The following is a list of guests of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! , NPR's news panel game, during 2013. [1] Job titles reflect the position of individuals at the time of the appearance. All shows, unless otherwise indicated, are hosted by Peter Sagal with announcer/scorekeeper Carl Kassell and are taped at Chicago's Chase Auditorium.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is an hour-long weekly news-based radio panel show produced by WBEZ and National Public Radio (NPR) in Chicago, Illinois. On the program, panelists and contestants are quizzed in humorous ways about that week's news. It is distributed by NPR in the United States, internationally on NPR Worldwide and on the Internet via podcast, and typically broadcast on weekends by member stations. The show averages about 6 million weekly listeners on air and via podcast.
National Public Radio is an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization based in Washington, D.C. NPR differs from other non-profit membership media organizations, such as AP, in that it was established by an act of Congress and most of its member stations are owned by government entities. It serves as a national syndicator to a network of over 1,000 public radio stations in the United States.
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events.
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
January 5 | Culinary-themed "Best of" episode featuring celebrity chef Paula Deen | ||
January 12 | Actor Jeff Bridges | Kyrie O'Connor, Adam Felber, Paula Poundstone | |
January 19 | Philanthropist Melinda Gates | Roxanne Roberts, Peter Grosz, Mo Rocca | |
January 26 | Tech Guru Guy Kawasaki | Maz Jobrani, Amy Dickinson, Roy Blount, Jr. |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
February 2 | Astronaut Mae Jemison | Faith Salie, Charlie Pierce, Brian Babylon | |
February 9 | Singer Erykah Badu | Paula Poundstone, Tom Bodett, Kyrie O'Connor | Show recorded in Dallas, TX |
February 16 | Former US Vice-President Al Gore | Brian Babylon, Roxanne Roberts, Luke Burbank | |
February 23 | "Best of" episode, featuring journalist Jake Tapper, TV host and author Martha Stewart, singer/songwriter Bonnie Raitt, actors Dax Shepard & Kristen Bell, and novelist John Irving |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
March 2 | Sportscaster Jon Miller | Alonzo Bodden, Jessi Klein, Mo Rocca | Guest announcer/scorekeeper Bill Kurtis |
March 9 | United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan | Paula Poundstone, Firoozeh Dumas, Roy Blount, Jr. | |
March 16 | Singer Huey Lewis | Faith Salie, Bobcat Goldthwait, Paula Poundstone | |
March 23 | Professional pickpocket Apollo Robbins | Tom Bodett, Amy Dickinson, Charlie Pierce | Guest announcer/scorekeeper Bill Kurtis |
March 30 | R&B Singer Aaron Neville | P. J. O'Rourke, Kyrie O'Connor, Adam Felber | Guest host Tom Bodett |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
April 6 | Musician Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick | Peter Grosz, Roxanne Roberts, Brian Babylon | Show recorded in Rockford, IL |
April 13 | Food writer Mark Bittman | Faith Salie, Alonzo Bodden, Luke Burbank | |
April 20 | "Best of" episode featuring actor Jeff Bridges, Secretary Of Education Arne Duncan, former Vice-President Al Gore, singer Erykah Badu, and philanthropist Melinda Gates | ||
April 27 | Actor Kal Penn | Amy Dickinson, Maz Jobrani, Roy Blount, Jr. |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
May 4 | Entertainer Steve Martin | Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone, Tom Bodett | Show recorded in New York, NY |
May 11 | Google CEO Eric Schmidt | Charlie Pierce, Roxanne Roberts, Brian Babylon | Guest announcer/scorekeeper Bill Kurtis |
May 18 | Rock musician Alice Cooper | Bobcat Goldthwait, Kyrie O'Connor, Tom Bodett | |
May 25 | Sports journalist Michele Tafoya | Mo Rocca, Adam Felber, Faith Salie | Show recorded in Minneapolis, MN Guest announcer/scorekeeper Bill Kurtis |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
June 1 | Alternative medicine practitioner Deepak Chopra | Roy Blount, Jr., Amy Dickinson, Ken Jennings | Guest announcer/scorekeeper Bill Kurtis |
June 8 | High-wire artist Nik Wallenda | P. J. O'Rourke, Roxanne Roberts, Tom Bodett | |
June 15 | Astronaut Buzz Aldrin | Bobcat Goldthwait, Faith Salie, Luke Burbank | |
