywood Improv. A super chill GOP congresswoman (Atsuko Okatsuka) thinks we should all calm down about this leaked opinion. Jason Concepcion swings on by like Spider-Man to decide which hero is the most super of all. Lovett and Erin Ryan go house hunting based on real estate prices and... other factors. What will they pick!? The answer may surprise you. But wanna know what’s really surprising? The too hot takes Jon, Atsuko, Jason, and Erin find themselves forced to defend.---With our constitutionally protected right to abortion under attack, abortion funds are working nonstop to make sure people can still access (and afford) abortion.Visit votesaveamerica.com/roe to learn more, donate, and take action. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/14/2022 • 1 hour, 11 minutes, 20 seconds
Main Character Energy
This week we’re revisiting some of our favorite characters to grace to Lovett or Leave It Stage, including: Kyrsten Sinema (Kylie Brakeman), Tesla critic Sean Crepe (Andrew Farmer), Titsy Malone (Maria Bamford), J. Jonah Jameson (Paul F. Tompkins), Texas tourism spokesman Ash Wrangler Autry (Michael Hartney), Washington zombie (Demi Adejuyigbe), Bernie Sanders and the My Pillow guy (James Adomian), a college student (Halle Kiefer) and an immortal fox spirit (Jenny Yang), and Kamala Harris (Allison Reese). We’ll be back live next week! (And yes, he still would.)---With our constitutionally protected right to abortion under attack, abortion funds are working nonstop to make sure people can still access (and afford) abortion.Visit votesaveamerica.com/roe to learn more, donate, and take action.
5/7/2022 • 1 hour, 16 minutes, 20 seconds
Jonathan Groff's Rude Awakening
Lovett or Leave It joins the Netflix Is A Joke festival this week, but the show couldn’t be more serious, as Ashley Ray helps us figure out what is going on with the allies in a new edition of Gay News. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Matt Walsh, of Second in Command) stops by to discuss coup-life balance, and Paul F. Tompkins provides back-up for Dick Wolf’s latest, Law & Order: Election Police. Lovett tries desperately to defend his dogelord and savior, Elon Musk, while the Rant Wheel spins, casting its all-seeing eye on the craven and undeserving. We’re looking at you, Abercrombie & Fitch and crunchy peanut butter.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, go to crooked.com Lovett or Leave It. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/30/2022 • 1 hour, 15 minutes, 54 seconds
Is It Cake or Robert Duvall?
Spring has sprung and Lovett or Leave It is blooming all over Los Angeles’ Dynasty Typewriter once again. Danielle Pinnock and Mary Jarreau dig deep into the paranormal with Crooked writer Halle Kiefer. Masculinity expert Brad Turbo (Matt Rogers) cultivates a new generation of manly men…for a price. Lovett and his guests weed out which endangered animals won’t be making the cut this Earth Day, and we harvest a new crop of hot, fresh takes.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/23/2022 • 1 hour, 6 minutes, 51 seconds
Step One: Buy Twitter
Choo choo! Lovett or Leave It: Live Or Else pulls into the station at Dallas’s own The Factory in Deep Ellum. Railroad Commission candidate Luke Warford and producer Kendra James unpack the only thing more harrowing than energy companies coopting Texas Republicans: The Real Housewives of Dallas. Akilah Hughes gives all of us “Daddy Lessons” on Beyonce’s best-of, and we share takes hotter than the Texas sun in July. Even the confused Lyle Lovett fans in the crowd had a great time.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/16/2022 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 46 seconds
Ghosted by Grimes
Lovett or Leave It pulls on its cowboy boots and takes its Lactaid pills for a queso-filled quorum in Austin, Texas. Beto O’Rourke takes on Greg Abbott and plays Queen for a Day. Ali Clem of la Barbecue and Akilah Hughes help us put the BBQ in LGBTQ. Tate Donavan helps Lovett call out the not-so-magical inspiration behind the Magic Kingdom. And we let the Rant Wheel spin, pardner.Text Lovett to 20377 to help Texas elect Beto O'Rourke.Help asylum-seekers, migrants and refugees at the border: https://borderkindness.org/For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/9/2022 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 15 seconds
Grand Old Key Party
This week’s episode is a potluck, and Lovett or Leave It is bringing the bananas. Joel Kim Booster, Jenny Yang and Emily Heller talk rom-coms in a segment slow-cooked to perfection from a recent Dynasty Typewriter show. Lovett fills up on audience questions, while Crooked’s own in-house cranks rant about in-flight films, late-night anxiety, and the eternal dessert rivalry between chips and nuts. Stick a fork in us. We're done.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/2/2022 • 49 minutes, 31 seconds
Ginni Thomas’s Unlimited Text Plan
Live from the Lincoln Theatre, Lovett or Leave It storms Washington, D.C. and seizes its jumbo slices. Crooked’s own Damon Young is stuck on cancel culture, while Kamala Harris (Allison Reese) has absolutely no notes on the experience of being V.P. Aparna Nancherla helps our telethon to raise $22 billion dollars for COVID relief, now that Congress has dropped the ball, and we finish off the night with a turn of the Rant Wheel, original flavor.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
3/26/2022 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 35 seconds
The Cursed Wives Club
Live from Dynasty Typewriter, Ginni Thomas (Pandora Boxx) storms the barricade to bring us good, solid marriage advice. Josh Barro and Lovett go toe-to-sleepy toe on Daylight Saving Time. Comedian Daniel Santaniel (Tim Baltz) pitches himself as the American Zelenskyy. And Lennon Parham of HBO Max’s Minx weighs in on the sexiness of the 1970s, alongside our very own producer Kendra James and writer Halle Kiefer. Plus the Hyper Wheel whirls us into the weekend.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
3/19/2022 • 1 hour, 17 minutes
The Dark Knight Reprises
Everything old is new again as Lovett Or Leave It celebrates the return of a classic: performing indoors. L.A. City Councilperson Nithya Raman joins our first show at Dynasty Typewriter, where Emily’s Garden Show makes its triumphant, disruptive return. Joel Kim Booster tackles the seemingly infinite variety of Batmen, while a college student (Halle Kiefer) and an immortal fox spirit (Jenny Yang) go toe-to-nine-tails over the never-ending cancel culture debate. Finally, the HyperWheel brings us back around to adult birthdays, astrology, and the end of an era in baked goods. And Emily Heller rants about whatever she damn well pleases.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
3/12/2022 • 1 hour, 10 minutes, 26 seconds
And We're Back!
We finally, finally, finally return to touring, and set our clam chowder and sour dough dreams on the beautiful city of San Francisco, all set to the dulcet tones of the incredible B. Noel. Author George M. Johnson crosses out America’s book banning trend. Jared Goldstein and Holmes say Ok, Stop to Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Ben Shapiro. Guy Branum finds out, “Are you smarter than a gay coastal elite?” Ezra Klein takes stock of our times, and we finish it all with a brand-new comedy technology: the Hyper Wheel.Support trans kids:crooked.com/tentFor a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
3/5/2022 • 1 hour, 26 minutes, 55 seconds
In This House, We Say Gay
Gather around the campfire for one s’more backyard show before Lovett and Leave It ventures into the wider world yet again. A pick-up aficionado (Ike Barinholtz) puts the pedal to the metal in our conversation about pedestrian safety. Ike, Sam Richardson, and Madison Shepard cower in the face of the forthcoming vibe shift, before putting their knowledge of Trump’s many legal problems to the test. And as another era passes, so too turns the Rant Wheel, teaching us the folly of doing the splits in your 30s, sharing memes too late, and eating way too much cheese in the pursuit of eternal youth and beauty.Support trans kids in Texas:EqualityTexas.orgTransTexas.orgFor a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/26/2022 • 54 minutes, 59 seconds
Come No-Fly With Me
When it comes to shows left in Lovett’s backyard, this week’s is Number Two! Lovett’s parents stop by to rank his monologue jokes, while Kylie Brakeman and Moses Storm pop a squat on the couch to spread some hot goss. A battle-weary flight attendant feels wiped from all these disruptive anti-maskers, while Lovett plays party pooper to a very enthusiastic trucker, fresh from Canada’s Freedom Convoy protest. We end the night with a spin of the Rant Wheel, which flushes out the truth about Millennials, NFT apes, and whether those symptoms are COVID or regular old unbearable allergies.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/19/2022 • 1 hour, 15 minutes, 15 seconds
Live, Laugh, Hang Mike Pence
Cupid aims his wise and mighty arrow at the backyard this week, where we regale True Story’s Ed Helms with true tales of courtship gone wrong. Keep It’s own Louis Virtel goes toe-to-toe (dare we say cheek-to-cheek) with fellow Oscar trivia dynamo Michael Lasker for a round of romantic Oscars trivia. Atsuko Okatsuko has all the tips and tricks you need to rekindle the spark... with Democrats. And who doesn’t love a rant wheel, where we cover it all from budget airline mergers to a scandal at the heart of Olympic figure skating that not enough people are talking about (note: this rant discusses eating disorders).For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/12/2022 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 56 seconds
Mayors Unmasked!
Mayors are revealing their faces and people are pissed! This week, the pod at Pundit’s palace welcomes Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451 (Marcella Arguello), who explains the real danger of banning books; Jason Concepcion expands his mind to contemplate the Joe Rogan-verse; and Tesla critic Sean Crepe (Andrew Farmer) gets taken for a ride in one of Elon’s finest, while we close out another chilly outdoor show huddled around a scorching Rant Wheel for heat.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
2/5/2022 • 53 minutes, 34 seconds
Five Alarm Breyer
The pod pops the cork on another house party at Lovett’s place, where West Elm Caleb (as played by River Butcher) stops by to ruin the vibe; Lindsay Adams and Brendan Scannell parse through the pettiest moments in presidential history; producer Kendra James answers the tough questions about her new book, Admissions; and a new batch of Hot Takes takes us into some truly jaw-dropping territory, all while Pundit is on unofficial trash duty. And we’re back... on tour that is! Join Lovett and friends on the road for Lovett or Leave It: Live or Else. Get tickets & learn more: crooked.com/eventsGeneral onsale: January 28 at 10 am local timeFor a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
1/29/2022 • 45 minutes, 56 seconds
We’re Going on Tour!
And we're back... on tour that is! Get tickets & learn more: crooked.com/eventsJoin Lovett and friends on the road, as Lovett or Leave It hits Washington D.C., Austin, Chicago, Boston, and more. Take a deep dive into what’s going on in the news, laugh along with his hilarious guests, and do it all IRL. Don’t worry, your couch will be there when you get back.Listener presales: January 25 at 10 am local time through January 27 with code CROOKEDGeneral onsale: January 28 at 10 am local timecrooked.com/events
1/24/2022 • 1 minute, 3 seconds
Get Better Friends, Sonia!
We gather 'round the ol' campfire for another Lovett or Leave It, brought to you from the wilderness of Lovett's backyard. Hysteria's own Megan Gailey gives us a front row seat to the Divas Live! concert that is professional athletes and COVID. Jared Goldstein pulls back the curtain and nervously peers into the dysfunctional life of a Hollywood bigwig. We finish with a Rant Wheel, and just in time too. The spinning colors attract the wolves.
1/22/2022 • 52 minutes, 33 seconds
Cancel Culture Comes for Stalin
Lovett or Leave It returns to the great outdoors, specifically the part of the outdoors immediately adjacent to Lovett’s house - because when we said "live or else" we meant it. We talk COVID in schools with the L.A. Times’ Colleen Shalby and 90 Day Fiancé with Marcy Jarreau (90 Day Bae) at the exact same time, and put Adam Scott (Severance) to the test to find out if he really does love the ‘90s after all. Plus we round out our backyard soirée with a shockingly raccoon-heavy Rant Wheel.You can catch Adam Scott in Apple TV+'s new series Severance on February 18!For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
1/15/2022 • 48 minutes, 21 seconds
New Year, New Rants
Pop an ibuprofen, pour yourself a tall glass of water, and nurse your NYE hangover with a big, salty mess of frustrations! That’s right, our January 1 Rant-a-thon is here. Roy Wood Jr. centers the importance of your Uber driver, while Alex Edelman raises an eyebrow at corporate charity. Shalewa Sharpe reminisces about cookies gone by, while Marcy Jarreau sounds off about car horns. Crooked’s own Elijah Cone says farewell to all his beloved commies in California as he moves across the country. Lovett or Leave It writers Jocelyn Coffman and Pallavi Gunalan defend James Corden and more reasonable check splitting, respectively. And our head writer Halle Kiefer defends the indefensible: hating chocolate chips. Get ready to rage! Let’s get into it!For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
1/1/2022 • 58 minutes, 33 seconds
Saturn Devouring His Kugel
Now more than ever: what a year. Lovett or Leave It hopes the door won't hit 2021 in the ass on the way out, while Ashley Ray and Alice Wetterlund scroll through Mark Meadows' January 6 texts, Det. Peter Bruegel (Max Silvestri) punishes the Grinch for his crimes, and holiday foods square off in a heated bracket that dares to ask the question: is ham a dessert meat? Plus a final round of Hot Takes!For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
12/18/2021 • 1 hour, 16 minutes, 46 seconds
TEAM JEREMY STRONG
Comedian Kevin James Thornton stops by to talk TikTok and to autotune our childhoods. Nancy Cuomo (Jackie Kashian) updates us on the Cuomo family Christmas newsletter. Andy Slavitt breaks down what we need to know about omicron. Tawny Newsome and Danielle Perez deserve an Oscar for their knowledge of method acting. And do not ask for whom the Rant Wheel spins. It spins…for thee.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
12/11/2021 • 1 hour, 12 minutes, 25 seconds
And YOU get an Oz!
