The bi-weekly podcast by actor and comedian Marc Maron ended with presidential flair — capping a more than 15-year run that reached millions of listeners.

Episode 1,686 of WTF with Marc Maron dropped on Monday featuring former President Barack Obama as the final guest.

At the start of the episode, Maron explained that he wanted to speak with someone who can help not only reflect on the podcast’s legacy, but how he and his listeners should navigate the world. He also wanted insight from the former president on the current state of politics moving forward.

“And how do we do it with some grace and perhaps some hope and some focus,” Maron said, asking how to engage in civil discourse.

Obama first appeared on WTF back in 2015, recording from inside Maron’s garage. For the second conversation, Maron said it was only fair that this time he host the show from Obama’s house in Washington, D.C.

During their hour-long talk, the two spoke about President Trump’s second administration, the impact of social media and the need to treat others with decency and respect.

Maron launched WTF with producer Brendan McDonald in September 2009 when podcasting started to gain traction. Over the years, it became the go-to spot for in-depth conversations with actors, directors, writers and most notably, other comedians. Some entertainers who appeared on the podcast include Robin Williams, Louis C.K. and Lorne Michaels.

WTF won several awards throughout the years, including Best Comedy Podcast in 2016 by the Academy of Podcasters.

In July, Maron told NPR’s Fresh Air that ending the podcast was a difficult decision, but that he and McDonald had reached a point where they were proud of what they created and were feeling burnt out.

“I just don’t think there’s any shame in stopping if moving forward would compromise either my or Brendan’s vision of the thing or our ability to do it,” he said on Fresh Air. “We’ve maintained our audience all these years, and a lot of them are very close to me. And oddly, the decision made sense to a lot of them.”

Part of Maron’s charm on WTF was his vulnerability. He openly discussed his struggles with anxiety, loss and past addiction to drugs and alcohol. During the last episode of WTF, Maron told Obama that he was ready for the break but he also felt some nervousness about what comes next.

“There is sort of a fear there, of what do I do now?” he said.

“There is a feeling of like, how am I going to feel less alone? How am I going to deal with my mental this or that? And how am I going to find, you know, a way to exist in the world that we’re living in?” Maron added.

The former president responded by sharing how he adjusted to life after leaving the White House.

“Don’t rush into what the next thing is. Take a beat and take some satisfaction,” Obama said. “Pat yourself on the back for a second.”

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Uplifting Indigenous stories

For Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Up First newsletter is recognizing the work NPR’s member stations do to uplift Indigenous voices. NPR network member stations are independent and locally operated. They determine their own schedules and base their reporting on the needs and interests of their communities, many of which feature large Indigenous populations.

Lily Hope, a Lingít master weaver, is using the popular Labubu dolls to raise awareness of Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving. She has dedicated her life to reviving this craft. So far, Hope has assisted hundreds of Alaska Native individuals in establishing their own weaving practices. (via KTOO)

For her senior thesis, Natalie Zenk researched a Native American statue that had been in Cornell College’s art collection for more than a century. But her project quickly shifted when she discovered its origins were from the Etowah Indian Mounds, a Mississippian burial site in Georgia, hundreds of miles from where the college is located in Iowa. (via Iowa Public Radio)

One hundred and seventy years ago, the U.S. Army massacred a Lakota village near Lewellen, Neb., and soldiers took dozens of the Lakota people’s belongings. The historic possessions were later donated to the Smithsonian Institution. After serious negotiations, these items have now been returned to the descendants of the tribe. (via Nebraska Public Media)

Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines-Roberson Jr. is a Nipmuc cultural steward who teaches traditional Indigenous arts and advocates for Indigenous communities to have access to and manage conservation land. His efforts have brought attention to the declining supply of Atlantic white cedar trees in Nipmuc territory. These cedar saplings are essential for constructing the traditional dwellings of Eastern Woodlands tribes. (via WBUR)

President Trump’s recent Pentagon DEI directive has resulted in the erasure of some Native American war heroes’ legacies from military history records. Although some previously removed photos and stories have been restored, this three-part series by KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio focuses on the impact of the administration’s actions on the families and descendants of Arizona icons Ira Hayes, Lori Piestewa, and the Navajo Code Talkers.

Have five minutes of your time to spare? Our Living Lands is a weekly radio segment that examines how climate change affects the health, culture, and environment of Indigenous communities. It is led by a three-person Indigenous team, in collaboration with the Mountain West News Bureau, Koahnic Broadcast Corporation and Native Public Media.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Listens

Journalist Rebecca Nagle poses next to her new book, By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land

Photo credit: Brittany Bendabout

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Photo credit: Brittany Bendabout

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Journalist Rebecca Nagle poses next to her new book, By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land

Photo credit: Brittany Bendabout

Common Land: Delves into the history, science and politics behind the creation of one particular patch of protected common land.

• 🎧 Show producer Matt Podolsky attempts to hike the Appalachian Trail with his 65-year-old mom, Candy. The two face extreme weather, illness and injury as they trek 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine. Along the way, Podolsky shares stories of remarkable people, intriguing history, and the modern challenges facing the Appalachian Trail — all as the iconic footpath marks its 100th anniversary.

The Evergreen: Listen to this audio portrait of the Pacific Northwest that showcases stories of the people, places, communities and cultures that make up the region.

• 🎧 Central Oregon’s High Desert Museum’s exhibit, “Sensing Sasquatch,” is interactive, multidimensional and includes larger-than-life installations. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the artwork through touch and smell. The exhibit showcases Native American interpretations of the being known as Sasquatch, Bigfoot or “the big guy.” In this episode, hear from three of the artists — Charlene Moody, Frank Buffalo Hyde and Philip Cash Cash — who co-curated the exhibit.

Curious City: This WBEZ podcast answers listeners’ questions about the Chicagoland region. Including the public in the storytelling makes the journalism more transparent and interconnected.

Code Switch: The podcast explores how race affects every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, food and everything in between. This podcast makes all of us part of the conversation — because we’re all part of the story.

• 🎧 On this episode, Native journalist Rebecca Nagle discusses her book, By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land. The book alternates between the history of Native displacement in the U.S. and a Supreme Court decision that rectifies some of its sins.

Throughline: Each episode travels beyond the headlines to answer the question, “How did we get here?” Sound and stories bring history to life and put you in the middle. From ancient civilizations to forgotten figures, hosts Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei take you directly to the moments that shaped our world.

• 🎧 The word “reservation” implies the land is “reserved” specifically for Native Americans. But most reservation land actually isn’t owned by tribes. Instead, it’s mixed into private farmland, federal forests, summer camps and even resorts. That’s evident for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in northern Minnesota. The tribe owns only a small portion of its reservation land. But just northwest of Leech Lake is Red Lake, one of the only reservations in the country where the tribe owns all of its land. In this episode, a road trip through Leech Lake and Red Lake to tell a tale of two tribal nations, the moments of choice that led them down very different paths, and what the future looks like from where they are now.

The Internet Says it’s True: Forgotten history, bizarre tales and facts that seem too strange to be true: Host Michael Kent asks listeners to tell him something strange, bizarre or surprising that they’ve recently learned, and he gets to the bottom of it. Every episode ends with a game show-style quiz game with a celebrity guest.

• 🎧 In 1957, an amazing discovery was made: a Viking Penny dating back to 11th century Norway. The find itself was rare but not unheard of. What made it so remarkable? The penny was unearthed on the eastern shore of Maine in the U.S. Hear about the founder’s incredible story.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.

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Published October 13, 2025 8:15 AM PDT