Go Fact Yourself

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Comedy
Twice monthly

Twice a month, host J. Keith van Straaten and co-host Helen Hong quiz the smartest celebrities they know to find out why they love what they love! Recorded before a live audience in downtown Los Angeles, this game show features comedians, actors, and musicians answering arcane questions on topics they claim to be experts in. But don't worry; if they slip up, there are real experts on hand to give us the facts!

1 day ago

Ep. 197: William Stanford Davis & Laura Dave

Trivia is like sunshine on a cloudy day – on Go Fact Yourself! William Stanford Davis is an actor who plays Mr. Johnson, the enigmatic janitor on “Abbott Elementary.” He’ll tell us how the role is a culmination of a lifetime of acting and how he got the part by … dancing? Laura Dave is the author of the book The Last Thing He Told Me. When it became a New York Times bestseller, she literally did not believe it. Now she’s adapted the book (and its sequel) into a series on Apple TV. She’ll tell us how casting Jennifer Garner in the lead role wasn’t nearly as difficult as you might think. Areas of Expertise: Laura: Bruce Springsteen songs, Philadelphia Eagles football, and the movie Sleepless in Seattle. Stan: 1960s to 1980s R&B music, the movie Do the Right Thing, and St. Louis Cardinals baseball from the Lou Brock/Bob Gibson era. What’s the Difference: The Metric System What’s the difference between a measure and a metric? What’s the difference between the justice system and the judicial system? With Guest Experts: Jon Dorenbos: Magician, motivational speaker, and record-breaking member of the Philadelphia Eagles. Otis Williams: Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and founding member of The Temptations. Hosts: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Credits: Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffat. Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU! It’s always a good time to go to maximumfun.org/joingofact to support this show and get monthly bonus episodes. Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact
3 Jul

Ep. 196: Hrishikesh Hirway & Meaghan Rath

The trivia is ready to explode on Go Fact Yourself! Hrishikesh Hirway is a songwriter. He’s also known for the podcast Song Exploder. He started the show as a way to explore his peers’ creative process and get over his writer’s block. He’ll tell us how years of conversations on the podcast led him to releasing his new album “In the Last Hour of Light.” Meaghan Rath is an actor who can be seen on the AMC show “The Audacity” as the Chief Ethics Officer. She’ll tell us about how her husband has helped her develop her performance… and why she’s gotten married to him three times. Areas of Expertise: Hrishikesh: The 1985-86 Boston Celtics, the best ice cream in Los Angeles, and 1985 caper movies adapted from Elmore Leonard novels. Meaghan: The movie The Little Mermaid, the TV show “Survivor,” and training a Labradoodle. What’s the Difference: Deep Fake What’s the difference between a gorge and a canyon? What’s the difference between a forgery and a counterfeit? With Guest Experts: LisaGay Hamilton: Peabody award-winning actor and director who’s starred in several productions across Broadway, TV and film – including the Elmore Leonard caper movie Jackie Brown. Zeke Smith: Writer, comedian, and activist who's a two-time contestant on “Survivor.” Hosts: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Credits: It’s always a good time to go to maximumfun.org/joingofact to support this show and get monthly bonus episodes. Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffat. Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact
19 Jun

Ep. 195: Timothy Simons & Vic Michaelis

It’s trivia with some Very Important People on Go Fact Yourself! For years Timothy Simons was known for playing the deeply unpleasant character Jonah Ryan on the HBO series “Veep.” He’ll tell us what it’s like to finally play a nice guy on the Netflix show “Nobody Wants This.” Tim can also be heard on Second in Command: A Veep Rewatch Podcast. Vic Michaelis is an actor and improviser who’s a regular presence on Dropout TV. But one of their most proud roles is getting to star in Round and Round; it’s a Hallmark holiday movie… and that holiday is Hanukkah. Areas of Expertise: Tim: The TV show “The Wire,” Chicago theater in the early 2000s, and Tiger Woods. Vic: The movie Twister, the 2011 Tony awards, and LEGOs. What’s the Difference: Human Beans What’s the difference between a humane act and a humanitarian act? What’s the difference between soy beans and edamame? With Guest Experts: David Javerbaum: Tony-nominated and Grammy and Emmy-winning writer who co-wrote the opening number to the 2011 Tony awards. Sonja Sohn: Award-winning actor and filmmaker who’s known for playing Detective Kima Greggs on “The Wire.” Hosts: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Credits: It’s always a good time to go to maximumfun.org/joingofact to support this show and get monthly bonus episodes. Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffat. Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact
5 Jun

Ep. 194: Stacy Keanan & Drew Lynch

Go Fact Yourself has a step-by-step plan for entertaining trivia! Stacy Keanan is best known for her work on the sitcoms “Step By Step” and “My Two Dads.” As part of her podcast, Keanan and Lakin Give You Déjà Vu, she’s watching the former show for the first time. She’ll tell us about that and what it’s been like transitioning to a new career… as a state prosecutor. Drew Lynch is a comedian who broke through on “America’s Got Talent.” He’ll tell us how he thought he won before the show even got started. Plus, we’ll learn about how he developed a stutter that didn’t derail his stand-up career – it helped it flourish. Areas of Expertise: Stacy: Dog breeds, podcasts about shows I don’t watch and outdoorsy stuff I don’t do, and hot sauce. Drew: The Indianapolis Colts football team, Neil Simon plays, and Pokémon. What’s the Difference: Rocket Man What’s the difference between a rocket and a missile? What’s the difference between an astronaut and a cosmonaut? With Guest Experts: Jake Anthony and Matt Marr: The voices behind the Reality Gays podcast Dwight Freeney: Hall of Fame NFL player and Super Bowl Champion with the Indianapolis Colts. Hosts: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Credits: It’s always a good time to go to maximumfun.org/joingofact to support this show and get monthly bonus episodes. Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffat. Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact
15 May

