LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Comic and actor said Monday that he's ending his popular and influential podcast 鈥淲TF with Marc Maron鈥� after nearly 16 years.
Maron said on a newly released episode that the last of the nearly 2,000 episodes he has hosted will be released later this year.
鈥淪ixteen years we鈥檝e been doing this, and we鈥檝e decided that we had a great run,鈥� Maron said. 鈥淣ow, basically, it鈥檚 time, folks. It鈥檚 time. 鈥榃TF鈥� is coming to an end. It鈥檚 our decision. We鈥檒l have our final episode sometime in the fall.鈥�
The 61-year-old Maron said he and producing partner Brendan McDonald are 鈥渢ired鈥� and 鈥渂urnt out鈥� but 鈥渦tterly satisfied with the work we've done.鈥�
Maron was a veteran stand-up comic who had dabbled in radio when he started the show in 2009, at a time when stand-ups were trying out the form in big numbers, and many listeners still downloaded episodes on to iPods.
The show early on was often about Maron talking through his beefs with fellow comedians, but it soon stood out and became a widely heard and medium-defining show with its thoughtful, probing longform interviews of cultural figures.
It became a key stop on press tours for authors, actors and musicians and reached a peak when then- visited Maron's makeshift Los Angeles garage studio for an episode in 2015.
Maron used a simple interview style to get guests to share stories they'd rarely told elsewhere. Seeking to know the biggest influences on their lives and careers, Maron would ask, 鈥淲ho are your guys?鈥�
Other memorable episodes include a 2010 personal and emotional interview with Robin Williams that was re-posted and widely listened to after Williams' death in 2014. The episode earned a place in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Maron kept doing standup specials and expanded his acting career while the show aired, including a three-season run on the Netflix series 鈥淕LOW.鈥�
The show's guitar-rock theme song opened with a clip of Maron shouting, 鈥淟ock the gates!鈥� in his role as a promoter in the film 鈥淎lmost Famous.鈥�
The solo episode openings became a confessional space for Maron where he talked about his life, relationships, years of doing stand-up comedy and struggles with drug addiction.
to his girlfriend, , in the episode after her death in 2020.
鈥淧eople who listen to the podcast know me pretty well, and it鈥檚 all good. They have a relationship with me that鈥檚 one sided, but it鈥檚 real and I try to be as gracious about that as possible,鈥� Maron told The Associated Press in 2019. 鈥淢y particular little slice of the show business world is very me specific and it鈥檚 very personal and usually that鈥檚 a good thing. But I鈥檝e had to learn how to balance how much of my life I reveal and what I keep to myself, and try to find a little space.鈥�
Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
