Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People

By Chris Gethard

Society & Culture

What's Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People about?

1 phone call. 1 hour. No names. No holds barred. Thats the premise behind Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, hosted by comedian Chris Gethard (the Chris Gethard Show, Broad City, This American Life, and one of Time Outs 10 best comedians of 2015). Every week, Chris opens the phone line to one anonymous caller, and he cant hang up first, no matter what. From shocking confessions and family secrets to philosophical discussions and shameless self-promotion, anything can and will happen! Theme song by Shellshag.

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LAST EPISODE

You're Not the Rizzler Anym...

11.28.2023

For this, the 400th episode of Beautiful Anonymous, Gethard talks with a Gen Z law student who's getting ready to pick up her aunt, an 80 year old nun, so they can head home for the holidays. She catches him ...

Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People episodes:

11.28.2023 You're Not the Rizzler Anymore (Episode 400) For this, the 400th episode of Beautiful Anonymous, Gethard talks with a Gen Z law student who's getting ready to pick up her aunt, an 80 year old nun, so they can head home for the holidays. She catches him ...
11.21.2023 Left the Jehovah's Witnesses for Satanism This week's caller is a Buddhist by way of Satanism by way of the Jehovah's Witnesses. These days, he's a mindfulness teacher, but the road there was long and eventful. He tells Gethard about leaving the faith he was raised ...
11.14.2023 Never, Always, Should (F*** Jerry Lewis) This week’s caller and Gethard have a lot in common. Two North Jersey guys with ties to the local music scene, who work hard to make their art, and have complicated feelings about how they define failure and success. They ...
11.07.2023 Gave My Dad a Kidney This caller gave her dad a kidney just a few weeks ago. She called in to talk with Gethard about the importance of living donation, but this conversation ended up being about so much more: overwhelming loss, unbelievable resilience, and ...
10.31.2023 Bought a Mardi Gras Float This week’s caller is a PhD student with a connective tissue disorder who owns a Mardi Gras float. And that barely scratches the surface of what she and Gethard talk about. From first tattoos, to quirky parents, to defining what ...
10.24.2023 Moved to an Island on a Whim Thirty-eight weeks pregnant and living on a mysterious (to Geth) island off the west coast of the United States, this week's caller talks to Gethard about packing up her life and moving from the mainland, taking a ferry to Starbucks, ...
10.18.2023 Introducing What It’s Like to Be… Sharing something special from our friend Dan Heath, NYT bestselling author and host of the new podcast What It’s Like To Be... The show explores the world of work by interviewing interesting people with interesting jobs. You’ll be a fly ...
10.17.2023 Ship Builders on Adderall It's this visual artist's first day taking Adderall for ADHD. He talks to Gethard about the experience, about making art, about art making you uncomfortable, and why it's okay if your art doesn't always resonate with everyone. Plus, Gethard shares ...
10.10.2023 Ex-Belly Dancer An ex-belly dancer waiting for her cat sitter to show up opens this call by telling Gethard about participating in whimsical hobbies on the Jersey shore. Then, she breaks down the social justice issues inherent in her former profession and ...
10.03.2023 A Real Life Dog Pile An LA punk tells Gethard how his life changed in some really hard–but also some really beautiful–ways when his mom got sick. While taking Geth along on his day job as a dog walker, he describes how he’s applying what ...
09.26.2023 Mom With a Second on the Way This week’s caller just found out she’s pregnant with her second child. She and Gethard commiserate over the joys of parenting– like when your kid uses you as a human napkin. She also tells him about the worst member of ...
09.19.2023 Secret Internet Relationship This week's caller struck up a friendship with a woman he met online at a low point in his life. He and Gethard have a tough conversation about what happened after the two finally met in person. Listen to Geth ...
09.12.2023 Betrayed By My First Love This week's caller is a self-described "woman of stories" who shares one with Geth about being deeply betrayed by someone she loved. In the proces of telling her story, she gives a masterclass on empathy and compassion. Thanks to everyone ...
09.05.2023 Two Bad Dads Geth talks with a caller who found out her stepfather was leading multiple secret lives. Then, she explains how connecting with another family member helped her realize her biological father had some secrets of his own. Leave us a voicemail ...
