Worst Year Ever

Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts

160 episodes listed below

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Robert Evans, Katie Stoll, and Cody Johnston build fake conspiracies and mock right-wing media.

The gist

Worst Year Ever treats politics as something absurd, exhausting, and still worth understanding. Its panel chemistry moves from John F. Kennedy satire to media critique to burnout with a mix of jokes, caveats, and genuine care.

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About Worst Year Ever

Worst Year Ever is a panel-format political comedy podcast hosted by Robert Evans, Katie Stoll, and Cody Johnston, produced by Cool Zone Media for iHeartPodcasts. The core format has the three hosts riff on and dismantle a piece of right-wing media or conspiracy content each episode, often reading it aloud and roasting specific lines or claims, as seen with Ben Shapiro's science-fiction stories and Davis Aurini's film reviews. A recurring bit is building an intentionally over-the-top fake conspiracy theory — for example fabricating 'evidence' that ties Bernie Sanders to the JFK assassination — to satirize how conspiracy logic treats coincidence as proof. Beyond the scripted bits, episodes include unscripted discussion of current news, with recurring attention to gun policy (ghost guns, background checks, state gun laws), policing and its budgets, and electoral politics around figures like Joe Biden. The show occasionally departs from its usual panel comedy format for a straight interview episode, such as one with writer Eve Ettinger on burnout and complex PTSD in work culture. Guests beyond the three hosts appear to be infrequent, with most episodes carried entirely by the regular trio. The tone throughout is comedic and irreverent even when covering serious subject matter like assassination history, gun violence, or extremist media figures. Listeners who follow the hosts' other Cool Zone shows (Some More News, Even More News) will recognize the same voices and political leanings here. Production is conversational and lightly scripted rather than heavily produced narrative audio, with cold opens, running gags, and direct address to the audience.

Made for: Listeners who enjoy left-leaning political satire, close-reading takedowns of conservative media figures, and current-events panel comedy.

What sets it apart: Rather than just reacting to headlines, the show constructs full satirical set pieces — like a fabricated Sanders-JFK conspiracy — as its core comedic device.

In their own words

2020 isn't going to be fun for anybody, left, right, or center. What many call the Most Important Election of Our Lifetime is going to be exhausting, ugly, angry, and probably at least a little racist. Listen as Robert Evans, Katy Stoll, and Cody Johnston try to keep level heads covering the election while traveling the country, from the Iowa Caucus to gun shows and anti-vaccine conventions, finding out what Real America really wants and thinks during the, “Worst Year Ever.”

As heard by us

Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026

Political comedy meets close reading as Worst Year Ever traces ideology through current events, cultural artifacts, mental health, and everyday survival.

Worst Year Ever turns political commentary into a lively group argument, with Robert Evans, Katy Stoll, and Cody Johnston moving between current events, cultural criticism, and the strain that public life places on ordinary people.

Read our full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Climate dread meets Ben Shapiro's spit mites, and your gallows humor finally earns its keep.

Press play if you want

  • political despair metabolized through profane jokes instead of solemn monologues
  • bad right-wing arguments examined closely enough for the weird details to become the punchline
Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
political comedy panelconspiracy theory parodyconservative media takedownsgun policy debatesalt-right commentaryelectoral politicsmedia criticismmental health interviews

Talks about

Best episodes of Worst Year Ever

Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.

The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by the Coward Bernie SandersMay 5, 2022

A JFK assassination riff built around one odd dinner-party link between the Oswalds, Paul Gregory, and the Sanders family.

Worst Year Ever approaches the Kennedy assassination through a deliberately absurd political detour, using the title's Bernie Sanders gag to point at a much narrower historical thread.

Breakdown of Davis Aurini's Matrix 4 ReviewApr 14, 2022

A funny, pointed tour through one Matrix 4 review and the online-right persona surrounding it.

Worst Year Ever turns Davis Aurini's Matrix 4 review into a sharp, funny detour through an older strain of reactionary internet culture. The hosts are less interested in adjudicating Matrix Resurrections than in the performance around Aurini's criticism: the long-running YouTube…

Robert Finally Watches Patriot And Other NewsApr 7, 2022

Goofy banter gives way to a blunt, searching conversation about climate, agency, and political power.

Worst Year Ever starts in hangout mode, with Jesus jokes, Righteous Gemstones chatter, and a brief headphone reverb wobble before settling into a blunt talk about climate change, political power, and what real action can look like when the system feels out of reach.

Breaking Down Burnout with Eve EttingerMar 10, 2022

A candid burnout conversation about trauma, grief, and productivity culture, grounded in personal fallout rather than self-help gloss.

