NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� What would the mean ol' Grinch be doing in 2023? Would that Christmas sad sack be hosting a cooking show on TikTok? Writing long essays for Substack? No, you know what he鈥檇 be doing 鈥� a podcast.
arrives this holiday season with fame voicing the Grinch and a new celebrity guest on every episode.
鈥淭his is a celebration of great Christmas mischief,鈥� says Johnson during a recent break from taping the show in Brooklyn. 鈥淚 think he is a curmudgeon and he鈥檚 grumpy and he just needs a nap and a bottle.鈥�
The 30-minute podcasts 鈥� a production of Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Wondery 鈥� hopes to be something that both adults and children can enjoy, like during that 30-minute commute to skating lessons or while baking a pie.
鈥淗opefully kids hear stuff that鈥檚 funny to them. Hopefully the parents hear stuff that鈥檚 funny to them and everybody鈥檚 having a good time listening to it together,鈥� says Johnson.
Guests include actor and his daughter, Erin; singer ; actor Tabitha Brown; comedian Pete Holmes; singer-songwriter Chloe Bailey; WWE star Cody Rhodes; actor Skai Jackson; fellow 鈥淪NL鈥� cast member and comedian-actor
Listeners can expect prank phone calls, comedy bits, weird commercials, the Grinch messing with his dog, Max, and freaking out when his heart jumps in size. The series is available now and kicks off with Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson East as the first guest.
鈥淧art of the great thing about this is show is that there's a lot of room for improvisation and James is just so good at that,鈥� says show producer Sara Mathes.
During a recent taping session, Johnson playfully jostled with Cindy Lou Who 鈥� playing his producer 鈥� and goes on an anti-Santa rant, joking that the jolly elf has "an entire North Pole sweatshop."
鈥淗e flies around the world, entering people's homes through the chimney? Why hasn't anyone called that out as extremely inefficient? Not to mention, it's basically breaking and entering, right? Hey, Merry Christmas 鈥� let's celebrate this plus-sized burglar-type guy who breaks into your house through the chimney, then leaves gifts, like some kind of deranged Looney Tune?"
Johnson, known for dead-on impressions of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, was tapped for his ability to spend a lot of time improvising in character, a flair he also shows on his 鈥淚 think they were looking for somebody who can embody a gruff character and keep it fun and light,鈥� he says.
He has studied the voice work of Boris Karloff in the classic animated Grinch cartoon, as well as Jim Carrey and Benedict Cumberbatch, who both made Grinch live-action movies. 鈥淲hat I鈥檓 doing may be a little bit more Karloff than Carrey,鈥� he says.
Johnson, who started doing stand-up in his teens in Nashville, Tennessee, describes his Grinch as a creature perpetually having a bad day. He likens him to a sassy gate agent at the airport during the busy holiday season.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a little snooty. He鈥檚 a little kind of Karen-y. He鈥檚 a little bit of like a fussy mom. He鈥檚 a little bit of a fancy dog that鈥檚 in that mom鈥檚 purse,鈥� he says.
鈥淚 think I can be very cranky given the right circumstances. You know what I mean? Over-caffeinated, underfed. You know, every morning I鈥檓 like this guy right before lunch.鈥�
The show is influenced by such fake interview shows as 鈥淭he Eric Andre Show,鈥� 鈥淏etween Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis鈥� and 鈥淧rimetime Glick.鈥� 鈥淚 would say that I鈥檓 I am trying to bring a little bit of that anarchic vibe to this,鈥� says Johnson.
The Grinch, he thinks, plays an important antidote to the often forced holiday cheer 鈥� he can pop up whenever there's someone feeling grouchy at a gathering.
鈥淎t any Christmas celebration, there鈥檚 somebody who鈥檚 got a grumpy look on their face and they鈥檙e having a bad time. Sometimes that鈥檚 mom, sometimes that鈥檚 dad, sometimes that鈥檚 the kid,鈥� says Johnson. 鈥淚 think all of us have these negative Christmas moments where we鈥檙e cranky and we鈥檙e being the Grinch now."
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
