SmartLess Podcast - Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman, and Will Arnett Are Still Obnoxious

Anyone listen to this show? It started out with a tidy premise - they'd rotate the honor of bringing a surprise guest on the show for conversation. Their early guests were great (Kamala Harris, Martin Short, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, etc.), but the banter in between just reminds the listener of how obnoxious and out-of-touch these three are. Sure, they're funny when performing scripted work, but Bateman's a creep, Hayes is a vapid queen, and Arnett is just a cement-head. They yammer on about their Porsches, the kids they pay others to raise, and how hard it is to be a wealthy actor who is employable but merely bored during COVID.

Oh, and they just sold it to Amazon for $80 million. For that price, Amazon subscribers will hear new episodes slightly earlier than everyone else.

Somebody please tell me I'm asleep, and only dreaming I'm on the Planet of the Assholes!

R1 He has a grumpy, dark sense of humor, and when he's trying to be funny, he just comes across as an asshole. He's an insult comic in the worst way. He cuts people off when they go in a direction he doesn't like, and makes constant little jabs about Sean's non-celebrity relatives and his efforts to translate their TMZ-talk into concepts regular people can understand. And he talks about his wife and kids almost entirely in financial, rather than emotional, terms. And anytime a guest comes on who has interacted with him in the past has some variation of "Jason was such a dick on set, and I hope he's nicer nowadays!"

Ugh. I really hate Sean Hayes, and Jason Bateman is a total asshole in real life. I know nothing about Will Arnett, really.

R3 Arnett comes across as the most normal/relatable of the three, if only because he speaks the least.

I've heard that Bateman can be a real asshole.

They make every white 52 to 56 year old suburban mom I went to high school with wet…they are always fawning about it on FB when they are not posting throwbacks of their kids back to school photos. This alone is enough for me to never listen.

Each of them has been great in their acting roles but they’re so self congratulatory on the podcast - fawning all over the guests about what geniuses they are. It’s all so insular to their world. I don’t know how listeners relate.

It's a predictable, uninformative, chatty circle jerk. Batemen asks long, confusing and convoluted questions just to hear himself talk. Still, you will learn nothing from the guest that you didn't already know.

The guests are only worthwhile if they’re people that the hosts know and can joke around with; otherwise the fawning is unbearable.

I have to admit that when Arnett, Bateman, & Hayes are breaking each other’s balls and sniping at each other it’s pretty hilarious.

I listened to a few. They're ok but that's enough for me.

I found out about this when they had Amy Sedaris as a guest and binged most of the first year on a road trip. I enjoyed it, even recommended it here, but I've lost interest. The guests haven't been as good, their shtick got old, the Amazon deal soured me on them, or something. It's hard to say. It should be funnier. I think the Chef Jose Andres episode turned me off the most. Bateman eats a salad with grilled chicken for lunch and dinner every single day. Hayes's favorite meal in the world is the spaghetti marina from Maggiano's in the Grove. I realized that I don't actually care for these people very much or have much in common with them. Also, why haven't they had anyone from Will & Grace on?

I meant spaghetti marinara, obviously. Oh dear.

They really do spend half the time kissing the guest’s ass. Sean Hayes adds nothing, he constantly interrupts to explain any film term as simple as “craft services” for the idiot Midwesterns he imagine are listening. Jason comes off joyless and dull. Will seems like he still has fun but they are always talking about how rich they are.

[Quote] Also, why haven't they had anyone from Will & Grace on?

Would you really want Deb Messing to make an appearance?

It should be more fun than it is.

Jason Bateman was an asshole to Jessica Walter. He can rot in hell as far as I'm concerned.

R12 Unlike the majority of these snatches, I knew what you meant and I don’t mind a typo or an auto spellcheck error. Spaghetti Marina sounds like a thing, anyway, like what George Hamilton would have ordered at Spago in 1980.

My straight female friend, age 49, is a massive fan. She was talking about seeing it live--do the three hosts tour theaters to record the podcast in front of an audience? I'd rather wash dishes than be in the audience for something like that. I'm guessing that tickets aren't free....

Jason Bateman was a Michael J. Fox copycat who had a tough time finding a niche — post-juvenile roles (After Valerie’s Family) — in the grungey 1990s. He managed to land a very rich girlfriend-then-wife Amanda Anka—to buoy him through some career lulls during which time he was relaunched in “straight man” roles in comedies, a classic archetype albeit one with a wry / dark edge. He had some roles in acclaimed movies like Juno and Up in the Air, but generally stuck to bro comedies which made him very rich. He was/is perfectly poised with the recent/present era to exploit content: relaunch of what had been a early aughts cult show Arrested Development into a late teens market hungry for content with a small but loyal fan base, streaming with Ozark, and the podcast. You can tell he thinks he is very smart and an entertainment business visionary, and he may be, but I have no interest in listening to him. What is he saying that most of us haven’t thought before? I don’t buy his schtick and his unscripted moments…sticking up for Jeffrey Tambor and snapping at Jessica Walter….were enough for me to get a handle on him.

