A show about clinical depression... with laughs? Well, yeah. Depression is an incredibly common and isolating disease experienced by millions, yet often stigmatized by society. The Hilarious World of Depression is a series of frank, moving, and, yes, funny conversations with top comedians and funny creative people who have dealt with this disease, hosted by veteran humorist and public radio host John Moe. Winner of the Webby Award for Best Comedy Podcast. Join guests such as John Green, Russell Brand, Margaret Cho, Wayne Brady, and Wil Wheaton to learn how they've dealt with depression and managed to laugh along the way. If you have not met the disease personally, it's almost certain that someone you know has, whether it's a friend, family member, colleague, or neighbor. Depression is a vicious cycle of solitude and stigma that leaves people miserable and sometimes dead. Frankly, we’re not going to put up with that anymore. The Hilarious World of Depression is not medical treatment and should not be seen as a substitute for therapy or medication. But it is a chance to gain some insight, have a few laughs, and realize that people with depression are not alone and that together, we can all feel a bit better. The Hilarious World of Depression is made possible by a grant from HealthPartners’ and its Make It Okay campaign which works to reduce the stigma of mental health. www.makeitok.org
Episodes (45)
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Highlights From A Hilarious Night of Depression
Highlights From A Hilarious Night of Depression
Published: 5 Mar 2018 Duration: 40:50The show busts out of studios and quiet intimate spaces for an on-stage performance at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis. Comedian Mike Brown joins us for plenty of comedy and conversation. We even bust out a few games where you can play ... Read more →The show busts out of studios and quiet intimate spaces for an on-stage performance at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis. Comedian Mike Brown joins us for plenty of comedy and conversation. We even bust out a few games where you can play ... Read more →
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Hannah Hart Gets Drunk, Tries To Make Grilled Cheese, Gets Famous, Tries To Enjoy It
Hannah Hart Gets Drunk, Tries To Make Grilled Cheese, Gets Famous, Tries To Enjoy It
Published: 5 Feb 2018 Duration: 49:17Although she comes across as confident and happy on her incredibly successful YouTube channel, Hannah Hart has plenty of experience with insecurity and misery in her life. Growing up, she faced severe poverty, hunger, and dealing with a mot... Read more →Although she comes across as confident and happy on her incredibly successful YouTube channel, Hannah Hart has plenty of experience with insecurity and misery in her life. Growing up, she faced severe poverty, hunger, and dealing with a mot... Read more →
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Ted Leo Stops Beating Up File Cabinets, Songs, Self
Ted Leo Stops Beating Up File Cabinets, Songs, Self
Published: 29 Jan 2018 Duration: 47:00It's hard to settle on a musical description for Ted Leo. We ended up going with "if The Beach Boys were '80s skateboarders" to summarize his melodic intense post-punk sound. Similarly hard to nail down is whether Ted's longtime issues with... Read more →It's hard to settle on a musical description for Ted Leo. We ended up going with "if The Beach Boys were '80s skateboarders" to summarize his melodic intense post-punk sound. Similarly hard to nail down is whether Ted's longtime issues with... Read more →
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Rachel Bloom Finds Her Voice, Then Uses It To Sing About Stealing Pets and Moving to West Covina, California
Rachel Bloom Finds Her Voice, Then Uses It To Sing About Stealing Pets and Moving to West Covina, California
Published: 22 Jan 2018 Duration: 53:44Rachel Bloom has never moved across the country to chase a boy like Rebecca Bunch did. Rebecca is the character Rachel plays in "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," the hit show she co-created and stars in on The CW Network. But Rachel does have a long h... Read more →Rachel Bloom has never moved across the country to chase a boy like Rebecca Bunch did. Rebecca is the character Rachel plays in "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," the hit show she co-created and stars in on The CW Network. But Rachel does have a long h... Read more →
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Reggie Osse Puts It Together
Reggie Osse Puts It Together
Published: 15 Jan 2018 Duration: 51:05In one of the last interviews he gave, Reggie Osse, aka Combat Jack, talks about the connection between the status of the African-American man in contemporary society, the changing role of masculinity in hip-hop culture, and mental health. ... Read more →In one of the last interviews he gave, Reggie Osse, aka Combat Jack, talks about the connection between the status of the African-American man in contemporary society, the changing role of masculinity in hip-hop culture, and mental health. ... Read more →
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Linda Holmes Leaves Law to Concentrate On Watching TV and It Works Out Great
Linda Holmes Leaves Law to Concentrate On Watching TV and It Works Out Great
