| Marc Maron | |
|---|---|
_(cropped_2).jpg) Maron in 2015 | |
| Birth name | Marc David Maron[1] |
| Born | (1963-09-27)September 27, 1963 (age 61) Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up,podcast, television, film |
| Alma mater | Boston University |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Genres | Alternative comedy,black comedy,self-deprecation,cringe comedy, satire,observational comedy |
| Spouse | |
| Notable works and roles | Morning Sedition WTF with Marc Maron The Marc Maron Show Maron GLOW |
| Website | wtfpod |
Marc David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on theLate Show with David Letterman and appeared more than forty times onLate Night with Conan O'Brien, more than any other stand-up comedian.[2][3] He hostedComedy Central'sShort Attention Span Theater from 1993 to 1994, replacingJon Stewart.[4] He was also a regular guest onTough Crowd with Colin Quinn and hosted the short-lived 2002 American version of the British game showNever Mind the Buzzcocks onVH1.[5] He was a regular on the left-wing radio networkAir America from 2004 to 2009, hostingThe Marc Maron Show and co-hostingMorning Sedition andBreakroom Live.[6]
In September 2009, following the cancellation ofBreakroom Live, Maron began hosting the twice-weeklypodcastWTF with Marc Maron, interviewing comedians, authors, musicians, and celebrities in his garage inHighland Park, Los Angeles. Highlights include a 2010 episode withLouis C.K. that was rated the No. 1 podcast episode of all time bySlate magazine,[7] a 2012 interview with comedianTodd Glass in which Glass publicly revealed that he was gay,[8] and a 2015 interview withPresidentBarack Obama.[2]
From 2013 to 2016, he starred in his ownIFC television comedy series,Maron, for which he also served as executive producer and an occasional writer. From 2017 to 2019, he co-starred in theNetflix comedy seriesGLOW. He also had a minor role in 2019'sJoker and provided the voice of Mr. Snake in theDreamWorks Animation filmThe Bad Guys (2022).
Maron was born inJersey City, New Jersey, the son of mother Toby Blum and father Barry Ralph Maron, anorthopedic surgeon.[9][10][11][12][1] He has a younger brother, Craig.[13]
Maron is from aJewish family, originally fromPoland andUkraine, includingDrohobych.[14][15] He lived inWayne, New Jersey until he was six.[16] Maron's father joined theU.S. Air Force for two years for hismedical residency inAlaska, and so Maron and his family moved there. When his father left the Air Force, he moved the family toAlbuquerque, New Mexico and started a medical practice.[2] Maron lived in Albuquerque from third grade through high school.[17] He graduated fromHighland High School.[18]
In 1986, Maron graduated fromBoston University with a B.A. in English literature.[19][20]
Maron first performed stand-up in 1987 when he was 24 years old.[21] His professional comedy career began atThe Comedy Store in Los Angeles, where he became an associate ofSam Kinison.[22][23] He later moved to New York City and became part of theNew York alternative comedy scene. During the summer of 1994, he appeared several times on Monday open-mic night, coordinated by Tracey Metzger, at the now-closed Greenwich Village location of theBoston Comedy Club. He auditioned unsuccessfully for the 1995Saturday Night Live cast overhaul and attributes being passed over to being high during a meeting with show creator and producerLorne Michaels.[2][24][25]
Maron continued to be a stand-up comedian and also began to appear on television; his voice was used in episodes ofDr. Katz, Professional Therapist,[26] and he hostedShort Attention Span Theater for a time.[6] He also recorded half-hour specials forHBO andComedy Central Presents as well as comedy showcases like theCam Neely Foundation fundraiser, which also featured performers such asJon Stewart,Denis Leary andSteven Wright. He frequently appeared in the live alternative stand-up series he had organized withJaneane Garofalo calledEating It, which used the rock barLuna Lounge in New York'sLower East Side as its venue, from the 1990s until the building was razed in 2005.[27]
His first one-man show,Jerusalem Syndrome, had an extendedoff-Broadway run in 2000 and was released in book form in 2001. In 2009, he began workshopping another one-man show,Scorching the Earth. According to Maron (inScorching The Earth), these two shows "bookend" his relationship with his second wife, comicMishna Wolff, which ended in a bitter divorce.[28][29]
In May 2008, he toured withEugene Mirman andAndy Kindler inStand Uppity: Comedy That Makes You Feel Better About Yourself and Superior to Others. In January 2009, a collaboration withSam Seder, which had begun in September 2007 as a weekly hour-long video webcast becameBreakroom Live with Maron & Seder, produced by Air America.[30] Until its cancellation in July 2009, the show was webcast live weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern, with episodes archived for later viewing. In its final incarnation, the show was informal, taking place in the actual break room of Air America Media, with the cafeteria vending machines just off-camera. This meant occasional distractions when Air America staff and management alike would occasionally come in for food and drink. Maron and Seder held court in an online "post-show chat" with viewers, in an even less formal continuation of each webcast, after the credits had rolled.