Burnout here is not framed as ordinary tiredness or a problem a long weekend can fix. Eve Ettinger and the Worst Year Ever hosts keep returning to the gap between a reset and actual recovery: chores can get done, drawers can be organized, but grief, crisis, and sustained…

Reading Even More Of Ben Shapiro's Terrible Short StoriesDec 23, 2021

A profane Christmas-week roast that turns Shapiro's tiny-fiction logic into a running joke about mites, tobacco, and bad detail work.

Worst Year Ever spends its Christmas-week episode reading more of Ben Shapiro's short fiction and treating every shaky detail as an invitation to wander.

Podcasts like Worst Year Ever

  • The ArgumentJerusalem Demsas & Matthew Yglesias

    Sharp political debate with policy detail and real disagreement.

  • The LineMatt Gurney and Jen Gerson

    Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson debate Canadian politics, from Alberta separatism to Ottawa's bureaucracy.

  • The Dispatch PodcastThe Dispatch

    Steve Hayes and Dispatch panelists argue through the week's Iran, DOJ, and Supreme Court news.

  • The Remnant with Jonah GoldbergThe Dispatch

    Jonah Goldberg's solo political rants and author interviews on conservatism, courts, and current events.

  • Open to DebateOpen to Debate

    John Donvan moderates two-sided debates on AI, bioethics, feminism, and film's future.

  • Call to ActionDave Fashenpour

    A former Trump donor's solo case for ballot audits, Article 5 conventions, and court reform.

Episodes

  1. 1

    Introducing: Weird Little Guys

    Aug 10, 2024·3m
  2. 2

    Introducing: Hood Politics with Prop S3

    Jan 10, 2024·5m
  3. 3

    Introducing: Sad Oligarch

    Jun 16, 2023·2m
  4. 4

    The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by the Coward Bernie Sanders

    Okay, so the bit is doing cartwheels, but on purpose.

    May 5, 2022·36m·2 clips
  5. 5

    Introducing: Ghost Church by Jamie Loftus

    Apr 25, 2022·3m
  6. 6

    Breakdown of Davis Aurini's Matrix 4 Review

    The movie gets pulled in through a side entrance.

    Apr 14, 2022·57m·5 clips
  7. 7

    Robert Finally Watches Patriot And Other News

    Worst Year Ever opens in loose, joking mode.

    Apr 7, 2022·1h 1m·4 clips
  8. 8

    The F***ing Slap and Other News

    Mar 31, 2022·55m
  9. 9

    Supremely Frustrating Hearings, Myanmar Genocide and PeaceMaker

    Mar 24, 2022·42m
  10. 10

    Russia Mostly

    Mar 17, 2022·52m
  11. 11

    Breaking Down Burnout with Eve Ettinger

    Burnout is not a weekend problem.

    Mar 10, 2022·51m·4 clips
  12. 12

    The Ukraine Episode: Featuring Boba Fett

    Mar 3, 2022·1h 9m
  13. 13

    Musk Monkey Microchip Good

    Feb 17, 2022·48m
  14. 14

    A Whole Buncha News

    Feb 10, 2022·51m
  15. 15

    A Bit of News and the End of Ben's Bad Book

    Feb 3, 2022·1h 3m
  16. 16

    The Crisis in Ukraine (and also Ben Shapiro's Terrible Short Story)

    Jan 27, 2022·54m
  17. 17

    Reading The Beginning Of Ben's Absolutely Worst Short Story

    Jan 20, 2022·58m
  18. 18

    Ben Shapiro Book Club Part 5: The Big Finale

    Jan 13, 2022·1h 1m
  19. 19

    Discovering The Nonsensical Allegory Of One of Ben's Terrible Short Stories

    Jan 6, 2022·1h 5m
  20. 20

    Reading Even More Of Ben Shapiro's Terrible Short Stories

    Christmas week opens with a bent little singalong.

    Dec 23, 2021·56m·5 clips
  21. 21

    Finishing One Of Ben Shapiro's Terrible Short Stories

    Dec 16, 2021·54m
  22. 22

    Cody Reads Ben Shapiro's Short Stories

    Dec 9, 2021·55m
  23. 23

    NFT Shows Vs. Quality, Creator Economy Vs. Art, and COVID Variants Vs. Us

    Dec 2, 2021·54m
  24. 24

    Robert Pills The Gang on NFTs

    Nov 18, 2021·49m
  25. 25

    Astroworld, The Political Manosphere, and Fake Colleges

    Nov 11, 2021·58m
  26. 26

    JFK Jr., Elon Musk, and Some Guy Named Brandon Walk Into The Discourse...