Comedian Kiran Deol forgives us for making her talk about the state of modern apologies, J. Jonah Jameson (Paul F. Tompkins) stops by to explain how photos of Spider-Man are just barely keeping the newspaper industry alive, and Hot Takes has us defending Harvard grads, the Citizen app, and, worst of all, abstaining from video games.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
12/4/2021 • 52 minutes, 39 seconds
Biden Taps That Gas
It's Thanksgiving weekend and there’s room for you at the kids’ table as comedian Naomi Ekperigin digs into the week in news, and reminds us to save a seat for Corn Pop. Astronaut Scott Kelly tells us about more than astronaut ice cream, and Jon and Tommy take things personally in the Newlywed Game. Then Alexis Wilson, Moshe Kasher, Tre’vell Anderson, Maria Bamford, and Ricky Velez gather 'round to enjoy a slice out of the Rant Wheel.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/27/2021 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 6 seconds
Gosar In the Machine
In this half live, half or else episode, Guy Branum ruminates on Beto’s roll out and Boebert’s freak out, Solomon Georgio unfolds other people’s dirty laundry, and Senator Patty Murray joins forces against Lovett or Leave It’s greatest nemesis: reverting to standard time.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/20/2021 • 50 minutes, 48 seconds
New York: The Squeakquel
This week, Lovett triumphantly returns to New York like Caesar to Rome. Is Ronan here for gay news? You bet. Does he return for the Newlywed game against Oscar nominated twins, the Lucas Bros.? Sure thing. Bridget Everett is here with facts on the rats that've overrun this fair city, and Wyatt Cenac is too with the receipts showing roads can be racist. Busy Philipps AKA Resistance Wine Mom is feeling a little disheartened by the lack of progress, and they're all joined by Kal Penn for the rant wheel, Taylor's Version™.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/13/2021 • 1 hour, 20 minutes, 51 seconds
Glasgow Big or Go Home
Adam Conover takes on the final boss, toxic masculinity, while Sam Sanders sorts through our nation’s most iconic scams. Nancy Pelosi (played by Michaela Watkins) cooks a dish everyone will love even if she has to keep changing the recipe. And Scott Yates joins Lovett in his crusade against his arch-nemesis, standard time. Plus a round of Hot Takes!For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
11/6/2021 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 5 seconds
Meta or Worse
Ooky? Yes. Spooky? Absolutely. This week, a Washington zombie (Demi Adejuyigbe) digs up some undead political concepts, a local news reporter (Megan Gailey) warns us about the tricks in our treats, the global supply chain (Rory Scovell) yells at us to be less demanding, and Facebook’s Carol (Kara Klenk) discovers she’s being manipulated by Mark Zuckerberg, but then again, aren't we all? And before we crawl back to our crypts, we finish the evening with the Rant Wheel. Happy Halloween!For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/30/2021 • 51 minutes, 56 seconds
Harry Styles Threw The First Brick
This week Tre’vell Anderson helps us catch up on some gay news, the newest Bond Girl, Titsy Malone (Maria Bamford), shares her character's journey in No Time to Die, Alexis Wilson and Moshe Kasher help (we think? maybe?) the audience with some of their toughest problems. Ricky Velez joins as we talk about the Right's attack on parental leave. And Lovett quizzes Moshe and Ricky on paternity leave around the world.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/23/2021 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 36 seconds
Charlie and the Unnecessary Prequel Factory
Young Wonka, played by Brandon Wardell, stops by to lament America’s Great Resignation. We quiz the audience on the media’s coverage of the reconciliation bill...and what the hell is actually in it. Solomon Georgio and Akilah Hughes weigh in on the best parts of fall and the worst parts of Dave Chappelle’s special, while we heat up the stage with a fiery round of Hot Takes.Support the Children's Law Center of CaliforniaFor a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/16/2021 • 49 minutes, 13 seconds
Just Squidding Around
Phoebe Robinson has to match the apology to the scandal throughout Facebook’s history. Chris Kattan gets his feathers ruffled squawking about Big Oil. Jason Concepcion carves out some time for a Squid Game or three. And we take a spin on the Rant Wheel.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/9/2021 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 39 seconds
Move Fast and Break Teens
Comedian Ashley Ray thumbs through a forbidden text in our first ever Don’t Read This Book Book Club meeting. BJ Novak steers our collective trolley through a crowd of ethical dilemmas and moral quandaries. And Kara Klenk defends Elliot and Olivia’s end game on Law & Order: SVU, among other other scorching opinions in the return of Lorde of Hot Takes.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
10/2/2021 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 10 seconds
And We're Back!
We did it live! Kylie Brakeman takes us on a Sip and See to Kyrsten Sinema’s Wine Club, Emily Heller airs out LuLaRoe’s dirty leggings, we show dairy who's boss with the Rant Wheel, and Representative Adam Schiff explains House Democrats’ Protecting Our Democracy Act as Lovett or Leave It returns to the stage at Cinelounge Outdoors in Hollywood! A huge thank you to Rory O’Malley for singing this week's opening number.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/25/2021 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 52 seconds
Balls Swell that Ends Well
Aasif Mandvi meets this week’s cast of characters, from General Mark Milley to Nicki Minaj’s cousin to the guy that controls Joe Biden’s off switch. Ezra Klein takes a look at the future of the Golden State following the failed California recall. Texas Tourism Board spokesman Ash Wrangler Autry (Michael Hartney) implores you to ignore all of that bad stuff happening in their state legislature. And Keep It’s Louis Virtel has forgotten more about the Emmys than we'll ever know.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/18/2021 • 1 hour, 18 minutes, 17 seconds
Hotel Recallifornia
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/11/2021 • 57 minutes
Let's Get Into It (Again)
We jump into the storied Lovett or Leave It Vault™, and take a look back at our favorite moments from the past year of the pod. Take a stroll through Emily Heller's Garden. Be Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon's third for The Achoo-ly Spread Game. Try to get a word in edgewise with James Adomian's Bernie Sanders and Mike Lindell. And make a mountain out of a hill of beans. It's a Lovett Or Leave It best-of show!For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/28/2021 • 58 minutes, 45 seconds
Looking for Delicate Give (Rantathon!)
Rants are the only thing on the menu this week — from newbies Alex English and Danny Pellegrino, plus familiar faces Guy Branum, Emily Heller, Erin Ryan, Megan Gailey, Josh Gondelman, and Danielle Perez. From white celebrities to White Lotus (SPOILERS!), celebrating birthdays but not Meg Ryan, love on islands but not on Netflix, and more. Lots to complain about. Spin the wheel.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/21/2021 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 18 seconds
Cuomosexual Conversion Therapy
Abby McEnany brings some much needed levity to a week bogged down by Andrew Cuomo, Alec Baldwin, Greg Abbott, and Chet Hanks. Conservative firebrand Brit McClintock (Blaire Eskrine) changes course and begs listeners to get vaccinated. Buzzfeed’s David Mack on the untold history of an open gay secret. Plus climate journalist Molly Taft and Bachelorette expert Ali Barthwell prove that you can talk about a hot planet and the hot people on it at the same time.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit.. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/14/2021 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 31 seconds
Damon Like a Wrecking Ball
Paul Scheer is back to break down the week's news. Jon talks to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar about the eviction moratorium and Britney Spears. And Ashley Ray joins to play a game that forces us to share some SCORCHING hot takes.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
8/7/2021 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 16 seconds
Twisties and Shout
Rainn Wilson and Reza Aslan join to break down all the week's news, from Simon Biles's decision to Adam Driver's transformation. Jason Concepcion takes us through a bracket of former celebrity couples to see which reunion would reign supreme. Jon interviews Bruce Friedrich of the Good Food Institute to talk about meat without the downsides. And we test a diehard Olympic fan to see how well she's been watching - and listening - to Team USA. Look out. We're coming in hot this week.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/31/2021 • 1 hour, 28 minutes, 54 seconds
All Riots Matter!
The very funny Sean Devlin breaks down the week’s news - from insurrectionists on the insurrection committee to Wally Funk's wild ride with some rich dudes. Charles Marohn of Strong Towns explains what happens when a road and a street have a baby. And we play Fearmongering Mad Libs, because it's like Fox News is barely trying anymore.Take Crooked's listener survey: crooked.com/surveyFor a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/24/2021 • 53 minutes, 21 seconds
Rich Boys and their Space Toys
Billionaires are doing it for themselves. Simon Rich joins to break down the week’s news: reconciliation, competition, and Olivia Rodrigo is here...to tell teens to get vaccinated. Senator Amy Klobuchar talks about corporate power and her book on monopolies. And long dead cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin - tough booking - stops by to share his thoughts on Bezos and Branson's ticket to ride.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/17/2021 • 55 minutes, 20 seconds
F*ck Jamie Spears
Jia Tolentino and Ronan Farrow join to talk about their investigation into the Britney Spears conservatorship and some of the larger lessons it offers. The very funny Aida Rodriguez helps break down the week's news from frivolous lawsuits by Trump to a surprising revelation about Jimmy Carter. Plus Clark Gregg absolutely destroys Adam Conover in a quiz on First Lady history. (And please subscribe to Edith right now!)For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/10/2021 • 1 hour, 6 seconds
Wartime Meteorologists
The Trump Org. gets indicted, the Supreme Court limits voting rights, New York can’t count ballots, and one of People’s sexiest men alive, Donald Rumsfeld, passes away. Comedian George Civeris joins to break down the week’s news and reporter Eric Holthaus talks about unprecedented heatwaves and what makes tackling climate change possible. Plus a game on presidential rankings and high notes.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
7/3/2021 • 54 minutes, 24 seconds
Introducing: Edith!
"Edith!" starring Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike, is a scripted comedy podcast about the untold true-ish story of Edith Wilson, America's secret first female president. For almost a year after Woodrow Wilson's stroke, Edith issued orders as her husband. She would fire people as her husband. She would even cause international incidents as her husband. Along the way, her numerous political enemies inched closer to discovering her secret. It's one of the most unbelievable scandals in American history and now? Now, finally, it is a satirical, narrative podcast. New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe and listen to more episodes now on apple podcasts, spotify, or wherever you're listening nowCreated and written by Gonzalo Cordova and former Lovett or Leave It Head writer Travis Helwig, "Edith!" features an incredible cast of actors including Rosamund Pike, Clark Gregg, Stephen Root, D'Arcy Carden, Esther Povitsky, Diedrich Bader, Tom Amandes, Brandon Scott Jones, Mary Holland, Adam Conover, Alyssa Limperis, and more. Directed by Maureen Bharoocha.Episode 1. Two Old Ghosts"Waging a war against half the globe has been really stressful for me." Sure World War I is over, but the brutal war inside the White House has only just begun. And the unelected traitor in the President's midst might not be who you think it is.
6/30/2021 • 28 minutes, 6 seconds
OUT OF THE CLOSETS, INTO THE STREETS
AND WE'RE BACK. Our first live show in over a year! Let's do it right. With special guests Adam Rippon, Laci Mosely, Hannah Einbinder, Tre'vell Anderson, Zach Noe Towers, Eliot Glazer, Ronan Farrow, RB, Brendan Scannell, Jared Goldstein, Tig Notaro, Maebe A. Girl, Ira Madison III, Louis Virtel, Danica Roem, Andrea Jenkins, and Gabriel Foster. And you can join in supporting the Trans Justice Funding Project at crooked.com/pridefund.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
6/26/2021 • 1 hour, 45 minutes, 35 seconds
The Bipartisans Strike Back
Kaitlin Olson joins to break down the week’s news, from Manchin’s shifts to Putin’s gifts. Writer and programmer Rusty Foster explains crypto currency to Lovett - the “who what when ransomware why” if you will. Plus a game about the NYC mayoral candidates and high notes!For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
6/19/2021 • 49 minutes, 15 seconds
Pride Plus Some Wrath (200th episode!)
Guy Branum joins to break down the week's news. Lovett quizzes Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor to mark 200 episodes of Lovett or Leave It. Tara Houska talks about the end of Keystone XL and the fight against Line 3 in Minnesota. And it's a very special (and shattering) Rant Wheel as Akilah Hughes, Emily Heller, Travis Helwig, Elisa Gutierrez, and Emily "Jeff Ross" Favreau get too honest about this very podcast.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
6/12/2021 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 44 seconds
What if it’s David Morse AGAIN?
Aliens in the sky, zombies in the Senate. Comedian Pat Regan joins to break down the week’s news. Science writer George Zaidan on sunscreen - what we know and what we don’t. Plus we cover this UFO news with a real life alien. Huge get. (Thanks to Danielle Perez.)For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
6/5/2021 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 42 seconds
Commission Impossible
Scientists ask for a fact-based debate over the origins of the pandemic. Manchin and Sinema ask Republicans to be reasonable. Surprise! They were all very disappointed. Akilah Hughes is back to break down the week's news. Ashley Parker of the Washington Post stops by to talk about how the Biden White House works. And we quiz a listener on some of the most absurd scare tactics used by Fox News from red meat to mask mandates. A Grand Jury in New York? Terrific. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/29/2021 • 55 minutes, 56 seconds
Stephen Breyer, You Will Love Golf
Chelsea Handler joins to break down the week's news, from stalled commissions to spying whales. Ben Rhodes on what's next after a ceasefire in Israel. Erin Ryan and Crooked producer Caroline Reston join for the rant wheel (Dear Evan Hansen is discussed) and Justin Schweitzer from the Center for American Progress looks at Republican myths about jobs and unemployment. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/22/2021 • 1 hour, 21 minutes, 37 seconds
Leave the Mask, Take the Cannoli
Jenny Slate is back to break down the week's news, from Liz Cheney to Ellen DeGeneres. Jason Concepcion stops by for a quiz on conservative freak outs over fictional characters. And Dr. Rick Doblin joins to talk about his pioneering research into how MDMA can help people with PTSD and the future of psychedelic drugs in medicine and... lots of other places.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/15/2021 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 51 seconds
Liz Cheney, Perfect Hero!
Hasan Piker is here to break down the week's news. Lori Wallach of Public Citizen joins for a helpful, fascinating look at the patent waiver issue and what drug companies have to do to get the world vaccinated. And we played an incredible Mother's Day game with Danielle Perez and her mom you won't want to miss. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/8/2021 • 1 hour, 33 minutes
Caitlyn Jenner killed someone?
Gavin Newsom faces a recall election. Joe Biden addresses Congress. The Feds raid Rudy's apartment. And the CDC relaxes restrictions for vaccinated people. Ron Funches joins to cover all the news. Kara Swisher is back to talk about the war over privacy between Apple and Facebook as well as Elon Musk's delightful public persona. And we don't think you'll be able to tell the difference between California recall candidates and Masked Singer contestants. What a week.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
5/1/2021 • 56 minutes, 24 seconds
Demi Lovato, Yelp Elite
Joel Kim Booster is back to break down the week's news and provide life advice to listeners. DeRay Mckesson talks about the Chauvin verdict and what's next in the fight for accountability and justice. And Jon quizzes Louis Virtel on new Oscars categories and historic Oscars controversies. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/24/2021 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 20 seconds
Gay for Netflix
Amazon's workers vote against unionizing. The reckoning on police violence and accountability continues. And the Bachelor comes out of the closet... right into a nice little promotional tour. Laurie Kilmartin joins to open the show. Guy Branum is here for a VERY special edition of Gay News. And union organizer Chris Smalls talks about working at Amazon and the next steps in the fight to unionize after a setback in Alabama. Plus we quiz listeners to mark Earth Day and draw critical attention to the ongoing national ketchup shortage. What a week.To support unionization efforts please visit amazonlaborunion.orgFor a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/17/2021 • 1 hour, 14 minutes, 58 seconds
Is Pepsi OK?
