Lovett or Leave It

A week in review recorded in front of a live audience. It’s great.

Crooked Team
Crooked Media
7 min readMar 16, 2017

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Hey Lovett or Leave It listeners! Crooked Media podcasts are switching to secure RSS feeds this week. Most listeners won’t notice a change but if you do, upgrade to the latest version of your podcast app and you’ll be back to normal listening! Enjoy!

Trump’s Emotional Affair

Chuck and Nancy make a deal, Medicare for All battles Repeal and Replace, and Sessions gets reamed in the Oval. Guy Branum, Erin Gloria Ryan, and Julissa Arce help break down the week. Plus Jon sits down with Cyrus Habib, the Lt. Governor of Washington, to talk education and we check in with America’s evil baroness.

From Russia with Likes

Sessions announces the end to DACA with a running fuse. Big boy Trump finally strikes his first deal. Deadly storms portend a worsening climate. Facebook has some explaining to do. Lou Dobbs goes MAGA on Paul Ryan. And Equifax is just despicable. Sasheer Zamata, Negin Farsad, and Jaboukie Young-White join Jon to break down the week’s news. Plus a dramatic reading you won’t want to miss. Recorded live at the Now Hear This Podcast Festival in New York.

Prophets of Rage

Chuck D of Public Enemy and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine join Jon to talk about the soundtrack of the Resistance. Then Jake Fogelnest, Cord Jefferson, and Brittani Nichols break down the latest news on Houston, Mueller’s investigation, and Trump’s attacks on the media. And activist Rubi Martinez talks about the threat facing undocumented young people as Trump considers rescinding DACA. Other notes: Jon bleeps one Game of Thrones spoiler, so no worries there. And two sites mentioned today: houstonfoodbank.org and defendDACA.com.

Look What You Made Him Do

Trump pardons Arpaio, trans service members face a ban, North Korea launches missiles, Gorka is out, and Taylor Swift gets the crowd riled up. Jon is joined by Michaela Watkins, Alice Wetterlund, Andrew Ti, Tommy Vietor and Ira Madison III to break down the week including a bunch of late-breaking Friday news. And no GOT spoilers, OK?

Calamity Bannon

A week that began with marching ends with marching orders. Larry Wilmore, Gaby Dunn, and Langston Kerman join Jon to discuss the latest White House shake up and the fallout from Charlottesville. Plus GOP operative Tim Miller stops by for a new segment called “The Cuck Zone” and Jon learns in real time why a Kardashian is on the rant wheel.

Rain of Terror (Live from San Francisco!)

Todd Barry, Natalie Morales, and Dan Pfeiffer join Jon to discuss North Korea, the opioid crisis, McConnell v. Trump, immigration, and the rest of it. Recorded live at the Outside Lands Festival in SF.

Smother of Exiles

Trump plays to the base, foreign leader transcripts leak, Mueller makes some moves, a C+ Santa Monica fascist takes the podium, and Dunkirk is best in 70mm. Joe Mande, Cameron Esposito, and Ann Friedman join Jon to break down the week’s news and introduce a new game that worked… pretty well.

You Can’t McConnell an Honest Man

Trumpcare dies in the Senate! Priebus is bounced from the motorcade! Plus the Mooch toots his own horn, as it were. Recorded LIVE at the Comedy Store, Jon breaks down yet another insane week with writer Ira Madison, actor Brett Gelman, comedian Amanda Seales, reporter Jake Sherman, and Crooked Media’s own Jon Favreau. Plus, how about not checking your phone during the one hour a week when we’re watching Game of Thrones? Possible?

Sisyphus with a Mini Fridge

Sarah Silverman, DeRay Mckesson, and Guy Branum join Jon to break down an extraordinary week. The health care bill lives and dies and lives again. Trump discovers the pardon power. Sessions reportedly lied under oath. And please do not worry: we give Sean Spicer a lovely send off.

Moscow Mules and Piña Colludas (LIVE at the Troubadour!)

Rainn Wilson, Max Silvestri, Milana Vayntrub, and Laurie Kilmartin join Jon to discuss Junior’s meetings, health care, humanitarian work, and Dwight Schrute. Plus a new game ends in a little collusion you won’t want to miss.

Going HAMptons on Partisanship

Packed show! Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on his run for Governor. Jeff Ross, Wil Wheaton, and Sabrina Jalees discuss ethics resignations and voter fraud; Tommy Vietor joins for the “Vietor Detour” to break down a big foreign policy week; and the rant wheel turns into a debate over civility in politics.

Delay? On delay.

Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado joins Jon to talk about the health care fight and a positive vision for Democrats, and to quiz the audience on a special mile-high topic. Plus comedian and writer Travon Free and Atlantic reporter Julia Ioffe help break down the week’s news. Recorded live at the Belly Up comedy club in Aspen, Colorado.

