This is a very-special crossover episode of The Crowded Hour and Remembering I'm an Animal, with my animal co-host Dr. Jody Simoes. It will make sense if you start listening. Maybe.

Today on the Crowded Hour, Troy Sullivan gets deep and light, going into some heavy topics with a sense of humor and the kind of perspective that will leave you feeling inspired. Also, lots of Brad Pitt. Like a borderline unhealthy amount of Brad Pitt.

Scott Whitten is my neighbor, and he's always been great in that role. But in recent years he's become a friend today, and it was great to have him on The Crowded Hour to get to know him a little better and share him with my other friends. He's the kinda guy you want to know, and on the show he talks about how 2022 was his annus horribilis, spending a perfect day on a sandbar, and the realities of being an empty nester.

My brother, Jack Baker, is in town from Los Angeles and joins The Crowded Hour to go discuss how he lives his perfect day once each year, the ins-and-outs of Little League glory, and how he's about to open the first Massachusetts-style bar pizza place in California.

Whitney Connolly, who is known for (among other things) her onstage tales at The Moth story slams, joins The Crowded Hour for a wide-ranging conversation that contains the biggest personal revelation in the history of the show.

Also, when asked for her most embarrassing moment from her youth, she said she'd already told that story onstage at The Moth, so rather than answer it, we've got the link to her performance right here>>>>>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LemcRHQ-K4&ab_channel=WhitneyConnolly

You're lucky to know Rob Huss. If you don't, here's your chance to meet him as he joins The Crowded Hour to describe his strange knack for coming upon dead bodies, which of his three current and former employees (who all listen to this show) are his favorite, and why he might strangely enjoy a year in jail.

The Crowded Hour heads south to visit my in-laws in Virginia and North Carolina. On this episode, I'm joined by my 14-year-old nephew, Zane Godard, who is one of the funniest people I know and, as you shall hear, wise beyond his years. We talk about hiding a giraffe, his parents getting kidnapped, what people have right and wrong about the south, and for the first (and maybe only) time, Zane tries the hottest hot sauce on planet earth, Da Bomb, live on the air. And it goes about how you'd think it would.

Legendary nice guy Mark Whitman joins The Crowded Hour to talk about the life lessons he's learned about personal interactions, how he went from being a liquor salesman to being a Mormon, and what it's like to be a twin.