Republicans boycott baseball, Manchin defends the filibuster, and muons defy the laws of physics. Emily Heller is back to break down the week's news. We play OK, Stop with some cursed Fox News footage. And Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton joins for the rant wheel along with Crooked's own Shaniqua McClendon and Jon Millstein as we cover DC statehood, H.R. 1, Hulu's WeWork documentary, the Masked Singer, and more. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/10/2021 • 1 hour, 12 minutes, 39 seconds
Gaetz of Hell
Matt Gaetz faces Tucker Carlson. Amazon faces twitter. And Lil Nas X faces away from the Devil. Josh Gondelman is back to break down the week's news. Satan (Josh Sharp) talks about his latest media firestorm. And Theo Henderson of "We the Unhoused" talks about the housing crisis and why we all need to do more to listen to people experiencing it first hand.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/3/2021 • 52 minutes, 32 seconds
No, no, no your boat
Biden faces the press. The press forget the pandemic. And the Suez Canal is RED on my map and google is telling me to go around? Comedian Danielle Perez joins to talk news and snacks. Jason Concepcion and Renee Montgomery are here for our version of the Elite 8. And it’s infrastructure week with transit researcher Alon Levy. Oh and Justice League is good.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
3/27/2021 • 1 hour, 11 minutes, 30 seconds
A Justice League of Their Own
The incredibly funny Fortune Feimster is back to break down the week's news. Chase Strangio from the ACLU on the fight to stop anti-trans laws and change public opinion. We quiz a listener after a lot of fear mongering about vaccine safety. And we release OUR cut of Justice League AT LONG LAST. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include which podcast you would like.
3/20/2021 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 57 seconds
Shot Girl Summer
Vaccines for everybody and checks for (almost) everybody. James Adomian joins to break down the week's news and to bring Bernie Sanders and the My Pillow guy into a contentious debate over the stimulus. Senator Ed Markey is back to talk about the filibuster and how to make daylight saving time permanent. Plus Pepe Le Pew issues a formal apology with the help of Ira Madison III. Hi this is Travis Helwig. Lovett doesn't know I'm writing this but it's my last Lovett or Leave It show and I will miss him very much. He is a very good boss and a very good friend. I loved every second of working with him. Also follow me on instagram. That's the really important thing here. Bye Jon, I love you.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include which podcast you would like.
3/13/2021 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 32 seconds
Cuomosexual Misconduct
Hari Kondabolu joins to break down the week's news, from smaller covid checks to faster covid vaccines. Plus we cover the fight to protect voting rights in Congress. Ezra Klein talks about polarization and local news. And Lovett auditions for Jeopardy and quizzes listeners on mayhem at gender reveal parties, which aren't really gender reveal parties, when you think about it.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include which podcast you would like.
3/6/2021 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 22 seconds
Won’t someone think of the tater tots??
Ike Barinholtz breaks down the week's news from gendered potatoes to Obama podcasts. Fran Lebowitz joins for a new segment we call the "Frant Wheel." Shea Serrano talks about life in Texas after the storm and government failures. And we talk about Top Shots, whatever they are. Plus we quiz a listener about the Golden Globes - the good, the bad, and The Tourist. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com.
2/27/2021 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 44 seconds
Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Emily Heller joins to break down the week's news from Cruz's vacation to Cruella's backstory. Also this week: Alicia Garza on organizing for change under Biden, Adam Grant on how to shift opinions in a polarized world, Jason Concepcion and Megan Gailey on the Bachelor, and there's the rant wheel... sort of.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com.
2/20/2021 • 1 hour, 32 minutes, 42 seconds
Insurrection: Exclusive Bonus Footage
The evidence is damning but the defendant got lucky on jury selection. The vaccine roll out continues. And Gina Carano can't act OR tweet. Akilah Hughes joins to break down the week's news. Dr. Atul Gawande discusses mask mandates and vexing variants. And, to mark Valentine's Day in a pandemic, several contestants compete for LOVE in speed dates with our writer Pallavi Gunalan.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com.
2/13/2021 • 1 hour, 23 minutes, 57 seconds
What Time is the Super Bowl?
Bezos is OUT. Emily in Paris is IN. And NO ONE deserves applause for saying "9/11 happened." Langston Kerman joins to break down the week's news, listeners compete on who failed at new pandemic hobbies the hardest. And Ira Madison III, Erin Ryan, Langston, and Travis join for the Rant Wheel to cover everything from celebrity boxing to the Space Force. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com.
2/6/2021 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 9 seconds
OK, GameStop!
Biden signs up a storm. A Republican congresswoman believes forest fires are started by Jewish space lasers. And GameStop finally fulfills its destiny in the war between reddit and hedge funds - with a LOT of Tubmans at stake. Alice Wetterlund joins to break down the week's news. Brian Beutler looks at the debate over how to pass relief through Congress. And Yoni Lotan takes on his greatest role yet as... the filibuster.
1/30/2021 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 7 seconds
Exhale to the Chief
President Biden. Vice President Harris. Lady Gaga. Democrats take power, the center shifts, and a new era begins. Kumail Nanjiani and I talk through our feelings about this moment. Heather McGhee talks about her book The Sum of Us and how to move forward in a divided country. And we play a game about Democratic moderates and how their views have changed over the years. What a week. What. A. Week.
1/23/2021 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 28 seconds
Good Riddance (Crime of Your Life)
Wednesday is the day Trump finally becomes not president. Kara Swisher joins to talk about social media companies facing hate and incitement on their platforms and what a Democratic Congress can do (and Kara learns some breaking Ivanka/Jared news on the spot). Then Lovett quizzes Favreau and Tommy on four years of scandal and their awesome tweets. And we're back on omegle to tell listeners jokes at random and it went pretty well!
1/16/2021 • 55 minutes, 34 seconds
Bye Mitch
Democrats prepare to take control of the White House, the House, and the Senate after an incredibly hard fought set of victories in Georgia. Trump, Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, and congressional Republicans incite violence that leads to several deaths and the ransacking of the Capitol. High highs. Low lows. Jason Concepcion joins to break down a long week and tolerate some sports jokes. Zeynep Tufekci is back to talk about social media's role in this coup attempt and the vaccine roll out. Plus we kick off 2021 with the rant wheel. We're almost on the other side. Hang in there.
1/9/2021 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 43 seconds
The Quarantine Choice Awards
It's the first and hopefully last annual Quarantine Choice Awards! Emily Heller joins to break down a year we are glad to put behind us. I talk to the first gay man elected to the Georgia legislature, Sam Park, about the run offs that will determine control of the Senate. And Akilah Hughes, Michaela Watkins, Louis Virtel, Alice Wetterlund, and Guy Branum join as judges to see who deserves the prestigious Golden Pangolin statues. See you in 2021!
12/19/2020 • 1 hour, 37 minutes, 38 seconds
None the Pfizer
Sarah Silverman is back to break down the week's news. Senator Brian Schatz joins for an update on negotiations over a relief bill in Congress and talks about his views on Biden cabinet picks. And we're joined by Margaret Keenan, the first person to receive the vaccine outside of a trial in the UK, and wouldn't you know it she left JUST before D'Arcy Carden showed up. What a week.
12/12/2020 • 51 minutes, 17 seconds
Bill Barr, Deep State Warrior
Nicole Byer is back to break down the week's news and play OK, Stop! Ari Berman talks about the census, the failed coup, and how we defend voting rights. Plus Kaya Henderson joins to discuss the latest on schools and what we can expect from a new education secretary who isn't a disgrace. And we play a game about The Crown because Charles actually fell off a horse and while we are anti-monarchy like good Americans, there is blood in our veins and we deserve this show.
12/5/2020 • 1 hour, 23 minutes, 53 seconds
Coup Clutz Clan
Rudy melts under cross examination. Thanksgiving comes as cases rise and a vaccine looms. Kiran Deol joins to break down the week's news. Scientist Eric Lander joins to discuss the vaccine, public trust in science, climate change, and deep fakes. And Ronan Farrow is back to talk about his latest reporting and to play a game where once again Travis tries to drive a wedge in Jon's relationship with help from accomplice Guy Branum.
11/21/2020 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 3 seconds
No Coup for You
Biden wins and Trump tries to un-lose. Naomi Ekperigin is back to cover a week of dumb legal challenges and dumber press conferences. Then Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman talks about how well the vote went in PA and historian Michael Beschloss joins to discuss the unprecedented rejection of democracy by Republicans and what happens next. Plus listeners share high notes and join to play a game as Georgia heads into two make-or-break run offs. What a week.
11/14/2020 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 49 seconds
America, Welcome to the Resistance
We won. Alyssa Mastromonaco joins to break down the results and the experience of the slow reveal, Ben Wikler on how we won in Wisconsin and the lessons of organizing, and Zeynep Tufekci is back to talk about polls, models, and misinformation. What a week. What a weekend.
11/7/2020 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 41 seconds
The Only Way Out is Through
Emotions are running high! Kumail Nanjiani, Stacey Abrams, Brittany Packnett Cunningham and listeners join as we cover the last week in this campaign, look ahead to the final four days of the race, and talk about our hopes, our fears, and eating our feelings. VOLUNTEER PLEASE -> votesaveamerica.com/volunteer
10/31/2020 • 56 minutes, 22 seconds
Dishonest Abe
Last debate behind us, ten days ahead of us. PACKED SHOW. Alex Wagner and Guy Branum join to play a special debate edition of OK, Stop. Ira Madison III joins for the monologue, where we do NOT dwell on this Rudy story because we are above that. Theresa Greenfield talks about her campaign for the Senate against Joni Ernst and she quizzes Jon on Iowa facts. Plus Jon talks to Olivia Troye about leaving Trump's coronavirus task force and endorsing Joe Biden and he talks to Aidan Kohn-Murphy about the Gen Z campaign for Joe Biden on Tik Tok. VOLUNTEER THIS WEEKEND. votesaveamerica.com/volunteer
10/24/2020 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 44 seconds
Can't Hardly Debate
W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu join to break down the week's news. We play OK, Stop to cover the two town halls that replaced one debate. Jon talks to the Washington Post's Dave Weigel about what he's seeing on the campaign trail in the homestretch. And we quiz a listener on some complicated ballot measures written to confuse and discourage you. (Check out votesaveamerica.com/ballot because it is good.)
10/17/2020 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 37 seconds
Patient Zero
Emily Heller joins to break down the VP debate and The Week They Gave Trump Steroids. Senator Brian Schatz is back to talk about the fight for the Senate and what we can each do to help. And Josh Gad joins (finally, he refused to come on for a long time) to show us that phone banking is fun and not that scary even if you've never done it before. Help this weekend, please: votesaveamerica.com/senate
10/10/2020 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 6 seconds
SO, YEAH. MASKS.
This week lasted a hundred years. Trump's financial documents reveal massive debts and a tiny tax bill. Biden wins the first debate. And then we learn that Trump, who has spent six months denying reality and mocking masks, has been diagnosed with covid as his rallies and recklessness put countless lives at risk. Returning champion Langston Kerman joins for the top of the show, then I talk to Jaime Harrison about his race against Lindsey Graham and journalist Adam Davidson about Trump's taxes, money laundering, and why it's important to stop corruption before it's too late.
10/3/2020 • 1 hour, 20 minutes, 2 seconds
The Nom Before The Storm
Trump is terrified of democracy and he should be. Kara Brown joins for the monologue after a tough week of news. Puneet Cheema from the NAACP on the lack of accountability for the killing of Breonna Taylor and the future of police reform. And PJ Vogt of Reply All joins to talk about their fascinating investigation into the origins of Qanon. Plus we quiz listeners on polling of persuadable voters.
9/26/2020 • 58 minutes, 20 seconds
Donate to Get Mitch
Devastating news about RBG on Friday night kicks of a fight over the future of the Supreme Court. Then we go to a pre-recorded show with guests Hari Kondabolu, Varshini Prakash from the Sunrise Movement, and a legend: Jane Fonda.http://votesaveamerica.com/getmitch
9/19/2020 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 31 seconds
White House Downplay
What you don't know that Trump told Bob Woodward can hurt you. For our first homestretch episode, Jon Favreau joins for the monologue, Dr. Ali Mattu is back to talk about staying motivated during a very hard time, and I talk to Dr. Muhammad Adeel Rish about his recent study on daylight saving time because it's my JOB. Plus listeners check on their parents' voter registrations and I quiz a listener on whether you can tell the difference between awful Trump comments on the military or ones we just made up.
9/12/2020 • 1 hour, 12 minutes, 38 seconds
Soup d'Etat
Chowder is a weapon and Antifa has an airline. What a week. Akilah Hughes stops by for the monologue. Ronan Farrow is back so that we can test our relationship again for some reason. And activist Imani Barbarin joins to talk about the challenges facing voters with disabilities and what steps we need to take to turn out the vote.
9/5/2020 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 19 seconds
Don Jr.'s Convention Bump
We watched the RNC on your behalf so where are our fireworks? Kara Swisher joins for the monologue and shares her memories of an earlier iteration of Kim Guilfoyle in San Francisco. Alicia Garza returns to discuss the protests in Wisconsin in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting. Alex Morse talks about his progressive primary challenge to incumbent Congressman Richard Neal. And Erin Ryan and Guy Branum help us sort through the lies and play OK, Stop after Trump's superspreader event on the White House lawn. Awful week. Packed show. 66 days until the election. If you haven't signed up at votesaveamerica.com yet, now is the time.
8/29/2020 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 43 seconds
No Audience, No Problem
Senator Brian Schatz, Emily Heller, Naomi Ekperigin, and Josh Barro join to cover the Democratic convention, from Eva Longoria to Joe Biden, and everyone in between. What's the difference between a "crossroads" and a "fork in the road"? Will we be inspired to order calamari? Let's find out.
8/22/2020 • 1 hour, 14 minutes, 50 seconds
Biden's VP Pick ACTUALLY Revealed!
Big episode! Kamala Harris makes history. Trump issues BS executive orders. And people lose their minds over a song about heterosexual goings on of some sort. Sasheer Zamata is here for the monologue. Alyssa Mastromonaco talks about the VP roll out. Ben Rhodes walks us through a week of big developments in foreign policy. And we quiz a listener (and math PhD!) on the different economic stimulus plans. Oh and fine I'm SORRY about last week's title, I guess.
8/15/2020 • 57 minutes, 44 seconds
Biden’s VP Pick Revealed!
New York's AG sues the NRA and Trump struggles against withering questions like, "What manuals?" Returning champion Naomi Ekperigin joins for the monologue. And Jon talks to Senator Ed Markey and Congressman Joe Kennedy III as they face off in a heated Senate primary, and both agree to face a Massachusetts version of "Queen for A Day."
8/8/2020 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 28 seconds
How is it August?
100 days to the election. Here we go. LaTosha Brown joins to talk about the home stretch. Bryan Safi is back for straight guy phone banking. Plus we tell jokes to listeners and quiz Collin and CJ, as we look at what we need to do up and down the ballot to win.
