Joy, a Podcast. Hosted by Craig Ferguson

Episode originally published August 15, 2023 Tony Hawk is the #1 ambassador of skateboarding, a man who is, by definition, bigger than his sport. Now in his fifties, Tony is still pushing the boundaries of skating and continuing to invent new tricks, while his foundation, The Skatepark Project, has helped to build over 700 skateparks worldwide. Tony’s first skate deck is currently on display at the Smithsonian, and this unstoppable skater isn’t showing any signs of slowing down… even after a major leg injury. Tony talks to Craig about the pure passion of his craft, landing the first 900 while competing, the success of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game franchise, and much more. Until the wheels fall off, enJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Rachel Bloom, a hilarious and talented actress, comedian, songwriter, singer, and producer. You may know her from co-creating and starring in "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend", a role which won her an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Critic's Choice Award. Her Netflix comedy special Rachel Bloom: Death, Let Me Do My Special came out in October. I’ve been a fan for a long time so I’m delighted to share this episode. EnJOY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Adam Savage, American special effects designer, actor, educator, television personality, and producer. You probably know him from the legendary show Mythbusters or his YouTube channel Tested. We have a great chat, I hope you enJOY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Melissa Rauch, an incredibly talented actress and one of my favorite guests on the old late night show. I’m delighted to welcome her to the old podcast today. You may know Michelle from The Big Bang Theory, The Bronze, True Blood, and she currently stars in the reboot of Night Court!  Join us for chats and snacks. (Bring your own snacks). EnJOY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Richard Kind, an actor and comedian who you've definitely seen in all the movies and television shows. Even if you think you haven’t. You have. From Pixar to Broadway, it's impossible to not have watched and loved something that Richard has been a part of. He’s a hilarious outspoken delicious individual maverick national treasure who doesn’t have much in the way of a filter. I adore him and you will too. EnJOY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My friend KT Tunstall is a super talented genuine rock and roll star and possesses a wild, beautiful, brilliant soul. A fellow Scot, KT has released eight studio albums and has numerous awards to her name. Her album Eye to the Telescope has been certified 5x platinum. She can turn a story into a song and a song into a story and can chat all day long. This is a fucking cool episode. EnJoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Denise Mina, a very close friend of mine and an absolute genius Scottish crime writer and playwright. She has won numerous awards for her writing, including but not limited to the John Creasey Dagger for Best First Crime Novel, The Martin Beck Award, and Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. We reminisce on fond memories and discuss why you should never sit in the sleepy chair. I laughed my ass almost completely off and also learned stuff. Win win. EnJOY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Constance Zimmer, the talented and remarkable actress that you may know from shows such as UnREAL, House of Cards, and Entourage. This week we dig into why the business of show is currently a dumpster fire. From getting older to recent strikes, we really cover all the bases. It makes all sorts of sense plus she uses salty language, so it’s a win-win. EnJOY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet George Hahn: humorist, urbanist, satirist, soloist, bicyclist, mid-century modernist, and all around fascinating NYC figure! Check out his podcast Hahn, Solo, a podcast that he does himself (solo). The topics range from city living, entertainment, media, style, dogs, wellness...whatever is on his brilliant mind. For everything George Hahn go to https://georgehahn.com/. Listen to George Hahn, and EnJOY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Rufus Wainwright, praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter has released ten studio albums to date, three DVDs, and three live albums including the Grammy-nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall. He has collaborated with artists such as Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Miley Cyrus, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Carly Rae Jepsen, Robbie Williams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting, and producer Mark Ronson, among many others. He has written two operas, numerous songs for movies and TV, and is currently working on his first musical for the West End and a Requiem. His latest GRAMMY® and JUNO nominated album of original songs, Unfollow the Rules, finds Wainwright at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness. His newly-released studio album Folkocracy features reinvented folk duets with artists like Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, John Legend and Anohni and many more. Catch Rufus on tour, dates available here: https://rufuswainwright.com/tour/. EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet DJ Qualls, actor known for his memorable roles in films like "Road Trip “ and "The New Guy,” as well as popular TV series including "Supernatural," "The Man in the High Castle,” and "Z Nation." With a career spanning over two decades, Qualls has established