Bruce Vilanch: What Makes an Oscars Host Funny?
Published on Mar 10, 2026, 2:00:00 AM
Total time: 00:22:09
Published on Mar 10, 2026, 2:00:00 AM
Total time: 00:22:09
It’s almost Oscars weekend, so we’re hanging out with the man behind some of the wildest moments in the ceremony’s history.
Comedian Bruce Vilanch spent 25 years writing for the Oscars. He crafted jokes for legendary hosts like Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal and more. He spoke with Sam last year about his experiences in the job and his advice for aspiring comedy writers.
Bruce Vilanch’s book is called: It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History and Other Things I Wrote
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The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.
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Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.