Kickass News

Kickass News is a brisk interview show centered on people from film, television, theater, books, and culture. Its rhythm is polished and radio-friendly. Ben Mathis usually begins with a clean setup that places the person’s newest work in a larger career story, then steers the conversation toward craft, reputation, ambition, and the moments that shaped the person behind the project. The Jon Hamm episode starts with Wild Mountain Time but quickly widens into comedy, drama, Mad Men, Saturday Night Live, Bridesmaids, 30 Rock, and the problem of being frozen in the public mind as one iconic character. Hamm talks about making conscious choices after Mad Men and wanting room to do different kinds of work. The Andre Gregory episode has a different texture. It follows an unconventional theater life through My Dinner with Andre, This Is Not My Memoir, Brecht, Jerzy Grotowski, and the search for an actor who could “fly” in artistic terms. Gregory’s stories give the show a more reflective theatrical charge. Brad Meltzer’s return brings the format into books for younger readers. That conversation focuses on biography, heroes, flaws, Walt Disney, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Oprah Winfrey, and the idea that children can handle more emotional truth than adults sometimes assume. Across these excerpts, the show is less about hot takes than prepared curiosity. It gives people space to explain how a career, a performance, a book, or an artistic conviction came together. The tone is upbeat, admiring, and conversational. It rarely sounds combative. Instead, it works best as a smart, low-friction gateway into creative careers and public figures whose work crosses entertainment, literature, and ideas. Listeners looking for dense investigative journalism may find it too guest-driven. Listeners who enjoy informed celebrity interviews, backstage stories, and thoughtful promotion-adjacent conversations will understand its appeal quickly.