8/1/2020 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 17 seconds
Cognition Impossible
Trump takes a test. Cities push back against Trump's aggression. And Taylor releases a new album. What a week. Guy Branum joins for OK, Stop. Eric Holtaus talks about his new book, The Future Earth, imagining a best-case climate scenario. And Tanya Somanader, Mellani Johnson, and Sarah Lazarus take a few minutes to react to jokes with the perfect amount of judgment.
7/25/2020 • 47 minutes, 20 seconds
No More Mr. Nice Goya
House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff discusses Roger Stone, congressional subpoenas, and veganism. Negin Farsad joins for the monologue and Michaela Watkins takes on the role of a lifetime. Plus Zeynep Tufekci joins to talk about what happens when science meets social media during this pandemic. Fix my computer, Henry Cavill.
7/18/2020 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 15 seconds
Oklahoma, OK!
A major set of rulings at the Supreme Court, a battle over reopening schools, and an announcement by Kanye in the best place for such things: a four hour interview with Forbes Magazine. Shea Serrano joins to talk about everything from the impact of protests on sports to the best James Bond movies. Josh Gondelman judges the monologue and has some lovely analogies. And Alice Wetterlund stops by along with a special guest with a tell-all book of her own. What a week.
7/11/2020 • 55 minutes, 46 seconds
Scrutiny on the Bounty
Emily Heller returns for our July 4th episode and agrees NOT to discuss gardening. Hari Kondabolu joins to talk about Hollywood's response to mounting protests, from voice casting on the Simpsons to the defense of hacky stand up. Epidemiologist Dr. Anne W. Rimoin explains the latest on mounting cases of coronavirus and what happens next. And listeners test out their political jokes on Lovett and Emily.
7/4/2020 • 1 hour, 14 minutes, 10 seconds
K-Popping His Bubble
Larry Wilmore is back and joins for the monologue. Ari Berman discusses efforts to fight voter suppression. We quiz a listener on polling from 2016 so no one gets cocky about 2020. And we share some moments from Crooked's pride parade live stream: Gay News with Tre'vell Anderson and Guy Branum, plus highlights from Sam Pancake, Brandon Kyle Goodman, Kara Swisher, Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho, Rosemary Ketchum, Katie Hill, Sam Feder, and Justin Simien.
6/27/2020 • 1 hour, 34 seconds
Gay for Justice
Nicole Byer is back and joins for the monologue. Adam Serwer discusses the Supreme Court's DACA decision, the diversity of the protest movement, and Juneteenth. Plus we quiz Philip Picardi on campy religious ceremonies and talk about his new podcast on spirituality. And we test organizers in six battleground states to see if they're ready for the fall. What a week. Even some... good news?... whatever that is.
6/20/2020 • 1 hour, 21 minutes, 49 seconds
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Ignorance
Judd Apatow joins for the monologue. Melina Abdullah discusses the goals of the protest movement. Rosemary Ketchum stops by to talk about what it means to be the first trans person to win public office in West Virginia. And LGBTQ+ listeners join to rant about basically whatever. What a week.
6/13/2020 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 31 seconds
Bunker Inspector
Peaceful protests and police backlash spread across the country. Trump "inspects" a bunker and waves a bible. Osita Nwanevu joins to discuss our collective response. DeRay Mckesson discusses policy changes that can save lives right now. And we hear from protesters and listeners. Plus, ONE Lea Michele joke. One.
6/6/2020 • 39 minutes, 45 seconds
Burn After Tweeting
D'Arcy Carden joins to match listeners with battleground states. Nancy Rosenblum and Russell Muirhead discuss their book about new ways conspiracies spread and how to respond. And we're joined live by listeners in Birmingham to break down the week's news and quiz the audience on how characters are described in books versus how those characters are cast on screen.
5/30/2020 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 6 seconds
Big Structural Podcast
Senator Elizabeth Warren is here to talk about oversight, the pandemic response, and that question she won’t answer. Plus she sticks around as we quiz listeners. Kal Penn is back and judges the monologue. And Jon Millstein joins to deliver a zoom commencement. We also bring back the rant wheel and we hear your high notes. What a week. What a show.
5/23/2020 • 56 minutes, 34 seconds
OBAMAGATE-GATE!
Trump floats a conspiracy without a theory. Supreme Court Justices struggle with microphones. And Elon Musk will build Teslas or else. This week in the closet, Adam Conover joins to judge the monologue, listeners share their minor frustrations, and Patrick Radden Keefe investigates a classic rock anthem that may have been written by the CIA. Oh and masks make you look weak? Tell it to Patrick Swayze in Point Break!
5/16/2020 • 57 minutes, 45 seconds
Murder Hornets, Inc.
Author Michael Lewis explains why America is like a good team with a bad coach. Whitney Cummings joins to judge the monologue. Brittany Packnett Cunningham discusses Ahmaud Arbery and why it took a gruesome video to spur action. Listeners face off in a topical spelling bee. And finally we're joined by a surprise special guest before we share what made listeners hopeful in this week's high note.
5/9/2020 • 1 hour, 11 minutes, 8 seconds
Storming the Beaches
Ed Helms is back and we quiz him on Trump's briefings by the numbers. Olivia Nuzzi joins to discuss covering the coronavirus response. We test listeners on their disaster preparedness. And we try out jokes on unsuspecting strangers which was very exciting and went GREAT. We're still in the closet and we're making the best of it. What a week.
5/2/2020 • 52 minutes, 1 second
The King’s Bleach
John Hodgman judges the monologue. Ronan Farrow and I face tough questions from Akilah Hughes. Katie Porter joins for an update from Congress. And we hear this week’s highs (and a few rants) from listeners. Packed show! A real barn burner. (Burning barns does NOT cure coronavirus.)
4/25/2020 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 54 seconds
Live Free and Die
Bernie backs Biden and Trump blames the WHO. What a week. Megan Rapinoe (!) and psychologist Dr. Ali Mattu join Jon for another week of Lovett or Leave It: Back in the Closet. Plus we talk to our listener-teachers about what it's like to teach remotely and we hear your high notes. A big thank you to everybody in Portland who joined for the monologue. And please call Congress to safeguard our elections! We make it easy: votesaveamerica.com/call
4/18/2020 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 3 seconds
Bern Notice
Guy Branum, Emily Heller, and Dr. Joseph Meltzer of UCLA join to cover Bernie's withdrawal as Biden becomes the presumptive nominee, Emily's gardening tips, GAY NEWS, Trump's untested health advice, and the fight going on inside of our hospitals against coronavirus. It's Back in the Closet week five, and boy is my ring light tired.
4/11/2020 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 39 seconds
Masking My Feelings
Alex Wagner, Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, and Saru Jayaraman join for the fourth Back in the Closet episode. Plus we attempt a live audience with our friends in Seattle and Spokane (huge success!), and listeners share their weird new self-care rituals. Bag two of Hershey's nuggets: done.
4/4/2020 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 14 seconds
We’re number one.
Stephen Merchant, Kara Swisher, and Beck Bennett join for Lovett or Leave It: Back in the Closet. A big stimulus bill passes. Trump looks to goose the markets. Tech companies thrive as their workers take risks. And everyone realizes they don’t have enough forks.
3/28/2020 • 59 minutes, 47 seconds
Zoom and Gloom
Ronan Farrow stops by to take calls from couples working from home. And Adam Schiff calls in to give us an update on the congressional response to the virus and his struggles with veganism during impeachment. Plus, listeners call in with their own personal high notes and Ronan tells me why he doesn't consider Cheetos a staple food. Back in the Closet, Week 2. Hang in there, everybody.
3/21/2020 • 54 minutes, 28 seconds
Sick in a Box
Trump's chaotic, bumbling response to the coronavirus pandemic alarms the country. Local and state leaders (and Bernie and Biden) fill the void. And everyone figures out how to act responsibility to protect the community while panic shopping and googling symptoms. We've canceled our live shows to be safe, so until we're on the other side of this, we're going to be experimenting with some new segments and finding ways to quiz and hear from listeners during the show. It's Lovett or Leave It: Back in the Closet. Special thanks to Paul Scheer, Rachel Bonnetta, and Rachna Fruchbom for joining, and to the listeners who let me quiz them this week on their coronavirus prep.
3/14/2020 • 55 minutes, 46 seconds
Joe Sneaks Up From Behind!
Super Tuesday changes the race. Trump bungles the response to a pandemic. And Hachette faces blowback for secretly buying Woody Allen's memoir. Megan Gailey and Yassir Lester join to break down a pivotal week from the end of Elizabeth Warren's campaign to the announcement of a 38-year-old Bachelorette.
3/7/2020 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 39 seconds
Oh, great. Mike Pence.
The coronavirus sparks fear in the markets and a toxic debate sparks anxiety among Democrats. Quite a week. Moshe Kasher and Fortune Feimster join to cover everything from the latest primary news to why so many couples are getting married in barns. Plus, in GAY NEWS: a brave kid comes out to Mayor Pete and it reminds Jon of a harrowing summer at sports camp. Super Tuesday is HERE. Everybody better vote.
2/29/2020 • 58 minutes, 42 seconds
Uncut Dems
Warren tenderizes Bloomberg, Bernie avoids fire, and Amy and Pete’s relationship has not improved. Emily Heller and Sean Rameswaram help break down the debate and more. D’Arcy Carden returns as we release secret footage of a White House wedding. Plus in Gay News, Trump discovers subtitles and Billy Wilder. And finally, in all things, Harrison Ford doesn’t give a shit.
2/22/2020 • 53 minutes, 55 seconds
Bidentity Crisis
Trump is purging, Bernie is surging, Amy is emerging, Bloomberg is splurging, and Biden is... not doing so well.Larry Wilmore and Kara Brown join to cover the primary as it heads to Nevada and South Carolina. Up and coming journalist Ronan Farrow stops by to discuss revelations in his podcast AND relationship. Plus similarities between Nixon and Trump, life on a coronavirus cruise, and the power of Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union's example. What a week.
2/15/2020 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 50 seconds
New Hampshire, Don't F*ck This Up
What a week. What a MESS. Pete's "undeniable victory" in Iowa becomes less undeniable and Senate Republicans (except for Mitt who we LOVE now) tell Trump he's above the law. Emily Heller joins to break down the Democratic debate in New Hampshire. Franklin Leonard talks about this Sunday's Oscars and how Hollywood is (and isn't) changing. And Louis Virtel's savant-like Oscar trivia skills are put to the TEST. Plus we manage to talk about Baby Nut, Hotel Lighting, Dua Lipa, and Netflix autoplay. At some point Jon sat on the floor and talked about going to the nurse's office in elementary school. Anyway it's been a week. Hope everyone took lots of pictures because that was the LAST Iowa caucus.
2/8/2020 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 25 seconds
Iowa, Don't F*ck This Up
Republicans conspire to block witnesses and Iowans get ready to caucus like the country depends on it. LIVE from Iowa City, Jon is joined by filmmaker and activist Michael Moore, Iowa state auditor Rob Sand, Cedar Rapids Gazette columnist Lyn Lenz, and Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker.They cover the latest on the trial, the primaries, and their perspective on how campaigns are faring on the ground. And we make time for Super Bowl ads, Brad Pitt's looks "hurting" his Oscar chances, and the difference between hot dish and casserole.
2/1/2020 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 47 seconds
The Rural Jurors
The impeachment trial begins: Adam Schiff and the House managers make their case and Republican Senators both demand and refuse to allow new evidence. Florida's Republicans are undermining Amendment 4 which restores the vote to those convicted of felonies. Plus C-Span's production values are just OK and it's time we have an honest conversation about organic peanut butter. Aida Osman and Sam Pancake join to help break down the week's news and just sit around sharing memories of Mr. Peanut and really focus on making this a celebration of his life.
1/25/2020 • 47 minutes, 42 seconds
Lev It or Leave It
Impeachment heads to the Senate. Lev Parnas talks to Rachel Maddow. And Deval Patrick joins Jon on stage to face the Queen for a Day challenge. Plus Kara Swisher on Facebook and Little Women, Mitra Jouhari on Space Travel, and Damon Young on Joker's 11 Oscar nominations. First they cancel The OA. Now Mindhunter? Netflix, you season three thief!
1/18/2020 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 29 seconds
HEY. We're going on tour (ticket link inside)
Big news. Lovett or Leave It and Pod Save America are going on tour. Presale runs from January 15 - 17, use code CROOKED2020. General on-sale is Saturday January 18th at 10am local time.Tickets & dates at http://crooked.com/eventsSee you soon.
1/15/2020 • 40 seconds
The Warring 20's
And we're back! Trump escalates. Australia burns. And Rita Wilson waits and waits and WAITS. Former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes joins to unpack the latest on Iran and the congressional response. Plus comedians Hari Kondabolu and Alice Wetterlund join to look at the fight over the coming impeachment trial, high school reunions, crowded gyms in January, and more. 2020 is here. Let's go.
1/11/2020 • 1 hour, 6 minutes, 15 seconds
We Impeached Him.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg joins Jon in studio to play Queen for a Day. Should college plans be universal? Chris Pratt or Chris Pine? Big questions. Plus Josh Gondelman and Negin Farsad join live as Trump gets impeached, the Democrats get feisty at the debate, and Kumail Nanjiani gets jacked. See you in 2020,
12/21/2019 • 1 hour, 23 minutes, 21 seconds
Impeach for the Stars
John Hodgman and Amanda Seales join Jon to break down the week's news as the Judiciary Committee debates articles of impeachment and the Department of Justice releases a report that debunks Trump's conspiracy theories. Plus we look back on the year and the decade, Crooked's editor-in-chief Brian Beutler joins to rant about "narrow" impeachment, and Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit take a hard look at the science of Star Wars. Tiny yoda. Huge week.
12/14/2019 • 55 minutes, 4 seconds
Darin' to Say "Barron"
Impeachment heads to the Judiciary Committee. Rudy films a documentary in Ukraine. Fox News anchors piss off their moms. And a ferocious debate breaks out ON STAGE over a little film called The Irishman. Brett Gelman and Rheeqrheeq Chainey join to break down the latest news at a very late, very loose, very fun live show. What a week.
12/7/2019 • 57 minutes, 21 seconds
Up Schiff's Creek
Fiona Hill has eyes. Gordon Sondland has receipts. And Cory Booker has jokes. The first round of impeachment hearings wrap up in dramatic fashion. Democrats debate in Atlanta. And Chris Matthews uses, shall we say, an irregular channel. The hilarious Guy Branum, Quinta Brunson, and Aida Osman are here to break down a week of giant revelations and tiny Yodas. We always say it, but wow we really mean it: What a week.