"Jason Bateman was a Michael J. Fox copycat"

That's not true. He played the MJF character in the Teen Wolf sequel which is the beginning and end of his association with MJF. Jason was a breakout child star in Little House on the Prairie which got him the role on Silver Spoons as Ricky's snarky friend. That success secured his starring role in his own sitcom called It's Your Move. So JB is a star in his own right and made it on his own talents and audience appeal which has always been different than the appeal of MJF.

Hate on JB all you want but at least be honest.

R12, I didn’t even notice - my brain filled in the blank, corrected it. That is a more interesting thing than anything about the podcast or the douches who are on it.

I always thought of Jason Bateman as a smart aleck/Eddie Haskell.

I've sort of loathed Jason Bateman after that whole iPhone line thing he did. I'll never, ever understand the affection he gets. He's a refulgent douche on a good day.

Yeah, the iPhone thing was 11 years ago, but it still speaks to his entitlement and douchery. He had no fucking problem sashaying in front of 2,000 people as a VIP, unworthy of waiting his turn with the unwashed masses. For those who don't remember or know about it, take a look. He's an asshole.

Apparently he was on cocaine all the time ten years ago. Now he and Will both say they are sober. When David Cross was a guest they were all laughing about it, I can imagine how annoying that set was. I find Sean’s friendships strange - he has traveled solo with Will often and with Chelsea Handler and they both make fun of what a stick in the mud he is.

R18 They are planning a small tour. These podcasts tours are such a money grab, paying $50 or whatever for the same shit you listen to for free. Andy and Anderson are the kings of this. They just bullshit with each other for an hour then Andy goes out to trick.

Thanks, r23, for introducing me to the word “refulgent”. I have a decent vocabulary, but this was a new one. This place always teaches me something.

Has JB ever shared any of his experiences working with Michael Landon?

Yeah, he said that he broke his anal cherry in the barn.

"money grab" is such a stupid gripe. Who is going to say "no" to more money, especially easy money? No one, ever. Hell yeah I'm going to grab money and so are you and if you aren't get the fuck out of the way.

Without trying, Dave Grohl made all three of them seem like complete narcissist assholes on their latest podcast.

Arnett is always mentioning "my ex-wife Amy Pohler." Bateman is constantly seeking validation for trying to be a director AKA being a complete control freak. And Hayes is fucking worthless, asking the same questions of every guest, and always referencing that his father left the family when he was 5.

Their tour tickets run about $375 to $1,200. Fucking ridiculous.

I stopped following showbiz in the mid 90s so I'm unfamiliar with these people's careers, but I did see Will Arnett a few days ago in "The Muppet Haunted Mansion," and what a big nothing.

Disappointing to hear that about Bateman. Did he says anything about why he quashed [italic]Ozark[/italic]? I liked that show. Mainly because of Laura Linney and Julia Warner.

[quote]do the three hosts tour theaters to record the podcast in front of an audience? I'd rather wash dishes than be in the audience for something like that.

Public radio has been doing shows basically like this for a long time, they're throwbacks to the old days when radio shows had live audiences (I'm talking Jack Benny era) and now podcasts are doing it as well. I was a big fan of the Wits show which often billed itself as a podcast, even though it really wasn't.

Both Masterbateman and his sister are assholes.

My small crush on Bateman completely dissipated after listening to this podcast. A complete Hollywood asshole, and seemingly unaware of how bad he comes across. I like the banter between Arnett and Hayes, though.

These three assholes made 80 million fucking dollars for this shit.

We had a male poster who claimed he and Jason Bateman took turns fucking each other in a hotel room in the early 90s.

They’re basically copying the Dax Shepard podcast, and—yes—Dax does it very well. He often focuses on himself, but he also at least does a lot of research on their guests and asks great questions.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this is true r37…he’s always pinged to me. And I am sure that he was mentioned in one of Billy Masters old columns during his days on that awful Valerie Harper/Sandy Duncan shit show.

I can't listen to the Smartless podcast because those three annoy me together.

However, I liked listening to them when they guested on "Conan Needs a Friend" and I liked it when they had him on their show but that's because Conan's general likability somehow drowned their obnoxiousness out.

I really like Conan too, R40; one of the last people left in modern day “Hollywood” with any natural, genuine talent (and, yes, also very naturally likable!)

Bumping this thread, as I recently starting listening to this podcast (via Spotify). Anyone else listening? It can be amusing. I’m only listening to the guests who might be funny.

I just listened to the recent interview with Chris Pratt (yeah, I know) and Sean Hayes was low-key drooling over the guy, it was a bit embarrassing.

Whenever an actor always has to be the "good guy dad" in any movie or TV show that he's in you know he's going to be a douchebag irl.

I never read so much jealousy in my entire life. Jeez.

[Quote] I just listened to the recent interview with Chris Pratt (yeah, I know) and Sean Hayes was low-key drooling over the guy, it was a bit embarrassing.

Why am i not surprised that Sean has shitty taste...

Why do I get the feeling r44 is one of the hosts? I've never come a cross such a reply on DL before.

I really enjoy this podcast.

Hope they continue.

R46 it absolutely sounds like Sean 😂

Hey Sean, I’m a big fan even is some of these bitches aren’t!

r48 Yeah, the "jeez" part in particular gives me Sean vibes.

It’s not very masculine to debase yourself on camera for shekels.

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