Maron's stand-up act is marked by his commitment to self-revelation and cultural analysis. He is particularly known for relentless on-stage exploration of his own relationships with family, girlfriends, and other stand-up comedians whom he has known and befriended over his years in the business.[31] In October 2013, Maron released his first hour-long special through Netflix,Marc Maron: Thinky Pain.[32] Maron would follow this with another special,More Later, which was released in December 2015 throughEpix.[33]
Kliph Nesteroff's 2015 bookThe Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy is dedicated to Maron.[34]
His 2023 specialFrom Bleak to Dark was namedNew York magazine's "No. 1 Best Comedy Special of 2023."[35]
From almost the first day of theliberal talk radio networkAir America's broadcasts in 2004, Maron co-hostedMorning Sedition, a three-hour early-morningradio show withMark Riley that aired weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Eastern time.[36] The show was unique in the Air America lineup in its heavy reliance on both live and pre-produced sketch comedy, utilizing the talents of staff writers as well as the on-air hosts. The format was aleft-leaning near-satire of typical morning "Buddy" radio programs, including recurring characters, interviews and listener call-in segments, and it attracted a loyal fan base.[37]
As 2005 came to an end, it became known that Maron's contract would not be renewed on its December 1, 2005, end date because of problems with then Air America executive Danny Goldberg. Goldberg reportedly did not "get" the comedy or agree with the satiric and often angry tone set by Maron and other writers (Jim Earl andKent Jones) for a morning drive-time show. On November 28, 2005, it was officially announced that Maron's contract had not been renewed. His lastMorning Sedition broadcast was on December 16, 2005, and the show was discontinued shortly thereafter.[36]
On February 28, 2006, Maron began hosting a nighttime radio program withJim Earl as a sidekick forKTLK Progressive Talk 1150AM in Los Angeles calledThe Marc Maron Show from 10:00 pm until midnight PST. The program was frequently delayed (sometimes for over an hour) owing to KTLK's contractual agreement to broadcast local sports events that would often go into overtime.The Marc Maron Show was never nationally syndicated by Air America despite reported contractual clauses promising such. The show was streamed online live, but the show was not publicized, and the existence of the stream was not well promoted.[citation needed]
On July 5, it was announced that Maron's final episode would be on July 14. A few days before that date, Maron bluntly discussed his long struggle with Air America Radio's executives on-air. In 2008, Marc andSam Seder expanded their prior collaboration on a weekly hour-long video webcast (streamed at The Sam Seder Show website) into a daily show (and "post-show chat") produced by Air America Media[38] calledMaron v. Seder.[39] The show becameBreakroom Live with Maron & Seder starting in 2009 and could be viewed on Air America Media's website.[40] On July 15, 2009, after less than one year, Air America Media canceledBreakroom Live. According to the show's hosts, the cancellation was for financial reasons.[41] Ironically, the day before the cancellation, the show got some of the first real publicity it had ever received when MaximumFun.org posted its podcast of an interview with Maron onThe Sound of Young America.[42]
On the finalBreakroom Live webcast, Maron said that this marked the third time since 2005 he'd been told by an executive at the network that his services would not be required in the immediate future. Co-host Sam Seder pointed out that this would be the end of hisfourth show at Air America since the troubled network's inception.[43]
Due to a precarious state in his comedic career, on September 1, 2009, Maron began a twice-weeklypodcast calledWTF with Marc Maron in what Maron would later describe in a 2015 interview as a "Hail Mary pass"; his first-ever guest was fellow stand-upJeff Ross.[44][45] In a free-form discussion, Maron and his guests touch on topics like the arc of the interviewees' careers, their shared past experiences, and stories from the road.[38] As of 2024, Maron has released more than 1,500 episodes of the show, garnering critical acclaim and more than 600 million downloads;[46][47][48] notable guests includePresident Barack Obama,Sir Paul McCartney,Robin Williams,Jerry Seinfeld,Chris Rock,Lorne Michaels,Leonardo DiCaprio, andBrad Pitt. The show has been noted for its influence on other long-form interview podcasts that emerged after its debut.[49][50][51] In April 2021, it was announced that Maron and his producer Brendan McDonald would be the recipients of the first-ever Governors Award by the Podcast Academy for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies) for their work onWTF.[52] The success of Maron's podcast opened up numerous other avenues on film and TV as well as giving him a massive boost to audience attendance at his stand-up shows.