11/23/2019 • 1 hour, 21 seconds
This Ukrainian Life
Bill Taylor and George Kent testify as the public phase of impeachment begins. Rudy considers hosting a podcast, and we have the ad reads. The goobers at Fox & Friends are briefly confronted by reality. And Dion Waiters has a very VERY bad experience with a weed gummy. Whitney Cummings and Joe Mande are here to break down a big week, from the dumb villains of impeachment to the gay villains of Disney Plus. And don't worry: we do it with the pizzazz you DEMAND.
11/16/2019 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 26 seconds
OK, Bloomberg
Impeachment goes public. Kentucky goes blue. And Facebook goes all caps. Kal Penn and Emily Heller join to break down the week's news, from Iowa to The View to whatever the hell is going on with T.I. Plus investigative reporter Jason Leopold joins to share what he's learned from new documents he uncovered from the Mueller investigation. And obviously we cover daylight saving time. Dark at four thirty? Enough.
11/9/2019 • 53 minutes, 52 seconds
Catch, Marry, Kill
The House votes on impeachment. Evidence mounts against Trump. And Fox News smears a decorated veteran who heard the Ukraine phone call. Ronan Farrow joins to discuss his book Catch and Kill, the response from reporters inside NBC, and his impression of a certain podcast host in the audio book. Plus Demi Adejuyigbe is back and Ashley Nicole Black joins to discuss the California wildfires, Hollywood reboots, and people who want to hang out after work. And a special edition of GAY NEWS? What a show. What a week.
11/2/2019 • 49 minutes, 27 seconds
Announcing: What A Day
“What A Day,” Crooked Media’s new daily news podcast, is here! Hosted by comedian Akilah Hughes and politics reporter Gideon Resnick, “What A Day” cuts through the chaos and crimes to break down the biggest news of the day, help you understand what matters, and how you can fix it—all in 15 minutes or less. New episodes come out every morning, Monday through Friday, at 5 a.m. Eastern. Subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe: apple.co/whatadayLearn more: crooked.com/whataday
10/29/2019 • 2 minutes, 35 seconds
Impeachment FOMO
Congressman Matt Gaetz and his pals invade a secure hearing room. The Ambassador to Ukraine delivers shocking testimony in the impeachment inquiry. Kellyanne Conway insults a reporter who immediately posts the audio. And Halloween is here so it's time to tell the truth about candy corn... and capitalism. Broad City's Abbi Jacobson joins to unpack the sexist advice offered at the accounting firm Ernst and Young. Plus comedian Akilah Hughes and reporter Gideon Resnick are here to cover all the week's news, and talk about their brand new podcast from Crooked Media, What A Day, which you should subscribe to right... NOW.
10/26/2019 • 49 minutes, 41 seconds
The Roast of Elizabeth Warren
Mayor Pete turns up the heat at the debate, Trump's chief of staff confesses to crimes on camera, and Fox News still struggles to spin the Ukraine scandal. Returning champions Michaela Watkins and Moshe Kasher are BACK and the Ringer's John Gonzalez joins to explain the NBA's response to Chinese censorship. Plus, are we ready for a world without iTunes? Michaela, for one, is NOT. What a week.
10/19/2019 • 50 minutes, 2 seconds
Catch Me If Ukraine
Rudy's pals are arrested at the airport. Ellen's pal is a very bad president. And Lovett's pals Shea Serrano and Emily Heller are here to break down the week's news. Plus Beto O'Rourke becomes the seventh presidential candidate to face the Queen for a Day gauntlet, and he says "fuck it" a couple times! What a week. What an episode.
10/12/2019 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 43 seconds
Ukraine Clown Posse
Adam Scott and Nicole Byer are here to explore another week of high crimes and misdemeanors... after Trump confesses on camera and threatens civil war on Twitter. Plus a GOP megadonor diplomat hates texting about crimes, Mark Zuckerberg worries about Elizabeth Warren in a leaked recording, and UCLA Professor John Zaller joins Jon to discuss public opinion and partisanship in previous impeachment fights. What a week.
10/5/2019 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 12 seconds
Gay for Impeachment
The White House releases damning evidence of a shakedown. Pelosi and House Democrats unite behind impeachment. Ukraine’s president is pressured to deny there was pressure. And Rudy Giuliani isn’t the lawyer Trump needs, but he’s definitely the lawyer Trump deserves. Live at the historic Castro Theater in San Francisco, Mayor London Breed and comedian Guy Branum join Jon to cover a week of horrors and wonders. And don't miss a special edition of Gay News. Impeachment is here. Let’s go.
9/28/2019 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 9 seconds
Canceling with the Stars
Trump and Ukraine. Nadler and Lewandowski. Spicer and total humiliation. What a week. Senator Cory Booker joins to face the Queen for a Day gauntlet. Ben Rhodes covers the whistleblower story and tensions with Iran. Plus Sasheer Zamata and Vox’s Sean Rameswaram play a climate change game and discuss the Trudeau scandal, Amazon’s excessive packaging, and Lou Dobbs losing his mind.
9/21/2019 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 32 seconds
Protect Stacey Abrams!
And we're back. Live from Radio City! Fox News reads John Bolton's texts on air so Desus and Mero join Jon for "OK, Stop." Wyatt Cenac, Alyssa Mastromonaco, and Dulcé Sloan cover the Democratic debate and discuss which candidate is our Hawkeye. Then Stacey Abrams talks about protecting the vote in battleground states and what her romance novels have in common with Republican voter suppression. And thanks to Michael Barbaro for being part of our intro video. What a week. What a time to go to votesaveamerica.com/fairfight.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
9/14/2019 • 1 hour, 11 minutes, 23 seconds
Dunaway or the Highway
Akilah Hughes and Jon introduce highlights from the year so far - or, really, highlights from the year's episodes so far. Look, what we're saying is, Akilah and Jon talked about Faye Dunaway being sued for allegedly calling her assistant a "little homosexual boy" which is obviously not right but isn't not funny, and had some fun introducing our favorite clips - from James Adomian as Bernie to Emily Heller as avenging angel for women hurt by multi-level marketing. We'll be back live at Radio City in a couple weeks!
8/17/2019 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 14 seconds
Gays Against Equinox
Journalist Laurie Penny joins to discuss extremism and misogyny online. Then Larry Wilmore, Paul Scheer, and Alice Wetterlund are back to talk about the fight for gun control, Apple dongles, boycotting Trump funders, and whether Little Caesars is better than Domino's. (It's not.) Plus, a bonus rant from Treks and the City co-host Veronica Osorio!
8/10/2019 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 4 seconds
Hot Inslee Summer
Governor Jay Inslee stops by to discuss climate change, his disagreement with Joe Biden and Andrew Yang, whether he knows what it means to be called a "snack," and a shocking revelation regarding Harry Potter. Then Kara Swisher, Ramy Youssef, and Kara Brown join to discuss two nights of Democratic debates, the Equifax breach, an unholy alliance between Trump and Twitter, and the permanence of Brad Pitt's abs over literally decades. What a week.
8/3/2019 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 6 seconds
Big Not So Little Lies
Veep's Matt Walsh, reporter Emily Jane Fox, and writer/comedian Diallo Riddle join Jon to break down the Mueller hearings and talk of impeachment, Trump's reaction, the Equifax breach, plus rants about DC statehood, Hope Hicks, and congressional hearings that start at 5am.
7/27/2019 • 57 minutes, 17 seconds
Send Him Back
Trump finds a new low. Republicans find ways to avoid confronting him. And Tom Cruise finds a way BACK INTO OUR HEARTS. Backstage in Salt Lake City, Lovett catches up with Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, Dan Pfeiffer, and Erin Ryan on Trump's fascist rally, the CNN debate draw, and the Cats/Top Gun divide. Then we go to a fantastic live show with James Adomian, Kiran Deol, and Jenny Yang to cover Democratic infighting, straight bars, and how we finally got Bernie Sanders on the show.
7/20/2019 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 3 seconds
Slippery Slope of Fairness
The US win the World Cup. Trump loses on the census. And Pelosi clashes with AOC and millennials. An ACTION PACKED show with Andy Richter, Rheeqrheeq Chainey, and Erin Ryan on the panel. Plus a rant by Ira Madison III. And Lovett harangues an actual seismologist (thank you, Men-Andrin Meier) about his problem with the Richter scale. And do we discuss Big Little Lies again? Sure why not.
7/13/2019 • 57 minutes, 7 seconds
Rain on Trump's Parade
Fox & Friends discovers DJ Khaled. Trump plans a fascist jamboree on the National Mall. And we (maybe) won a big fight on the census. In a special Independence Day edition, Jon and returning champion Emily Heller find good reasons to be patriotic and look back on a few all-time classic debate moments. Plus, in this week's gay news: why Big Little Lies is what America is ALL ABOUT.
7/6/2019 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 55 seconds
The Bus Stops Here (Debate Special!)
Liz! Kamala! Bernie! And Jeff! Is that Jeff? Josh? Was there a Josh? Sounds wrong. Anyway, twenty candidates debated for the first time and we learned a lot. Plus, Monica Ramirez joins to break down what's happening at the border and how to help. Travon Free has a problem with Twitter's amateur television critics. And Tawny Newsome is not a fan of Kim Kardashian's new product launch. Oh and the democratic candidates were asked to name their favorite comfort foods and the answers were genuinely horrifying and we need to TALK ABOUT IT.
6/29/2019 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 56 seconds
Big Little Lies with a Smokey Eye
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is OUT and collusion is IN. Adam Conover, Megan Gailey, and Demi Adejuyigbe join Jon to break down the latest 2020 news, Trump's oddly staged interview with George Stephanopoulos, the insane pay gap in women's sports, our national housing crisis, and a new video game from George R. R. Martin, the world's greatest procrastinator. As Meryl once said on Big Little Lies, "I can't complain. Actually, I can."
6/15/2019 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 54 seconds
Straight Pride and the Hyde Divide (Live from Minneapolis)
Trump insults veterans on D-Day, Tucker Carlson thinks YouTube is the government, and Amy Klobuchar joins Jon on stage at the University of Minnesota to face the Queen for a Day gauntlet. Plus Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, Guy Branum, and Ana Marie Cox help break down the week’s news, the magic of the state fair, and why parades are inherently gay in all the best ways. What a week. Thank you, Minneapolis!
6/8/2019 • 1 hour, 22 minutes, 53 seconds
So that's what Mueller sounds like!
The special counsel speaks and people can't believe their ears because they didn't use their eyes to READ THE REPORT. An architect of gerrymandering dies and his daughter discovers a trove of damning documents. Oh and aliens! Returning champions Josh Barro, Tawny Newsome, and Langston Kerman join Jon to break down the week's news, old bad tweets by 2020 candidates, and the very important case of The Verve v. The Rolling Stones
6/1/2019 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 6 seconds
Lie of the Storm
Trump "storms" out on Pelosi, anti-choice laws lead to mass protest, and Kellyanne Conway auditions for Real Housewives of Washington. Plus we quiz the panel on Trump's tariffs and quiz the audience on an immigration extremist's bonkers list of demands. Activist Nourbese Flint and comedians Joel Kim Booster and Megan Gailey join Jon to break down the week's news, celebrate Cher's birthday, and consider a lovely trip to Mykanos.
5/25/2019 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 21 seconds
BBQ, Bombs, and de Blasio (LIVE from Austin)
Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor join Lovett for an update on Alabama's heinous new law, Trump's trade war, John Bolton's war war, and the Game of Throne's finale. Then we go to Austin for a fantastic live show with Shea Serrano, Emily Heller, and the Texas Tribune's Evan Smith to cover Texas's turn toward Democrats, Beto's habit of standing on things, plus some classic rants and a BBQ taste test. Thank you, Texas!
5/18/2019 • 1 hour, 15 minutes, 11 seconds
Gotta Impeach 'Em All (LIVE from Dallas)
Pelosi takes on leftwing "exuberance" and offers her thoughts on Democratic strategy. Tucker Carlson is very mad that Facebook kicked off white supremacists. And Texas's own Julian Castro joins to discuss his presidential campaign and to face the "Queen for a Day" gauntlet. Live in Dallas, Congressman Colin Allred, activist Kristian Hernandez, and comedian Emily Heller join to break down everything from 2020 to Detective Pikachu before Lovett succumbs to a Tex-Mex overdose.
5/11/2019 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 18 seconds
Democracy: Endgame (LIVE from Houston)
Marvel introduces a gay character (who's in one scene and has NO powers). Kamala Harris wipes the floor with William Barr. Hillary Clinton assumes her final form on Rachel Maddow. And we see if Texas can tell the difference between Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. Arian Foster, Emily Heller, and Mercedes Fulbright join Jon on stage at the University of Houston to break down the week's news, and whether the Battle of Winterfell really was too dark to see. On to Dallas and more food.
5/4/2019 • 55 minutes, 1 second
Woke For His Age?
Biden enters the race, Trump ignores subpoenas, Warren tackles student loans, CNN hosts marathon town halls, and Hannity is still worried about Hillary's emails. Returning champions Guy Branum, Negin Farsad, and Kiran Deol join Jon to break down the week's news, some hot royal gossip, and the fact that the Avengers movie is three hours long, which only bothers Jon because he saw it AFTER we recorded.
4/27/2019 • 58 minutes, 49 seconds
The Mueller-ity Report
House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff joins Jon to discuss the release of the (redacted) Mueller report, the congressional response, and the role of impeachment. Then Jason Leopold, Paul W. Downs, and Mitra Jouhari help break down the Republican reaction, Bernie’s Fox News town hall, Notre Dame instagrams, and the 12 percent of Americans who have never heard of Mike Pence. Imagine that.
4/20/2019 • 1 hour, 6 minutes, 8 seconds
Kirstjen Gets Firjed (LIVE from Boston)
Trump purges DHS over immigration. Republican legislatures pass draconian anti-abortion laws. And Tucker Carlson can't understand code switching even though he does it on television every single night. Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang joins Jon on stage live in Boston to talk universal basic income and memes. Plus Cecile Richards, Sam Stein, and Janelle James join to talk about the democratic primaries, scammers at congressional hearings, the lessons of Shazam, and all the week's news. Oh and don't forget, HARVARD TAKES BRIBES. Thanks Boston!
4/13/2019 • 1 hour, 26 minutes, 52 seconds
Oh no more candidates!
Democratic presidential candidates are competing on fundraising, policymaking, and apology giving. Brexit is a MESS. And the Times reveals the secret market research on Trump and his cronies. Gabe Liedman, Tre'vell Anderson, and Patti Harrison join Jon to break down the week's news, and rant about Tabasco Sauce, vegetarian whoppers, Herman Cain, and the injustice endured by Patti when she was not cast in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical Cats.
