It’s nearly the end of a podcasting era.
Marc Maron, the host of “WTF” — the popular twice-weekly podcast in which he excavates the nooks and crannies of his guests’ psyches — announced on Monday that the show would end this fall after nearly 16 years.
“It was not some kind of difficult decision necessarily,” he said on a new podcast episode, adding that he and his longtime producer partner, Brendan McDonald, had agreed it was the right time. “There was no convincing or pushback or arguing. We were done. It’s OK for things to end.”
After more than 1,600 episodes, Maron said, he and McDonald were “tired” and “burnt out.” “We are utterly satisfied with the work we’ve done,” he added.
When “WTF With Marc Maron” began in September 2009, podcasting had not yet taken off as a popular platform for comedians, celebrities and thinkers. Over the years, Maron’s show evolved into a long-format style that welcomed hundreds of notable names including Carol Burnett, Ariana Grande, David Letterman, Ian McKellen and Demi Moore.
He recorded an episode with Barack Obama in 2015 that was probably the first time a sitting president had recorded an interview in a comedian’s garage. His 2010 episode during which the comedian Robin Williams discussed his insecurities and thoughts of suicide was later inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Maron said Monday that the final few months of “WTF” would feature as many people as possible.
“I do want to sincerely thank all you people for being along on this journey with me, and with Brendan, with all the guests,” Maron said. “Because we really did something here and I want to thank you all for that.”
Derrick Bryson Taylor is a Times reporter covering breaking news in culture and the arts.
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