Wario and Peace

Paul Scheer, Rory Scovel, and Jessica Chaffin join Jon to break down the latest on health care. Plus a look at Trump’s lame excuses for claiming he had “tapes” and, at long last, a discussion of Dear Evan Hansen.

Mueller? I hardly know her.

Jon is joined by Jamil Smith of MTV News, Vanity Fair’s Nick Bilton, and comedian Mo Welch to discuss the shooting in Alexandria, news reports that Trump himself is now under investigation, McConnell’s play to revamp the health care system in secret, and, most importantly, endless construction at the Beverly Center.

There’s Just Like So Much Going On (Live from DC!)

Trump’s response to terror, the war on the war on drugs, the role of the press, Putin’s spin on collusion, the impact of unfilled jobs across our government, and, most importantly, Wonder Woman. In the second live show at the Lincoln Theatre in DC, Jon is joined by The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, NBC investigative correspondent Ronan Farrow, and Washington Post humor columnist Alexandra Petri for a conversation on topics that sometimes get swamped by the daily insanity.

There Will Be Flood (Live from DC!)

The US withdraws from the Paris accords. Spicer dodges questions on climate. CEOs are divided on advising Trump. And a new segment: “Too Stupid to be Congress.” Recorded at the Lincoln Theatre on U Street, Jon is joined by CBS News White House reporter Jackie Alemany, Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden, and Campaign Zero co-founder Brittney Packnett.

Baby Got Backchannel

Jared Kushner is in very big trouble, Trump studies abroad, the administration releases a cruel budget, and the GOP holds a seat in Montana. The Daily Beast’s Ira Madison III, Fargo’s Allison Tolman, and comedian Bobby Lee join to break down the week’s news. Plus, our own Tommy Vietor takes us through the Kushner madness.

Comey Comey Comey Chameleon

What a week. What. A. Week. Comedians Dave Anthony, Grace Parra, and Mike Lawrence join. Also, a Rubio-themed quiz. Exciting.

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire Comey

What a week. Comey, the fallout of several bonkers Trump interviews, Spicer’s embarrassing briefing, and more with Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Lapkus, and Gareth Reynolds.

Fun Hundred Days

Stephen Merchant, Moshe Kasher, and Pam Brady join Jon to discuss Trump’s first hundo, plus Stephen faces a daunting quiz. Special thanks to Ja Rule for allowing us to record at Fyre Festival.

Bill Oh Really

Recorded live in Austin, comedians Guy Branum, Aparna Nancherla, and Hari Kondabolu break down the week’s news and Jon sits down with Congressman Beto O’Rourke to discuss his campaign for the Senate against Ted Cruz.

Godwin’s Law and Order

Trump’s policy reversals, Spicer’s analogies, Page’s FISA warrant, and a look at the week’s worst punditry with Rhea Butcher, Zhubin Parang, and Mike Schur.

Masters of War-a-Lago

Ike Barinholtz, Neal Brennan and Jessica Yellin join to talk Gorsuch, Bannon v. Kushner, atrocious Syria punditry, and that Pepsi ad because we’re only human. Plus, Jon attacks S-Town’s… critics?

After Nunes, Delight?

Danny Zuker, D’Arcy Carden, and Tommy Vietor join for a rundown of the week’s news. Also Jon attacks “S-Town” because why not.

Trumpcare is dead, Lovett or Leave It is LIVE. Our first episode!

Michaela Watkins, Katie Nolan, and Jon Favreau join for a rundown of the week’s news in front of a live audience, plus we introduce the Rant Wheel.

In L.A.? Get tickets to the first show here!

Our awesome art as always by Jesse McLean.

Finally.

Your pal Jon Lovett — former Obama speechwriter, Pod Save America co-host, STRAIGHT SHOOTER RESPECTED ON ALL SIDES — is hosting a brand new show.

Every Friday night, Jon and a panel of comedians, actors, journalists, and some of the many, many famous Friends of the Pod will break down the week’s biggest news and deal with whatever bullshit came flying over the transom in our broken, insane political nightmare factory. Plus it’s produced by a former head writer for The Office, Lee Eisenberg! So it’s got that kind of a vibe too. There will be rants! Games! Bad impressions! Quizzes! Dramatic Readings! Shouting at cable news clips! And everyone’s favorite: nuanced discussion!

You can subscribe right now on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. And, between you and us, there’s going to be video too.

SUBSCRIBE IMMEDIATELY. If this doesn’t go to number one Lovett is going to be a disaster. And if it DOES go to number one, he’ll be even worse.

Subscribe on iTunes right now.

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