Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

WWDTM: Lucy Dacus

December 13, 2025

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  • The episode opens with host Peter Sagal making an urgent appeal for listener support due to the elimination of all federal funding for public media, including NPR. 
  • Guest Lucy Dacus revealed that her debut album, *No Burden*, was recorded illegally in one day as a favor for a friend's school project. 
  • The panel discussed several news items, including Netflix's potential purchase of Warner Brothers, Waymo self-driving cars being programmed to drive more aggressively, and the concept of a 'swag gap' in dating. 

Segments

NPR Funding Appeal
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(00:00:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Federal funding for public media, including NPR and local stations, has been eliminated as of this fall, necessitating listener support.
  • Summary: Host Peter Sagal appealed for listener support to continue broadcasting Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! and its segments. The appeal highlighted the elimination of all federal funding for public media starting this fall. Listeners are encouraged to join the NPR Plus community for perks and support.
Show Introduction and Guest Reveal
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(00:01:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Alzo Slade is filling in for Bill Curtis, and the special guest is singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus, who is also part of the Grammy-winning supergroup Boy Genius.
  • Summary: Alzo Slade introduced the show, joking about filling in for Bill Curtis. Peter Sagal announced the upcoming interview with Lucy Dacus, noting her membership in the successful supergroup Boy Genius. The show then moved to welcome the first listener contestant.
Listener Contestant Blythe Introduction
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(00:02:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Listener contestant Blythe is an assistant district attorney specializing in financial crimes currently on maternity leave.
  • Summary: The first contestant, Blythe from Long Island, New York, was introduced. She is an assistant district attorney focusing on financial crimes but is currently on maternity leave. She was set to play the ‘Who’s Alzo This Time’ game.
Panelist Introductions
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(00:03:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Panelists introduced include Adam Burke (new special ‘Un-American’ available), Helen Hong (host of ‘Go Fact to Yourself’), and Tom Bodett (new podcast ‘The Bodette Problem’).
  • Summary: The panelists were introduced, promoting their current projects. Adam Burke promoted his new special, Helen Hong promoted her trivia show, and Tom Bodett announced his upcoming podcast pilot available at hatchspace.org.
News Quiz: Netflix Buys Warner Brothers
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(00:04:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Netflix struck a deal to buy Warner Brothers Studios for $83 billion, leading to jokes about potential content mashups and continued separate subscription fees.
  • Summary: The first news item concerned Netflix’s reported $83 billion deal to acquire Warner Brothers, which includes HBO and CNN. Panelists joked about the monopoly implications, specifically noting that Netflix assured consumers they would still have to pay separate subscription fees for each service. One panelist suggested a mashup like ‘K-pop Demon Hunter sing-along featuring Frodo and Gandalf.’
News Quiz: Aggressive Waymo Cars
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(00:07:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Waymo driverless taxis had their programming tweaked to be more aggressive, stopping them from being ’too polite’ by driving around double-parked trucks or rolling through stop signs.
  • Summary: The second quote concerned Waymo’s self-driving cars being perceived as driving too aggressively, like New York City taxi drivers. This change occurred because customer complaints noted the cars were too polite, stopping for double-parked trucks or slowing down to check on people they hit. The programming was adjusted to encourage actions like driving around obstacles and rolling through stop signs.
News Quiz: Swag Gap in Dating
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(00:10:15)
  • Key Takeaway: The ‘swag gap’ refers to dating situations where one partner dresses significantly better than the other, sometimes leading to others asking if the better-dressed person is being bothered by their partner.
  • Summary: The final quiz question addressed the ‘swag gap,’ where one half of a couple dresses much better than the other, sometimes leading to awkward social situations. The Wall Street Journal reported that some daters vet potential partners for this issue before getting serious. Panelists joked about how one might vet for this, such as asking about cargo capacity in pants.
Listener Quiz Winner Announcement
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(00:11:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Listener contestant Blythe correctly answered all three news quiz questions, winning the prize of any voice from the show for her voicemail.
  • Summary: Blythe successfully answered all three questions in the ‘Who’s Alzo This Time’ segment. Peter Sagal congratulated her on her perfect score. She was then thanked for playing before the show transitioned to the next segment.