Ep. 193: Erinn Hayes & Jordan Carlos

Go Fact Yourself is ready to burst with trivia! Erinn Hayes is an Emmy-nominated actor known for comedies like “Children’s Hospital” and dramas like “It’s Not Like That.” One of her favorite parts of her job is getting to work with great colleagues; and a lot of that started with performing improv at Disney’s California Adventure. Jordan Carlos has written a new book intended to help his fellow cis straight men with their relationships – Choreplay: The Marriage-Saving Magic of Getting Your Head Out of Your Ass. He’s also written for “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” and he’ll tell us how that culminated in him getting to write a joke for the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Areas of Expertise: Jordan: The move Rear Window, the New York City grid system,and market bubbles (especially the Dutch tulip bubble). Erinn: Low-allergen cat breeds, Jelly Belly jellybeans, and the movie Romancing The Stone. What’s the Difference: What a Dump What’s the difference between a dump and a landfill? What’s the difference between a toilet and a commode? With Guest Experts: Professor Anne Goldgar: USC’s chair in European history and author of the book Tulipmania: Money, Honor and Knowledge in the Dutch Golden Age Kathleen Turner: Actor whose decades-long career includes iconic films like Romancing the Stone. Hosts: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Credits: The MaxFun Drive is over, but it’s always a good time to go to maximumfun.org/joingofact to support this show and get monthly bonus episodes. Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffat. Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact
8 May · Bonus

Ep. 192.99: Best of Nonagenarians

It’s all about the 90s – but not the 1990s; this episode of Go Fact Yourself is all about experts over the AGE of 90! Plus, a special update from one of them about what happened as a result of appearing on our show! In this episode: Guests: Stephen Tobolowsky and Aparna Nancherla from episode 180. Tim Russ and Amber Nelson from episode 170. Walter Koenig and Danielle Koenig from episode 57. Alonso Durlade and Blair Socci from episode 152. Bill Kurtis and Sarah Spain from episode 44. With Guest Experts: Shani Wallis: Legendary singer and actor who’s appeared in dozens of film and stage productions – including the 1968 Oscar-winning Best Picture Oliver! Jack Moran: U.S. Army Staff Sergeant in WWII. Paul Dooley: Writer and actor with a decades-long career, including playing dads in Breaking Away and Sixteen Candles – and one of the creators of ”The Electric Company.” John Ullinskey: WWII veteran who served aboard the USS Arikara and participated in the D-Day invasion and the Battle of Okinawa. Hosts: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Credits: The MaxFun Drive is over, but it’s always a good time to go to maximumfun.org/joingofact to support this show and get monthly bonus episodes. Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffat. Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact
1 May · Bonus

Ep. 192.75: Final Update on #MaxFunDrive + GFY Extras preview!

This show is powered by our beloved MaxFun Members! If you’d like to support this show – and earn great gifts in the process – go to Maximumfun.org/joingofact NOW until May 1st! You can contribute as little as $5 a month and win a chance to appear on the show! The #MaxFunDrive is entering its final moments. If you’re hearing this after May 1st, there’s still time to participate! May 2nd & 3rd are our special amnesty weekend where you can still join, boost or upgrade your membership and help get Go Fact Yourself to its goals. And we need YOU! As a reminder of what’s in store for you as a member, we’ve put together this sample platter of GFY Extras – the moments from the show that we leave on the cutting room floor before publication. But that floor holds a treasure trove of goodies! Normally the only way to hear all of this would be to attend every single live show; but when you go to maximumfun.org/joingofact, you can hear new Extras every single month. Hosts: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Credits: Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffat. Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact
28 Apr · Bonus

Ep. 192.5: Update on #MaxFunDrive + BoCo preview!

This show is powered by our beloved MaxFun Members! If you’d like to support this show – and earn great gifts in the process – go to Maximumfun.org/joingofact NOW until May 1st! You can contribute as little as $5 a month and win a chance to appear on the show! The #MaxFunDrive is in full swing! One of the best things you get as member is access to the MaxFun BoCo library – it’s full of thousands of hours of content from every show on the network. That includes Go Fact Yourself! In this special preview, you’ll hear a sample of some of the episodes that await you as a member. We have special full quizzes with MaxFun hosts, fun games with our listeners and proof that this show has a positive impact on our guests’ lives. Do YOU want to be a guest on our show? Make sure to support us in the MaxFunDrive to enter our 2026 Listener Tournament! Your journey begins at Maximumfun.org/joingofact Hosts: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Credits: Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffat. Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

See All (243)

Helen Hong

Host
J. Keith Van Straaten

Host
Timothy Simons

Guest
Vic Michaelis

Guest
David Javerbaum

Guest
Sonja Sohn

Guest
Staci Keanan

Guest
Drew Lynch

Guest
Jake Anthony

Guest
Matt Marr

Guest

Twice a month, host J. Keith van Straaten and co-host Helen Hong quiz the smartest celebrities they know to find out why they love what they love! Recorded before a live audience in downtown Los Angeles, this game show features comedians, actors, and musicians answering arcane questions on topics they claim to be experts in. But don't worry; if they slip up, there are real experts on hand to give us the facts!