Published: 8 Jan 2018 Duration: 45:33Before she was the host of NPR's popular Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, Linda Holmes was an attorney working at the Minnesota Legislature. Before that, she was a student living in squalor. And before that, she was the victim of some seriou... Read more →Before she was the host of NPR's popular Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, Linda Holmes was an attorney working at the Minnesota Legislature. Before that, she was a student living in squalor. And before that, she was the victim of some seriou... Read more →
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Rhett Miller Really Hates That Brass Cat
Rhett Miller Really Hates That Brass Cat
Published: 2 Jan 2018 Duration: 47:45If you've ever heard this show before, you've heard singer-songwriter Rhett Miller. He wrote and performs the theme song about "the world's greatest clown." On this episode, Rhett tells of his teenage suicide attempt, a mysterious illness, ... Read more →If you've ever heard this show before, you've heard singer-songwriter Rhett Miller. He wrote and performs the theme song about "the world's greatest clown." On this episode, Rhett tells of his teenage suicide attempt, a mysterious illness, ... Read more →
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Mike Brown Trains as an Engineer to Prepare for Comedy
Mike Brown Trains as an Engineer to Prepare for Comedy
Published: 26 Dec 2017 Duration: 50:06New York comedian Mike Brown is a big fan of objective cause-and-effect scenarios. This drew him into playing video games, studying math and engineering, and ultimately getting on stage to tell jokes and get laughs. The thing is, sometimes ... Read more →New York comedian Mike Brown is a big fan of objective cause-and-effect scenarios. This drew him into playing video games, studying math and engineering, and ultimately getting on stage to tell jokes and get laughs. The thing is, sometimes ... Read more →
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Janelle James Discovers She's a Comedian and Not a Gardener
Janelle James Discovers She's a Comedian and Not a Gardener
Published: 18 Dec 2017 Duration: 42:00New York comic Janelle James never even imagined being a comedian. She had grown up in the Virgin Islands, worked in fashion PR, had two kids, and was living in Illinois when she first walked on stage at an open mic night. She was 30 years ... Read more →New York comic Janelle James never even imagined being a comedian. She had grown up in the Virgin Islands, worked in fashion PR, had two kids, and was living in Illinois when she first walked on stage at an open mic night. She was 30 years ... Read more →
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Jenny Lawson is Very Fond of Creepy Smiling Dead Animals and Worries Quite a Bit
Jenny Lawson is Very Fond of Creepy Smiling Dead Animals and Worries Quite a Bit
Published: 11 Dec 2017 Duration: 50:50She's the author of bestselling books and an incredibly popular blog, but Jenny Lawson showed up to our interview wondering, at least a little, if her appearance on this show and her whole career, really, was part of some delusion. It's not... Read more →She's the author of bestselling books and an incredibly popular blog, but Jenny Lawson showed up to our interview wondering, at least a little, if her appearance on this show and her whole career, really, was part of some delusion. It's not... Read more →
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The Holiday Coping Mechanism Spectacular
The Holiday Coping Mechanism Spectacular
Published: 4 Dec 2017 Duration: 01:00:35We've gathered up a whole lot of tips, tricks, ideas, and stories to help you get through this time of year when merriness and jolliness aren't always in abundant supply. Hear holiday thoughts from Wil Wheaton, Margaret Cho, Jenny Lawson, J... Read more →We've gathered up a whole lot of tips, tricks, ideas, and stories to help you get through this time of year when merriness and jolliness aren't always in abundant supply. Hear holiday thoughts from Wil Wheaton, Margaret Cho, Jenny Lawson, J... Read more →
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Ana Marie Cox Is Not Really Edited Much At All
Ana Marie Cox Is Not Really Edited Much At All
Published: 27 Nov 2017 Duration: 01:22:23You know those things that happened but that you don't talk about very much? Or even at all? Because they're too upsetting? In this episode, host John Moe and guest Ana Marie Cox put those things on the table. Ana is a journalist, pundit, a... Read more →You know those things that happened but that you don't talk about very much? Or even at all? Because they're too upsetting? In this episode, host John Moe and guest Ana Marie Cox put those things on the table. Ana is a journalist, pundit, a... Read more →
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Julie Klausner Builds a More Confident and Dumber Version of Herself For Our Amusement
Julie Klausner Builds a More Confident and Dumber Version of Herself For Our Amusement
Published: 20 Nov 2017 Duration: 44:52Growing up, actor and writer Julie Klausner was too busy battling depression and daydreaming about an imagined Merlot-sipping cosmopolitan adulthood to really engage in the world itself. It wasn't until she entered the world of comedy and i... Read more →Growing up, actor and writer Julie Klausner was too busy battling depression and daydreaming about an imagined Merlot-sipping cosmopolitan adulthood to really engage in the world itself. It wasn't until she entered the world of comedy and i... Read more →