himself as a talented character actor with a unique presence on both big and small screens. He also co-hosts a new podcast called “Locked and Probably Loaded with DJ and Kelly”. EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Roxane Gay, the prolific and critically acclaimed New York Times-bestselling author, editor, essayist, respected academic and celebrated cultural commentator, whose intellect, charm and singular perspective capture the zeitgeist of our era. Roxane’s next highly anticipated book OPINIONS: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business, an exhilarating collection of her best nonfiction essays on culture, feminism, politics, and everything in between, will be published by HarperCollins on October 10th. Roxane is beloved for her bestselling books, including BAD FEMINIST, HUNGER, AYITI, AN UNTAMED STATE, and WORLD OF WAKANDA(Marvel). She has a widely read newsletter, The Audacity, AND an exciting new imprint with Grove Atlantic, Roxane Gay Books. EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The man, the legend, Thomas Lennon is back on the podcast, an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, director, novelist and Craig’s good friend. He plays Lieutenant Jim Dangle on the series Reno 911! Lennon is also an accomplished screenwriter of several major studio comedies, he wrote the Night at the Museum films, The Pacifier, Balls of Fury, and Baywatch. EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet A.O. Scott, a critic at large for The New York Times Book Review. In the mid-90s, he abandoned academia for journalism, writing mostly about books for The Nation, The New York Review of Books, Newsday, Slate and The New York Times, which hired him as a film critic at the beginning of 2000. A.O. Scott spent more than 23 years in that job, reviewing thousands of movies, attending film festivals, making Oscar predictions and interviewing the likes of Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lopez and the Coen Brothers. in 2023 he joined the Book Review — a homecoming of sorts, and also a new adventure. Like every other journalist at the Times, He's committed to upholding the standards outlined in Ethical Journalism Handbook. EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Valarie Kaur, a Sikh activist, author, lawyer, spiritual leader, and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project. Her children's book WORLD OF WONDER was released on August 20th followed shortly after by her book SAGE WARRIOR on September 10th released by Random House. Additionally, in this crucial election year, Valarie is taking the Revolutionary Love Project on a bus tour across 40+ cities in the United States from September – October.  The tour will energize hearts, build community bonds, and equip thousands of people with practical tools to integrate Revolutionary Love into daily life. Here is fascinating conversation between Craig and Valarie. EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comedian David Cross needs no introduction, Emmy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award nominee David Cross is an inventive performer, writer, and producer on stage and screen. Check out his highly engaging conversation with Craig. From July through December 2024, David will tour theatres in 50 cities across the U.S. with his new show, David Cross: The End Of The Beginning Of The End.  Additional international dates are being planned for 2025. All tour dates and tickets available at David’s website. David also hosts the podcast, Senses Working Overtime with David Cross, available every Thursday on all audio platforms and video available on David’s YouTube page. EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Natalie Cuomo, born and raised in Queens, NY, Natalie was named one of New York Comedy Festival's "Comics To Watch" in 2023 and has been featured in Time Out NY, LA Times, New York Magazine, Inked Magazine, and Metal Injection. She hosts her own podcast called Help! With Natalie Cuomo.  She is also currently on tour, check out her full list of dates here. Listen to Natalie and Craig discuss all things comedy and life. EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The amazing and charming Dr. Cerf is back! He is one of the world’s top thoracic surgeons and his peers have voted him one of America’s Best Doctors. He is also here to deliver the exciting news that NYU ranked number one in U.S. News & World Report in lung cancer surgery and lung surgery. EnJOY this enlightening conversation between Dr. Cerf and Craig! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Molly Kearney, an American stand-up comedian and actor best known for her work on NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. Molly and Craig discuss growing up in religious environment, being an outsider and reasons why one might become a comedian. EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Robert Smigel, a writer, producer, actor and director known best for his Saturday Night Live “TV Funhouse” cartoon shorts and as the creator and voice of Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, the foul-mouthed puppet who mercilessly mocks celebrities and others in the style of a Borscht Belt comedian. Triumph debuted on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, for which Robert served as the first Head Writer/Producer. Watch Robert’s latest live video from Triumph the Insult Comic Dog’s San Francisco performance of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog’s Let’s Make A Poop here. Robert is also starring in the film, Between The Temples, which will be out in theaters nationwide August 23rd. EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.