Maximum Fun is an independent, worker-owned cooperative podcast and radio show production organization founded by Jesse Thorn. The organization originated with Thorn's college radio show The Sound of Young America which continued in an adapted format and with a new name, Bullseye with Jesse Thorn. Maximum Fun has since grown to include several other programs. Shows on the network cover a wide variety of topics.
In May 2014, Rolling Stone included three Maximum Fun shows on its list of "The 20 Best Comedy Podcasts Right Now": Judge John Hodgman, RISK!, and Throwing Shade.
Operations Maximum Fun officially converted into a worker-owned cooperative on June 30, 2023. According to Thorn, this decision was made as a result of his own burnout and as a way to avoid selling the organization to a larger company. This decision made Maximum Fun, at the time, one of the only worker-owned co-ops in media, following in the footsteps of Defector Media.
While the original management team remains in place, the co-op is now overseen by a Board of Directors made up of five worker-owners. The current Board of Directors (as of August 2024) are Jennifer Marmor, Julian Burrell, April Pendergraft, David Goldstein, and K.T. Wiegman. Founder Jesse Thorn stayed on as a worker-owner and board advisor, and is not a voting member of the Board. There are currently twenty worker-owners. All full-time employees at Maximum fun are eligible to become a worker-owner, which required a buy-in fee of "three figures". Most hosts of Maximum Fun podcasts are not full-time employees, and therefore are ineligible to join the co-op.
Current shows The Adventure Zone
The Adventure Zone is an actual play podcast in which Griffin, Justin, and Travis McElroy play Dungeons & Dragons and other role-playing games with their father, Clint.
Beef and Dairy Network Podcast
Beef and Dairy Network Podcast is a surrealist comedy podcast hosted by Benjamin Partridge, taking the form of a serious companion podcast to a fictional beef and dairy industry trade magazine relating the bizarre happenings in the aforementioned industries.
Black People Love Paramore
Bullseye with Jesse Thorn
Bullseye, formerly The Sound of Young America, began as an interview, talk, and sketch comedy radio show at the University of California Santa Cruz. It now follows an interview-only format and is available both as a podcast and via National Public Radio on numerous public radio stations across the United States.
Comfort Creatures
Dead Pilots Society Dead Pilots Society presents readings of television pilots that for various reasons were never produced, picked up, or aired. Before the reading, the hosts interviews the writer or writers of the script about the script and the circumstances surrounding its initial creation or production.
From the Maximum Fun website, "In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve. Starring actors you know and love from television and film, a live audience, and a good time in which no one gets notes, no one is fired, and everyone laughs. Presented by Andrew Reich (Friends; Worst Week) and Ben Blacker (The Writers Panel podcast; co-creator, Thrilling Adventure Hour)."
Depresh Mode with John Moe
Both Depresh Mode and its predecessor, The Hilarious World of Depression, aim to remove the stigma surrounding mental health through frank and sometimes funny conversations about the struggles of daily life with depression and other mental health conditions. Depresh Mode, produced in partnership with Maximum Fun, allows Moe to expand beyond depression to cover topics like burnout, obsessive-compulsive disorder and how to navigate mental health apps.
Dr. Gameshow A podcast where Jo Firestone and Manolo Moreno play listener-submitted games with comedian friends and listener call-ins.
E Pluribus Motto
Eurovangelists Eurovangelists is a weekly podcast about the Eurovision Song Contest hosted by Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, and Dimitry Pompee. The hosts discuss the latest Eurovision news, rate and review the songs competing in the current Eurovision season, and do deep dives into artists and events from the history of the Contest. Glen Weldon of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour praised the show, saying, "On one level, this podcast is 'Eurovision 101.' And if it was just that, I'd still recommend it to people, but I probably wouldn't keep listening myself because I'm good on the basics. But it is a lot more than that: It's enthusiasts enthusing with abject sincerity, but in a knowing kind of way. They're smart. They're funny...They're sharing why they love this ridiculous spectacle without even a trace amount of gatekeeping. Everything about the podcast is specifically pitched to invite you to love Eurovision as much as they do—and as much as I do." The first episodes aired on January 18, 2024.
Feeling Seen
The Flop House
The Flop House is a bi-weekly film review podcast hosted by Elliott Kalan, Dan McCoy, and Stuart Wellington. The hosts watch a "questionable" movie before each episode and then discuss its merits and shortcomings. It became part of the Maximum Fun network on September 29, 2014.
Free With Ads
Free With Ads is a weekly film review podcast hosted by Jordan Morris, Emily Fleming and Matt Lieb. The hosts watch a film that is available for free on any streaming service available in the United States. The review consists of a plot rundown, production details and deep dives on character actors. Common segments include identifying the "Oldest Teen", "The Worst Hat" and "Tallest Guy". It was announced as part of the Maximum Fun network on February 22, 2024.
Go Fact Yourself Go Fact Yourself is a trivia game show podcast hosted by J. Keith van Straaten and co-hosted by Helen Hong. Each show features two guests that compete in a variety of trivia rounds, including a topic they choose for themselves.
