The Joke episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 6, 2025 · 35 MIN

The Joke

from The Truth · host The Truth

When an archivist in the future finds a single surviving joke, she risks her job to uncover its meaning, discovering forbidden laughter along the way. Written by Mary McDonnell, with direction, sound design, and original music by Jonathan Mitchell. Performed by Betsy Helmer, Josh Tobin, John Trowbridge, Alexandra Dickson, Brandon Zelman, Amanda Giobbi, Mary McDonnell, Davy Gardner, Hunter Nelson, Louis Kornfeld, and Cherie McMaster. Support The Truth by ⁠⁠subscribing to our ad-free feed⁠⁠. It’s $5, or $50 a year. You’ll get every story without interruption, but more than that, you’ll be supporting the survival of our show. Go to: ⁠⁠thetruthpodcast.supportingcast.fm⁠⁠ Follow us on... ⁠⁠INSTAGRAM⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BLUESKY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠THREADS⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠REDDIT⁠⁠ To learn more about our show, go to our website: ⁠⁠thetruthpodcast.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When an archivist in the future finds a single surviving joke, she risks her job to uncover its meaning, discovering forbidden laughter along the way. Written by Mary McDonnell, with direction, sound design, and original music by Jonathan Mitchell. Performed by Betsy Helmer, Josh Tobin, John Trowbridge, Alexandra Dickson, Brandon Zelman, Amanda Giobbi, Mary McDonnell, Davy Gardner, Hunter Nelson, Louis Kornfeld, and Cherie McMaster. Support The Truth by ⁠⁠subscribing to our ad-free feed⁠⁠. It’s $5, or $50 a year. You’ll get every story without interruption, but more than that, you’ll be supporting the survival of our show. Go to: ⁠⁠thetruthpodcast.supportingcast.fm⁠⁠ Follow us on... ⁠⁠INSTAGRAM⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BLUESKY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠THREADS⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠REDDIT⁠⁠ To learn more about our show, go to our website: ⁠⁠thetruthpodcast.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The Joke

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This episode is 35 minutes long.

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This episode was published on November 6, 2025.

What is this episode about?

When an archivist in the future finds a single surviving joke, she risks her job to uncover its meaning, discovering forbidden laughter along the way. Written by Mary McDonnell, with direction, sound design, and original music by Jonathan Mitchell....

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