Celebrity

In 2015, Comedy Central premiered “one of the greatest sketches in television history,” according to Variety. The ingenious, gutsy satire starts with Tina Fey, Patricia Arquette, and Amy Schumer picnicking together in the middle of an idyllic field. It’s a momentous day: they’ve gathered to celebrate their great friend and colleague, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. You see, it’s her last f*ckable day. A whip-smart satire about Hollywood's double standard and aging, it stars an A-list ensemble of the industry's wittiest actors who absolutely skewer and outright disprove the belief that youth should be the ultimate prize. Basically, The Substance, just a decade earlier.

Now, Louis-Dreyfus is on a mission to uplift and celebrate the voices of the many iconic women who have come before her. On her podcast, Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (launched in 2023 by Lemonada Media), she champions the women whose shoulders she has stood on; they are the pioneers who have inspired millions and forever altered the fabric of society through the use of their gifts, talent, and hard work. Most need no introduction, with guests including Jane Fonda, Patti Smith, Isabel Allende, Ina Garten, Billie Jean King, and Gloria Steinem, among others. Guided endearingly by their host, Louis-Dreyfus, these women answer every question and avoid nothing, all while remaining kind, observant, and matter-of-fact. They are, as JLD says, "wiser than her." And it doesn't take a genius to realize that we could all benefit from hearing what these incredible women have to say.

Inspiration strikes

Beyond participating in the Comedy Central sketch, which rejects the way society tends to treat older women (at one point, Schumer asks, “Who tells the men when it’s their last f*ckable day?” To which Arquette replies, “Honey, men don’t have that day”), Louis-Dreyfus also started to notice a disturbing pattern: that brilliant, iconic women almost always receded from the public's eye, when they aged, sometimes fading into oblivion altogether. However, as she neared her 60th birthday, the true “aha!” moment came when she watched Jane Fonda in Five Acts. “It’s a superb documentary and completely riveting,” she gushed on the podcast, Funny Cuz It’s True with Elyse Myers, then aded:

“ [Fonda's had a very expansive life. She’s been at the helm of many big shifts and changes, and movements in our culture… And I’m thinking myself, ‘I didn’t really understand the scope of what she had done in her life.’ And then I thought, ‘Wait a minute, we’re not hearing from we’re not hearing enough from older women who have experienced a shit ton of life. And I really want to hear from them. I would love to hear a podcast talking to older women. And maybe I should do it.’"

Everyone loves it

The rest was history. The first episode premiered in April 2023, with Jane Fonda as the inaugural guest. Charismatic as ever, the beloved actress and activist recounted the time she was heckled by Katharine Hepburn, told an extremely amusing story involving a fake thumb, and revealed her secret funeral fantasies. The show continued to gain momentum, with guests including 80-year-old award-winning author Isabel Allende, rock-and-roll star Darlene Love, and the ultimate multi-hyphenate food virtuoso, Ina Garten. Practically overnight, Wiser Than Me was everywhere, dominating the charts and joining the upper echelons of the podcast world.

The premise is simple: Julia Louis-Dreyfus speaks candidly with some of the most celebrated and renowned women in the world. The only requirement? Age. All guests must be older than Louis-Dreyfus (64), and then they get down to it. With her signature charm and sparkling wit on full display, Louis-Dreyfus digs deep, asking the uncomfortable questions no one else seems to want to talk about. The first being, “Do you feel comfortable sharing your real age?” To which every single guest has happily obliged. Since 2023, she has released two additional seasons of Wiser Than Me, which feature interviews with other notable women such as Sally Field, Billie Jean King, Jane Goodall, Rita Moreno, Carol Burnett, and Nancy Pelosi, among others.

Louis-Dreyfus is a born host. She arrives at interviews armed with numbers, fact sheets, exact dates, and so much research, even a PhD candidate would quiver in their boots. Oh, and she's funny. Of course. Saturday Night Live, playing Selina Meyer on Veep, The Old Adventures of New Christine: her improv comedy chops shine through and often come in handy. Conversations are allowed the space to breathe, weave, and completely change course as guests meditate on what it's like to grow older. What are the joys? Its challenges? Do they have any advice for someone younger? The result is an intoxicating blend of humor and vulnerability, a one-of-a-kind show that’s both incredibly entertaining and deeply informative for all ages, races, and genders. During her episode, cultural critic Fran Lebowitz unapologetically declares her love for sabotaging enemies. In another, Carol Burnett brings Louis-Dreyfus to tears when she compliments her, calling her “one of the greatest comedic actresses of our time.”

The show’s not without its small stumbles and the occasional stumble, though. If you’re expecting a shiny, polished This American Life episode (one where Ira Glass is clearly feeling himself), you will come up empty-handed. In the Patti Smith episode, the Zoom connection goes haywire, and the video feed freezes multiple times, even interrupting Louis-Dreyfus’ introduction to her guests. However, none of this is edited out in post-production; instead, it is proudly included in the episode, glitches and all.

And that's kind of the point. It’s refreshing to witness Julia Louis-Dreyfuss in this role: herself. She’s not Elaine from Seinfeld, or Madam Vice President from the HBO comedy Veep. And she's definitely not the tiny, plucky Princess Atta from A Bug’s Life. Here, she’s just Julia, a preternaturally curious person with a gift for making people feel at ease. So what if she has won 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, nine Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in recognition of her immense impact on comedy and culture? Her guests are pretty damn impressive too, and she wants to learn from them.

And the award goes to…

From the jump, Wiser Than Me ruled Apple Podcasts, attracting a massive audience and spending nearly a month as the platform’s No. 1 show in the United States. And the awards kept coming: In 2023, Wiser Than Me was named Apple Podcasts’ Best Podcast of the Year. Then, in 2024, it received the Webby’s Podcast of the Year award and the Ambie Award for Best Interview Podcast. In Apple Podcast’s congratulatory award announcement, they wrote:

“The show’s popularity and accolades are a testament to its refreshingly authentic approach to amplifying the voices of older, wiser women—a demographic not often centered in mainstream culture—and encouraging intergenerational listening.”

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Becoming a first-time podcast host at 62 years old couldn’t have been easy; Louis-Dreyfus is accustomed to being on-camera and making people laugh with her once-in-a-generation physical comedy prowess. But even in radio form, her playful energy and generous vulnerability are undeniable, and before long, magic is created between her and her guests. It's a much-needed fresh breath of air in the celebrity interview podcast department, where the only prerequisite to thinking your voice matters is access to a microphone. But here, no topic is off-limits or taboo: death, sex, politics, divorce, and the physical realities of aging are spoken about with an ease and frankness rarely seen, especially in Hollywood.

The antidote to, well, everything

Many are wringing their hands, concerned about the growing influence of the "manosphere," a collection of hugely influential male YouTube and TikTok stars who, according to Bloomberg, are allegedly mobilizing America’s men to join the political right. So, in a way, Wiser Than Me could not have arrived at a better time. Louis-Dreyfus has created a space for female septuagenarians, octogenarians, and even nonagenarians to engage in candid, deeply wise, and delightful conversations—and in doing so, has provided a much-needed oasis away from a culture that often dismisses elder women and their experiences.

“We’re certainly not in the habit of listening to old women who have had life experience,” Louis-Dreyfus told The New York Times. “I mean, I would posit that our culture is much more inclined to listen to the wisdom of old men, specifically old white men.” Wiser Than Me takes that narrative and smashes it with a sledgehammer.

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And inspired fans of all ages are tuning in. On Reddit, one user wrote, “I just finished Wiser Than Me and realized that podcasts make my daily walks more enjoyable than music." Another added:

“Not exactly what you asked for, but I loved all episodes of Wiser than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus... Even if you don't think you'd like to hear the thoughts of a specific person, give it a listen, and you'll find interesting aspects of their lives and their thoughts on aging. It is just great.”

Superfan also @mary896 gushed:

"If you aren't listening to this pod, you're totally missing out! Julia delightfully and deeply interviews some of the smartest and most accomplished older women imaginable and it's life affirming, educational and introspective. I've loved every single ep and have learned SO much. It's entertaining and so deeply moving. I am planning on a relisten!”

Louis-Dreyfus understands exactly why Wiser Than Me has resonated with so many listeners. “All of these women have demonstrated how to live a life,” she told Apple News. “There’s something about being older where perhaps you feel not as protective in terms of sharing. And so I’ve taken advantage of the intimacy that offers; that availability to be real and to be open is a great gift.”

At the end of every episode, Louis-Drefus asks her guests for advice they wish they’d known at her age. For restaurant critic and author Ruth Reichl, it was essential to find rituals, like gardening or cooking, that grounded her during difficult times. Fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg suggested rephrasing the classic question, “How old are you?” to something a bit more celebratory, like “How long have you been alive?” Genius. All it takes is one episode to realize the sublime brilliance this show has to offer, and that at any age, all of us have much to learn from the women on this podcast, as well as the others who have walked this earth long before us. All three seasons are available now. You’d be wise to listen.