I already wrote about how the Good Hang with Amy Poehler episode featuring Parks and Recreation’s Rashida Jones rewired my perspective on certain matters in the workplace, but now I need to simply acknowledge what a gift this podcast is on all fronts. Really, it’s Amy Poehler who’s a gift because her sincerity and genuine nature are a rarity in this industry, but more than that, it’s the fact that this podcast is all heart.
She isn’t doing anything revolutionary or unique by any stretch of the imagination, yet she’s still giving us everything. She’s giving us conversations that bring joy to our everyday lives, and she’s allowing us to peel back layers in Hollywood that feel out of reach. More than that, she’s showing us that it’s okay not to have everything together while allowing our favorite actors just to be themselves in a space where they’re clearly respected.
And here’s the thing—this industry is exhausting. By the end of the year, your favorite journalists are likely ready to throw their hats down and run away. I know I am. I’ve had multiple breakdowns all week, and I miss watching TV and film for fun. I miss reading just to read. I miss mindlessly scrolling my phone. This industry, in every way, demands way too much from all of us, and I’m going to say this with my whole chest, but it’s not that deep.
Except it is. Relevance matters. Algorithms punish us. Networks and streamers continue to make wildly absurd decisions. We’re all literally in the weirdest cesspool every day, all while the world around us burns. When you focus on something too much because your job demands it, you lose some of your love for it in those grueling moments. It’s only when we look back later that we’ll appreciate it, but sometimes the moment is too overwhelming, and it’s a lot. It’s especially frustrating in this landscape where AI is taking over, and there are so many things we simply can’t trust.
Yet, every time I turned on an episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler, I fell in love with this job again. I fell in love with the people and the community and all the small details that make Hollywood the perfect place for people to escape to. I even got to see an episode live, though I still haven’t fully processed that because to me, Leslie Knope and Amy Poehler are so important, I cannot believe I was in the same room as her. It’s something I may never fully process, and that’s okay. Because really, this podcast is what’s shown me this year that I don’t always have to have the right words to convey how I feel.
Sometimes, the word joy is enough to encompass a magnitude of emotions, and that’s exactly what Good Hang with Amy Poehler has been—joy. Fitting, I suppose, considering her Inside Out character. Going off that note, it feels like this podcast is the one thing so many of us in the industry needed to feel a bigger connection. The thread to understand our favorite movies, TV shows, and actors a little bit better through a woman who’s not only hilarious, but so very kind, you feel it in every word she speaks. Every episode feels like calling a friend—a gift, really. An indescribable, rare piece of media that’s perfect for its simplicity and all the heart. It’s proof that we don’t need glitz and glamour to feel hope and excitement again.