List of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! episodes (2018)
# List of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! episodes (2018)

The following is a list of episodes of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, NPR's news panel game, that aired during 2018. All episodes, unless otherwise indicated, feature host Peter Sagal and announcer/scorekeeper Bill Kurtis, and originate at Chicago's Chase Auditorium. Dates indicated are the episodes' original Saturday air dates. Job titles and backgrounds of the guests reflect their status at the time of their appearance.

## Contents

* Top
* January
* February
* March
* April
* May
* June
* July
* August
* September
* October
* November
* December

## January

| Date | Guest | Panelists |
| - | - | - |
| January 6 | Previously unaired features (including an interview with New York Times columnist Lindy West) Encore segments featuring former athletes Ryan Dempster and Jerry Rice | Previously unaired features (including an interview with New York Times columnist Lindy West) Encore segments featuring former athletes Ryan Dempster and Jerry Rice |
| January 13 | Filmmaker Rian Johnson | Roy Blount, Jr., Adam Felber, Helen Hong |
| January 20 | Morning TV personality Al Roker | Alonzo Bodden, Paula Poundstone, Mo Rocca |
| January 27 | Actress and writer Krysten Ritter | Bim Adewunmi, Peter Grosz, Faith Salie |

## February

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| February 3 | Geneticist Michael Rosbash | Tom Bodett, Helen Hong, Paula Poundstone | |
| February 10 | South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg | Amy Dickinson, Adam Felber, Hari Kondabolu | Show recorded at Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend, Indiana |
| February 17 | Actor David Duchovny | Liz Miele, Mo Rocca, Faith Salie | |
| February 24 | "Best of 'Not My Job,'" featuring filmmakers Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig, & Lee Unkrich, producer Lee Daniels, and illustrator Liz Climo | "Best of 'Not My Job,'" featuring filmmakers Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig, & Lee Unkrich, producer Lee Daniels, and illustrator Liz Climo | "Best of 'Not My Job,'" featuring filmmakers Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig, & Lee Unkrich, producer Lee Daniels, and illustrator Liz Climo |

## March

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| March 3 | Cross-country skier Jessie Diggins | Luke Burbank, Paula Poundstone, Roxanne Roberts | |
| March 10 | Economist Austan Goolsbee | Alonzo Bodden, Tara Clancy, Faith Salie | |
| March 17 | New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady | Tom Bodett, Helen Hong, Mo Rocca | Show recorded at The Bushnell in Hartford, Connecticut |
| March 24 | Actor LeVar Burton | Adam Burke, Amy Dickinson, Rashawn Scott | |
| March 31 | "Best of" episode featuring author Daniel Handler, composer Michael Giacchino, U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, and sportscaster Joe Buck | "Best of" episode featuring author Daniel Handler, composer Michael Giacchino, U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, and sportscaster Joe Buck | "Best of" episode featuring author Daniel Handler, composer Michael Giacchino, U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, and sportscaster Joe Buck |

## April

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| April 7 | Ohio Governor John Kasich | Roy Blount Jr., Peter Grosz, Roxanne Roberts | Show recorded at Palace Theatre in Columbus, Ohio |
| April 14 | Actress Laurie Metcalf | Tom Bodett, Adam Burke, Faith Salie | |
| April 21 | Actress Edie Falco | Helen Hong, Maz Jobrani, Mo Rocca | Featuring a tribute to former announcer/scorekeeper Carl Kassel, who died that week |
| April 28 | Voice actor and comedian H. Jon Benjamin | Brian Babylon, Negin Farsad, Paula Poundstone |

## May

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| May 5 | Britt Daniel, lead vocalist/guitarist of the band Spoon | Luke Burbank, Maz Jobrani, Faith Salie | Show recorded at Bass Concert Hall in Austin, Texas |
| May 12 | Actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik | Alonzo Bodden, Helen Hong, Janelle James | |
| May 19 | Singer Cyndi Lauper | Tom Bodett, Tara Clancy, Roxanne Roberts | |
| May 26 | Actress and comedian Retta | Adam Felber, Hari Kondabolu, Paula Poundstone | Guest host Helen Hong |

## June

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| June 2 | Previously unaired kid-oriented segments (including a talk with actor Neil Patrick Harris) Encore segments with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, actress/comedian Aubrey Plaza, and former CIA advisor John Nixon | Previously unaired kid-oriented segments (including a talk with actor Neil Patrick Harris) Encore segments with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, actress/comedian Aubrey Plaza, and former CIA advisor John Nixon | Previously unaired kid-oriented segments (including a talk with actor Neil Patrick Harris) Encore segments with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, actress/comedian Aubrey Plaza, and former CIA advisor John Nixon |
| June 9 | New York Mets TV analyst and former Major League Baseball infielder Keith Hernandez | Bim Adewunmi, Luke Burbank, Peter Grosz |
| June 16 | Actor/comedian Louie Anderson | Roy Blount, Jr., Hari Kondabolu, Roxanne Roberts | |
| June 23 | Freestyle skier David Wise | Alonzo Bodden, Faith Salie, Mo Rocca | Show recorded at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts |
| June 30 | Aquanaut and conservationist Fabien Cousteau | Negin Farsad, Tom Papa, Paula Poundstone | |

