Sleeping with Celebrities

John Moe

Getting to sleep can be difficult sometimes. Now you can achieve that urgently needed rest by taking advantage of our most precious natural resource: celebrities. Each week on the slyly humorous and reassuring Sleeping with Celebrities, host John Moe talks with a different guest from the world of entertainment about something they know a lot about. The conversation is guaranteed to be just interesting enough to draw your attention away from your own swirling anxieties but never interesting enough to keep you awake. No startling revelations, no dramatic screaming confrontations, but plenty of low-key dialogue, intricately laced deadpan comedy, and a ticket to dreamland.

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20 episodes
Updated Wednesday
Explicit

Episodes20

Newest first

Exploring the Washington Wizards, the NBA’s Most Ambien Team, with Jamel Johnson
Jamel Johnson is a DC native and has been following the Wizards his whole life. He’s seen the rise and fall of Gilbert Arenas, the arrival and departure of John Wall, and everything from Gheorge Muresan to Muggsy Bogues, all without an NBA title in Jamel’s lifetime. Mid-Range is both the title of his new comedy album and the name of type of jump shot he hopes the team can nail as it heads into a new season with number one overall pick, AJ Dybantsa. Look, sports can be exciting and excitement do
Wednesday · 50 min
Jesse Thorn Has More Thoughts On Menswear Formality Levels Than You Do, Probably
Maximum Fun, the network upon which you hear our program, was founded by one Jesse Thorn, who continues to host an improbable number of podcasts on the network. Three, in fact: Bullseye (an interview program with cultural figures, also on NPR), Jordan, Jesse, Go! (where he horses around with Jordan Morris), and Judge John Hodgman (where he is the bailiff to the titular judge. But Jesse’s interests expand yet further, all the way to men’s apparel, how it has evolved, and what you should, in fact,
July 22 · 56 min
Know Your Extraterrestrials with Elliott Kalan
The universe is full of all sorts of alien creatures, we just know it. Problem is, they’re far away and, like us, possibly too stupid to invent really cool spaceships in order to visit. That’s why the book Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials was written and illustrated, earning a devoted following that includes Elliott Kalan. The book is a massive compendium of all sorts of aliens culled from sci-fi. Elliott is a former head writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Mystery Science 3000 and
July 15 · 46 min
Ryan Miller of the Band Guster Enjoys the Ordered Verticality of Lists
You are reading something that was written in paragraph format, with complete sentences, grammar, nouns, and verbs. That’s not how Ryan Miller of the beloved band Guster likes it. Ryan enjoys lists. Likes reading them, creating them, and relying on the whole idea of ordered verticality. He tells us about the extensive playlist of songs he always keeps handy for his kids, how this list has been around for many years, how it has seen some editing with certain artists losing favor and being dropped
July 8 · 49 min
NPR’s Glen Weldon Talks The Silmarillion and That Ought To Put You To Sleep
You have to be a slight J.R.R. Tolkien nerd to watch the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings film series. They’re long, there’s three of them, and it helps to know your hobbits from your elves. You have to be even more of a fan to read the dense, lengthy Tolkien books. But then there’s Glen Weldon, co-host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, who has read everything Tolkien many times over including The Silmarillion. That’s the book Tolkien died while writing with extensive arcana of the world of Middle
July 1 · 46 min
Sondre Lerche Takes On A-ha and Soothingly Reads Fjord Names
When you’re a Norwegian musician, you get used to hearing a lot of the band A-ha, the biggest ever to come out of the Nordic country shaped like an arm from the elbow down. And that’s fine with Sondre Lerche, the most popular Norwegian solo musicians of all time. Sondre adored A-ha by rarely gets to share all his knowledge. Until this bedtime, that is. Sondre also reads the names of 15 fjords in their authentic pronunciations and also teaches our Norwegian-American host how to accurately pronoun
June 24 · 50 min
Is This Heaven? No, It’s Iowa and NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben Talking Field of Dreams
We have to imagine that the life of an NPR White House Correspondent does not consistently feel relaxed, homey, sentimental, and warm. But you know what does? Field of Dreams, the 1989 Kevin Costner movie about an Iowa farmer with a field overrun by baseball ghosts. Danielle Kurtzleben, a White House Correspondent for NPR, is from Titonka, Iowa (population 491) and has probably seen the movie eleventy squillion times. She can quote large portions of the dialogue and proved it in our interview by
June 17 · 38 min
Let’s Go to Trader Joe’s with Dan Mintz. That Will Be Nice.
Dan Mintz is an actor, comedian, and writer with a new standup special, Well-Rounded Entertainer, premiering soon on YouTube. Dan is best known as Tina Belcher on the beloved animated TV comedy Bob’s Burgers, which has been on the air for 16 seasons. Where can you get burgers besides Bob’s? Trader Joe’s, that’s where. Dan likes to shop there for foods that will please his family and provide nutritious meals while not busting his budget. He enjoys bananas and other fruits, as he explains to you i
June 10 · 54 min
Dulcé Sloan Knows Every Trope, Archetype, and Inevitable Plot Point of K-Dramas
Dulcé Sloan has been in your American television many times, appearing as correspondent and guest host of The Daily Show, doing stand up on Conan, and voice acting on The Great North. But she doesn’t have much time to watch her own shows because she’s too busy getting chin deep in Korean dramas, studying their patterns, delighting in the long built-up kisses, and talking about them on her new podcast Chasing K-Dramas. She tells us a great deal about these television programs, why they’re inheren
