Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People
Chris Gethard
300 episodes · Explicit
1 phone call. 1 hour. No names. No holds barred. Thats the premise behind Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, hosted by comedian Chris Gethard (the Chris Gethard Show, Broad City, This American Life, and one of Time Outs 10 best comedians of 2015). Every week, Chris opens the phone line to one anonymous caller, and he cant hang up first, no matter what. From shocking confessions and family secrets to philosophical discussions and shameless self-promotion, anything can and will happen! Theme song by Shellshag.
Episodes page 2 of 6
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Athletic Trainer Turned Montana Game Warden
This week's caller is in the middle of a major life pivot, leaving a successful career as a college athletic trainer to become a Montana game warden. He and Gethard talk about the pressure to chase achievement for the…
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Champagne Problems
This week's caller had the neighbor from hell. She shares that story with Gethard, recounts some recent travel adventures, and then opens up about a major life change happening right now. It's an open and honest call…
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Drama Amongst the Birthday Clowns
Gethard talks with a movie studio security guard calling in mid-shift. They get into local clown drama with surprising real-world stakes, the importance of keeping your dreams alive no matter what your day job is, and…
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What It's Like When Your Partner Dies
A year after unexpectedly losing her partner, this week's caller shares how she's been rebuilding on her own terms. She and Gethard talk about grief, community, resilience, and the power of telling our stories so we…
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Public Access Forever
A grassroots journalist calling in mid-haircut connects with Gethard over a shared love for community media. Together, they break down why public access matters now more than ever: how local TV and community-powered…
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Hoarding Disorder Expert
This week's caller has dedicated her life to understanding hoarding disorder. Years ago, she married someone whose relationship with collecting changed the course of her own life. Now she's on a mission to educate…
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Quit Opiates, Alcohol, and Cats
A caller checks in from a Costco parking lot to mark one year sober after 25 years of blackout drinking. He talks about kicking opioids, rebuilding his life, and what it's like to actually remember things again. He and…
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Episode 500! (Live from Atlantic Highlands, NJ)
Here we are. Episode 500. We celebrated the only way that makes sense. With a few hundred listeners packed into a theater in Jersey and a caller whose story pretty much sums up what this show is all about. Our 500th…
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Episode 500! Live This Friday at Smodcastle Cinemas!
You've heard us talk about it. Here's your reminder. In the last nearly TEN YEARS of Beautiful Anonymous, Gethard has had 499 unforgettable conversations with our callers. This Friday, October 17th, we're recording…
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A Different Adoption Story
Gethard talks with a caller who shares her story of adopting a young girl and what happened when, after a year, that child chose to return to her foster family. It's an honest conversation about one person's experience…
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An Australian in Italy
An Australian on a solo vacation calls in from Italy. She and Gethard chat about travel, trade stereotypes about each other's countries, and get into how the rest of the world views the U.S. right now, all while the…
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WASBAND
This call starts at Burning Man but quickly opens up into a far more complicated conversation about grief, abuse, healing, and the long work of rebuilding. But the playa stays in the mix throughout, a touchstone for…
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Railroad Life
This week, Geth talks with a railroad worker who shares what it's really like on the job. They get into the nitty-gritty of trains, unions, and infrastructure, and explore how the rails often reflect bigger truths…
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First Responder
This week, Geth talks with a firefighter/EMT who's training to be a paramedic. They get into the vital importance of volunteer work, what it's like to serve in rural communities versus tourist towns, and how showing up…
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Roller Derby Coaching, Chocolate Making Psychologist
Raised by a zoologist in a house full of wild animals, this psychology professor's life has remained just as untamed: coaching junior roller derby, a stint making high-end chocolate, parenting a trans kid, and that's…
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Wholesome Sex Worker
This week's caller takes us into the complicated, messy, and deeply human world of sex work. The conversation stretches from personal experience to bigger questions about society. It's thoughtful, challenging, and…
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Polyamorous Witch Librarian Who Also Worked at a Brothel
Does what it says on the tin. Gethard talks to a polyamorous witch librarian who once worked the front desk at a brothel, surprisingly perfect training for library life. They get into the realities of coven community,…
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Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Here's the pitch: Engineer by day. International award-winning clown by night. Learned to read and walk in her 20s. This caller has a lot going on, and every story branches into a whole new world of surprises. Sign up…
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Tugboat Life
A couple weeks back, Gethard talked with a lawyer whose husband came up a few times. We learned two key facts about him: he's got a lot of birds, and he works on a tugboat. Well, he got through this week, and that…
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Vietnam Veteran
This week, Gethard talks to a Vietnam veteran with a lifetime of stories. He's never listened to the podcast, but his granddaughter has, and she encouraged him to call in as a way to share and preserve the experiences…
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The World's Sickest Cat
This week's caller is a medical device engineer with a deeply personal stake in the healthcare system. She talks with Gethard about living with a rare liver disease, how Martin Shkreli changed the course of her life,…
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Too Many Birds
This week's caller joined Gethard at 10:30 on a Friday night to talk about wrestling and her love of a New Jersey ska band, but the conversation quickly turned into something else entirely. We hear about her tugboat…
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Teenage Entrepreneur
In another installment of our unofficial "The Young People Are Alright" series, a 19-year-old entrepreneur calls in to talk about hustle culture, mental health, and the lessons he's learning from his first…
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Your Kid's Not Broken. They're Just Different.
