Marc Maron has announced that WTF with Marc Maron, the podcast that helped define a whole generation of audio storytelling, will officially end this fall. The decision came straight from Maron himself during a new episode featuring comedian John Mulaney, who, interestingly, was the first person to hear the news.
WTF’ is coming to an end, and it’s our decision, Maron said. We’ll have our final episode sometime in the fall.
This wasn’t some dramatic falling out or industry shake-up. Instead, Maron and his longtime producer, Brendan McDonald, the only two behind the operation, simply agreed they’d run their course. “We both realized we were done,” Maron admitted.
Marc Maron and the Legacy of WTF
If you’ve listened to WTF with Marc Maron, you know this isn’t just another podcast. Since it launched on September 1, 2009, it’s become one of the most influential shows in the podcasting world, and arguably one of the most personal.
Over 1,600 episodes in, Maron has talked with a wild range of guests: from comedy royalty like Carol Burnett to rock legends like Keith Richards, and yes, even President Barack Obama, who recorded his interview in Maron’s garage. That particular episode? It shattered records and helped push podcasting into the cultural mainstream.
One especially powerful moment was Maron’s intimate sit-down with Robin Williams, a conversation that became the first one-on-one podcast ever added to the U.S. National Recording Registry.
Marc Maron Opens Up About Why He’s Stepping Away
So why end now? Burnout, mostly, and the simple fact that all things eventually run their course.
This wasn’t some big, difficult decision, Marc Maron explained on the show. We were just tired. After nearly 16 years of releasing two episodes a week one on Monday, one on Thursday Maron and McDonald felt it was time.
From the very beginning, WTF was a DIY project. The show launched from Maron’s garage, back when no one really knew what a podcast even was.
I was coming out of a horrendous divorce, he said. I just wanted to figure out how to live.
That vulnerability, paired with Maron’s unfiltered interviewing style, became a huge part of the show’s appeal. People didn’t just listen, they connected.
Throughout the run, Maron recorded in his now-iconic garage studio in Los Angeles, while McDonald produced the episodes from Brooklyn. They kept the operation small and personal, no big team, no outside control, just two guys putting out raw, honest conversations twice a week.
Marc Maron Might Not Be Done for Good
While the end of WTF with Marc Maron feels like closing a major chapter, it’s not necessarily the end of Maron’s presence in podcasting or media.
I don’t know what I’m going to do next, Maron said. But I know I need to stop this first. He’s not ruling out future creative projects, maybe even a new kind of show, but for now, he’s hitting pause.
After nearly two decades in listeners’ ears, he’s earned the break.
Saying Goodbye to a Podcasting Pioneer
For longtime fans, it’s hard to imagine a podcasting world without WTF with Marc Maron. The show didn’t just shape the genre, it helped invent what meaningful long-form podcast interviews could sound like.
Yes, the conversations were hilarious. But they were also raw, weirdly comforting, and at times painfully human. Whether it was a comic unpacking trauma, or Maron himself reflecting on loss or addiction, there was always something real in the mix.
Now, as the show winds down, it leaves behind more than 1,600 episodes and a legacy of influence that’s hard to match.
And if you’ve ever listened to Marc Maron work through life’s messiness in real time, you’ll understand this much: endings, while tough, often mean something new is on the horizon.