June 3 · 43 min
Comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes Used to Garden and Remembers It Fondly and At Some Length
You may have seen the very funny Anjelah Johnson-Reyes in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ugly Betty, Superstore, or even on the sidelines as an Oakland Raiders cheerleader. Perhaps you’ve seen her comedy specials, including the brand new Ugly Baby, which is about her experiences becoming a mom and, fear not, she is the titular ugly baby here. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ve seen Anjelah in her garden, carefully tending to her plants and vegetables, including tomatoes that she loves so much that she just cal
May 27 · 39 min
Rebecca Sugar: Creator of Steven Universe, Knower of Earthen Building Techniques
In the Venn diagram of “heart” and “animation”, the overlap is Rebecca Sugar. Her series, Steven Universe, was more than just the adventures of an unusual boy’s search for identity in a spectacularly imaginative spiritual/paranormal world, it was mind-expanding and profoundly human and humane literature for legions of adoring fans. Rebecca’s non-animation interests are decidedly and literally much more down to earth. She is fascinated by how to build things, especially wee small houses out earth
May 20 · 47 min
Live From SF Sketchfest with John DiMaggio, Moshe Kasher, and Meredith Edgar
A live in-person performance of Sleeping with Celebrities? At a real theater, the Bayfront Theater, with lights and guests and an audience? At 5pm in the afternoon? Believe it because it happened. We ventured to the home of Rice-a-Roni, San Francisco to join comedy geniuses from all over at the SF Sketchfest. Hear actor John DiMaggio reveal the secrets of voiceover in a mellow voice that he’s not used to using. Catch a rundown of warm springs with actor, comic, and memoirist Moshe Kasher. Tune
May 13 · 1 hr 10 min
A Lot of Work Goes Into Eliza Coupe’s Spiritual Practice, But Not If You’re Just Listening To It For Sleep Reasons
Eliza Coupe is an actor who has appeared regularly on shows like Scrubs, where she was Dr. Denise “Jo” Mahoney, and Happy Endings, where she starred as Jane Kerkovich-Williams. She’s also a person who lives much of the time in Joshua Tree, California, dedicating herself to a rather elaborate, daily, hours-long spiritual practice. We’re going to let her go through all that effort while you simply lie back and listen to her smooth professional actor voice tell you all about it. Hear about her saun
May 6 · 41 min
MaxFunDrive 2026 BoCo Preview: Soundscapes - Runyon Canyon Hiking Trail
Welcome to Maximum Fun's own BoCo Vault, Sleeping with Celebrities Wing. We bring you beautiful soundscapes for sleep, meditation, yoga, zoning out, or really whatever you like. Thank you for being a member. This is Soundscape #2 - The Runyon Canyon Hiking Trail in Sunny Los Angeles. Hope you brought your sunscreen.
April 30 · 3 min
Bonus Mini-Sode: Bigfoot Guys, Aliens Guys, and That’s the Two Types of Guys w/ Drea Clark
Drea Clark, one of the hosts of the popular and important Maximum Film! podcast has a theory: all middle-aged Guys think about the Roman Empire but from there, the Guys separate into Bigfoot Guys and Alien Guys. Sure, there are anomalies but you can mostly separate guys into those groups. Our host, John Moe, Bigfoot Guy, gets Drea’s opinion on where Rock History Guys, Computer Guys, and other Guys sort out into the Bigfoot and Aliens camps. Is it an airtight taxonomic argument? Not really. Is it
April 29 · 33 min
Sleeping with the U.S. Constitution featuring SO MANY STARS
Pretty big celebrity this week: the document that forms the spine of the United States. The one that members of the military pledge loyalty to instead of the President. The words that serves as a manual for law, justice, and government itself, meant to outlast any administration or trend. And we called in an avalanche of celebrities to read it to you. Peter Sagal, Paget Brewster, John Hodgman, Open Mike Eagle, Josh Gondelman, John Ross Bowie, Anna Sale, David Plotz, Ophira Eisenberg, and just a
April 29 · 1 hr 22 min
MaxFunDrive 2026 BoCo Preview: Ambient Soundscape by Daniel William Gonzalez - Vanishing Point
Welcome to Maximum Fun's own BoCo Vault, Sleeping with Celebrities Wing. We bring you beautiful soundscapes for sleep, meditation, yoga, zoning out, or really whatever you like. Thank you for being a member. This is Ambient Track 2: Vanishing Point by Daniel William Gonzalez of Gonzalez Work Station. Open your mind, Quaid.
April 28 · 5 min
Bonus Mini-Sode: Walking Friendly Dogs on a Nice Day, Part 2
Doesn’t that sound pleasant? Join host John Moe as he strolls his Saint Paul neighborhood with his dogs. There’s Sally, a black lab mix and senior resident dog, Maisy, an all-over mutt and resident dog who doesn’t like putting on harnesses but does like walks, and Weenie, a foster pug puppy who keeps up with the ladies but not in a straight line. On this walk... Weenie is slightly too big for a cat-sized harness, Harry Hamlin(e) and Sam Shepard, and John declines to flip off a Cybertruck.
April 24 · 42 min
MaxFunDrive 2026 BoCo Preview: Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, Kim Jong Un, Pretty Much. And Blaine Capatch
It's MaxFunDrive 2026! Listen to the full Bonus Content episode (as well as all of the BoCo in Max Fun history) by going to www.MaximumFun.org/joinsleeping. It's our one-stop portal to become a member and support Sleeping with Celebrities.
April 23 · 14 min
Rob Huebel and His Sure-Fire Completely Doomed Business Ideas
Rob Huebel, a friendly and hilarious person, has appeared in movies and tv shows like The Other Guys, The League, and The Sex Lives of College Girls, plus numerous things that don’t have “The” in the title. His new comedy horror film is Grind and he stars in the upcoming There's a Batman Film Starring Gary Busey Buried in the Desert and I'm Going to Find It, which won the special "Sleeping with Celebrities Oscar for Best Title." He’s here to tell you about some rock-solid, can’t-go-wrong busines
April 22 · 56 min

