Marc Maron has dropped the 1,686th and final episode of his long-running WTF podcast, with former President Barack Obama returning for Maron’s last interview.
Maron managed to keep the identity of his last guest a secret until the episode dropped Monday morning, Oct. 13. In introducing Obama — who famously appeared on the show 10 years ago — Maron described him as the perfect person to help him bring WTF to a close.
As Maron said in his intro: “I do a lot of talking about how I feel about the world, both interior and exterior; micro, macro; what’s going on in me, how am I reacting to what’s going on in the world. And it became clear that the guest we needed to have was singular. In that he could address the importance of this being our final episode, but also address how we move through the world we’re living in, as frightening as it is, with what’s happening. And how do we do it with some grace, and perhaps some hope and some focus, and really call what’s going on what it is. And that guest is President Barack Obama.”
While Obama came to Maron’s house for their 2015 chat, this time Maron visited the former president at his office in Washington, D.C. During the conversation, the pair spoke at length about Trump, the state of the Democratic Party, the weaponization of the justice system, and prominent institutions like universities and law firms kowtowing to the current administration.
“We have blown through, just in the last six months, a whole range of not simply assumptions, but rules and laws and practices that were put in place to ensure that nobody is above the law, and that we don’t use the federal government to simply reward our friends and punish our enemies,” Obama said.
He added that “people are right to be concerned,” but said that just like during the McCarthy era and at other contentious points in American history, “What’s required in these situations is a few folks standing up and giving courage to other folks. And then more people stand up and go like, ‘Yeah, no, that’s not who we are. That’s not our idea of America.’”
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Maron also took the opportunity to ask Obama for some advice — not just on how to navigate this moment politically, but also personally. He asked the former president how he contended with the weight of leaving his biggest job ever, with Obama recalling some advice he got at the time: “Don’t rush into what the next thing is.”
He continued, “Take a beat and take some satisfaction. Looking back and saying, ‘You know what, didn’t get everything done that I wanted; it wasn’t always exactly how I planned it, but there’s a body of work there that I’m proud of.’”
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Following the interview, Maron said he hoped the interview was “helpful,” while also calling it an “honor” to interview Obama again. He then signed off for the last time, thanking fans for all their support, the numerous people who’d helped him put on the show, and, lastly, his beloved cats, especially all those who’d passed away.
“Cat angels everywhere,” Maron said as the show drew to a close.
