The Mary Houlihan Show

Christian Polanco (The Cooligans podcast) talks the 2026 FIFA World Cup, sportswashing, and how teams getting punished (or not punished) for their government's behavior. We discuss the growth of American soccer, equal pay in the women's game, FIFA's treatment of Russia and Iran, the Maccabi Tel Aviv riots in Amsterdam, efforts to ban Israel from FIFA, and how fan-owned clubs in Germany approach in...

Ron Placone talks the forgotten left-wing history of Italian Americans, and why immigrant diaspora groups in the U.S. should reclaim their radical history, whether your family's been here for ten years or two-hundred years. If you're liking the show, please consider supporting at patreon.com/maryhoulihan as a paid or free member. Timestamps 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:36 Intro 00:01:00 Anti-Fascist Pas...

Rod Benson talks about his varied career as a professional basketball player, fine artist, muralist, and writer. Rod has painted 84 Luigi murals across LA, including one outside our podcast studio. Rod and Mary speak freely about LA fire theories, frustrations with mainstream media, celebrity silence, abolishing NDA's, and why speaking out is an act of resistance. Timestamps 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00...

Jamie Loftus talks her journey as a gonzo-style journalist turned podcast maker, covering her deep-dive series on Mensa, Lolita, viral fame, and hot dogs. They share the challenges of building a career while corporate media consolidates. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:41 Intro 00:01:07 Journalism-as-Podcast and the Mensa Project 00:06:24 Mensa, IQ Tests, and Right-Wing Overlap 00:11:14 16th Mi...

Lexi Plata, a 63-year-old trans Ecuadorian-American comedian from Queens, joins Mary Houlihan for a wide-ranging conversation covering her life story, trans identity, and growing up in pre-gentrified New York City. They discuss the anti-trans media narrative, working for the Gambino family as a teenager, Lexi's complicated relationship with Catholicism, immigration, ICE, and why she has checked ou...

Maebe Pudlo, candidate for California State Senate District 26, joins Mary Houlihan to discuss their political journey from challenging Adam Schiff to running for state senate. They cover the Palestine ceasefire resolution Maebe passed on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, trans representation in government, ICE raids in LA, and their platform on housing, policing, and how to fund it all. Times...

Amber Flannery Field is a tour guide, video essayist, community organizer, and big on TikTok. We talk doing comedy in New York in the 2010's, what trans activists can learn from previous civil rights movements, and why you should come out of the closet already. Subscribe to The Mary Houlihan Show on YouTube for more videos, including my Cuba travel vlog: https://www.youtube.com/maryhoulihan Follow...

Mike Recine is a stand-up comedian, husband, father, and former garbage man. We talk the cultural divide in comedy, comedians who are edgy on stage but sweet in real life, and Mike's plan to reboot Cumtown. This podcast is available on YouTube! Watch videos, including my Cuba travel vlog, at  https://www.youtube.com/@maryhoulie Follow Mike Recine and see when he's coming to your town at ...

Chuck Park is running for Congress in NY-6. He talks divesting from Israel, why Queens doesn't need a casino, and why we have such a problem of people in power being silent on these obvious issues. We might as well just be honest and see how it lands. This podcast is available on YouTube! Watch videos, including my Cuba travel vlog, at https://www.youtube.com/@maryhoulie Learn more about Chuck Par...

Rae Huang is the progressive candidate for Los Angeles mayor. Rae is a single mother, community organizer, and pastor. She breaks down her platform across four areas: social housing, a people-centered local economy, green infrastructure, and public safety reform. We also discuss ICE raids and their impact on LA's immigrant communities, police accountability, and why Rae refuses corporate donations...

Francesca Fiorentini has been consistently making left-wing comedy, journalism, and comedy-journalism for over a decade. Having previously worked for big-name news organizations, she now produces her own hugely popular show on YouTube, "The Bitchuation Room." In this era where people are starving for leftist political comedy, yet corporations are hesitant to invest in it, Francesca shares her wisd...

Gabe Dunn talks pivoting from TV writer to citizen journalist, covering ICE detention, immigration protests, and political activism in LA. They also discuss Gabe's Jewish and Zionist upbringing, evolving views on Israel and Palestine, trans identity in Hollywood, and what it's like to speak out publicly when peers stay silent. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:45 Intro 00:01:23 From Boston Globe...

Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie Tanner of "Full House" fame) talks about leveraging her fame as a child star to help get the word out about political causes and recovery resources to her large social media following. Now a director and standup comedian, Jodie works with Jane Fonda's First Amendment Committee to make digestible comedic content about the stories corporate news media misses. Timestamps 00:0...

Ahmed Al-kadri, a Yemeni American comedian from Dallas, Texas, talks building an independent touring career from scratch, his viral "Arab parents" sketch series, leaning in to taboo topics, and getting to tour with Sammy Obeid and Bassem Youssef. Ahmed also speaks about his support for Palestine and what it means to represent an underrepresented voice in entertainment. 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:37 In...

Angela Gonzales-Torres, endorsed by Justice Democrats, is running for Congress in CA-34 to unseat an incumbent who takes corporate donations from AIPAC, for-profit prisons, and detention centers. Angela is a lifelong Angeleno, from a family who has lived in East LA for generations. She has already made change with pilot programs that help local youth. She works with elderly folks, and helps people...

Eddie Pepitone talks celebrity sellouts, political activism, AI surveillance, mental health, and the craft of political comedy. Timestamps 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:38 Intro 00:01:00 40 Years in Stand-Up Comedy 00:03:35 Hollywood Realities and Disillusionment 00:04:03 Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Wells Fargo 00:07:27 Comedians, Selling Out, and Bob Dylan 00:09:56 Billionaires, AI Surveillance, and...

Taylor Lorenz is ringing the alarm for Section 230. The Heritage Foundation wants to repeal the single most important Internet privacy law. Why are celebrities like Joseph Gordon-Levitt helping them? Mary suggests that celebrities are afraid to call each other out because, "well, what if Joseph Gordon-Levitt wants to work with me one day?" Repealing Section 230 will hurt trans and queer youth, and...

Palestinian-American comedian Lana Salah joins the show to discuss challenges Muslim comedians face in mainstream media and late-night television. She talks representation, censorship related to Palestine and Gaza discussions, Islamophobia, and the importance of building independent platforms. Also: what the hell is going on with Erika Kirk? Timestamps 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:03 Intro 00:01:39 Lack...

Comedian Brodie Reed discusses his decision to get away from it all and move to Japan. He explains how he learned Japanese so that he could watch anime without subtitles or dubbed audio. Now that he's back in the U.S., he is back to performing comedy and banjo, and wants to make independent films on his own terms – having spent his younger years pitching shows to traditional Hollywood. He's also i...

Comedian James Fritz talks Kentucky, starting comedy in Chicago, and how damn expensive California is getting. James's album "Old Man Yells At Crowd" (A Special Thing Records) is a master class in joking about leftist politics with zero preachiness or "clapter." We talk about Democrats' failure to be an antiwar party, and whether or not blue states are less racist than red states. Listen to "Old M...

Dexter Thomas describes working as an independent journalist vs. working at a news organization with more resources. He compares academia to a cult and pyramid scheme, highlighting limited job opportunities and the devaluation of humanities degrees. He provides advice on pursuing graduate school and questions the value of accolades for prestige. The episode explores journalism bias, political infl...

Jake Flores talks doxxing ICE, getting doxxed, comedian grifts, and why everyone hates the left (including leftists). Timestamps: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:00 Intro 00:02:20 Twitter hate is free therapy (bad idea) 00:05:10 Shane Gillis says Gaza → actually based? 00:08:30 Celebs cashing Palestine checks 00:10:00 Toxic dude-bro fan armies explained 00:13:40 Why Pod Damn America will NEVER go on Pod Sa...

Aida Ashouri talks running as an Independent grassroots candidate for Los Angeles City Attorney. She explains that City Attorney actually has a lot more power than a lot of people realize –– they can shut down contracts that hurt working class Angelinos, sue slumlords, enact new policies for policing, and generally act as a watchdog for all facets of of Los Angeles governance. Aida needs your help...

Chris Duffy (hilarious comedian, writer, and professional thought-spiraler) talks roast jokes gone wrong, climbing cringe mountain, TV writing as a lifelong addiction, why comedy might accidentally save the world, parenting on zero sleep, and the undeniable scientific fact that poo tastes exactly how you’d expect. Buy Chris's book "Humor Me" on Bookshop.org - https://bookshop.org/p/books/humor-me-...

Mara Wilson (Matilda, Mrs. Doubtfire) talks growing up in Hollywood, being a celebrity in Colombia, and using her platform to normalize endometriosis and OCD. And lots more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .