31 Comments
Jun 4Liked by Jeff Maurer

Two things:

The Camry is an extremely well made vehicle; it spends way less time in the shop than do expensive sports cars. Also, it doesn’t scream “I’m having a midlife crisis and am very worried about my masculinity.”

A good state university will be much better for your son than an Ivy League one. The level of instruction is the same, and the student body really is diverse (“from all walks of life,” as the pre-DEI saying goes).

And a third one:

Keep up the good work!

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And I AM rich because I (rarely) drive a comparable Honda Civic. I fight The War on Cars!

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Jun 4Liked by Jeff Maurer

This Substack has some of the funniest stuff I've ever read. It's also fair and insightful.

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From one Camry guy to another, thanks.

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What year Camry? I'm in the 1999 club, thing still runs like an absolute champ. I'll never get rid of it.

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As a (1997) Honda Civic owner, I feel included in this joke.

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Jun 4Liked by Jeff Maurer

"Any writer with half a brain — and I like to think that describes me", Jeff, you sell yourself short, two-thirds at an absolute minimum.

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Jun 4Liked by Jeff Maurer

Hey, your child is not even 2. If he was giving off "Harvard vibes" I'd be afraid.

Very afraid.

I'm so glad your future is bright. You are very good at this. Your Monday subscriber podcast has given me a reason to wake up on Mondays and as a disabled retiree I need a good reason!

Your news from 100 years ago is incredible genius! I'd pay $10 a month if

I had to. I'd just cut out eating red meat.

Thank you for creating this.....

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author

Haha -- I guess "Harvard material" might have a different meaning than it had a few months ago.

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Was gonna say the same thing about “Harvard Material.” By trying to poke fun at your kin, you have actually given him the greatest gift. It turns out that gift is a four year degree from a state school that will leave them far happier and better off in the end!

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founding
Jun 4Liked by Jeff Maurer

Happy anniversary! As a longtime (paid) subscriber, I feel strongly that your voice is a welcome addition to our culture. Thanks for your work.

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Jun 4Liked by Jeff Maurer

I still have basically no idea who you are. But you're smart & funny & worth at least $5 a month. Thanks for putting yourself out there!

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author

Thanks, and nobody has any idea who I am! Being aggressively not-famous is part of my mystique.

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Chris Bodenner @ The Weekly Dish recommended you, and he was right. Here's to three more years.

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Jun 4Liked by Jeff Maurer

Thank you.

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Jun 4Liked by Jeff Maurer

It appears that you consider yourself first a comedian, second a writer, and possibly nth a news writer. Is this accurate? I don't mean to disparage you, I enjoy your content, and if you wrote a journalistic piece I would read it. Do you have any ambitions along those lines? Do you have any plans to publish pieces elsewhere?

I'm also curious, do you think there's room for a "heterodox" version of Last Week Tonight? It seems like a pretty proven concept, considering "Adam Ruins Everything" and "Penn and Teller's Bullshit". I can't imagine you're the only ex writer from shows like this who left and have become somewhat fed up with the ideological slant.

On an unrelated note, I wanted to (partially) apologise for dismissing your piece on why the Trump trial is/was bull. I stand by what I said wherein I don't think you did enough to find an expert to explain the legal analysis. Andrew Heaton just released an episode where he had a lawyer who went into some of the minutia. But, you were right in your conclusions. So, mea culpa.

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Yes, I'm a comedian, and the topic of my comedy is politics. I don't have the capacity to cultivate sources, chase down leads, and do other things that journalists do -- I'm set up to add jokes to other people's journalism. But I try to hold myself to basic standards of fairness, because if I didn't do that, the columns would be so obnoxious that no one would stick around for the jokes.

I do think there's room for a "heterodox" (or, ya know, just not highly ideological) version of Last Week Tonight. I spent my last few years at Last Week Tonight trying to make Last Week Tonight that show. And, long story short, here I am.

No apology necessary! The case was bizarre.

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Jun 4Liked by Jeff Maurer

Thanks for the effort the last 3 years, your creation is wonderful!!

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Curious if you’ve written more about your experience at Last Week Tonight anywhere. What it was like, how you got the gig, why you left, etc.

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author

I got the gig because John and a Daily Show producer named Rory Albanese saw me in a comedy club (doing standup...I wasn't, like, just standing around). That got me into the pile of people who could submit packets for the Daily Show (John was at the Daily Show at the time), and when John got his own show, I wrote a blind packet (that's how they did it back then) and got the gig.

As for why I left, I wrote a little about that in the column linked below, but basically: The band broke up. It was a lot of things, and the bit about greener pastures (I wanted to move to scripted TV) is true.

https://imightbewrong.substack.com/p/second-annual-imbw-mailbag-answers?utm_source=publication-search

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I gotcha. Thank you for the answers!

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Good on you Jeff. I don't agree with all the (soggy centrist) stuff you write but - with all due respect - I think of that as an indication I still have a functioning, sceptical, brain. One thing that's clear, your newsletters invariably reward me with a chuckle for opening them, so congratulations and keep up the good work.

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Maybe you can make occasional forays down to the Savannah for some of those sweet acacia berries or truffles or whatever viewer eyeballs are in this analogy. I found you through a NYT column in 2022 and been a subscriber since (I suspect you somehow triggered the Grey Lady’s turn back to sanity). However if you choose to stick it out in the mountains throwing shade at President Taft we’re here for you

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founding

Jeff, as a moderate conservate, I'd like to explore your negative comments regarding Fox News. Yes, Fox News does slant news toward conservatives. But, is the information in its stories wrong, ir just information that the mainstream media won't mention? Recently, Uri Berliner wrote an article for the Free Press which pointed out how increasingly biased NPR has become over the years. Its editorial staff, for example, has 87 registered democrats and no registered republicans. Aside from funds which they directly receive from the federal government, they have a ready-made network of primarily College and university radio stations that receive state and federal funds. You may not consider that they "pander" to the Left, but their material is presented so that listeners who hold long-term left-of-center views are reinforced. The same seems to be increasingly true of CNN, CBS,ABC,and NBC.

As Margaret Sullivan wrote last year in an article for the Guardian, it is imperative that journalists tell "the truth." She goes on to state that "the truth" consists of making the democrat party look good regardless of the actual actions of some of its members, so those damned sub-human republicans can't take over and ruin things.

Haven't news organizations on both sides of the aisle sacrificed journalistic integrity for ratings?

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founding

First, congrats on the anniversary! Second, I LOVE your blog and podcast - and as a paid subscriber, I would gladly toss a few extra bucks your way whenever you feel tempted to head down to the savannah, so keep us Blessed Thousand posted before you do anything rash or click-baitey. :)

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