In June of 2025, Marc Maron announced he’ll be ending his beloved interview podcast WTF With Marc Maron after 16 years and 1,600 episodes. The show became a staple for Maron’s ability to get notable figures from then-sitting President Barack Obama to the late Robin Williams to open up and share intimate details of their lives, and will be much missed.
While there is only one WTF, long-time listeners needn’t be at a total loss for intimate celebrity chats Here are 12 suggestions for other podcasts that can help fill the void.
The Blindboy Podcast
Credit: The Blindboy Podcast
If you’re craving interviews that feel like they’re happening in the dark, dozy corner of a pub at 2 a.m., The Blindboy Podcast delivers. He disarms guests with his surreal humor and gentle curiosity, then leads them into raw, vulnerable conversations that unfold like therapy sessions. It’s weird, it’s wise, it’s deeply human. Not all episodes are interviews, but all episodes do have moments that feel academic, philosophical, and full of heart. Blindboy gets to the hearts of his guests in a way that nobody else can—and it’s clear he’s only interviewing people he really wants to talk to.
Kelly Corrigan Wonders
Credit: Kelly Corrigan Wonders
Queuing up an episode of Kelly Corrigan Wonders is like dialing up your smartest, funniest, most probing friend. In each episode, Kelly blends curiosity, vulnerability, and that rare honesty that makes you feel like you’re eavesdropping. It’s part therapy, part storytelling, and all heart. Kelly has a gift for asking questions that go beyond the surface—interviews often feel more like soul-level check-ins than media soundbites. Kelly doesn’t shy away from hard topics (loss, abortion, aging parents) but is still able to make you feel seen, soothed, and just a bit better about being human.
Death, Sex & Money
Credit: Death, Sex & Money
Anna Sale started Death, Sex & Money in 2017 after realizing other interview shows often avoided the hardest yet most interesting questions about human nature. So she started a show about just that—episodes go to places no other show will go when it comes to death (Anna talks to a man whose father has voluntarily stopped eating and drinking, ending his life), sex (why a woman left her polyamorous marriage), and money (this writer’s favorite episode, an interview with someone who steals). Anna is gentle and direct, encouraging her guests to talk openly about the stuff we were told not to bring up at the dinner table.
How to Fail
Credit: How to Fail
Asking someone what has gone wrong in their life is maybe the fastest (and most uncomfortable) path to intimacy. On every episode of How To Fail, journalist Elizabeth Day asks her guest to take us through three failures they’ve experienced, reframing them as events that helped them be better people or live better lives (eventually, at least). Elizabeth creates a magical chemistry with all of her guests, including the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mo Gawdat, and Brene Brown. The focus isn’t hacks or tips, but unpacking the mistakes and regrets that these people have been able to overcome, and how.
I Feel That Way Too
Credit: I Feel That Way Too
Award-winning author Michelle MiJung Kim’s mission is to make people feel seen—her podcast I Feel That Way Too is all about the big, messy questions we usually don’t ask aloud, like, “Why are so many Asian women with white men?” and “Am I really supposed to sleep with one person forever?” Think We Can Do Hard Things or Death, Sex & Money, but through the lens of a queer Korean American woman who leads with radical vulnerability.
Good Hang With Amy Poehler
Credit: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Good Hang is silly and fun and gets into fewer deep moments than WTF, but Amy Poehler’s candidness and honesty with her guests makes this podcast feel especially intimate and quite unlike most other celebrity interview podcasts. It feels like the late-night heart-to-heart you didn’t know you needed. There are sneakily vulnerable moments—you show up for the laughs and stay for the unexpected emotional truths. If you’re into podcasts that feel like a friend gently (or not-so-gently) pulling back the curtain, this one’s for you.
Blocks
Credit: Blocks
If you’re craving interviews that go beyond the usual celeb promo chatter, Neal Brennan’s Blocks is a must-listen. It’s not just funny—it’s uncomfortably honest. Brennan asks guests to share the emotional “blocks” that mess with their lives (think: shame, ego, addiction), and what unfolds feels more like therapy than a talk show.
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Therapy for Black Girls
Credit: Therapy for Black Girls
On Therapy for Black Girls, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, covers mental health, personal development, and exploring the small changes we can make to become the best possible version of ourselves, with the experience of women of color at the forefront. Whether the topic is work, friendship, money, or understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder, Dr. Joy is there to explain these experiences through a Black lens.
Where Should We Begin?
Credit: Where Should We Begin With Esther Perel
On Where Should We Begin?, renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel lets you be a fly on the wall inside her office to eavesdrop on a real couple’s counseling session. You’ll hear everything about their relationship—every raw and intimate detail. Esther’s advice is both philosophical and reflective, dynamic and engaging, and direct but gentle. She’s solution-oriented, focused on helping these couples, who come to her for help with infidelity, desire, and divorce.
On Being
Credit: On Being
If you’re craving interviews that feel like a warm cup of tea to calm your existential dread, On Being is your go-to. Krista Tippett doesn’t just ask questions—she invites people to bring their entire souls to conversations filled with un-google-able questions about faith, grief, joy, and the meaning of life.
Talk Easy
Credit: Talk Easy
On Talk Easy, Sam Fragoso has thoughtful, long-form conversations that don’t feel like interviews, but deep dives into the minds of his guests artists, activists, and politicians. (Sam goes from sitting with the first Gen Z Congressman to discuss his fight for gun reform to getting a tea with Amelia Dimoldenberg of Chicken Shop Date.) Each conversation has a narrative arc. Sam is curious and empathetic, he does his research, and he’s interested in not just simple answers, but the full story.
From Now On
Credit: From Now On
From Now On is hosted by Lisa Phillips, a former model and current talent scout who has navigated the complexities of the entertainment industry. Lisa is also, importantly, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein. This podcast dives headfirst into stories of abuse and recovery. An empathetic survivor herself, Lisa is the perfect host. Although it doesn’t look like a true crime or investigative podcast on the surface, it has had a real-world impact: Because of it, several women who have been assaulted by the same man in the same way have come forward, and credited the show for giving them the courage.