4/6/2019 • 48 minutes, 27 seconds
A Mueller Walks Into A Barr
And we're back! Mueller's report is IN and it's very good for Trump as long as we never ever read it ever. We cover the Barr Book Report, the Fox News reaction, Republican attacks on House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff, and how much we still don't know about what is in that sweet sweet 400 page document. Plus Mayor Pete weighs in on whether a hot dog is a sandwich. Mike Pence threatens to send people to the moon against their will. And we take a loving look back on all the people Mueller indicted along the way. Returning champions Emily Heller, Jamil Smith, and Mitra Jouhari join Jon to break down a wild week of news and finally answer the burning question: is chili... soup?
3/30/2019 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 40 seconds
Aunt Becky for President
Well, a LOT happened this week. Jon Favreau joins Lovett in studio to talk about the insane college admissions scandal, Trump’s first veto over his fake national emergency, the Boeing 737 Max 8, Paul Manafort’s sentencing, Tucker Carlson’s bigoted radio interviews, Beto O’Rourke’s presidential announcement, and the terror attack in New Zealand. Then we go to our live show at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee with Move On’s Ben Wikler, activist Angela Lang, and returning champion Akilah Hughes. We cover corporate consolidation in the beer industry, Foxconn’s dirty deal with Republicans like Scott Walker, high top tables, and the scourge of standard time. Thanks for the curds, Wisconsin!
3/16/2019 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 19 seconds
CPAC to Reality
Trump literally hugs a flag, figuratively hugs Kim Jong Un, and speaks for two hours at a conservative conference for people who think Fox News isn't mean enough. Live from Madison, Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, Ana Marie Cox, and Akilah Hughes join Jon to talk about Scott Walker's legacy, the NFL's fantastic team owners, Trump's love letters to dictators, and the problems with punctuation marks in text messages. Anyway, too many cheese curds. Or maybe not enough.
3/9/2019 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 24 seconds
Michael Cohen, Perfect Hero!
Trump's ex-lawyer (and just plain ex-lawyer) Michael Cohen testifies before Congress and it was WILD. Fox & Friends is loving the dynamic between Trump and Kim Jong Un. And Green Book is drawing all the attention away from the fact that Bohemian Rhapsody is also bad. Live from the Chicago Theater, Peter Sagal, Akilah Hughes, and Kim Bellware join to break down a lot of big news along with rising health care prices, redlining in the housing market, and why Lovett actually likes Malort.
3/2/2019 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 40 seconds
Bern After Leading
Bernie Sanders enters the race, Tucker Carlson can't handle criticism, Trump officials screw with the census, Roger Stone gets put in his place, measles makes a comeback, Amazon skips New York, and Jussie Smollett... well, you know. Emily Heller, Ira Madison III, and Hari Kondabolu join Jon to break down the week's news.
2/23/2019 • 51 minutes, 24 seconds
Wallentine’s Day
Love and hate are in the air. Trump declares a national emergency to please his TV dads. High speed rail slows down. Jussie Smollett confronts doubters. 2020 Dems sounds alike at times. The Oscars cut important awards. And a game with a special Valentine’s Day surprise that even melted Tre’vell’s heart. Michaela Watkins, Megan Gailey, and Tre’vell Anderson join Jon to break down a big week of news.
2/16/2019 • 57 minutes, 42 seconds
Un-Meet Virginia
Trump's State of the Union never happened. Fox News is screaming about socialism. And Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joins Jon on stage at the Anthem in Washington, DC to discuss her 2020 campaign, health care, and the ugly scandals unfolding in Virginia. She also becomes the first presidential candidate to face the "Queen for a Day" gauntlet on Lovett or Leave It. Alex Wagner, Alyssa Mastromonaco, and Akilah Hughes are here to help break down the week's news and rant about Marie Kondo and The Bachelor. This week was a mess. votesaveamerica.com/unify
2/9/2019 • 1 hour, 20 minutes, 25 seconds
America's Next Top Vegan
Adam Schiff, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, discusses Mueller, Trump's feud with intelligence officials, impeachment, congressional oversight, and vegan hamburgers. Plus Tawny Newsome and Naomi Ekperigin are back to break down the week's news on Howard Schultz, health care, and Netflix shows about serial killers. Then the panel quizzes the audience on Trump's approach to Venezuela. Sports podcaster Brandon Newman stops by to quiz Lovett on the game of football. And I still don't care that Starbucks burns the beans.
2/2/2019 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 55 seconds
Watch for Falling Stones
And we're back! Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor join Lovett to cover Trump's surrender on the shutdown and Roger Stone’s indictment. Then Zoe Lister-Jones, Mitra Jouhari, Andrew Ti, and D’Arcy Carden join to talk about Pelosi versus Trump, the nationwide teacher strikes, those MAGA teens, dueling Fyre Festival documentaries, Rudy Giuliani’s emo streak, and more. Season 3! Here we go.
1/26/2019 • 1 hour, 24 minutes, 36 seconds
Emergency Fake Emergency Pod!
Well, he came, he sniffed, he lied. Lovett, Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, and Julissa Arce play "OK, Stop" through Trump's absurd waste of an oval office address. Also, Lovett or Leave It is going on tour! Get your tickets now: crooked.com/events
1/9/2019 • 29 minutes, 51 seconds
What a Year!
2018 ends as it began: with a looming government shutdown, chaos in the White House, and Paul Ryan hiding behind a potted plant. In a special holiday episode, we highlight some of our favorite moments from Lovett or Leave It this year, from Fox’s take on Colin Kaepernick, to Ijeoma Oluo’s take on #MeToo, Emily Heller’s take on shark thieves, and Lovett’s take on the food pyramid, the downfall of Hooters, and policies that force people to work when they’re sick. Plus a dramatic reading with Mandy Moore and Taylor Goldsmith as the Conways, Ezra Miller stops by to play a game and so much more. Like Nancy Pelosi said to that gavel, see you in 2019.
12/22/2018 • 48 minutes, 42 seconds
Impeachment is my Safe Word
Cohen faces the music. Trump faces Pelosi. And Favreau and Vietor face Lovett's 2018 quiz. What a week. What a year. Jon is joined by returning champions Alicia Garza, Megan Gailey, Louis Virtel, Jon Favreau, and Tommy Vietor to break down a wild week of culminations and confrontations. Plus: Lady Gaga's repetitive sound bites, romaine lettuce's bitter downfall, Amy Adams's many Oscar snubs, and we announce our 2019 Lovett or Leave It tour. Terrific.
12/15/2018 • 58 minutes, 13 seconds
Thank U, Next Crime
And we're back! Wisconsin Republicans reject the will of the voters, Mueller closes in on Individual 1, Fox News launches a new streaming service, Lou Dobbs loses the plot, and the Women's Center for Creative Work's Community Chorus join us LIVE to sing a brand new holiday song about Obamacare open enrollment and Trump's efforts to sabotage it. Mitra Jouhari, Jen Statsky, and Hayes Davenport join Jon to break down the week's news, the new Grinch movie, and the reason people fall asleep on the couch instead of just getting ready for bed like a human being.
12/8/2018 • 57 minutes, 51 seconds
Wave New World
Stacey Abrams and Bill Nelson fight to count every vote, protesters target Tucker Carlson’s house, a lovely woman wants to marry a ghost, and RBG fell but Lovett couldn’t even bring himself to discuss it
11/10/2018 • 1 hour, 23 seconds
The Wohl of Wall Street
We’re days away from the midterms and Republicans are doubling down on racist fear mongering as their closing argument. We play a game about what we can expect to see from Republicans if they’re voted into office and we try to convince some advice seekers why their vote matters! Erin Ryan is joined by Aparna Nancherla, Demi Adejuyigbe and Matt Pearce to break down the week in news.
11/3/2018 • 51 minutes, 23 seconds
The Sum of All Fearmongering
Trump uses the fear of innocent refugees to rally his base. Fox News explains the motivation behind the migrant caravan. We recommend some Halloween costumes that will scare liberals straight and get a lesson in the hard and long fought history for voting rights in the US which, thanks to Republicans, is still not over! Erin Ryan is joined by Nicole Byer, Emily Heller and Andrew Ti to break down the week in news.
10/27/2018 • 48 minutes, 3 seconds
Mitch’s Brew
Mitch McConnell makes it clearer than ever that Republican’s are full of shit. We share some advice about what to do when you experience or see voter discrimination and we get a much-needed pep talk about that terrifying climate report. Guy shares his experience canvassing for the first time, the royal family just got bigger, and white women need to take a seat. Max Silvestri, Saru Jayaraman and Tre’vell Anderson join for Guy’s last week guest-hosting!
10/20/2018 • 1 hour, 50 seconds
Justice is T-Swift
Brett Kavanaugh serves his first day on the Supreme Court, evil boat shoe Charlie Kirk has thoughts on Taylor Swift, history proves that not all hope is lost and we play a game that shows there's no good excuse not to vote on November 6th! Lovett officially left it but here to fill in is Guy Branum joined by Ike Barinholtz, Kiran Deol and Guy's very own former law professor Miranda McGowan.
10/13/2018 • 56 minutes, 49 seconds
Bros Before Roe
Donald Trump's wealth began with brazen tax fraud, Brett Kavanaugh hurtles toward confirmation, Fox News wants a culture that never ever changes, and sure, we have bigger fish to fry, but paper straws are bad, OK? Neal Brennan, Amanda Seales, and Michaela Watkins are back to help break down the week's news. Plus with the help of expert Dave Fleischer, Jon and Michaela demonstrate the dos and don'ts of door-to-door canvassing. The election is one month away, people. Let's go.
To canvass with the Leadership LAB, text or call 424-256-1994 to volunteer.
10/6/2018 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 15 seconds
Hearing No Evil
Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the one female lawyer hired to do their dirty work. Plus Trump has a bananas press conference, Lindsey Graham loses the plot, Facebook once again treats our privacy like a toilet, and 80s comedies are gross gross gross. Akilah Hughes, Guy Branum, and Louis Virtel join Jon to break down a heartbreaking week and talk about Glenn Close almost winning oscars.
9/29/2018 • 53 minutes, 6 seconds
Double Double, Brett's in Trouble
Rod Rosenstein reportedly raised invoking the 25th amendment. Republicans plow ahead with Brett Kavanaugh's nomination despite sexual assault allegations even as Kavanaugh's allies offer bizarre theories to exonerate their pal. We look back at the Anita Hill hearings and elections decided by just a handful of votes. Plus rants on spiders, Bert and Ernie, women's sleeves, and Ted Cruz's shitty campaign tactics. VERY special thanks to the all-star, tournament-of-champion guests Emily Heller, Ira Madison III, and Erin Ryan for joining us in studio for a last-minute, first-ever studio recording of Lovett or Leave It. WHAT A WEEK.
9/22/2018 • 56 minutes, 51 seconds
Ronan Will Find You
Disturbing allegations emerge against Brett Kavanaugh, CBS ousts Les Moonves and confronts a misogynist workplace culture, Serena Williams deals with a bunch of bullshit, Tucker Carlson goes full fascist, and in honor of the high holidays, we atone for how our culture mistreated Monica Lewinsky, Marcia Clark, and Britney Spears. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii joins Jon to talk about the Supreme Court and being the best senator on Twitter, and Erin Ryan and comedian Janelle James join to break down a big week of news. Also, it's fine that Ronan doesn't listen to the podcast. He's busy.
9/15/2018 • 55 minutes, 11 seconds
It was Pence!
Anonymous Trump officials write op-eds for the Times and tell Bob Woodward everything. Kavanaugh perjures himself before the Senate. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris go hard in the hearings. And huge shocker: Fox & Friends doesn't like Colin Kaepernick's Nike ads. Plus Trump officials sound a lot like Real Housewives, Republicans scare voters about socialism, and a lovely, innovative woman dips her chicken fingers in Diet Coke. We are joined by an all-star panel with Kara Brown, Josh Barro, and Emily Yoshida to break down a ton of huge news. WHAT A WEEK.
9/8/2018 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 39 seconds
Kim Kardashian, Try This Podcast
Mandy Moore and Dawes's Taylor Goldsmith join for a very special dramatic reading of Kellyanne and George Conway's public disagreements. Plus we break down the results of Democratic primaries, the GOP's list of Trump scandals, the racist message of Florida's GOP gubernatorial candidate, Louis CK's attempted return, the rise of electric scooters, and more with comedian Tawny Newsome, writer Dana Schwartz, and Cristobal Alex of the Latino Victory Fund. What a week. What an episode.
9/1/2018 • 48 minutes, 40 seconds
Guilty!
Paul Manafort is convicted and Michael Cohen pleads guilty while implicating the president. So we invited Andy Richter and Max Silvestri to help us imagine what it would be like for Paul and Mike to share a cell. Plus Trump sounds like a mob boss who lost a step, prisoners nationwide are striking for better working conditions, millennials are killing Hooters, and one-size-fits-all stores are evil. Alice Wetterlund, Jess Morales Rocketto, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste join Jon to break down one of the most consequential weeks of the Trump “presidency.”
8/25/2018 • 55 minutes, 14 seconds
Darth Omarosa
Trump's White House is in turmoil over Omarosa's recordings. So we asked Lauren Mayberry of Chvrches to perform a dramatic reading of Omarosa's dramatic prologue. Plus, a year after Charlottesville, white nationalism has found a home on Fox News. The EPA is rolling back fuel standards with the help of spin from Sinclair. Black athletes have always been told to "shut up and dribble." And Mark Burnett should not be treated as a respectable figure while he engages in a coverup on behalf of Donald Trump. Also, Stephen Miller's uncle is done with his nephew's bullshit. And possible 2020 contenders should stop being coy. Christine Mai-Duc of the LA Times, Gonzalo Cordova, and Emily Axford join Jon to break down the week's news as we wait on the edge of our seats for more tapes.
8/18/2018 • 53 minutes, 46 seconds
Instagram Your Corruption
Mar-a-Lago members are illegally running the VA, a congressman allegedly committed insider trading on the White House lawn, and Commerce Secretary Wilber Ross may have grifted millions. What a week. Ira Madison III, Emily Heller, and Awkwafina join Jon to break down the week's news. Plus we look at Omarosa's new book, Fox News' reaction to Facebook banning Alex Jones, and the new Oscar for "popular" movies.
8/11/2018 • 48 minutes, 17 seconds
Rudy does all of his own stunts!
Facebook is still a target for election interference. Giuliani is not making much sense. And even the “feel good” segments on local news are secretly sad now. Plus we talk about wildfires and climate change, Manafort’s expansive wardrobe, Tom Cruise dangling from a helicopter, and more. Lucia Aniello, Fatima Asghar, and Andrew Ti join Jon to break down the week’s news and the dedication of certain movie stars who are the perfect height. And thanks to KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis who stopped by to lead a game.
8/4/2018 • 54 minutes, 54 seconds
Michael Cohen, welcome to the resistance.
