# List of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! episodes (2022)

The following is a list of episodes of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, NPR's news panel game, that aired during 2022. All episodes, unless otherwise indicated, feature host Peter Sagal and announcer/scorekeeper Bill Kurtis. 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.
Thru the week of June 4, unless otherwise indicated, Wait Wait episodes were produced through the facilities of the show's co-producer, WBEZ/Chicago, with participants joining the show through Zoom links. From the episode of June 11 onward, also unless otherwise indicated, episodes originated with live audiences from its new regular home, the Studebaker Theatre at Chicago's Fine Arts Building. (The program had originated from the Chase Auditorium from 2005 until just before the COVID-19 pandemic commenced in early 2020.)

## Contents

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

## January

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| January 1 | "Best of" episode featuring basketball stars Brook & Robin Lopez and actors André De Shields, Martin Short, & Jane Kaczmarek | "Best of" episode featuring basketball stars Brook & Robin Lopez and actors André De Shields, Martin Short, & Jane Kaczmarek | "Best of" episode featuring basketball stars Brook & Robin Lopez and actors André De Shields, Martin Short, & Jane Kaczmarek |
| January 8 | Astronaut Woody Hoburg | Alonzo Bodden, Peter Grosz, Roxanne Roberts | |
| January 15 | Singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves | Emmy Blotnick, Helen Hong, Maz Jobrani | |
| January 22 | Actor Brian Cox | Cristela Alonzo, Paula Poundstone, Mo Rocca | |
| January 29 | Playwright Jeremy O. Harris | Karen Chee, Josh Gondelman, Alzo Slade | Guest host Negin Farsad |

## February

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| February 5 | Shermann "Dilla" Thomas, presenter of a TikTok series on Chicago's history | Adam Burke, Tom Papa, Paula Poundstone | Show recorded at Chicago's Harris Theater |
| February 12 | Musician Patti Smith | Bobcat Goldthwait, Maeve Higgins, Hari Kondabolu | |
| February 19 | Novelist Marlon James | Negin Farsad, Peter Grosz, Ashley Ray | Includes tributes to panelist P. J. O'Rourke (d. February 15, 2022) |
| February 26 | "Best of" episode featuring actor Ed Begley, Jr., journalist Yamiche Alcindor, chef Antoni Porowski, and rapper/actor RZA | "Best of" episode featuring actor Ed Begley, Jr., journalist Yamiche Alcindor, chef Antoni Porowski, and rapper/actor RZA | | Includes tributes to panelist P. J. O'Rourke (d. February 15, 2022) |

## March

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| March 5 | Television personality Porsha Williams | Joel Kim Booster, Hari Kondabolu, Faith Salie | Show recorded in Atlanta, GA (Fox Theatre) Guest announcer/scorekeeper Chioke I'Anson |
| March 12 | Bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor | Negin Farsad, Paula Poundstone, Alzo Slade | |
| March 19 | Actress Zazie Beetz | Roy Blount, Jr., Helen Hong, Mo Rocca | |
| March 26 | Historian Dan Snow | Emmy Blotnick, Luke Burbank, Roxanne Roberts | |

## April

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| April 2 | Musician Slash | Cristela Alonzo, Maeve Higgins, Tom Papa | |
| April 9 | Actor Matt Walsh | Alonzo Bodden, Karen Chee, Helen Hong | Show recorded at Chicago's Harris Theater |
| April 16 | "Best of" episode featuring actors Bashir & Sultan Salahuddin, musicians Chance the Rapper & Michelle Zauner, and hockey star P. K. Subban | "Best of" episode featuring actors Bashir & Sultan Salahuddin, musicians Chance the Rapper & Michelle Zauner, and hockey star P. K. Subban | "Best of" episode featuring actors Bashir & Sultan Salahuddin, musicians Chance the Rapper & Michelle Zauner, and hockey star P. K. Subban |
| April 23 | Actor/writer Stephen Merchant | Maz Jobrani, Ashley Ray, Faith Salie | |
| April 30 | Vermiculturist Myles Stubblefield | Maeve Higgins, Amy Dickinson, Alzo Slade | Show recorded in Buffalo, NY (Shea's Performing Arts Center) |

