The Nightly

Josh Gondelman and Elise Hu take a nostalgic trip through the delights of state fairs, county fairs, and the simple joys of an unstructured summer. What You’ll Hear: Fried Food and First Freedoms: Jenny calls in to share her love of state fairs, sparking a conversation about deep-fried treats, giant butter sculptures, and the unforgettable feeling of roaming a fair with friends for the first time....

Josh Gondelman and journalist Elise Hu swap summer traditions, childhood nostalgia, and the surprisingly revealing art of pillow fort design. What You’ll Hear Pillow Fort Personalities: From strict pillow-only construction to full-scale living room renovations, Josh and Elise explore how a person’s fort-building style might say more about them than they realize. Sidelines and Scandinavian Wisdom:...

KP Parker and Matt Bragg swap hot-weather survival strategies, questionable science facts, and fond memories of waterbeds. What You’ll Hear: Cooling Off, One Appliance at a Time: Matt explains how an ice machine became the newest star of his kitchen, sparking a debate about the most life-changing gadget money can buy. The Rise and Fall of the Waterbed: A conversation about cooling mattress hacks l...

KP Parker and Matt Bragg swap unlikely history lessons, from a legendary World Cup upset to a border dispute sparked by one very hungry pig. What You’ll Hear: The Miracle on Grass: A team of teachers, dishwashers, and a hearse driver walk into the 1950 World Cup—and somehow make sports history. KP brings the underdog story; Matt brings the football fan perspective. When Sports Were Amateur: A conv...

KP Parker and Matt Bragg unpack a whirlwind work-trip romance that ends with a second-story escape and then take a surprisingly deep dive into Type A and Type B personalities. What You’ll Hear The Great Balcony Getaway: In tonight's Reddit bad date story, a chance meeting at a conference turns into an instant connection, a return visit, and one very questionable exit strategy. Dating at Warp Speed...

Josh Gondelman and guest host comedian Alison Leiby set sail on a cozy conversation about ferries and the joys of taking the scenic route. What You’ll Hear Ferry Weather Forever: Alison makes the case for New York City’s most relaxing form of public transportation, from waterfront views to the simple pleasure of feeling briefly on vacation. Two Boats and a Dream: A pandemic-era comedy gig leads to...

Josh Gondelman and guest host Alison Leiby celebrate 25 years of a comedy classic that shaped their sense of humor. What You’ll Hear The Summer Camp Movie That Changed Everything: Josh and Alison revisit Wet Hot American Summer, from its stacked cast to the delightfully strange comedy that made it an instant favorite... for a certain kind of comedy fan. Friendship Lore & Favorite Comedies: A conve...

Josh Gondelman and guest host comedian Alison Leiby swap stories about surprise run-ins, celebrity sightings, and the one casino game they’d actually like to understand. What You’ll Hear Everybody’s Here: A chance anniversary dinner turns into an unexpected reunion, complete with Shirley Temples, karaoke memories, and the particular magic of running into friends where you least expect them. Famous...

Josh Gondelman and guest host comedian Alison Leiby imagine a world with friendlier neighbors, cozier apartments, and cats who might just become roommates. What You’ll Hear: The Great Pillow Debate: From flat pillows to pillow stacks to pets that double as armrests, Josh and Alison compare the sleep setups that help them settle in for the night. Neighbor Goals: After years of hallway hellos, Aliso...

Josh Gondelman and Wils Pelton discuss apartment makeovers, one-of-a-kind art, and why some experiences feel more meaningful when they’re a little harder to access. What You’ll Hear The Great Living Room Reset: Wils shares the latest chapter in their ongoing home décor adventure, complete with furniture regrets, surprise purchases, and the ripple effects of moving one thing... and suddenly needing...

Wils Pelton and Josh Gondelman swap reading recommendations, abandoned books, and the joys of a well-timed nighttime stroll. What You’ll Hear: Strollmaxxing After Dark: Josh shares a new end-of-day ritual that turns an ordinary trip home into a little pocket of calm, while Wils introduces an even dreamier upgrade: creekmaxxing. The Books We Can’t Quit (and the Ones We Can): From putting a novel on...

KP Parker and guest host comedian Oscar Montoya revisit the glorious, chaotic world of teen movies, book adaptations, and the films that shaped their younger selves. What You’ll Hear Beach Trip, Rain Check: A getaway with high school friends turns into the perfect excuse for seafood dinners, board games, and an unexpected Twilight movie marathon. Books vs. Movies Forever: From The Hunger Games and...

KP Parker and guest host comedian Oscar Montoya tumble down a late-night rabbit hole of reality TV, Broadway obsessions, and deeply cursed Titanic media. What You’ll Hear Reality TV Brainworms: From "For the Love of DILFs" to wild email casting calls, KP and Oscar unpack the strange magic of competition shows, niche reality concepts, and the people brave enough to audition for them. Broadway Kid E...

