Cashing in with T.J. Miller

“It’s hard to walk away from half of something. But if the thing itself is small in the first place, it’s not as hard. “ -Cash Levy

I have been a member of the 12 1/2 since 2013, and it frankly saddens me to see what happened to this show. I did my annual relisten, and honestly, the writing was always on the wall. The first two years or so of this podcast are comedy gold, some of the best listening out there. But around 2015, the shift is noticeable. TJ began to get famous and the resentment from Cash is palpable in many episodes. The good vibes between them seem to evaporate as episodes become increasingly rushed, pressured, and immaturely cut off to wring out more content rather than simply following a good riff. Then in 2016, between starting a Patreon and the US elections, the entire tone of the show shifted to something different. TJ’s life since 2016 onwards, between fame and legal issues, has taken him in a very different direction. Listening to new episodes in 2023, it’s sad to see this once great show, with 90 minutes of extremely tight improv and callbacks, be reduced to 27 minutes of Cash trying to discourage TJ from riffing so they can rush through to plugging their Patreon and tour dates. If the passion died, then let the show rest. Cash even tried to start his own podcast at one point (Cash Withdrawal), but had such poor success with it that it got swept quietly under the rug. The state of the podcast now is an insult to the 12 1/2 who helped lift it up in its youth. I am no longer proud to say I’m a fan of this show. For what? I’m glad we still have those original 100 episodes, and I’ll always treasure them. But it gets harder and harder to revisit these later episodes.

Great and funny podcasting!

It’s very funny