Podcrushed

Joe Manganiello (True Blood, Deal or No Deal Island) is a renowned heartthrob— but did you know he’s also a certified, almost-skipped-two-grades, dungeons&dragons master, nerd? Joe regales us with stories of his almost unbelievable tween years juggling his academic gifts with his athletic prowess and a burgeoning passion for the arts. He opens up about why honoring a family legacy of survival is so important to him, and why becoming a dad could be his most exciting role yet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary, Dear White People, Everybody Hates Chris) tells stories of jumping over tables to impress his middle school crush, recalls memories of how he quelled his own internalized feelings of rejection from his years playing a reject on television, and offers his philosophy on how film sets with both adult and child actors should run.    Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we're rerunning one of our favorite interviews from Season 1! Conan O'Brien (SNL, Late Night, Conan) comes by to discuss his "need" for friendship and what it was like being the tall, lanky redhead in middle school in Boston. He also tells the group about the beginnings of his career in comedy at Harvard, SNL and more. Stick around to hear about his family's obsession with Gossip Girl and his thoughts on how the show ended.     Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect, Hairspray) joins the gang and shares stories from her decades-long career in Hollywood. Brittany shares details about the extreme lengths she went to in order to succeed as a child actor, and how her own struggles with relationships and body image influenced her directorial debut, Parachute. She and Penn dish on the John Tucker Must Die sequel rumors, and share their favorite memories from set.   Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maya Hawke (Stranger Things, Inside Out 2) drops by the pod and shares why conventional schooling wasn’t for her, and how growing up immersed in art shaped her. She reflects on how it felt to be the new kid on Stranger Things, and talks about the inspiration behind her new album "Chaos Angel."   Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 2 of this special conversation with Ariana Grande, Ariana spills the beans on why she keeps casting TV serial killers as her music video leads, the dance move Penn tried to sneak into the "The Boy Is Mine" video, and the inspiration for her Eternal Sunshine era. The gang share their reactions to the Wicked trailer, and Ariana opens up about all the magic she experienced bringing Glinda to life — in front of and behind the scenes.   Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation with the extraordinarily prolific Ariana Grande, the crew has a wide-ranging conversation on childhood, her Broadway origins, and getting to act alongside her best friends. Ariana shares thoughtful reflections on her time at Nickelodeon and why therapy should be mandatory for all child actors.   For more on music, Eternal Sunshine, BTS on The Boy is Mine MV, and Wicked, check out Part 2.   Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gang is joined by Matthew Hussey, the renowned relationship coach and New York Times bestselling author of “Love Life”. Matthew goes into his personal journey of confidence and clarity in relationships, shares simple advice on how to find a long-term partner, and gives insight into how to avoid the avoiders (and tame the avoider within).    Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time in the history of Podcrushed, Penn flies solo with our guest, Daisy Ridley (Star Wars Trilogy, Murder on the Orient Express). She gushes over her first big crushes on Pink and Julia Stiles, how pain shaped part of her adolescence, and the role that intuition played in landing her, a then-unknown actress, the most coveted role of the 2010s as Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. They also take a deep dive into her more recent foray into independent films, including her latest role as the first woman to ever swim the English Channel in Young Woman and the Sea.   Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today the gang chats with B.J. Novak, the actor, writer, and all-around comedic force from films like Inglorious Basterds and The Founder, and shows like The Mindy Project, The Newsroom, and The Office. He recounts summer camp crushes, his slow realization that he was funny, and the prank that made him a Boston legend.    Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the first of several themed AMAs this season, Penn, Sophie and Nava tackle timeless questions, like "would you forgive a friend who cheated with your partner while high?", "would you publicly out a cheating spouse?", and "should you let your friends know about all their annoying habits?" Nava recalls her most traumatic friend breakup, Sophie shares how she saved a friendship from drifting too far apart and Penn… is there. Tune in and get ready for some extra laughs this week.    Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are blown away by Karamo Brown (Queer Eye, Karamo Show), whose life consists of a series of plot twists almost too-incredible to believe. Karamo opens up about living authentically at school while hiding himself at home, how a one-time encounter with his best friend turned into the greatest plot twist of his adult life, why life after MTV's The Real World was almost unbearable, and how he managed to land his role on Queer Eye even though he missed every round of casting but the last.   Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The inimitable, outrageously talented Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, Handmaid's Tale) is here and we're NOT OK! Elisabeth shares about her years training as a ballet dancer, the tough lessons she learned from early adolescent manipulation, why she wished she'd been cast on Gossip Girl, and why she refuses to ever go method. We get into all things Handmaid's Tale and her exciting new project, The Veil. Tune in to find out how Penn made Elisabeth blush...by comparing her to a baby?    Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We couldn't be more excited to kick things off in Season 3 with the one and only Jake Johnson (New Girl, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse)! Jake reflects on the trauma of being called "little boy!" in front of his crush, how his mother's intuition saved him from going to juvie, and why you should always listen to your gut, even when you're wrong sometimes. He also reminisces about his time on New Girl and what excites him most about switching things up behind the camera.    Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Podcrushed is back for Season 3! We’re so excited that we had to show you a sneak peek of what’s to come. We hope you enjoy, and don’t forget to mark your calendars for our premiere on April 24!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of our friend Ramy Youssef's recent SNL performance, and the overwhelming success of his Academy Award winning film Poor Things, we're rerunning our episode with him! Come join us as Penn falls in love with our guest, Ramy Youssef (award-winning actor, producer, and stand-up comic). Ramy shares what it was like to be a Muslim kid in New Jersey the day after 9/11, why he loves Jesus but won't eff with Santa, and why in middle school he literally would have rather shit his pants than miss out on a good time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we're rerunning our Taylor Tomlinson episode in celebration of the release of her new Netflix special "Have It All"! You may know her from her other Netflix specials, "Quarter Life Crisis" and "Look at You", but this week's guest, the bright, witty, and ludicrously funny Taylor Tomlinson, feels duped! She thought she was coming on for a breezy conversation on first periods and childhood crushes, and instead found herself deep in a conversation on heartbreak, rejection, death, and mental illness. The hosts hold nothing back, too, this week as they reflect on sudden loss and middle school trauma. This is a special episode of Podcrushed you won't wanna miss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our Season 2 finale the one and only Ziwe stops by! Her legendary sharp wit and inimitable comedic voice are on display as she showers us with stories of adolescence and coming of age. She shares why being completely herself has been critical to her career, an update on her future foray into pop stardom, and why the keys to success are within our own reach. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our penn-ultimate episode of the season, we interview the trailblazing renowned psychotherapist and relationship expert, Esther Perel. We learn about her new course "Turning Conflict into Connection," and Esther shares her profound wisdom on love, conflict, and human connection. She leads us in answering personal questions from her new game "Where Should We Begin", while she shares personal stories of worst dates and delicate family dynamics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our final EXTRA CREDIT episode this season, we talk to Katie Florence, whose father and brother both died when she was young. We explore the process of navigating grief and using humor as a tool to heal and survive devastating losses. Follow Podcrushed on Socials: InstagramTikTokXSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.