KP Parker and guest host comedian Oscar Montoya wander through the strangest corners of reality television history. What You’ll Hear: The Golden Age of Chaos: From Kid Nation to Whodunnit?, KP and Oscar revisit the deeply bizarre era when reality TV proudly called itself a “social experiment.” Delusion as an Art Form: A loving celebration of unforgettable contestants, wonderfully chaotic hosts, an...

KP Parker and guest host comedian Oscar Montoya tumble down the Eurovision rabbit hole, with a few detours through reality TV obsession and Blake Shelton tabloid lore. What You’ll Hear: Camp Makes the Contest: Oscar explains why Eurovision became a glittery global phenomenon while America’s singing competitions fizzled into polite background noise. Along the way: ABBA, Riverdance, Tommy Cash, and...

Wils Pelton and Josh Gondelman welcome Bob the Drag Queen for a surprisingly heartfelt late-night chat about Broadway, stand-up comedy, internet outrage, and whether the universe actually cares about any of us. What You’ll Hear Broadway Dreams, Broadway Schedules: Bob reflects on performing in Moulin Rouge, surviving eight shows a week, and why exhausting experiences can still feel deeply worth it...

Josh Gondelman and Wils Pelton swap celebrity theories, unexpected life advice, and a few comforting philosophies. What You’ll Hear The Celebrities Who Don’t Feel Real: From Daniel Day-Lewis to Beyoncé, Josh and Wils explore which famous people seem like they exist on a different plane—and which ones feel like they could be their next-door neighbors. Accidental Wisdom From Famous Strangers: A hand...

Josh Gondelman and Wils Pelton unpack fake trends, apartment quirks, and the fine art of trying something new. What You’ll Hear The Great Tupperware Philosophy: Wils explains why they are drinking water out of what appears to be a restaurant prep container, and somehow it leads to a surprisingly heartfelt conversation about home systems that quietly make life better. A Cheugy Retrospective: Josh a...

KP Parker and Matt Bragg spiral delightfully through motion sickness hacks, cruise ship chaos, and the complicated beauty of water-filled goggles. What You’ll Hear: BuzzBalls Before Noon: Matt discovers the restorative powers of a parking-lot BuzzBall, while KP weighs the emotional risks of finally trying one herself. The conversation quickly becomes a surprisingly thoughtful review of beverages b...

KP Parker and Matt Bragg swap bizarre travel stories involving bee stings, haunted-feeling hotel art, and the emotional risks of tiny airports. What You’ll Hear: The Airport Cursed by Delays: A quick flight to Denver turns into a marathon of strange announcements, mystery medical emergencies, and one very inconvenient bee sting. The Hotel Wall of Madness: KP discovers her Denver hotel still featur...

KP Parker and Matt Bragg spiral from a very public Survivor spoiler into the surprisingly emotional world of grown-up toys. What You’ll Hear: Jeff Probst Breaks the Internet: A live Survivor finale goes slightly off the rails when Jeff accidentally reveals a major elimination early. KP walks Matt through the chaos, the betting scandal theories, and why Riz God may actually come out more famous tha...

KP Parker and Matt Bragg wander through a perfume shop full of strange scents, questionable purchases, and one surprisingly charming bad portrait. What You’ll Hear: Perfume Notes and Hot Dog Water: KP discovers a scent shop selling everything from “old library” to “holy water” to a perfume that somehow smells exactly like grilled hot dogs. Matt remains deeply, deeply skeptical. The Art of Doing Th...

Wils Pelton and Josh Gondelman trace the strange path from birthday party hopping to the tweets and internet posts that permanently rewired their brains. What You’ll Hear: A Very Social Evening: Wils and Josh compare notes on the oddly satisfying art of bouncing between parties, catching trains, grabbing bodega snacks, and somehow ending the night feeling more alive than exhausted. Posts That Beca...

Wils Pelton and Josh Gondelman swap stories about tiny home disasters (the disasters are tiny, and the homes aren't too big either), expensive furniture decisions, and the deeply comforting feeling of knowing a guy who can fix things. What You’ll Hear The Great AC Search: One new bedroom air conditioner sends Wils and Josh into the emotional maze of appliance shopping, online reviews, and trying t...

Wils Pelton and Josh Gondelman chat youth trend reports, nostalgic toys, and surprisingly romantic anniversary gifts. What You’ll Hear The Dumpling Craze: Wils reports back from a very cool Bushwick roller rink show and introduces Josh to the latest mystery-box obsession: collectible dumplings. Parachutes, Viewfinders, and Other Childhood Treasures: The two revisit gym-class parachutes, sticker sh...