The list of celebrities who host podcasts has grown exponentially. Welcome to the club could be the response from Alec Baldwin. He has been hosting “Here’s The Thing” since 2011. In a move geared to giving his celebrity interview show a bigger platform, Baldwin has signed a deal to join the iHeartPodcast Network beginning in January 2021.
The show has been a WNYC Studios production for nearly a decade. But this week Baldwin released the first of what he said will be two final episodes for the studio that is part of “New York Public Radio” WNYC-FM & AM New York (93.9, 820). They will be “best of” episodes featuring interviews Baldwin has done on his show.
“With the shift over to iHeartRadio, we’re breathing new life into a project I’ve been passionate about for nearly a decade,” Baldwin said in a statement. “Hosting this show and speaking to so many remarkable people over the years has been such a joy, and I’m eager to see where we go from here.” He told listeners that the iHeart podcast will retain the Here’s The Thing name.
Since debuting the series nearly a decade ago, Baldwin has interviewed countless celebrities including Chris Rock, Barbara Streisand, Billy Joel and Questlove, among scores of others. He has also tackled issue-based conversations with episodes in recent weeks on real estate and gentrification and another about the legacies of the Vietnam War.
“Alec is an unmistakable talent and he navigates the fascinating, oftentimes surprising conversations on Here’s The Thing with remarkable intuition,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “He’s a natural conversationalist, which explains why his show is so well-loved by listeners. We’re excited to grow the listenership of the series by putting the resources of the iHeartPodcast Network behind the show.”
In an interview with Billboard, Baldwin said in addition to a more lucrative deal with iHeart, he was also convinced to make the move in order to have more editorial freedom. That issue flared recently when Baldwin had director Woody Allen on his podcast and he said WNYC required him to put several questions to his longtime friend.
The new deal will give Baldwin the ability to promote his podcast on iHeartRadio as well as the 850 radio stations owned by iHeart and through channels such as the “Sunday Night Podcasts” radio show that broadcasts on those stations. Executive produced by Kathleen Russo and co-produced by Cavalry Media, all episodes of “Here’s The Thing” will be distributed by iHeart and available everywhere podcasts are heard.