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Jeff Tweedy Didn't Want to Take His Doctor On Tour Because the Doctor Was Terrible
Jeff Tweedy Didn't Want to Take His Doctor On Tour Because the Doctor Was Terrible
Published: 13 Nov 2017 Duration: 54:48Long before Jeff Tweedy was the founder and leader of the enormously popular band Wilco, he was a kid in Illinois with severe migraines and a tendency toward anxiety and depression. He cycled through alcohol, marijuana, and, finally, opioid... Read more →Long before Jeff Tweedy was the founder and leader of the enormously popular band Wilco, he was a kid in Illinois with severe migraines and a tendency toward anxiety and depression. He cycled through alcohol, marijuana, and, finally, opioid... Read more →
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Patti Harrison Figures Out Who She Is and She's a Woman Who Likes Gross Jokes
Patti Harrison Figures Out Who She Is and She's a Woman Who Likes Gross Jokes
Published: 6 Nov 2017 Duration: 47:00With one recent appearance on The Tonight Show, Patti Harrison went from being a well-regarded alternative comedian in New York to being a de facto spokesperson for transgender people. She's proud of who she is and proud to give a voice to ... Read more →With one recent appearance on The Tonight Show, Patti Harrison went from being a well-regarded alternative comedian in New York to being a de facto spokesperson for transgender people. She's proud of who she is and proud to give a voice to ... Read more →
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Gary Gulman Is a Brilliant Comedian and an Ineffective Offensive Lineman
Gary Gulman Is a Brilliant Comedian and an Ineffective Offensive Lineman
Published: 30 Oct 2017 Duration: 46:02Although Gary Gulman has been a successful stand-up comedian for decades - with acclaimed specials, a loyal fan base, and appearances on all major late night shows - this was not his original plan. Gary is 6'6" and athletically gifted, he l... Read more →Although Gary Gulman has been a successful stand-up comedian for decades - with acclaimed specials, a loyal fan base, and appearances on all major late night shows - this was not his original plan. Gary is 6'6" and athletically gifted, he l... Read more →
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Aimee Mann Discovers That Having Feelings About Terrible Things Is Perfectly Fine
Aimee Mann Discovers That Having Feelings About Terrible Things Is Perfectly Fine
Published: 23 Oct 2017 Duration: 50:03Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann has a reputation for making music that is raw, emotional, and sometimes not all that cheerful. In real life, she's perfectly cheerful - thank you very much - and has traveled a long road of depression, anxiety, ... Read more →Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann has a reputation for making music that is raw, emotional, and sometimes not all that cheerful. In real life, she's perfectly cheerful - thank you very much - and has traveled a long road of depression, anxiety, ... Read more →
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John Green Falls Victim to Some Bad Fiction While Writing His New Book
John Green Falls Victim to Some Bad Fiction While Writing His New Book
Published: 16 Oct 2017 Duration: 56:39Author John Green had one of the best-selling books of the last 10 years with The Fault In Our Stars. The problem is, when you write an acclaimed smash hit, everyone wants you to somehow do it again. In attempting to write that follow-up, G... Read more →Author John Green had one of the best-selling books of the last 10 years with The Fault In Our Stars. The problem is, when you write an acclaimed smash hit, everyone wants you to somehow do it again. In attempting to write that follow-up, G... Read more →
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Neal Brennan Gives Ketamine and Magnetic Impulses a Try
Neal Brennan Gives Ketamine and Magnetic Impulses a Try
Published: 9 Oct 2017 Duration: 50:47If you've enjoyed any comedy in the last 20 years, there's a good chance Neal Brennan helped make it. He's a veteran comic, writer, director, and co-creator, with Dave Chappelle, of the acclaimed Chappelle's Show. Over the past 20-plus year... Read more →If you've enjoyed any comedy in the last 20 years, there's a good chance Neal Brennan helped make it. He's a veteran comic, writer, director, and co-creator, with Dave Chappelle, of the acclaimed Chappelle's Show. Over the past 20-plus year... Read more →
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Margaret Cho Works Out A Lot And Makes People Upset In New Jersey
Margaret Cho Works Out A Lot And Makes People Upset In New Jersey
Published: 2 Oct 2017 Duration: 41:18She's one of the most influential and innovative comedians of the last few decades, but before all that, Margaret Cho was a Korean-American girl growing up in the 1970s in San Francisco. We hear about the sometimes very darkly humorous ways... Read more →She's one of the most influential and innovative comedians of the last few decades, but before all that, Margaret Cho was a Korean-American girl growing up in the 1970s in San Francisco. We hear about the sometimes very darkly humorous ways... Read more →