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Barack Obama returned to Marc Maron’s “WTF” for its finale, closing a 16-year, 1,686-episode run that began in a garage and grew into an institution. The former president, who once recorded with Maron while in office, hosted the conversation in his Washington office, opening by asking how Maron felt about ending the show. Obama urged him to “take a beat” and look back with satisfaction, praising the podcast’s “core decency.” Maron kept sentiment brief, honored his late cats—“Cat angels everywhere”—and read from a pseudolegal document releasing producer Brendan McDonald, ending a project he said he was tired and satisfied.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.