Sleeping with Celebrities

Exploring the Washington Wizards, the NBA’s Most Ambien Team, with Jamel Johnson

Jesse Thorn Has More Thoughts On Menswear Formality Levels Than You Do, Probably

Know Your Extraterrestrials with Elliott Kalan

Ryan Miller of the Band Guster Enjoys the Ordered Verticality of Lists

NPR’s Glen Weldon Talks The Silmarillion and That Ought To Put You To Sleep

Sondre Lerche Takes On A-ha and Soothingly Reads Fjord Names

Is This Heaven? No, It’s Iowa and NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben Talking Field of Dreams

Let’s Go to Trader Joe’s with Dan Mintz. That Will Be Nice.

Dulcé Sloan Knows Every Trope, Archetype, and Inevitable Plot Point of K-Dramas

Comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes Used to Garden and Remembers It Fondly and At Some Length

Rebecca Sugar: Creator of Steven Universe, Knower of Earthen Building Techniques

Live From SF Sketchfest with John DiMaggio, Moshe Kasher, and Meredith Edgar

A Lot of Work Goes Into Eliza Coupe’s Spiritual Practice, But Not If You’re Just Listening To It For Sleep Reasons

MaxFunDrive 2026 BoCo Preview: Soundscapes - Runyon Canyon Hiking Trail

Bonus Mini-Sode: Bigfoot Guys, Aliens Guys, and That’s the Two Types of Guys w/ Drea Clark

Sleeping with the U.S. Constitution featuring SO MANY STARS

MaxFunDrive 2026 BoCo Preview: Ambient Soundscape by Daniel William Gonzalez - Vanishing Point

Bonus Mini-Sode: Walking Friendly Dogs on a Nice Day, Part 2

MaxFunDrive 2026 BoCo Preview: Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, Kim Jong Un, Pretty Much. And Blaine Capatch

Rob Huebel and His Sure-Fire Completely Doomed Business Ideas