## May

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| May 7 | Actor Adam Scott | Emmy Blotnick, Maz Jobrani, Paula Poundstone | |
| May 14 | Comedian/actress Hannah Einbinder | Peter Grosz, Laci Mosley, Faith Salie | |
| May 21 | Singer/actress Mandy Moore | Alonzo Bodden, Maeve Higgins, Tom Papa | |
| May 28 | Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, co-hosts of the Ear Hustle podcast | Maz Jobrani, Paula Poundstone, Adam Burke | Show recorded in San Francisco, CA (Sydney Goldstein Theater) |

## June

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| June 4 | Previously unaired panel segments "Farewell to Zoom" "best of" episode featuring musician Kacey Musgraves, actors Audra McDonald & Brian Cox, and astronaut Woody Hoburg | Previously unaired panel segments "Farewell to Zoom" "best of" episode featuring musician Kacey Musgraves, actors Audra McDonald & Brian Cox, and astronaut Woody Hoburg | Previously unaired panel segments "Farewell to Zoom" "best of" episode featuring musician Kacey Musgraves, actors Audra McDonald & Brian Cox, and astronaut Woody Hoburg |
| June 11 | Actor Kenan Thompson | Luke Burbank, Negin Farsad, Hari Kondabolu | Wait Wait's first episode at the Studebaker Theatre |
| June 18 | Actor Sean Hayes | Brian Babylon, Bobcat Goldthwait, Maeve Higgins | |
| June 25 | Writers/producers Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda | Adam Burke, Peter Grosz, Helen Hong | |

## July

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| July 2 | Graffiti artist Darryl "Cornbread" McCray | Alonzo Bodden, Josh Gondelman, Faith Salie | Show recorded in Philadelphia, PA (Mann Center) |
| July 9 | Previously unaired segments, including an interview with rapper Del Tha Funkee Homosapien Encore segments including interviews with musician Slash and historian Dan Snow | Previously unaired segments, including an interview with rapper Del Tha Funkee Homosapien Encore segments including interviews with musician Slash and historian Dan Snow | Previously unaired segments, including an interview with rapper Del Tha Funkee Homosapien Encore segments including interviews with musician Slash and historian Dan Snow |
| July 16 | Pitchfork editor-in-chief Puja Patel | Emmy Blotnick, Adam Burke, Paula Poundstone | Guest host Tom Papa |
| July 23 | Actor Nathan Lane | Josh Gondelman, Cristela Alonzo, Matt Rogers | Guest host Tom Papa |
| July 30 | Actor Jeremy Allen White | Faith Salie, Bobcat Goldthwait, Helen Hong | Guest host Tom Papa |

## August

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| August 6 | Comedian/writer Robin Thede | Adam Burke, Amy Dickinson, Hari Kondabolu | Guest host Negin Farsad |
| August 13 | "Live and in-person" "best of" episode featuring actors Steve Buscemi, Aidy Bryant, Alan Cumming & Jeff Daniels and drummer Lars Ulrich | "Live and in-person" "best of" episode featuring actors Steve Buscemi, Aidy Bryant, Alan Cumming & Jeff Daniels and drummer Lars Ulrich | "Live and in-person" "best of" episode featuring actors Steve Buscemi, Aidy Bryant, Alan Cumming & Jeff Daniels and drummer Lars Ulrich |
| August 20 | "Best of" episode featuring conductor Marin Alsop, choreographer Garth Fagan, drag performer Peaches Christ, and singers Renée Fleming & Josh Groban | "Best of" episode featuring conductor Marin Alsop, choreographer Garth Fagan, drag performer Peaches Christ, and singers Renée Fleming & Josh Groban | "Best of" episode featuring conductor Marin Alsop, choreographer Garth Fagan, drag performer Peaches Christ, and singers Renée Fleming & Josh Groban |
| August 27 | Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the District of Columbia Eleanor Holmes Norton | Alzo Slade, Roxanne Roberts, Tom Bodett | Show recorded in Vienna, VA (Wolf Trap) |

