Smartless
Celeb interviews and life experiences; some mature language.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this podcast.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Smartless is a podcast that interviews celebrities about their life experiences in and out of the industry. Although it doesn't provide much insight or advice specific to children, it could be a great podcast to listen to with the whole family. There is occasional swearing in each episode, usually for comedic effect or casual use, so parents may want to listen to episodes with their kids or beforehand to make sure they are comfortable with their kids listening. Most celebrities interviewed may not interest younger kids, but younger artists, like Billie Eilish, are also brought in as guests. Although younger audiences may not know many of the celebrities brought on, this podcast could be a great conversation starter between adults and children, discussing the arts, work, and life experiences.
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What’s It About?
Celebs Sean Hayes, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman turn into podcast hosts in their next big project, SMARTLESS. Each week, one of the hosts picks a celebrity guest to surprise the other two hosts with - making the interviews spontaneous and authentic. Guests are well-known with fascinating stories for any listener interested in acting, music, or the industry as a whole. One week, they even get President Joe Biden on the podcast, sharing his approach to work life balance and what he does in his free time. Smartless feels more like you're listening in on a conversation between friends than anything. Episodes focus in on sharing stories covering topics like growing up famous, making a name for yourself, and making time for family.
Is It Any Good?
For both adults and young adults, this is an entertaining podcast that gives an inside look into the lives of some of our favorite celebrities. With a diverse range of guests, Smartless has an episode for everyone in the family to enjoy. Due to the spontaneous nature of each episode, there may not be much attention to the educational potential for some of the episodes, as most feel more like a conversation full of friendly banter between friends. At times, the interviews are lost among jokes between the hosts.
One of the main strengths of the show is the strong line up of guests each week that always have insightful experiences to share with listeners. Whether you're a fan of Saturday Night Live, pop music, renowned actors like Kristen Wiig, Kerry Washington, and Jack Black, or directors like Jordan Peele, you won't be disappointed with the star-studded guest list each episode brings. Even with their celebrity status, each host and guest makes sure to share stories and advice relatable to anyone, making Smartless a fun and wholesome listen.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea of work life balance being a theme in many episodes. What does it mean to have a health balance between school, family, and work? How might families make quality time for each other even when work gets busy?
Hosts and their guests often discuss early life experiences that influenced them such as divorce or not knowing one of their parents at all. What are some early life experiences that still impact you?
Some episodes talk about moments where actors or musicians felt like giving up, but then a big break in their careers kept them motivated to keep moving forward. How might we overcome these moments where we want to give up on our dreams or goals?
As each guest on the show, along with the hosts, is famous in some way, how relatable does this podcast feel? What can these differences or similarities in experience teach us about how different people might see and experience the world?
Podcast Details
- Release date: July 13, 2020
- Genre: Comedy
- Average Run Time: 50 minutes
- Website: https://www.smartless.com/
- Hosts: Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett
- Publisher: Independent
- Pricing structure: Free
- Topics: Activism, Arts and Dance, Friendship
- Last updated: January 6, 2023
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For kids who love celebrity interviews
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