    Nov 4, 2021·46m
  27. 27

    Rust Shooting, Facebook Papers and Other Grim Things

    Oct 28, 2021·51m
  28. 28

    Colin Powell Dies, Betty White Survives

    Oct 21, 2021·51m
  29. 29

    Bisexual Superman Is (not) Destroying America

    Oct 14, 2021·48m
  30. 30

    Harass Politicians On The Potty

    Oct 7, 2021·51m
  31. 31

    Anti-Woke Bills, Pro-Assassination CIA, and Neutral-Metaverse

    Sep 30, 2021·58m
  32. 32

    Missing People, Missing Borders

    Sep 23, 2021·47m
  33. 33

    California’s Rigged Recall and the Potential IATSE Strike

    Sep 16, 2021·54m
  34. 34

    Abortion in Texas, Bolsonaro in Brazil, and Fentanyl in Your Drugs

    Sep 9, 2021·53m
  35. 35

    Recalling Newsom and Our Troops

    Sep 2, 2021·52m
  36. 36

    Only Fans Flip Flop

    Aug 26, 2021·43m
  37. 37

    Introducing: It Could Happen Here Season 2

    Aug 24, 2021·4m
  38. 38

    The War In Afghanistan Was Just One Hideous Grift

    Aug 19, 2021·1h 5m
  39. 39

    The Very Bad and the Slightly Less Very Bad of the New Climate Change Report

    Aug 11, 2021·1h 2m
  40. 40

    Cuomo, Commodities and the Eviction Moratorium with Chelsea Manning

    Aug 5, 2021·1h
  41. 41

    The Olympics is a Crime Against Humanity

    Jul 29, 2021·58m
  42. 42

    Jeff Bezos Rides His Space Penis

    Jul 22, 2021·1h 4m
  43. 43

    Tucker Carlson: A Study in Fascism (also more cum talk)

    Jul 15, 2021·58m
  44. 44

    Burn Back Better: Evaluating Biden’s Popularity and Our Dying Planet

    Jul 7, 2021·59m
  45. 45

    Introducing Aack Cast by Jamie Loftus

    Jul 1, 2021·3m
  46. 46

    The Infrastructure Episode

    Jul 1, 2021·59m
  47. 47

    Biden's Policy on Domestic Terror And Other Things

    Jun 24, 2021·59m
  48. 48

    Introducing: Q Clearance Season 2

    Jun 21, 2021·3m
  49. 49

    Unpacking Alabama Union Busting with Kim Kelly

    Jun 17, 2021·56m
  50. 50

    In Which We Talk About Canada's Indigenous Mass Graves

    Jun 10, 2021·53m
  51. 51

    Introducing: After the Revolution

    Jun 9, 2021·9m
  52. 52

    Catching Katy Up On The News

    Jun 3, 2021·1h 2m
  53. 53

    Aliens?

    May 27, 2021·1h 3m
  54. 54

    Talking About The Palestine/Israel Conflict

    May 20, 2021·54m
  55. 55

    Let's Talk about Colombia

    May 13, 2021·56m
  56. 56

    Introducing: Hood Politics with Prop

    May 13, 2021·5m
  57. 57

    Vaccines Are Dope

    May 6, 2021·49m
  58. 58

    Unpacking the Military Coup in Myanmar

    Apr 29, 2021·48m
  59. 59

    Bad Day for Chauvinists

    Apr 22, 2021·39m
  60. 60

    As American as Vaccine Passports, Matt Gaetz, and Baseball

    Apr 8, 2021·55m
  61. 61

    The Attack On Echo Park

    Apr 1, 2021·1h 6m
  62. 62

    Talking About the Atlanta Shooting, Purity Culture, & Anti-Asian American Violence

    Mar 25, 2021·1h 17m
  63. 63

    Tenacious Unicorn Ranch

    Mar 18, 2021·33m
  64. 64

    The Rise of Asian American Hate Crimes

    Mar 11, 2021·1h 1m
  65. 65

    Cuomo, Minimum Wage, and Syria

    Mar 4, 2021·1h 4m
  66. 66

    Joe Biden and ICE: What's Going On

    Feb 25, 2021·58m
  67. 67

    Texas Was Probably Not Destroyed By Wind Turbines

    Feb 17, 2021·56m
  68. 68

    Discussing Impeachment and The Filibuster with Steve Vladeck

    Feb 11, 2021·57m
  69. 69

    How Covid Is Affecting Restaurant Industry

    Feb 4, 2021·48m
  70. 70

    Ted Wheeler, Sarah Suckabee Sanders and Why Vaccines Aren't Enough

    Jan 27, 2021·57m
  71. 71

    America is Back??