09.01.2023 The "Love Is Everywhere" Waffle Brunch (live from Beautiful/Cononymous) Today’s bonus episode was recorded live back in May at Beautiful/Cononymous. Longtime listeners of Beautiful/Anonymous will remember Heidi and her family from the extremely special and emotionally impactful episode, “Love Is Everywhere” (episode 69, you’ll want to go back and ...
08.29.2023 Hoagies, Cats, and Lyme A graphic designer who moved home and is helping her family run their 90-year-old hoagie shop tells Gethard about winning a national grilled cheese competition and the sandwich that sent her to the hospital, fostering over 30 cats, accidentally breaking ...
08.22.2023 Beautiful Chaos This week’s caller keeps Geth on his toes with a real roller coaster of a conversation. It starts out with a pretty intense story and some frank talk about mental health and suicide, and then it goes off in about ...
08.15.2023 Indiana Jones is a Terrible Archaeologist An archaeologist shares memories of drinking champagne at a dig site and what’s so exciting about uncovering a two-inch piece of ancient stone tablet. She also discusses the history of colonial looting and the complicated nature of looting today. Then, ...
08.08.2023 I Survived a Bear Attack and Plane Crash in the Same Year An Alaskan pilot describes what it’s like living with an airplane runway in your front yard and then recounts an incredibly eventful year, which included surviving a bear attack AND a plane crash. Yes, a bear attack AND a plane ...
08.01.2023 The Mattress Underground (Live from Beaut/Con) A cat enthusiast tells Geth about his descent into madness early pandemic when he tried to build the perfect mattress. He also introduces Chris to the online community of mattress reviews, describes his time living in a monastery, and shares ...
07.25.2023 Sex Injury A lawyer details tearing his meniscus during sex and how it changed his perspective on aging. He also explains why the first call he made after the incident was to his mother. Later on, he opens up to Geth about ...
07.18.2023 IVF at 44 A woman speaks with Geth about the physical and emotional toll of starting IVF (In vitro fertilization) at 41. She discusses stigma around IVF, the exorbitant cost, and experiencing "genetic grief" using an egg donor. She also opens up about ...
07.11.2023 Met My Brother At 51 A woman describes the complicated feelings she had growing up with a brother, losing him to suicide, and finally meeting her long lost older brother at age 51. She also shares with Geth how her mom reacted to the news ...
07.04.2023 Ran Away to Mexico (Live from Beaut/Con) A woman explains why she fled home and her husband of 20 years to live in a small Mexican town. She describes how leaving for 5 months actually helped their marriage. Later on, a man from the live Beaut/Con audience ...
06.27.2023 Old School Hippie A semi-retired nurse speaks with Geth about the Joni Mitchell concert she recently attended that was so beautiful, it made her cry. She describes other unforgettable performances she's seen over the years including The Grateful Dead, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, ...
06.20.2023 2 Furries Fall In Love A Canadian Furry shares truths and misconceptions about his community. He opens up about meeting his husband on the "Bark" app and explains how being a Furry helped him cope with Borderline Personality Disorder. He and Geth also get into ...
06.13.2023 I Evacuated Because Of The Wildfires A dogwalker from Nova Scotia speaks with Chris about being forced to evacuate due to out-of-control wildfires. She describes how quickly the fires grew and the pain of seeing people in her community lose their homes and in some cases, ...
06.06.2023 Murder Wedding (Live from Beaut/Con) A former wedding planner tells the insane story of a murder that happened right before the ceremony. She also discusses runaway grooms and navigating feuding parents with a restraining order. Later on, she reveals a surprise connection to a previous ...
05.30.2023 Outside the Box Psychologist During Mental Health Awareness Month, Geth speaks with a 67-year-old psychologist about combating loneliness post 2020. She discusses working with clients aged 6 to 86 and the effects of the pandemic on teachers and students. She also reflects on what ...
05.23.2023 American Teenager in 2023 A high school senior speaks with Geth about going through the pandemic as a teenager. She discusses her fear of being in a school shooting and how disconnected she feels her generation is because of screens. She explains why she ...
05.16.2023 48-Year-Old Grandpa A truck driver describes his wild past as a bass guitar player in a band. He discusses crazy near-death experiences including a moped accident that led to many broken bones and meeting his future wife. He also opens up to ...
05.09.2023 Mommy On OnlyFans A woman opens up about losing her mom to Fentanyl, the dark humor of her deathaversary falling on 4/20, and never doubting their bond despite her issues. She and Geth also unpack why she gets so many requests from twenty-something ...