His only major film credit for many years was a small part credited as "angry promoter" in the 2000Cameron Crowe filmAlmost Famous, in which he is first seen fighting withNoah Taylor's character and then yelling at and chasing after the main characters as they drive away on a bus, at which point he yells, "Lock the gates!" which is now used in the intro to his podcasts.[53] He was also featured at the Luna Lounge in the 1997 mockumentaryWho's the Caboose? starringSarah Silverman andSam Seder.[54] In 2019, Maron starred in aLynn Shelton–directed comedy film titledSword of Trust.[55] In 2020, Maron played publicist Ron Oberman oppositeJohnny Flynn's young David Bowie in the movieStardust.[56]
In 2012, he provided the voice of Magnus Hammersmith in three episodes ofMetalocalypse. Maron has made two guest appearances as himself on his longtime friendLouis C.K.'s showLouie, first in the third-season episode "Ikea/Piano Lesson"[57] and then again in the fourth season episode "Pamela: Part 3".[58]
Maron, a television series created by and starring Maron for a 10-episode first season, premiered onIFC on May 3, 2013.[59] The show is loosely autobiographical, revolving around Maron's life as a twice-divorced sober comedian running a comedy podcast out of his garage but establishing many differences between the real-life Maron and the version of him on TV. As the executive producer and star ofMaron, Maron appeared in all 51 episodes of the show from 2013 to 2016, portraying a fictionalized version of himself.[60] The show ended in 2016 after four seasons onIFC.[61] Maron directed two episodes of the show, "The Joke" and "Ex-Pod."
Maron played a supporting role inTodd Phillips'sJoker origin story filmJoker, starringJoaquin Phoenix as the title character, alongsideRobert De Niro andZazie Beetz.
In addition to his own show, Maron was the voice of the raccoon Randl on 12 episodes of theNickelodeon showHarvey Beaks in 2015 and 2016.[62] He appeared in theNetflix seriesEasy, playing a graphic novelist, Jacob Malco.[63][64][65] Maron also appeared on two episodes ofGirls in season four in 2015, playing New York City councilman Ted Duffield.
From 2017 to 2019, Maron co-starred in theNetflix comedyGLOW, for which he was nominated for multiple awards.[66]
He was cast in a supporting role for the 2022 filmTo Leslie, playing alongsideAndrea Riseborough.
He played the role of landlord Gideon Perlman in the Amazon web seriesThe Horror of Dolores Roach.[67]
In 2013, Maron played aguitar solo on theprotest song andcharity single "Party at the NSA" byelectropop music duoYacht. Inspired by the2013 global surveillance disclosures, "Party at the NSA" critiques the state of governmental surveillance programs in the United States. Proceeds from the single benefit the international non-profitdigital rights groupElectronic Frontier Foundation.[68][69] Previously, Maron said he was a fan of the band.[70]
In an interview withKCRW, Maron stated, "I have no idea why they asked me to play guitar on the track. I'm only good at one thing on the guitar. It just so happens it was exactly the thing they needed."[71]
Reviews for the solo were positive.IFC's Melissa Locker said "Marc Maron plays a mean guitar."[72]Spin's Chris Martins called the guitar solo a "shredfest" as well as "angular."[73]The Stranger called it "a frequency-fraying guitar solo that's better than you'd expect, although it won't makeJ Mascis jealous."[74]
Maron wrote and performed on the score for his filmSword of Trust.[75]
Maron lived inAstoria, Queens, through the 1990s and most of the 2000s, but moved back to Los Angeles in late 2009.[76] Maron also speaks openly of his caring for numerous stray cats that he takes into his home. This has led him to refer to his home, on theWTF podcast, as the "Cat Ranch".[77] After his cat Boomer went missing, Maron began incorporating the catchphrase "Boomer lives!" to the end of each podcast. Since then, he has one addition to the "Cat Ranch" by the name of Buster Kitten. LaFonda died in December 2019. After she passed, Maron briefly replaced "Boomer lives!" with "LaFonda lives!" for a few episodes of his podcast. Monkey died in August 2020. He now usually concludes his podcast with some guitar playing and the phrase "Boomer lives... LaFonda... Monkey... Cat angels everywhere!" Maron currently lives inGlendale, Los Angeles, with his two cats, Buster and Sammy.[78]
Maron has spoken openly, in his act and on his podcast, about his alcohol and drug abuse during the 1990s. Maron has been sober since August 9, 1999, but says he has struggled with an eating disorder he developed during childhood.[21][79] Maron had a turbulent long-time friendship with fellow standupLouis C.K.; after the November 2017 confirmation of C.K.'s sexual misconduct, Maron said C.K. had previously lied to him about the allegations.[80]
Maron has been married twice, to Kimberly Reiss andMishna Wolff, a former stand-up comedian. Both relationships have figured prominently in his act. During numerous appearances at theEdinburgh Fringe festival in 2007, Maron riffed on his then-recent separation and divorce from Wolff.