## September

| Date | Guest | Panelists |
| September 3 | Comedian Chris Estrada | Maeve Higgins, Skyler Higley, Mo Rocca |
| September 10 | Comedian Abbi Jacobson | Luke Burbank, Paula Poundstone, Faith Salie |
| September 17 | Comedian Mohammed Amer | Roy Blount Jr., Adam Burke, Helen Hong |
| September 24 | TV personality and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan | Karen Chee, Negin Farsad, Shane O'Neill |

## October

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| October 1 | Writer/comedian Julio Torres | Hari Kondabolu, Tom Papa, Dulcé Sloan | |
| October 8 | Actor Ralph Macchio | Emmy Blotnick, Adam Felber, Alzo Slade | |
| October 15 | Previously unaired segments, including an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Encore segments including interviews with actors Jeremy Allen White and Mandy Moore | Previously unaired segments, including an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Encore segments including interviews with actors Jeremy Allen White and Mandy Moore | Previously unaired segments, including an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Encore segments including interviews with actors Jeremy Allen White and Mandy Moore |
| October 22 | Author/activist Ibram X. Kendi | Alonzo Bodden, Amy Dickinson, Josh Gondelman | Show recorded in Boston, MA (Wang Theatre) |
| October 29 | Comedian Hasan Minhaj | Helen Hong, Shane O'Neill, Mo Rocca | |

## November

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| November 5 | Late-night TV personality Amber Ruffin | Karen Chee, Maz Jobrani, Hari Kondabolu | |
| November 12 | Actor/comedian Craig Robinson | Brian Babylon, Negin Farsad, Tom Papa | |
| November 19 | Freddie Johnson, brand ambassador and tour guide at the Buffalo Trace Distillery | Adam Burke, Paula Poundstone, Alzo Slade | Show recorded in Louisville, KY (Palace Theatre) |
| November 26 | "Best of" episode featuring actor Nathan Lane, Pitchfork editor-in-chief Puja Patel, graffiti artist Darryl "Cornbread" McCray, and playwright Jeremy O. Harris | "Best of" episode featuring actor Nathan Lane, Pitchfork editor-in-chief Puja Patel, graffiti artist Darryl "Cornbread" McCray, and playwright Jeremy O. Harris | "Best of" episode featuring actor Nathan Lane, Pitchfork editor-in-chief Puja Patel, graffiti artist Darryl "Cornbread" McCray, and playwright Jeremy O. Harris |

## December

| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| December 3 | Actor/comedian Dana Carvey | Josh Gondelman,Skyler Higley, Paula Poundstone | |
| December 10 | Television personality Gayle King | Negin Farsad, Peter Grosz, Faith Salie | Show recorded in New York City, NY (Carnegie Hall) |
| December 17 | Musician Andrew Bird | Adam Burke, Zainab Johnson, Tom Papa | |
| December 24 | Actress/director Sarah Polley | Adam Burke, Roxanne Roberts, Shane O'Neill | Guest announcer/scorekeeper Chioke I'Anson |
| December 31 | "Best of 2022" episode featuring actors Ralph Macchio & Matt Walsh, U.S. House delegate for D.C. Eleanor Holmes Norton, and podcast hosts Earlonne Woods & Nigel Poor | "Best of 2022" episode featuring actors Ralph Macchio & Matt Walsh, U.S. House delegate for D.C. Eleanor Holmes Norton, and podcast hosts Earlonne Woods & Nigel Poor | "Best of 2022" episode featuring actors Ralph Macchio & Matt Walsh, U.S. House delegate for D.C. Eleanor Holmes Norton, and podcast hosts Earlonne Woods & Nigel Poor |