Omnibus (podcast)

Last updated

Omnibus
Presentation
Hosted by
GenreHistory, Archival
LanguageEnglish
Publication
Original releaseDecember 2017 –
present

Omnibus is a podcast hosted by Ken Jennings and John Roderick which launched in December 2017. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

In each week's episode, the hosts offer an in-depth discussion of one particular strange-but-true story or niche cultural trend. [1] [2] [4] The show employs the conceit that it is a "time capsule" of information to be preserved for survivors of an unspecified apocalypse in the long-distant future, frequently referring tongue-in-cheek to its "far future listeners". [1] [2] [4] Fans of the show are dubbed "Futurelings". [6] The show is relatively loose-form and conversation-based, with the hosts often intentionally taking a large portion of the episode before reaching the title content.

On August 9, 2019, the podcast announced its separation from iHeartRadio, and shifted to a Patreon-funded model. [7] On January 1, 2023, the podcast decreased from twice weekly to once a week, [8] citing the time required for Jennings' work as Jeopardy! host. [9]

As of August 2025, over 650 episodes have been released, with topics such as the 2021 salmon chaos incident, space contraband, the historicity of the ancient Oracle of Delphi, and the 2011 monkey selfie copyright dispute. [10] The podcast also records monthly "Addenda" episodes, available to Patreon members, where the hosts respond to emails from listeners. [11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Marcin, Tim (December 7, 2017). "The Apocalypse is Coming (Apparently) and Ken Jennings' Podcast is Here to Prepare Us". Newsweek . Retrieved June 18, 2024. If the apocalypse is coming, shouldn't we at least leave something interesting behind, for whoever discovers the tattered remains of Earth? That's the conceit behind the Omnibus podcast from former Jeopardy! star Ken Jennings and musician John Roderick.
  2. 1 2 3 Locker, Melissa (December 8, 2017). "Finally, A Podcast For The End Of The World". Fast Company . Retrieved June 18, 2024. 'Jeopardy' winner Ken Jennings and indie band frontman John Roderick made 'Omnibus' to dissect the arcana—The Rachel, smell-o-vision—future generations need.
  3. ↑ Hess, Amanda (December 15, 2017). "You Know Your History? These Podcasts Aren't So Sure" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2024. And 'Omnibus,' hosted by the 'Jeopardy!' champion Ken Jennings and the singer John Roderick, pitches the idea forward, billing itself as 'an encyclopedic reference work of strange-but-true stories' collected 'as a time capsule for future generations.'
  4. 1 2 3 Voelker, Jessica (March 27, 2018). "Ken Jennings and John Roderick Are Preserving History for After the Apocalypse". Seattle Met . Retrieved June 18, 2024. like Jennings, Roderick has an uncontainable curiosity about the world. It makes sense, then, that these friends teamed up to cohost Omnibus, to explore cultural phenomena both past and present—time capsuling everything from Jennifer Aniston's Friends-era haircut to Ice Age megafauna—and aim their roaming commentary at a mysterious future audience they imagine emerging after the apocalypse.
  5. ↑ Iverson, Austin (May 7, 2018). "Jeopardy Legend Ken Jennings Is Co-Hosting a Podcast That's Also a Time Capsule". Seattle Magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2024. The idea is to educate and advise future audiences to help them avoid our mistakes through episodes that focus on obscure details of life on planet Earth.
  6. ↑ Roderick, John. "John Roderick". John Roderick. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  7. ↑ Roderick, Ken Jennings and John. "The Monkey Selfie (Entry 803.MT2220)". Omnibus. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  8. ↑ Roderick, Ken Jennings and John. "Emperor Norton (Entry 408.MT2221)". Omnibus. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  9. ↑ Ayana, Archive (July 28, 2022). "'Jeopardy!' says Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings will split the host job". NPR. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Episodes - Omnibus". Omnibus Project. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Omnibus Project". Patreon. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
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