05.02.2023 Adult Baby/Diaper Lover A man speaks with Geth about having this particular kink from a young age and how his parents reacted when they caught him with diapers. He explains the difference between ABDLs and age regression play and dispels harmful myths about ...
04.25.2023 Ex-Husband Tried To Kill Me A mother of 3 speaks with Geth about the best and worst year of her life. She opens up about separating from her toxic ex-husband, becoming a registered nurse, getting Meningitis, and falling in love with a mutual friend. She ...
04.18.2023 Hardcore Yo-Yo Enthusiast Geth speaks with one of the world's biggest yo-yo fans about shady yo-yo people, competitive yo-yoing, and what his partner thinks of his extensive yo-yo collection. Chris also reacts to a video of a famous yo-yoer while the caller breaks ...
04.11.2023 Curing Cancer in New Zealand A Cuban expat tells Chris about her incredible journey from Cuba to New Zealand to work on cancer immunotherapies. She opens up about why she left her home country and how the George Floyd protests made her question her own ...
04.04.2023 Ugly Custody Battle A father opens up to Geth about a years long custody battle over his son with his ex. He discusses their decision to co-habitat as platonic roommates for 4 years despite breaking up before their son was even born. He ...
03.28.2023 The Chill Priest Catholic, but without the guilt. A priest discusses why the Episcopal church is often described as "Catholic-lite." He speaks with Geth about being pro LGBTQIA+, marrying another priest, and going to therapy. He also opens up about having doubts and ...
03.24.2023 Chris Gethard Presents: The Lonely Dad Conversations Geth has a new book out called "The Lonely Dad Conversations," and you're about to hear a sneak peek! He sits down with some of his closest comrades for no-holds-barred conversations about transitioning to dad life. You can get the ...
03.21.2023 Jersey Italian Grandma Kidnapping mobsters, a phone call from beyond the grave, and holy water in a vodka bottle. A Jersey Italian grandmother always has stories. She and Geth bond over Jersey Italian accents, Sunday dinners, and potatoes in a cup. She also ...
03.14.2023 Punk Rock Lawyer She considered herself a hardcore anarchist, until she became a lawyer. A tattooed, body building, sometimes musician discusses her journey to becoming an attorney. She shares wild stories with Geth about punching through glass doors, not fitting the lawyer stereotype, ...
03.07.2023 Lean, Mean, and Serene A 62-year-old Mexican American woman pitches hosting the Spanish language version of Beautiful/Anonymous to Geth and explains why she wants to live to 120. She also discusses practicing Judaism and having a wild Bat Mitzvah in her forties. Later on, ...
02.28.2023 School Bus Mafia (Live from Phoenix) What could a bunch of 10-year-olds do to make a bus aide quit after 20 minutes on the job? A teacher describes what happened when he was running his family's school bus company and an aide ditched the kids in ...
02.21.2023 My Dad Was An Axe Murderer Imagine growing up with a secret so big, you had to change your name. A young man opens up about finding out that his father was an axe murderer. He describes what it was like meeting his dad for the ...
02.14.2023 Valentine's Day (Live from Sirius XM) Naked at a Tai Chi retreat, online playing Counter-Strike, at karaoke, and the Home Depot. Geth learns the unexpected ways people have found love on this special Valentine’s Day episode. Live from Sirius XM in NYC, Chris speaks with callers ...
02.07.2023 Diarrhea In Burning Buildings (Live From Pittsburgh) A former volunteer firefighter describes to Geth what happened when she needed to poop while a building was on fire. She also discusses her love of driving fast, the benefits of a good ass scratch, losing and gaining friends during ...
01.31.2023 Americanize My Accent A 26-year-old social worker explains how she “Americanized” her Indian accent by watching “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.” She opens up to Geth about assimilating to the U.S. and why her opinions on arranged marriage did not sit ...
01.24.2023 Tales From A Timber Faller Bears, mountain lions, and a lost pinky toe. A logger from Montana shares crazy stories about animal encounters, broken legs, and "Lucky one nutted Norm." He explains why his sons aren’t allowed to be loggers and educates Geth on the ...
01.17.2023 Dating 3 People At Once Is it ok to date multiple people at the same time? A 25-year-old asks Geth to help her choose between 3 guys that are interested in her. She opens up about getting dumped, becoming a serial Hinge dater, and not ...
01.10.2023 Sex As a New Mom Between recovering from a difficult childbirth and taking care of an infant, sex is the last thing on this new mom's mind. Though weed helps get her get in the mood, she wonders if she's relying on it too much. ...

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