June 22 | Instrumentalist and songwriter Booker T. Jones | Jessi Klein, Alonzo Bodden, Paula Poundstone | |
June 29 | Former track and field athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee | Brian Babylon, Kyrie O'Connor, Mo Rocca | Show recorded in St. Louis, MO Guest announcer/scorekeeper Bill Kurtis |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
July 6 | Science-themed "Best of" episode featuring NASA engineers Bobak Ferdowsi & Adam Steltzner, astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist Adam Riess, Smithsonian's Wayne Clough, and NIH director Francis Collins | ||
July 13 | Novelist Gillian Flynn | Maz Jobrani, Amy Dickinson, Paula Poundstone | |
July 20 | Comedian Tig Notaro | Alonzo Bodden, Faith Salie, Charlie Pierce | |
July 27 | Comedian Jim Gaffigan | Paula Poundstone, Kyrie O'Connor, Maz Jobrani |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
August 3 | Novelist Charles Frazier | Brian Babylon, Roxanne Roberts, Bobcat Goldthwait | Show recorded in Asheville, NC |
August 10 | Sports-themed "Best of" episode featuring journalist Michele Tafoya, former track & field athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, sportscaster Jon Miller, high-wire artist Nik Wallenda and soccer player Abby Wambach | ||
August 17 | Animal-themed "Best of" episode, featuring veterinarian Kevin Fitzgerald and animal expert Bob Freer | ||
August 24 | Actor Tony Danza | Paula Poundstone, Adam Felber, Kyrie O'Connor | |
August 31 | Pianist Emanuel Ax | Charlie Pierce, Amy Dickinson, Tom Bodett | Show recorded at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 7 | Movie director Baz Luhrmann | Neko Case, Alonzo Bodden, Adam Felber | |
September 14 | The New York Times journalist Mark Leibovich | P. J. O'Rourke, Faith Salie, Mo Rocca | |
September 21 | Comedian-actor Jeff Garlin | Paula Poundstone, Roy Blount, Jr., Jessi Klein | |
September 28 | Political consultant James Carville | Kyrie O'Connor, Tom Bodett, Brian Babylon | Show recorded in Baton Rouge, LA |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
October 5 | Actress Shirley Jones | Maz Jobrani, Roxanne Roberts, Charlie Pierce | |
October 12 | Actor Bob Odenkirk | Jessi Klein, Luke Burbank, Brian Babylon | |
October 19 | "Best of" episode, featuring actor Jeff Bridges, actor Henry Winkler, actor Tony Danza, singer Erykah Badu, and philanthropist Melinda Gates | ||
October 26 | Actor John Lithgow | Mo Rocca, Peter Grosz, Roxanne Roberts |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
November 2 | Poet Billy Collins | Faith Salie, Tom Bodett, Paula Poundstone | |
November 9 | Actor Nick Offerman | P. J. O'Rourke, Kyrie O'Connor, Bobcat Goldthwait | |
November 16 | Astronaut Chris Hadfield | Mo Rocca, Amy Dickinson, Roy Blount, Jr. | |
November 23 | Basketball coach Muffet McGraw | Brian Babylon, Faith Salie, Charlie Pierce | Show recorded in Elkhart, IN |
November 30 | Thanksgiving-themed "Best of" episode featuring panelists' favorite moments from recent episodes |
Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
December 7 | Singer-songwriter Nick Lowe | Adam Felber, Kyrie O'Connor, Alonzo Bodden | |
December 14 | Actor Oscar Isaac | Paula Poundstone, Maz Jobrani, Faith Salie | |
December 21 | Soul singer Carla Thomas | Roy Blount, Jr., Roxanne Roberts, Tom Bodett | Show recorded in Memphis, TN |
December 28 | "Best of" episode featuring political consultant James Carville and actress Shirley Jones |
Carl Ray Kasell was an American radio personality. He was best known as a newscaster for National Public Radio, and later as the official judge and scorekeeper of the weekly news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! until his retirement in 2014.
Wait Chapel is a building on the campus of Wake Forest University. It houses the Janet Jeffrey Carlile Harris Carillon of 48 bells. The chapel seats 2,250 people. The steeple reaches to 213 feet. It also houses the Williams Organ, donated by Walter McAdoo Williams, namesake of Walter M. Williams High School.
Peter Daniel Sagal is an American humorist, writer, and host of the National Public Radio game show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and the PBS special Constitution USA with Peter Sagal.
Nick Pearson is an American speed skater who has competed since 1997. He was named to the U.S. team for the 2010 Winter Olympics.