Trump’s ex-lawyer drops the first single off his album and claims Trump was fully briefed on the whole collusion thing. Plus Fox News struggles to spin Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kavanaugh threatens Roe, Sean Spicer’s book faces the critics, and Frasier may finally get the reboot of our dreams. Naomi Ekperigin, Guy Branum and Planned Parenthood’s Dawn Leguens join Jon to break down the week’s news and Corporate’s Matt Ingebretson joins for a delightful dramatic reading. Also, hey No Man’s Sky: Now you’re a good game? Now?
7/27/2018 • 55 minutes, 38 seconds
Treason Finale
Well it’s all out in the open now, huh? Trump walks back his Helsinki walk back. ICE is younger than Monster Energy Drink. Joe Lieberman is terrible. Republicans meekly criticize a disloyal President. And Air Force One is going to be insanely ugly unless Boeing steps up. Jon is joined by comedians Kiran Deol, Dani Fernandez, Ben Sawyer and Mitra Jouhari to break down the week’s news and enter the national debate over double negatives.
7/20/2018 • 59 minutes, 26 seconds
Love Strzok
7/13/2018 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 1 second
1812 It's Overture
Jon joins Jon Favreau and Dan Pfieffer in-studio to talk through the latest developments on immigration, SCOTUS, and the growing outrage of Democratic voters. Then Jon is joined by Tawny Newsome, Jose Antonio Vargas, and Molly Lambert to commiserate and discuss pre-existing conditions, "farm to fork" restaurants, the Olympics, and so much more. Happy 4th of July!
7/6/2018 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 7 seconds
Alexa, give us gay rights
Kennedy gets out. Ocasio-Cortez gets votes. Nazis get retweets. And we all get sick of bad surprises. Guy Branum, Taz Ahmed, and Adam Lustick join Jon to discuss the week’s news, Marco Rubio’s twitter, Pepsi cinema, and the hearty genes of Ashkenazi jurists.
6/30/2018 • 57 minutes, 43 seconds
Don’t Wake Fascist Grandpa
Recorded live at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Jon is joined by Symone Sanders, Liliana Segura, and Benjamin Sawyer to break down the week's news. Trump shifts, but families are still separated. Fox & Friends gets a little too honest about who deserves compassion. Kellyanne Conway faces an unlikely critic. And sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between a Trump stooge and a villain from X-Men. Anyway, awful week, but a great show at an amazing place.
6/23/2018 • 51 minutes, 7 seconds
Birth of a Discrimi-nation
Hollywood, baby! Home of rich celebrities, infuriating traffic and the systemic suppression of marginalized voices. We'll discuss Tinseltown's history of government censorship, the secret motivations of Candace Owens, and we'll even meet an audience member who hasn’t seen Ghostbusters or The Dark Knight. Nicole Byer, Hannah Hart, and Tre’Vell Anderson join Lovett to figure out whether L.A. really is a liberal La La Land, or if there might be some conservatism hidden deep under the La Brea Tar Pits. City Of Staaaaaaaaars!
6/15/2018 • 55 minutes, 1 second
Autoerotic Obstruction of Justice
DOJ refuses to defend Obamacare. Trump floats a self-pardon. Dems perform well in the California primaries. Lou Dobbs is not well. And poor JR Smith, said Lovett who just found out what happened. Erin Gibson, Bryan Safi, Brenda Gonzalez, and Professor Kimberly West-Faulcon join Jon to break down the week’s news. Plus Bryan and Jon develop some very exciting straight-guy characters. What a week.
6/9/2018 • 54 minutes, 48 seconds
LOLOLoligarchy
Recorded live in Philadelphia, Jon is joined by the city's new district attorney Larry Krasner, Ezra Miller and his band Sons of an Illustrious Father, the Roosevelt Institute's Mike Konczal, comedian Franchesca Ramsey, and writer Dylan Marron for a special action-packed episode focused on economic inequality and what we can do about it. Yes, we cover all the hits. Corporate power and consolidation! Inequities in the justice system! Trump's racism and economic populism! Republican policies that make things worse and Democratic policies that don't go far enough! Plus, we yell about Paul Ryan, teachers being underpaid, and how we need to stop blaming globalization and robots for everything. It was a really fun show about an important issue and you will like it.
6/2/2018 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 8 seconds
Art of the Kneel
The big Korea summit is off. The NFL stands for nothing. Trump invents fake scandals and goes after women’s health and reproductive freedom. Plus how slow are American trains? And how fast is the Millennium Falcon? Lots of big questions to answer. Live from Boston Calling, Jon is joined by Alyssa Mastromonaco, Erin Ryan, and Blair Imani to break down the week’s news and make fun of Harvard.
5/26/2018 • 57 minutes, 24 seconds
Rudy Awakening
A bunch of corruption and collusion stories break and it’s very bad for the crime gang! Trump calls people animals and we debate how nuanced it was. The Peace Prize hits a snag on the Korean peninsula. And yes there’s a royal wedding but we stopped caring about that AT YORKTOWN IN 1781. Anyway, great show. Paul Scheer (check out his new podcast! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/unspooled/id1381507437?mt=2), Amanda Seales, and labor activist Saru Jayaraman join Jon to break down the week’s news. Plus we do like 30 seconds on Laurel/Yanni tops.
5/19/2018 • 58 minutes, 17 seconds
Retweet to Impeach
Facebook and Twitter are transforming our politics. Marginalized voices can find an audience, but so can extremists. We've given up privacy while also taking down barriers that divide people and protect the powerful. This week, in a special episode that combines the best moments from our live shows in Baltimore and Columbus, Jon is joined by experts, activists, journalists, and comedians to talk about social media and how it is totally perfect and making everything better, no exceptions. Special guests: Dr. Jennifer Golbeck, Ashley Feinberg, and Deray Mckesson in Baltimore and Dr. Robert Bond, Ana Marie Cox, and Ziwe Fumudoh in Columbus. Like, fave, rate, poke, survive.
5/11/2018 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 21 seconds
Rudy Giuliani, Esquire
Trump’s new legal eagle Rudy Giuliani collapsed under the withering questions of Sean Hannity. Kanye brought some free thinking to TMZ. Conservatives fled Michelle Wolf’s jokes in terror. And the teacher of the year takes on her toughest pupil: Donald Trump. Damon Young, Ziwe Fumudoh, and Wajahat Ali join Jon to break down the week’s news, recorded live in Pittsburgh, PA.
5/5/2018 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 6 seconds
Fox & Friends with Benefits
Trump calls his TV friends. Cosby is found guilty. Nunes can’t manage a scheme. Kanye is on his journey. A hand shake crosses the DMZ. And a debate about pizza gets VERY heated. Larry Wilmore, Negin Farsad, Grace Parra, Paul W. Downs, and Travis Helwig join Jon to break down the week. Also royal baby blah blah blah.
4/28/2018 • 1 hour, 12 minutes, 20 seconds
Shooting Star of Stupid
Propaganda is everywhere, from Sinclair stations to industry-funded research, from Trump tweets to the stories we tell about ourselves on Facebook and Instagram. Recorded live from Minneapolis in the midst of an historic April blizzard, Jon is joined by Professor Joanne Miller, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter III, health care expert Andy Slavitt, and friend of the pod Erin Ryan for a special show devoted to misinformation, propaganda, and how we can fight for the truth in the age of Trump. Special thanks to everybody who came out to this show. Minnesotans don't mess around.
4/20/2018 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 38 seconds
Czech Your Privilege
Ryan retires, Comey speaks, Rosenstein survives, Zuckerberg testifies, Cohen is screwed (and maybe did go to Prague?), Hannity loses his mind, and, late Friday, Trump launches military strikes in Syria. Erin Gloria Ryan, comedian Tien Tran, and activist Charlene Carruthers join Jon to break down an extraordinary week, recorded live at the Chicago Theatre. Also, pizza is debated and Malort is consumed.
4/14/2018 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 33 seconds
Pay your rent, Scott Pruitt!
The EPA administrator’s corruption eruption continues. Fox News once again tells a black celebrity to shut up. Florida faces climate change and climate change deniers. Teachers rebel against budget cuts. Trump attacks vulnerable asylum seekers. And the movie Blockers isn’t about sports after all. Live from Miami, Jon is joined by Akilah Hughes, Alicia Menendez and Natasha del Toro to break down the week’s news. Oh and there’s some light Rubio criticism, obviously. What a week.
4/7/2018 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 54 seconds
Nesting Doll of Idiots!
Trump’s lawyer allegedly floated pardons. Trump’s lawyer’s lawyer is not doing much better. The census is under attack. And this White House can turn any adult into Benjamin Button. Comedians Emily Heller and Jaboukie Young-White and journalist Seema Mehta join Jon to break down the week’s news and celebrate Melania’s victory over cyber-bullying.
3/31/2018 • 50 minutes, 55 seconds
Bolton Bucket List
Trump hires John Bolton, congratulates Putin, attacks Mueller, loses his lawyer, and confronts very detailed accounts of marital affairs and efforts to cover them up. Plus, young people lead a march against gun violence, Mark Zuckerberg defends Facebook on TV, and Cynthia Nixon it turns out is not the character she played on Sex and the City. Recorded live in DC, Symone Sanders, Wesley Lowery, and Mitra Jouhari join Jon to break down a week of news that somehow seems more packed with crazy than usual, if that's possible.
3/24/2018 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 30 seconds
Friday News Dump!
McCabe gets axed, Tillerson is dethroned, Conor Lamb wins in an upset, and students walk out to protest gun violence. Plus Elizabeth Holmes is very good at seeming like she’s not a criminal and United Airlines seems to be run by a house cat. LeVar Burton and comedians Marcella Arguello and Jamie Lee join Jon to break down the week’s news. And Westworld’s Shannon Woodward stops by to help us understand what’s gone wrong with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
3/17/2018 • 51 minutes, 54 seconds
Dirty Sexy Hush Money
Well it’s been another boring week without news here in America. Yikes. Anyway, we covered: potential campaign finance violations related to Trump’s sex NDAs, Mueller is moving and witnesses are losing it, Fox News freaks over the Oscars, and more. In a special “Keep It” edition of the show, Jon is joined by Ira Madison III, Kara Brown, and Louis Virtel to break down the week’s news, recorded live from Austin, Texas.
3/10/2018 • 59 minutes, 3 seconds
Hate in a Hopeless Place
Chaos, at least more than usual, at the White House: Hope is out, Jared is screwed, Kelly feels God's wrath, Trump declares war on metal, and Mueller is in everyone's business. Amanda Hess of the New York Times, comedian Patti Harrison, and the LA Times' Tre’vell Anderson join Jon to break down the week's news. Plus D'Arcy Carden from NBC's The Good Place stops by to take on the role of a lifetime and we play an Oscars game you won't want to miss. What. A. Week.
3/3/2018 • 53 minutes, 16 seconds
The Kids are Alright
Young people change the gun debate in a matter of days. NRA talking points ring hollow at a CNN town hall. Black Panther helps register voters. And Jon demands a gay superhero. A guy with laser eyes and a boyfriend. What’s the problem? Mayor Michael Tubbs of Stockton, Black Lives Matter activist Alicia Garza, and comedian Jenny Yang join Jon in Sacramento to break down the week’s news and mock Marco Rubio because he deserves it.
2/24/2018 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 27 seconds
LeBron/Rippon
Mueller drops more indictments. Republicans block immigration reform. Another deadly school shooting elicits thoughts and prayers. The Obama portraits scramble some brains. And Laura Ingraham blows a dog whistle wrong because we all can hear it. Roxane Gay, Solomon Georgio, and Amani Al-Khatahtbeh join Jon to break down the week’s news. Plus, we’re soliciting submissions for the official Trump portrait at crooked.com/portraitmode.
2/17/2018 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 42 seconds
Dystopian Layer Cake
Democrats push for a vote on DACA. Trump loves a parade and a staff secretary with a history of violence. And Omarosa turns Big Brother into Meet the Press. Live from Denver, Jon is joined by Alyssa Mastromonaco, Adam Cayton-Holland, and Ricardo Baca to break down the week’s news and yes to briefly discuss Trump’s hair and the recent revelations pertaining to it. Fine.
2/10/2018 • 57 minutes, 25 seconds
The Fucking Memo
The Nunes Memo is released and it’s even dumber than expected. Trump delivered a State of the Union and then obliterated any memory of it, per usual. Hope Hicks was reportedly too obvious about crimes. And you won’t want to miss a shockingly passionate diatribe about the food pyramid. Sasheer Zamata, Adam Conover, and Francesca Fiorentini join Jon to break down the news of the week. Plus who will win the big game Sunday? Will it be the underdog?
2/3/2018 • 1 hour, 26 seconds
The House Always Wynns
Trump puts an immigration proposal on the table. GOP finance chair Steve Wynn is accused of misconduct. And Sean Hannity struggles to serve master. Live from the Moore Theatre in Seattle, Jon is joined by Ijeoma Oluo, Lindy West, and Akilah Hughes to break down the week’s news and reference Frasier because people from Seattle love Frasier.
1/27/2018 • 1 hour, 10 minutes, 4 seconds
Shut Down for What
Well, it happened. The partisan House bill fails, the bipartisan compromise can’t get a vote, talks continue into the morning, and the government shuts down. Plus big Russia developments, Stormy Daniels tells all, and Trump voters finally get some press. Moshe Kasher, Paola Mendoza, and Louis Virtel join Jon to break down the week as the votes unfold in real time. Also, what is going on with Justin Timberlake?
1/20/2018 • 59 minutes, 45 seconds
Lovett or Brexit
Trump rejects a bipartisan immigration deal and has all of us saying “shithole” over and over again. Hawaii is hit with a false alarm. And royals have some racist brooches. Live from London, Trump may not have felt welcome here but we sure did! Stephen Merchant, Shaista Aziz, and Nish Kumar join Jon at Cadogan Hall to kick off the first Lovett or Leave It of 2018. What a week.
1/14/2018 • 56 minutes, 9 seconds
Roll Tidings of Comfort and Joy
Doug Jones wins! Omarosa is chopped or whatever. And Lovett or Leave It closes the books on 2017 with a holiday AKA Christmas spectacular. Favreau and Vietor compete to remember all the people Trump fired. Kara Brown, Colton Dunn, and Alice Barker join to discuss everything from Alabama to bitcoin. Ira Madison III of “Keep It” stops by for OK, Stop. And Tim Miller takes us back to the Cuck Zone one last time. Weird year. See you in 2018!