This week's caller is a mom of two young boys doing her best to face life head-on. Her oldest son is autistic and recently diagnosed with depression. She talks with Gethard about parenting a neurodivergent child,…
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Pediatric Nurse With a New Baby
This week's caller is a pediatric nurse with a newborn at home, and she's learning in real time how her job is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to new mom anxiety. She and Geth talk about sleepless nights, the…
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A Series of Moments In Between Taking a Piss
This week's caller is a medieval recreationist who sews their own centuries-old clothing and has an overactive bladder. And that's just scratching the surface. And that's just scratching the surface. From homemade…
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We Can't Name It FeetFinder
Good morning! For reasons no one can quite explain, Beautiful/Anonymous has a long and proud tradition of attracting band directors, and this week's caller keeps the streak alive. She and Gethard talk about everything…
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Charlie the Bearded Dragon
It's 9 pm on a Friday, and the vibes are loose. This week's caller is a former teacher turned novelist-in-progress who's found fulfillment in writing, volunteering, and caring for the true love of her life: an elderly,…
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Thirteen Secret Second Cousins
A new master's degree, a recent family death, and...13 secret second cousins? This week's caller is processing a wild year of grief, discovery, and chaotic family history, including one grandma-sized scandal and a mom…
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Left an Open Marriage
A strict religious upbringing, an older husband, and an open marriage she never expected. This week's caller talks with Gethard about how she got there and how she's finally building a life that actually feels like…
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Perky 911 Dispatcher
A 911 dispatcher calls in to walk Gethard through the ins and outs of emergency dispatch. From how calls get prioritized, to the systems that keep everything moving, there's a lot more happening behind the scenes than…
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First Day As a U.S. Citizen
This week's caller became a U.S. citizen hours before the call, so naturally, she gives Gethard an impromptu citizenship test. They cover life as a Canadian transplant in the South, share their love for '80s wrestling,…
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SEX GOD
From Neptune to everywhere and back again. Our caller is in love, looking for joy, and figuring it out along the way. This one's silly, heartfelt, and a little all over the place, just the way we like it. Sign up for…
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Parade Girl Gets Parade Girled
Gethard is finally taking a well-earned, long-overdue vacation. But we're not leaving you hanging. Instead, we brought in a past caller/frenemy of the show who knows exactly what makes a great Beautiful/Anonymous call.…
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Hockey-obsessed Military Mental Health Worker
On the way to a hockey game where they're being honored for their non-profit work, this week's caller explains the tension it's caused with their day job in military behavioral health. They talk with Gethard about…
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Running for Congress (Let's F***ing Go)
She might not have a background in politics, but this caller is thinking about running for office. She and Gethard talk about what it means to feel called to lead, why the current political climate pushed her to…
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The Death Thing Is a Bonus
A death doula in training talks with Gethard about being a newbie in her field, why she thinks death should be joyful, and how planning your funeral might be the kindest thing you can do for your loved ones. Sign up…
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Soul-Searching Sommelier
A brand new sommelier (that's a wine expert for the less fancy) needs some help figuring out what her next move should be. She and Gethard get real nerdy about ancient wine-making techniques, and then, as is often the…
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Religious Flash Mob
A long-time listener, first-time caller opens up about finding belonging in an unexpected place: a religious cult she joined in college. She and Gethard discuss the appeal of tight-knit communities, the difficulty of…
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Issa Rae on Friendships That Need to Go, from IMO
Sharing a new show from our friends at Higher Ground. On IMO, Michelle and her big brother Craig Robinson bring their candid perspectives to the everyday questions shaping our lives, relationships and the world around…
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Unintentional Grim Reaper
This week's caller has lived all over—from Singapore to India to England—and now calls New York City home. She shares why the British Empire is her Roman Empire and opens up about the many ways her life has been…
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Colon Cancer Awareness Month
March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and this week's caller wants to make sure you know it. She's a dedicated nurse on a mission to spread awareness and to get everyone talking about a topic that's too often avoided.…
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Curse of the Murderer's Tooth
"I did have a murderer's fingers in my mouth a couple times." That's how this week's caller kicks things off, setting the tone for an episode filled with random and often darkly hilarious stories. He and Gethard play a…
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America's Favorite Boy
A soon-to-be college grad, raised in Appalachia, calls in to talk about his next adventure—moving to Antarctica. But as he and Gethard dig deeper, it's clear this journey is about more than just travel. Life's thrown a…
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The Worst Karen
Black mold, leaving a soul-sucking sales job, and Gethard's connection to a cross-country trip in a car full of weed. Our caller wasn't sure where this one was going when she called in, but she and Geth take it in so…
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This Is Life. You Get One Chance to Live It.
A skydiver who swears she's not an adrenaline junkie calls to talk with Gethard about the joys of plummeting to earth from 13,000 feet. She's got 500 jumps under her belt, and only one of them has ended in two broken…
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Sexy Renegade Clowns
This week's call kicks off with a tour of the caller's room as she describes the objects around her. And from there, it takes off in a bunch of fascinating directions–from wiener dog races, to Chicago comedy clubs, the…
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Grandma Is a Thief
This week's caller wants advice on how to spend an unexpected $40,000 gift from her kleptomaniac grandma, but what starts as a light-hearted question quickly turns introspective. She talks with Gethard about financial…
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I Know What Living Through Hell Feels Like
An Uber Eats delivery driver takes Gethard along for the ride as he makes his deliveries and shares some stories from the road. In typical Beautiful/Anonymous fashion, the conversation takes a deeper turn as the caller…
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The System Is Wrong
This week's caller shares an incredible story about receiving a tough phone call regarding her ex-husband and the lessons it taught her about the broken justice system. She opens up about standing up for what's right,…
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