Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Wicked Director Jon M Chu Talks Elphaba Branded Swiffers And We Preview Melania

January 31, 2026

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  • Director Jon M. Chu discussed his work on the *Wicked* movies, including the proliferation of Elphaba-branded merchandise like Swiffers. 
  • The panel played a game segment featuring news about the Milan Winter Olympics preparations, a documentary about Melania Trump, and exploding trees caused by freezing weather. 
  • Panelists Negin Farsad, Peter Grosz, and Annie Rauwerda participated in games where they discussed topics ranging from the popularity of bad design exhibits to the secret formula for WD-40. 

Segments

Show Opening and Guest Introduction
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(00:00:20)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! features director Jon M. Chu discussing Wicked and previews of ‘Melania’.
  • Summary: The show opens from the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, hosted by Peter Sagal. Panelists for the episode include Negin Farsad, Peter Grosz, and Annie Rauwerda. The main guest announced is Jon M. Chu, director of Wicked and Wicked for Good.
Listener Game: Who’s Bill This Time
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(00:40:23)
  • Key Takeaway: The first news quiz segment covered the Milan Winter Olympics motto, the Melania documentary, and exploding trees during a winter storm.
  • Summary: Contestant Ken Carlton from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, correctly identified the three news quotations. One quote referenced the Winter Olympics motto, ‘It’s Milan. It’s your vibe,’ while another concerned the Melania documentary premiere. The third quote warned about trees exploding due to ice expansion in pre-existing cracks, a phenomenon called frost crack.
Panel Discussion: Colonoscopy Nirvana
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(00:09:51)
  • Key Takeaway: A New York Times article praised the colonoscopy procedure, including the prep, calling it ’liberating as a spa day’ and a ‘diarrhea vacation’.
  • Summary: The panel reacted to a New York Times piece where a writer enjoyed getting a colonoscopy, even praising the preparation process. The prep involved drinking large amounts of laxative until internal organs were ’liquefied.’ Panelists expressed disbelief at the positive sentiment regarding the procedure and its associated preparation.
Guest Interview: Jon M. Chu’s Background
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(00:20:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Jon M. Chu’s early filmmaking was supported by Silicon Valley contacts through his father’s Palo Alto restaurant, and he studied tap dance.
  • Summary: Jon M. Chu grew up near his father’s restaurant, Chef Chu’s, where he received early film equipment donations from local tech figures. He made a notable short film, When the Kids Are Away, featuring housewives breaking into musical numbers. Chu also revealed he studied tap dance, leading to a humorous anecdote about a childhood performance conflict with his sister.
Guest Interview: Wicked Marketing and Bieber Films
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(00:25:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Marketing tie-ins for Wicked included Elphaba-branded Swiffers, and Chu’s earlier work with Justin Bieber involved designing a concert entrance where Bieber flew in with large wings.
  • Summary: The discussion covered various Wicked merchandise, such as Crocs, Mac and Cheese Cups, and Swiffers, which Chu found cool to see in stores. Chu also directed two Justin Bieber films, noting that Bieber’s concert entrance with enormous wings foreshadowed the flying in Wicked.
Game: That’s Wicked Good (Boston Facts)
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(00:27:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Bostonian traits highlighted in the game included 15% of toddlers drinking coffee and fans chanting ‘Yankees suck’ during a Patriots parade.
  • Summary: Jon M. Chu played for listener Joe Robbins, answering questions about Boston culture. Correct answers included the fact that 15% of Boston toddlers drink coffee and that Patriots fans chanted ‘Yankees suck’ during their 2002 Super Bowl parade. A third correct answer involved a man losing 93,000 Dunkin’ Donuts rewards points due to rule changes.
Listener Game: Limerick Challenge
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(00:37:33)
  • Key Takeaway: News items featured in the limericks included a lawsuit over hot oatmeal at an airport lounge, king cobras using trains in India, and beluga whales being identified as sexual ‘swingers’.
  • Summary: Contestant Rachel from Las Cruces, New Mexico, correctly answered all three limericks. One limerick concerned a man suing Air Canada over spilled oatmeal, claiming the flame symbol meant it was spicy. Another revealed that king cobras in India are spreading by riding on trains, and the final one confirmed scientific findings that beluga whales repeatedly switch mating partners.
Panel Game: Lightning Fill in the Blank
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(00:43:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Panelists answered rapid-fire news blanks, with Peter Sagal leading after correctly identifying that Waymo claimed a crash was due to human error, not the self-driving system.
  • Summary: In the final game, Peter Sagal scored eight points by correctly answering questions about TikTok blaming a power outage for censorship and Waymo claiming a crash was human error. Annie Rauwerda tied Peter by correctly answering questions about the Federal Reserve holding interest rates steady and the Seahawks facing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Negin Farsad won the overall game by correctly identifying that the FBI raided an election office in Georgia and that the Doomsday Clock was set closer to midnight than ever before.