Panel Quiz: Rent-a-Husband in Latvia
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(00:12:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Due to a 15% surplus of women over men in Latvia, businesses offering ‘rent-a-husband’ services for tasks like repairs and tiling are booming.
  • Summary: The panel quiz began with a question about a booming business in Latvia, where 15% more women than men reside. The correct answer was ‘rent a husband’ services, which offer help with tasks like repairing cabinets and mounting televisions. Panelists joked about the concept, including whether the husbands could be repossessed.
Panel Quiz: TV Show News Stories
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(00:17:04)
  • Key Takeaway: The true story involved a woman checking herself into the hospital after her smart refrigerator displayed a promotional ad for the Apple TV show Pluribus addressed to her by name, Carol.
  • Summary: The panelists presented three fictionalized news stories about television shows. Tom Bodett’s involved a man mistaking Emma Thompson for his mother on a TV show, and Helen Hong’s involved using AI to enhance the butts of all actors on Kim Kardashian’s show All’s Fair to match hers. The actual story was Adam Burke’s, where a woman believed her fridge was speaking to her, prompting her to seek medical help.
Interview with Lucy Dacus: Early Career
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(00:23:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Lucy Dacus’s first record, No Burden, was recorded illegally in one day at Reba McIntyre’s studio for a friend’s school project, and she started writing songs at age seven.
  • Summary: Lucy Dacus confirmed that her first record was made illegally in one day for a friend’s internship project. She also revealed she started writing songs, like ‘Stupid Cupid,’ around age seven, influenced by artists like Fergie and Adele. Before her music career took off, she worked at Richmond Camera, where the mindless work inspired her to write a song daily.
Interview with Lucy Dacus: Holidays Album
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(00:27:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Lucy Dacus released her Holidays album by treating Bruce Springsteen’s birthday as a holiday, which her family celebrated as ’the Springsteenth.'
  • Summary: Dacus discussed her Holidays album, explaining she released songs throughout the year and retroactively assigned holidays, including declaring Bruce Springsteen’s birthday a holiday. She shared that her family celebrated this day as ’the Springsteenth.’ She also recounted an emotional encounter meeting Springsteen, who already knew her music.
Game: Boy Genius Meet Boy Geniuses
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(00:29:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Math prodigy Suborno Bari, starting NYU at age 12, responded to questions about his age by stating he had ‘seen my birth certificate,’ and the unaired game show Our Little Genius was exposed as a scam where producers fed answers to the children.
  • Summary: Lucy Dacus played the game ‘Boy Genius Meet Boy Geniuses’ for listener Kimberly Ramos. She correctly answered that 12-year-old math genius Suborno Bari confirmed his age by referencing his birth certificate. She also correctly identified that the game show Our Little Genius never aired because producers were feeding the child contestants the answers.
Panel Quiz: Strange News Stories
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(00:35:06)
  • Key Takeaway: An Airbnb in Istanbul instructed guests to use the bed ‘only for sleep,’ while in Japan, robot wolves with flashing lights and speakers are being deployed to scare away bears.
  • Summary: Tom Bodett’s question revealed an Istanbul Airbnb that restricted bed use to sleeping only, while the dining room table had a sign encouraging wild activity. Helen Hong’s segment detailed Japan’s use of ‘monster wolf robots’ to deter bears with lights and sounds, which panelists found unsettling. The final story involved a woman fired in Spain for repeatedly showing up to work too early.
Listener Limerick Game
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(00:40:03)
  • Key Takeaway: NHL players voted Nick Cousins as the most punchable player, a new mouthwash made from garlic is as effective as commercial brands, and the Pope was listed among the most stylish people of 2025 by the New York Times.
  • Summary: Listener Meredith played the limerick game, correctly identifying the punchline for a limerick about NHL player Nick Cousins being voted most punchable. She also correctly filled in ‘garlic’ for a limerick about a new mouthwash. The final limerick concerned the Pope being named stylish by the New York Times, partly for wearing a Chicago White Sox hat.
Lightning Round and Final Scores
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(00:45:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The Lightning Round resulted in a three-way tie for the win between Helen Hong, Tom Bodett, and Adam Burke, all finishing with 12 points.
  • Summary: In the final game, Helen Hong scored 10 points, bringing her total to 12. Tom Bodett also scored 10 points, tying him with Helen at 12. Adam Burke needed five correct answers to win outright but got four, resulting in a three-way tie for the overall game victory.