Marc Maron slams conservative podcasters for using shows to share ‘propaganda’

Marc Maron has a pointed message for conservative podcasters who he believes use their shows to promote President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Maron, who in June announced the end of his podcast, WTF with Marc Maron, released one final episode Monday after 16 years. Since its launch in 2009, the podcast has been downloaded more than one billion times.

In a new interview with The New York Times, Maron, 62, reflected on his show’s conclusion after more than 1,600 episodes. He was also asked about his influence on the trend of comedians turning to podcasting, including Joe Rogan, Theo Von and Andrew Schulz — all of whom interviewed Trump in the lead up to the 2024 election.

“These guys have proven that their fan bases can be tribalized into something that I think is fundamentally dangerous,” Maron said.

“It’s still within the parameters of free speech — you can do whatever you want. And if you want to be used by the dominating propaganda arm of a fascistic momentum against democracy, well, I hope you’re happy with your show.”

Maron has not minced words in the past when fellow comedians have spoken out in support of Trump.

Last October, he called out comics who invite “shameless, self-proclaimed white supremacists and fascists” on their shows. In a blog post, he claimed the “anti-woke flank of the new fascism is being driven almost exclusively by comics, my peers.

“Whether they are driven by the idea that what they are fighting for is a free speech issue or whether they are truly morally bankrupt racists doesn’t matter,” Maron wrote. “They are part of the public face of a fascist political movement that seeks to destroy the democratic idea.”

To that end, it’s not entirely surprising that Maron opted to interview Former President Barack Obama for his final podcast episode.

Asked about his choice by the Times, Maron acknowledged that his first time interviewing Obama in 2015 was “an important turning point.”

“I think it was a game-changing episode for podcasting in general, in terms of the attention it brought the medium,” he continued. “I was happy to see him again and to talk about the current administration and the world we’re living in now, but also, you know, to honor my show.

“It’s hard to find a way through, in terms of hope,” Maron added. “So, I went to the hope guy.”

In announcing the end of his podcast, Maron said in June that after 16 years and a “great run,” it was time for the show to end.

He added: “It really comes down to the fact that we’ve put up a new show every Monday and Thursday for almost sixteen years and we’re tired. We’re burnt out. And we are utterly satisfied with the work we’ve done. We’ve done great work.

“This doesn’t mean I’m never going to do something like this again. Doesn’t mean I’ll never have talks like I do here or some kind of podcast at some point in time. But for now, we’re just wrapping things up. It’s okay. It’s okay to end things. It’s okay to try to start some other chapter in your life.”