## July

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| July 7 | "Best of 'Not My Job,'" featuring comedians Eddie Izzard and Keegan-Michael Key, singers Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks, and members of Blue Man Group | "Best of 'Not My Job,'" featuring comedians Eddie Izzard and Keegan-Michael Key, singers Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks, and members of Blue Man Group | "Best of 'Not My Job,'" featuring comedians Eddie Izzard and Keegan-Michael Key, singers Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks, and members of Blue Man Group |
| July 14 | Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund | Adam Burke, Paula Poundstone, Faith Salie | |
| July 21 | Former FBI director James Comey | Alonzo Bodden, Helen Hong, Mo Rocca | Show recorded at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia |
| July 28 | Musician Jon Batiste | Tom Bodett, Adam Felber, Rashawn Scott | Guest host Faith Salie |

## August

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| August 4 | Actress Uzo Aduba | Alonzo Bodden, Adam Burke, Roxanne Roberts | |
| August 11 | Musician Jeff Tweedy | Amy Dickinson, Bobcat Goldthwait, Peter Grosz | Show recorded at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago's Millennium Park |
| August 18 | "Best of" episode featuring athletes Jessie Diggins and Bernie Parent, South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, geneticist Michael Rosbash, and TV personality Al Roker | "Best of" episode featuring athletes Jessie Diggins and Bernie Parent, South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, geneticist Michael Rosbash, and TV personality Al Roker | "Best of" episode featuring athletes Jessie Diggins and Bernie Parent, South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, geneticist Michael Rosbash, and TV personality Al Roker |
| August 25 | Animal-themed "Best of" episode, featuring veterinarian Kevin Fitzgerald and San Diego Zoo animal ambassador Rick Schwartz | Animal-themed "Best of" episode, featuring veterinarian Kevin Fitzgerald and San Diego Zoo animal ambassador Rick Schwartz | Animal-themed "Best of" episode, featuring veterinarian Kevin Fitzgerald and San Diego Zoo animal ambassador Rick Schwartz |

## September

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| September 1 | Actress Glenn Close | Adam Felber, Paula Poundstone, Roxanne Roberts | Show recorded at Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| September 8 | Author Jenny Han | Adam Burke, Maeve Higgins, Helen Hong | |
| September 15 | Actress Anna Kendrick | Paula Poundstone, Negin Farsad, P. J. O'Rourke | |
| September 22 | Gymnast Aly Raisman | Adam Burke, Tara Clancy, Faith Salie | |
| September 29 | Actor Jon Hamm | Alonzo Bodden, Maz Jobrani, Jessi Klein | Show recorded at Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California |

## October

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| October 6 | Actress Ellie Kemper | Peter Grosz, Paula Poundstone, Roxanne Roberts | |
| October 13 | "Best of" episode featuring astronaut Scott Kelly, economist Austan Goolsbee, actress Edie Falco, and Ohio Governor John Kasich | "Best of" episode featuring astronaut Scott Kelly, economist Austan Goolsbee, actress Edie Falco, and Ohio Governor John Kasich | "Best of" episode featuring astronaut Scott Kelly, economist Austan Goolsbee, actress Edie Falco, and Ohio Governor John Kasich |
| October 20 | Novelist John Grisham | Amy Dickinson, Hari Kondabolu, Mo Rocca | |
| October 27 | Former NPR correspondent/anchor Robert Siegel NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg | Peter Grosz, Paula Poundstone, Roy Blount, Jr. (Who's Bill This Time?) Roxanne Roberts, Tom Bodett, Maz Jobrani (Panel Segment #1) Amy Dickinson, Mo Rocca, Faith Salie (Bluff the Listener) Adam Burke, Negin Farsad, Adam Felber (Panel Segment #2) Brian Babylon, Luke Burbank, Tara Clancy (Listener Limerick Challenge) Teams of all participating panelists (Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank) | Show recorded at Chicago Theatre Wait Wait's 20th anniversary commemoration |

## November

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| November 3 | Writer Kevin Kwan | Adam Burke, Helen Hong, Faith Salie | |
| November 10 | Singer Sarah Brightman | Luke Burbank, Paula Poundstone, Roxanne Roberts | |
| November 17 | Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon | Tara Clancy, Adam Felber, Mo Rocca | Show recorded at Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Florida |
| November 24 | "Best of 'Not My Job,'" featuring singer Cyndi Lauper, comedian Bassem Youssef, actors Mayim Bialik and Bradley Whitford, and freestyle skier David Wise | "Best of 'Not My Job,'" featuring singer Cyndi Lauper, comedian Bassem Youssef, actors Mayim Bialik and Bradley Whitford, and freestyle skier David Wise | "Best of 'Not My Job,'" featuring singer Cyndi Lauper, comedian Bassem Youssef, actors Mayim Bialik and Bradley Whitford, and freestyle skier David Wise |

## December

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| December 1 | Film director Peter Farrelly | Bim Adewunmi, Brian Babylon, Tom Papa | |
| December 8 | Actress Candice Bergen | Peter Grosz, Paula Poundstone, Faith Salie | Show recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York, NY |
| December 15 | Actor William Shatner | Roy Blount, Jr., Luke Burbank, Helen Hong | |
| December 22 | Mike D and Ad-Rock of the hip-hop group Beastie Boys | Adam Felber, Maeve Higgins, Roxanne Roberts | |
| December 29 | Previously unaired segments, including an interview with late night host Seth Meyers Encore segments featuring actors Jon Hamm and Glenn Close, actor/comedian Louie Anderson, and musician Jeff Tweedy | Previously unaired segments, including an interview with late night host Seth Meyers Encore segments featuring actors Jon Hamm and Glenn Close, actor/comedian Louie Anderson, and musician Jeff Tweedy | Previously unaired segments, including an interview with late night host Seth Meyers Encore segments featuring actors Jon Hamm and Glenn Close, actor/comedian Louie Anderson, and musician Jeff Tweedy |