International Waters
International Waters (formerly Troubled Waters) pits two teams of comedians compete against each other in order to settle their meaningless debates once and for all. The show originated as a comedy panel game hosted by Dave Holmes. The show features comedians from the US competing against UK-based comedians by answering questions about pop culture. Points are awarded for correct answers as well as for funny incorrect answers. The show was originally hosted by Jesse Thorn.
The Jackie and Laurie Show
Jordan, Jesse, Go!
A talk podcast where hosts Jesse Thorn and Jordan Morris and usually a guest provide a comedic take on a variety of topics. The podcast's all time number one guest by appearances is "Big Time" Gene O'Neill.
Judge John Hodgman
Stemming from a popular segment on Jordan, Jesse, Go!, Judge John Hodgman debuted as a standalone Maximum Fun podcast in November 2010. Hodgman serves as judge and jury, hearing cases brought by listeners on topics ranging from which kind of soap goes in the dispenser on the sink to whether a high schooler is responsible for the theft of a life-sized Ernie doll that he had previously stolen. Jesse Thorn serves as the "bailiff", though this role is occasionally filled by guest bailiffs when Jesse is preoccupied.
Just the Zoo of Us
Let's Learn Everything! Let's Learn Everything! is a science podcast hosted by Dr. Ella Hubber, Tom Lum, and Caroline Roper. The first episode came out on the 4th of October 2021. Initially produced independently, the podcast was picked up by Maximum Fun starting with its 23rd episode. In the initial episodes, the hosts discussed a science topic, answered a question and discussed a miscellaneous topic. However, since the 55th episode there has only been a science topic and a miscellaneous topic.
Maximum Film Maximum Film is a spin-off of retired Maximum Fun podcast Wham Bam Pow, hosted by Ify Nwadiwe and with regular panel members Drea Clark and Alonso Duralde. The podcast features discussion of recent hit films through a racially diverse lens with rotating guests. Former regular panel members include host Ricky Carmona and April Wolfe.
Mission to Zyxx
A longform improv science fiction space opera radio drama that parodies various science fiction media properties. The cast are veteran comedians from groups like the Upright Citizens Brigade, and the show was co-created by Allie Kokesh, Alden Ford, Winston Noel, Moujan Zolfaghari, Jeremy Bent and Seth Lind, a staff member on This American Life and Serial. The plot concerns a motley crew of ambassadors, and each week a comedian guest appears and helps to shape that week's story. All improvised references are subsequently incorporated into the show's mythos. Guest stars have included Sasheer Zamata, Jon Gabrus, Alison Becker, Lennon Parham, and Bobby Moynihan. The series finale premiered in September 2022.
My Brother, My Brother and Me
On January 17, 2011, Jesse Thorn announced the addition of My Brother, My Brother and Me to the Maximum Fun family. The show is a comedy program that poses as an advice podcast, hosted by real-life brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy. Over the course of the show, the brothers answer questions which listeners have written in, asking the brothers for their advice on difficult situations that they find themselves in. The show often contains non-advice related segments, notably 'Munch Squad,' described as a "podcast within a podcast," which features Justin satirically reviewing fast-food industry press releases. Prior to the discontinuation of the service in 2021, the brothers also answered questions from Yahoo! Answers, which were also submitted by listeners. Since the discontinuation, the brothers have reviewed listener-submitted articles from WikiHow, though this segment has appeared on the podcast with decreasing frequency.
Reading Glasses
Reading Glasses is a weekly podcast hosted by Brea Grant and Mallory O'Meara. It discusses tips and tricks for reading better, like how to vanquish that To-Be-Read pile and organize those bookshelves, climbing out of a reading slump, and supporting authors while still getting books on the cheap.
Reading Smut
RePhrasing: An Archer ReWatch Podcast
Sawbones
Sawbones, "a marital tour of misguided medicine", is a podcast hosted by Sydnee McElroy, a physician, and her husband Justin McElroy, who is also a co-host of My Brother, My Brother, and Me. The weekly show is a humorous exploration of medical history, focusing on the many ways the medical community has been wrong in the past. It premiered on the Maximum Fun network on June 21, 2013, with an episode about trepanation.
Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries
Secretly Incredibly Fascinating Secretly Incredibly Fascinating is a weekly podcast hosted by Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin that dives into topics that have a fascinating history. Topics include Lorem Ipsum, Silica Gel Packets and Ranch dressing. This is a podcast for people who like history, science, comedy and seeing their world a whole new way. Secretly Incredibly Fascinating is a top pick of The New York Times, Apple Podcasts, The A.V. Club, Lifehacker, Upworthy, and more. Schmidt, Goldin, and Robin Ince did a live episode of the podcast at the 2024 London Podcast Festival. Host Alex Schmidt is a comedy writer, Jeopardy! champion, viral TikToker, and the creator of the bison emoji. Co-host Katie Goldin also hosts the "Creature Feature" podcast, created the "@ProBirdRights" social media character, helped coin the "birb" Internet slang, and covered lizard mating strategies for the New York Times.
Shmanners Shmanners is a weekly podcast hosted by Travis McElroy (of My Brother, My Brother and Me) and his wife, Teresa McElroy. The show focuses on teaching proper manners and etiquette, as well as the history behind various social guidelines. The podcast was launched in January 2016.
Sleeping with Celebrities
Sound Heap with John-Luke Roberts