12/16/2017 • 59 minutes, 44 seconds
Handmaid’s Fail
A government shutdown looms!!! Trump stumps for Roy Moore even as resignations over sexual misconduct pile up on the Hill. Republicans experience memory loss on Russia. (And, lose)
Comey’s tweets are just terrible. And Donald Trump, Jr. - not a lawyer - invokes attorney-client privilege in a conversation with his father - not a lawyer. Andy Daly, Jenny Yang, and Emily Heller join Jon to break down the week and figure out why a person would pretend to be a sign language interpreter.
12/9/2017 • 54 minutes, 11 seconds
Lock Him Up
Flynn cops a plea. The tax bill verges on passage. A government shutdown looms. And Trump still manages to find new lows on Twitter. In a special crossover episode, Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer, Ira Madison, and Lovett walk through Mueller’s deal with Flynn. Then Megan Gailey, Jamil Smith, and Maz Jobrani join to break down a wild week. Plus there’s a dramatic reading with Liz Meriwether and we discuss the royal engagement you people care about for some reason. There’s too much news.
12/2/2017 • 1 hour, 24 minutes, 59 seconds
The Real Housewife in Chief
Andy Cohen, Franchesca Ramsey, and Daveed Diggs join Jon at the Beacon Theatre in New York City for a special Thanksgiving episode looking at reality TV, social media, and the shamelessness of this political moment. Plus, Murielle Borst Tarrant of “Don't Feed the Indians” shares Thanksgiving gripes and we introduce the hardest quiz in the history of the show: Breitbart, Fox News, or fake Russian ad?
11/25/2017 • 1 hour, 6 minutes, 24 seconds
Injustice League
Van Jones, Cristela Alonzo, and Langston Kerman join Jon to break down the week’s news. Al Franken faces an allegation. Kushner and Sessions once again struggle with human memory. The GOP tax plan moves through Congress. And the Flash can be gay. Maybe. Hopefully?
11/18/2017 • 54 minutes, 58 seconds
Take a Knee, Toyota!
Ronan Farrow, Katy Tur, Alex Wagner, and Michelle Wolf join Jon at the Beacon Theatre in New York City for a special episode of Lovett or Leave It marking one year since Election Day 2016. Plus, a Paul Ryan-themed quiz, the meaning of the Virginia victories, and rants about true crime podcasts because what is going on there? How much true crime is enough for you people?
11/11/2017 • 1 hour, 16 minutes, 40 seconds
A Slice of White (Only) Pizza
Indictments! Tax reform! DNC infighting! Jon is joined by comedians Max Silvestri and Rae Sanni and Crooked Media editor-in-chief Brian Beutler to break down an insane week. Plus Vanessa Grigoriadis talks about Betsy DeVos and the politics of consent, a dramatic reading of a very cool text chain, a few choice rants, and more.
11/4/2017 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 4 seconds
It's Not a Trick, It's Collusion
Flake jumps ship. Trump goes back to the Hillary well. FCC paves the way for right-wing local news. And you sheep didn't go see a great sci-fi movie which is why we can't have nice things. Jack Whitehall, Akilah Hughes, and Brian Babylon join Jon to break down the week and rant and also discuss badgers for some reason.
10/28/2017 • 51 minutes, 25 seconds
He Can’t Say Anything to Your Face
Trump drags the country into a cruel debate. Women post their stories of sexual harassment. And Crooked Media obtains a leaked White House memo. Jenny Slate, Zoe Lister-Jones, and Jenny Yang join Jon to break down the week. Plus a dramatic reading and a much-needed counterpoint in defense of the Avatar sequels.
10/21/2017 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 28 seconds
Open Secrets and Lies
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joins Jon to discuss Weinstein and justice for victims of sexual assault from Hollywood to college campuses to the military. Plus, we cover guns, Iran, and there's a new quiz. Then Jenni Konnor, Symone Sanders, and Neal Brennan talk about the culture around harassment in Hollywood, Trump's sabotage of the health care system, and the important issues of Avatar sequels and Eminem's resistance poetry.
10/14/2017 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 9 seconds
Runnin' Down a Dreamer
Bonus ep! Rob Huebel, Taz Ahmed, and Felix Biederman join Jon at LA Podfest to talk Trump's revised travel ban, immigration, and DOJ's trans ruling. Plus a dramatic reading by Rob and "Too Stupid to be True" on birth control. Good.
10/10/2017 • 39 minutes, 31 seconds
Rex Tillerson, Welcome to the Resistance
Rexy gets caught telling the truth. The country once again debates gun violence. Trump heads to Puerto Rico. The "Iron Stache" Randy Bryce talks Paul Ryan. Congressman Mark Pocan talks monopolies. Erin Gloria Ryan tests Jon on Wisconsin trivia. Plus comedians Felonious Munk and Brandon Wardell join Jon to break down the week. Recorded live in Madison, Wisconsin!
10/7/2017 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 25 seconds
High on Taxpayer Supply
The Graham-Cassidy health care bill fails. Gary Cohn goes Lucille Bluth on tax cuts. Tom Price loves a captain’s chair at 30,000 feet. And Paul Ryan says he’s very happy with Trump. Marc Maron, Tony Goldwyn, Heben Nigatu, and Craig Mazin join Jon to break down the week's news and more.
9/30/2017 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 58 seconds
The Middle Finger on America's Right Hand
McCain says no to Graham-Cassidy. Trump and Kim give each other pet names. And Lawrence will not have the hammering. Melina Abdullah, Ed Helms, and Norman Lear join Jon to break down the week. Plus Norman rules on boomers v. millennials and we have some leaked audio you won't hear anywhere else.
9/23/2017 • 1 hour, 11 minutes
Trump's Emotional Affair
Chuck and Nancy make a deal, Medicare for All battles Repeal and Replace, and Sessions gets reamed in the Oval. Guy Branum, Erin Gloria Ryan, and Julissa Arce help break down the week. Plus Jon sits down with Cyrus Habib, the Lt. Governor of Washington, to talk education and we check in with America's evil baroness.
9/16/2017 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 17 seconds
From Russia with Likes
Sessions announces the end to DACA with a running fuse. Big boy Trump finally strikes his first deal. Deadly storms portend a worsening climate. Facebook has some explaining to do. Lou Dobbs goes MAGA on Paul Ryan. And Equifax is just despicable. Sasheer Zamata, Negin Farsad, and Jaboukie Young-White join Jon to break down the week's news. Plus a dramatic reading you won't want to miss. Recorded live at the Now Hear This Podcast Festival in New York.
9/9/2017 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 57 seconds
Prophets of Rage
Chuck D of Public Enemy and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine join Jon to talk about the soundtrack of the Resistance. Then Jake Fogelnest, Cord Jefferson, and Brittani Nichols break down the latest news on Houston, Mueller's investigation, and Trump's attacks on the media. And activist Rubi Martinez talks about the threat facing undocumented young people as Trump considers rescinding DACA. Other notes: Jon bleeps one Game of Thrones spoiler, so no worries there. And two sites mentioned today: houstonfoodbank.org and defendDACA.com.
9/2/2017 • 1 hour, 19 minutes
Look What You Made Him Do
Trump pardons Arpaio, trans service members face a ban, North Korea launches missiles, Gorka is out, and Taylor Swift gets the crowd riled up. Jon is joined by Michaela Watkins, Alice Wetterlund, Andrew Ti, Tommy Vietor and Ira Madison III to break down the week including a bunch of late-breaking Friday news. And no GOT spoilers, OK?
8/26/2017 • 1 hour, 15 minutes, 49 seconds
Calamity Bannon
A week that began with marching ends with marching orders. Larry Wilmore, Gaby Dunn, and Langston Kerman join Jon to discuss the latest White House shake up and the fallout from Charlottesville. Plus GOP operative Tim Miller stops by for a new segment called "The Cuck Zone" and Jon learns in real time why a Kardashian is on the rant wheel.
8/19/2017 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 17 seconds
Rain of Terror
Todd Barry, Natalie Morales, and Dan Pfeiffer join Jon to discuss North Korea, the opioid crisis, McConnell v. Trump, immigration, and the rest of it. Recorded live at the Outside Lands Festival in SF.
8/12/2017 • 56 minutes, 4 seconds
Smother of Exiles
Trump plays to the base, foreign leader transcripts leak, Mueller makes some moves, a C+ Santa Monica fascist takes the podium, and Dunkirk is best in 70mm. Joe Mande, Cameron Esposito, and Ann Friedman join Jon to break down the week's news and introduce a new game that worked... pretty well.
8/5/2017 • 58 minutes, 1 second
You Can't McConnell an Honest Man
Trumpcare dies in the Senate! Priebus is bounced from the motorcade! Plus the Mooch toots his own horn, as it were. Recorded LIVE at the Comedy Store, Jon breaks down yet another insane week with writer Ira Madison, actor Brett Gelman, comedian Amanda Seales, reporter Jake Sherman, and Crooked Media's own Jon Favreau. Plus, how about not checking your phone during the one hour a week when we're watching Game of Thrones? Possible?
7/29/2017 • 1 hour, 9 seconds
Sisyphus with a Mini Fridge
Sarah Silverman, DeRay Mckesson, and Guy Branum join Jon to break down an extraordinary week. The health care bill lives and dies and lives again. Trump discovers the pardon power. Sessions reportedly lied under oath. And please do not worry: we give Sean Spicer a lovely send off.
7/22/2017 • 1 hour, 6 minutes, 14 seconds
Moscow Mules and Piña Colludas
Rainn Wilson, Max Silvestri, Milana Vayntrub, and Laurie Kilmartin join Jon to discuss Junior's meetings, health care, humanitarian work, and Dwight Schrute. Plus a new game ends in a little collusion you won't want to miss.
7/14/2017 • 1 hour, 54 seconds
Going HAMptons on Partisanship
Packed show! Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on his run for Governor. Jeff Ross, Wil Wheaton, and Sabrina Jalees discuss ethics resignations and voter fraud; Tommy Vietor joins for the "Vietor Detour" to break down a big foreign policy week; and the rant wheel turns into a debate over civility in politics.
7/8/2017 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 17 seconds
Delay on? On delay.
Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado joins Jon to talk about the health care fight and a positive vision for Democrats, and to quiz the audience on a special mile-high topic. Plus comedian and writer Travon Free and Atlantic reporter Julia Ioffe help break down the week's news. Recorded live at the Belly Up comedy club in Aspen, Colorado.
7/1/2017 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 21 seconds
Wario and Peace
Paul Scheer, Rory Scovel, and Jessica Chaffin join Jon to break down the latest on health care. Plus a look at Trump's lame excuses for claiming he had "tapes" and, at long last, a discussion of Dear Evan Hansen.
6/24/2017 • 1 hour, 4 minutes
Mueller? I hardly know her.
Jon is joined by Jamil Smith of MTV News, Vanity Fair's Nick Bilton, and comedian Mo Welch to discuss the shooting in Alexandria, news reports that Trump himself is now under investigation, McConnell's play to revamp the health care system in secret, and, most importantly, endless construction at the Beverly Center.
6/16/2017 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 18 seconds
There's Just Like So Much Going On (Live from DC!)
Trump's response to terror, the war on the war on drugs, the role of the press, Putin's spin on collusion, the impact of unfilled jobs across our government, and, most importantly, Wonder Woman. In the second live show at the Lincoln Theatre in DC, Jon is joined by The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, NBC investigative correspondent Ronan Farrow, and Washington Post humor columnist Alexandra Petri for a conversation on topics that sometimes get swamped by the daily insanity.
6/9/2017 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 55 seconds
There Will Be Flood (Live from DC!)
The US withdraws from the Paris accords. Spicer dodges questions on climate. CEOs are divided on advising Trump. And a new segment: "Too Stupid to be Congress." Recorded at the Lincoln Theatre on U Street, Jon is joined by CBS News White House reporter Jackie Alemany, Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden, and Campaign Zero co-founder Brittney Packnett.
6/3/2017 • 1 hour, 15 minutes
Baby Got Backchannel
Jared Kushner is in very big trouble, Trump studies abroad, the administration releases a cruel budget, and the GOP holds a seat in Montana. The Daily Beast's Ira Madison III, Fargo's Allison Tolman, and comedian Bobby Lee join to break down the week's news. Plus, our own Tommy Vietor takes us through the Kushner madness.
5/27/2017 • 54 minutes, 28 seconds
Comey Comey Comey Chameleon
What a week. What. A. Week. Comedians Dave Anthony, Grace Parra, and Mike Lawrence join. Also, a Rubio-themed quiz. Exciting.
5/20/2017 • 49 minutes, 18 seconds
Where There's Smoke There's Fire Comey
What a week. Comey, the fallout of several bonkers Trump interviews, Spicer's embarrassing briefing, and more with Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Lapkus, and Gareth Reynolds.
5/13/2017 • 54 minutes, 7 seconds
Pre-Exhausting Conditions
Zombie Trumpcare clears the House. Comey says he'd do it all again. The FCC threatens net neutrality. And Ivanka Trump has advice for working women who cannot wait to hear it. Teen Vogue's Lauren Duca, comedian Jena Friedman, and ABC's Dan Harris join. Plus Jon sits down with Professor Tim Wu, the expert who first coined the term "net neutrality."
5/6/2017 • 1 hour, 10 minutes, 5 seconds
Fun Hundred Days
Stephen Merchant, Moshe Kasher, and Pam Brady join Jon to discuss Trump's first hundo, plus Stephen faces a daunting quiz. Special thanks to Ja Rule for allowing us to record at Fyre Festival.
4/29/2017 • 50 minutes, 49 seconds
Bill Oh Really
Recorded live in Austin, comedians Guy Branum, Aparna Nancherla, and Hari Kondabolu break down the week's news and Jon sits down with Congressman Beto O'Rourke to discuss his campaign for the Senate against Ted Cruz.
4/22/2017 • 54 minutes, 58 seconds
Godwin's Law and Order
Trump's policy reversals, Spicer's analogies, Page's FISA warrant, and a look at the week's worst punditry with Rhea Butcher, Zhubin Parang, and Mike Schur.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
4/15/2017 • 57 minutes, 38 seconds
Masters of War-a-Lago
Ike Barinholtz, Neal Brennan and Jessica Yellin join to talk Gorsuch, Bannon v. Kushner, atrocious Syria punditry, and that Pepsi ad because we're only human. Plus, Jon attacks S-Town's... critics?
4/8/2017 • 51 minutes, 12 seconds
After Nunes, Delight?
Danny Zuker, D'Arcy Carden, and Tommy Vietor join for a rundown of the week's news. Also Jon attacks "S-Town" because why not.
4/1/2017 • 49 minutes, 44 seconds
Trumpcare is dead, Lovett or Leave It is LIVE. Our first episode!
Michaela Watkins, Katie Nolan, and Jon Favreau join for a rundown of the week's news in front of a live audience, plus we introduce the Rant Wheel.
3/25/2017 • 53 minutes, 44 seconds
Teaser Episode
"Lovett or Leave It" launches Saturday March 25th!