On the October 14, 2013, episode of his podcast, Maron announced that he had broken up with his former fiancée, Jessica Sanchez.[81] He then had a five-month relationship withMoon Zappa.[82]
Starting in late 2019, he began making reference to his relationship with directorLynn Shelton, a director onGLOW. She was a guest on his podcast in 2015 and 2018, and directed the 2019 filmSword of Trust, which stars Maron andMichaela Watkins. Maron and Shelton were together until Shelton's unexpected death in 2020.[83]
As of 2023 Marc is dating a woman named Kit.[84]
Books
Comedy albums
Comedy Specials
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Caesar's Salad | — | Composer |
| 1994 | D2: The Mighty Ducks | Valet | Deleted scene[94] |
| 1997 | Who's the Caboose? | Comedian | |
| 1999 | Los Enchiladas! | Devin | |
| 2000 | Almost Famous | Angry Promoter | |
| 2002 | Stalker Guilt Syndrome | Marc | |
| 2008 | A Bad Situationist | Mikel | |
| 2012 | Sleepwalk with Me | Marc Mulheren | |
| G. Redford Considers | G. Redford (voice) | Short film; also producer | |
| All Wifed Out | Stan | ||
| 2015 | Flock of Dudes | Richtman | |
| Frank and Cindy | Gilbert | ||
| 2016 | Get a Job | Hotel Manager | |
| Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates | Randy | ||
| 2019 | Sword of Trust | Mel | |
| Joker | Gene Ufland | ||
| 2020 | Worth | Bart Cuthbert | |
| Spenser Confidential | Wayne Cosgrove | ||
| Stardust | Ron Oberman | ||
| 2021 | Respect | Jerry Wexler | |
| 2022 | To Leslie[95] | Sweeney | |
| The Bad Guys | Mr. Snake (voice) | ||
| DC League of Super-Pets | Lex Luthor (voice) | ||
| 2023 | Genie | Lenny | |
| 2024 | The Order | Alan Berg | |
| 2025 | The Bad Guys 2 † | Mr. Snake (voice)[96] | In production |
| Deliver Me from Nowhere † | Chuck Plotkin | Post-production | |
| TBA | In Memoriam † | TBA | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Short Attention Span Theater | Himself (host) | |
| 1996 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Marc (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Never Mind the Buzzcocks | Himself (host) | 5 episodes |
| 2004 | Pilot Season | Marc Victor | 2 episodes |
| 2010–2011 | The Life & Times of Tim | Various voices | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Metalocalypse | Magnus Hammersmith (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Adventure Time | Squirrel (voice) | Episode: "Up a Tree" |
| 2012–2014 | Louie | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2013–2016 | Maron | Marc Maron | 49 episodes; also creator, writer, executive and directed 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Girls | Ted Duffield | 2 episodes |
| 2015–2017 | Harvey Beaks | Randl (voice) | 16 episodes |
| 2016 | Animals. | Marc (voice) | Episode: "Rats." |
| Roadies | Himself | Episode: "Longest Days" | |
| 2016–2019 | Easy | Jacob | 3 episodes |
| 2017–2019 | GLOW | Sam Sylvia | 28 episodes |
| 2017 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Piv (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The Simpsons | Himself (voice) | Episode: "The Clown Stays in the Picture" |
| 2020 | The Comedy Store | Himself | |
| 2022 | Reservation Dogs | Gene | Episode: "Stay Gold Cheesy Boy" |
| 2023 | The Horror of Dolores Roach | Gideon Pearlman | 2 episodes |
| Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake | Squirrel (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| 2025 | Stick | Mitts | Upcoming series[97][98] |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Sensitive Man" | Nick Lowe | |
| 2013 | "Like a Rolling Stone" | Bob Dylan | [99] |
In 2022, Maron'sWTF podcast episode featuringRobin Williams from April 26, 2010, was selected by theLibrary of Congress for preservation in the USNational Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[100]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Gold Derby Awards | Comedy Supporting Actor | GLOW | Nominated |
| Ensemble of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Nominated | |||
| Gijón International Film Festival | Best Actor[102] | Sword of Trust | Won | |
| 2021 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Comedy Special | End Times Fun | Nominated |
| 2021 | Inaugural Governors Award by the Podcast Academy | Excellence in Audio[52] | WTF with Marc Maron | Won |
| 2023 | Good Grief Award from Our House Grief Support Center | Honors individuals who portray the grief process with honesty and dignity[103] | From Bleak to Dark | Won |
| 2024 | Writers Guild Awards | Comedy/Variety Specials[104] | Nominated |
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Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