    Jan 21, 2021·1h 5m
  72. 72

    Introducing: 'Behind the Insurrections'

    Jan 15, 2021·1m
  73. 73

    Who Is Actually To Blame For Last Week

    Jan 14, 2021·51m
  74. 74

    First Week Of 2021 Is Going Well!

    Jan 8, 2021·50m
  75. 75

    Happy Coup Year

    Jan 7, 2021·41m
  76. 76

    Revisiting 2020 Predictions, More Q's and A's

    Dec 23, 2020·57m
  77. 77

    Mr. Biden Goes (Back) To Washington

    Dec 17, 2020·59m
  78. 78

    How America (And Other, Better Countries) Dealt With Coronavirus

    Dec 10, 2020·1h
  79. 79

    Covid, Cabinet, and War Stuff

    Dec 3, 2020·1h 2m
  80. 80

    Introducing: 'Uprising: A Guide From Portland'

    Dec 1, 2020
  81. 81

    A Whole Bunch of Q Drops

    Nov 26, 2020·1h
  82. 82

    Introducing: 'Lolita Podcast'

    Nov 24, 2020
  83. 83

    A First-Hand Account of the Violence at the Million MAGA March

    Nov 19, 2020·54m
  84. 84

    Let's Talk Shit About Joe Biden, Four Seasons Landscaping

    Nov 12, 2020·58m
  85. 85

    Today Is For Basking

    Nov 7, 2020·48m
  86. 86

    Well, The Election Happened

    Nov 4, 2020·30m
  87. 87

    Will There Be Mass Violence on Election Day?

    Oct 29, 2020·54m
  88. 88

    Introducing: 'Q Clearance: The Hunt for QAnon'

    Oct 23, 2020
  89. 89

    Sifting Through Election Updates for Glimmers of Hope and Joy

    Oct 22, 2020·57m
  90. 90

    Introducing: VICE News Reports

    Oct 16, 2020
  91. 91

    Exploring White Supremacist Online Communities with Talia Lavin

    Oct 15, 2020·1h 1m
  92. 92

    Catching Up With The Very Slow News

    Oct 8, 2020·1h 2m
  93. 93

    The Debate That Was As Bad As Expected

    Oct 1, 2020·58m
  94. 94

    RBG: What She Did And What Can Be Done

    Sep 23, 2020·57m
  95. 95

    The Past, Present, and Future of Climate Change

    Sep 17, 2020·1h 10m
  96. 96

    Updates on Defunding the Police from Minneapolis

    Sep 10, 2020·1h 1m
  97. 97

    Progressive Politics on a Local Level with Nithya Raman

    Sep 2, 2020·52m
  98. 98

    The Weekend of so Many Different Kinds of Protests

    Aug 27, 2020·1h 5m
  99. 99

    The Sad, Dangerous, and Predictable State of Qanon

    Aug 20, 2020·56m
  100. 100

    Potential and Current Election Disasters

    Aug 12, 2020·1h 3m
  101. 101

    Remembering There's A Terrible Election Going On

    Aug 6, 2020·1h 4m
  102. 102

    Talking UBI and Human Centered Economy with Congressional Candidate, David Kim

    Jul 29, 2020·1h 6m
  103. 103

    Moms Vs. The Feds, The Service Industry Vs. The Virus

    Jul 23, 2020·56m
  104. 104

    Robert's News Briefing

    Jul 15, 2020·1h 2m
  105. 105

    Inside The Battle of Portland

    Jul 9, 2020·59m
  106. 106

    Confronting Politicians with the People's City Council

    Jul 1, 2020·50m
  107. 107

    How To Do Police Work When The Police Won't

    Jun 26, 2020·58m
  108. 108

    Worst Year Ever Talks Antifa With A Lawyer

    Jun 24, 2020·59m
  109. 109

    A Brief History of Autonomous Zones

    Jun 17, 2020·1h 1m
  110. 110

    Uprising Updates with a Minneapolis Protester

    Jun 10, 2020·1h 3m
  111. 111

    Minneapolis Uprising: Updates From The Ground and Sky

    Jun 2, 2020·53m
  112. 112

    A Conversation With Former Congresswoman Katie Hill

    May 28, 2020·1h 11m
  113. 113

    What You Need to Know About the Minneapolis Protests

    May 28, 2020·36m
  114. 114

    Reporting on Tara Reade's Allegation: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

    May 20, 2020·1h 7m
  115. 115

    Protesting For Prisoners During COVID

    May 14, 2020·46m
  116. 116

    The Coronavirus Epidemic in American Prisons

    May 7, 2020·54m
  117. 117

    The Krassensteins Return, The Right-Wing Militias Remain

    May 6, 2020·52m
  118. 118

    Checking In On The Very Fun Election

    Apr 30, 2020·1h 7m
  119. 119

    Fighting for Abortion Rights During The Pandemic

    Apr 29, 2020·44m
  120. 120

    Turning Skills Into Action

    Apr 23, 2020·59m
  121. 121

    Trying To Make Sense Of The COVID Protests

    Apr 22, 2020·52m
  122. 122

    The Coronavirus Miracle Drug That Probably Isn't

    Apr 16, 2020·1h 17m
  123. 123

    The Coronavirus Has Covered Up A War on Trans People

    Apr 9, 2020·43m
  124. 124

    The History and Possible Future of Rent Strikes

    Apr 8, 2020·1h 10m
  125. 125

    Bonus: Rent Strike Interview

    Apr 8, 2020·39m
  126. 126

    A Long Talk About Billionaires, With Billionaire Mark Cuban

    Apr 2, 2020·1h 32m
  127. 127

    The Joe Biden Sexual Assault Accusation

    Apr 1, 2020·57m
  128. 128

    What Doctors Want You To Know Right Now

    Mar 26, 2020·53m
  129. 129

    How To Save Your Community When The Government Fails

    Mar 24, 2020·1h 1m
  130. 130

    The Reasonable Person's Guide To Prepping

    Mar 18, 2020·1h
  131. 131

    The Quarantined Debate

    Mar 17, 2020·56m
  132. 132

    Donald Trump, The Coronavirus, and You

    Mar 11, 2020·1h 8m
  133. 133

    Worst Tuesday Ever

    Mar 5, 2020·58m
  134. 134

    Michael Bloomberg's Dark And Terrible Life Story

    Mar 3, 2020·1h 14m
  135. 135

    How To Use FOIA Requests to Destroy The Government

    Feb 26, 2020·55m
  136. 136

    The Amy Klobuchar Episode

    Feb 19, 2020·58m
  137. 137

    Debate Us, You Cowards

    Feb 12, 2020·1h 3m
  138. 138

    The Iowa Chaos

    Feb 5, 2020·59m
  139. 139

    Exploring the Warren/Sanders Divide

    Jan 29, 2020·1h 9m
  140. 140

    The Virginia Gun Rights Rally: Part 2: Debriefing The Boogaloo

    Jan 24, 2020·40m
  141. 141

    The Virginia Gun Rights March and the Second Civil War

    Jan 22, 2020·38m
  142. 142

    Part Two: How The Furries Fought The Nazis and Won

    Jan 16, 2020·33m
  143. 143

    Part One: How The Furries Fought The Nazis and Won

    Jan 15, 2020·44m
  144. 144

    'The 'War With Iran' Super Fun Episode of Friendship'

    Jan 8, 2020·44m
  145. 145

    Is Pete Buttigieg a C.I.A. Agent?

    Jan 3, 2020·1h 11m
  146. 146

    Last Episode Before The Worst Year Ever

    Dec 18, 2019·1h 10m
  147. 147

    Worst Year Ever Goes to a Furry Convention: Audio Diary

    Dec 10, 2019·52m
  148. 148

    The Evolution of Elizabeth Warren

    Dec 4, 2019·1h 17m
  149. 149

    Bernie Sanders Fans Criticize Him

    Nov 20, 2019·1h 23m
  150. 150

    Kamala Harris' Calculated Progressivism?

    Nov 13, 2019·1h 6m
  151. 151

    Mayor Pete Endorses Bernie Sanders

    Nov 6, 2019·1h 8m
  152. 152

    The Cult of Tulsi Gabbard

    Oct 30, 2019·1h 21m
  153. 153

    Can Andrew Yang Save Us?

    Oct 23, 2019·57m
  154. 154

    The Official Anthem of the Worst Year Ever

    Oct 21, 2019·1m
  155. 155

    The Rojava/Kurdish Genocide Episode (Why So Syria?)

    Oct 16, 2019·1h 18m
  156. 156

    Everything You Need To Know About Joe Biden

    Oct 9, 2019·1h 6m
  157. 157

    The Impeachment Episode (Part One?)

    Oct 4, 2019·1h 9m
  158. 158

    Part Two: Who Can You Trust In 2020?

    Sep 25, 2019·1h 6m
  159. 159

    Part One: Who Can You Trust In 2020?

    Sep 25, 2019·54m
  160. 160

    Worst Year Ever Trailer

    Sep 18, 2019·9m