It's a Wonderful Lie

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It’s a Wonderful Lie is a short-form comedy podcast that imagines the hilarious “truth” hidden in your holiday newsletters. They come via mail, email, and Facebook post. The ubiquitous “holiday newsletter” from friends and family reminding you just how great life has been for them over the past year. From boring to bragging, and always chock full of BS. It's a Wonderful Lie imagines the messy stories hidden behind the perfect holiday newsletters. Of course, we’re reading between the lines— but that’s the fun of the podcast.It’s for anyone who has rolled their eyes at receiving a Christmas update. read less

Our Editor's Take

In It's a Wonderful Lie, a trio of comedians guess the truth behind jolly holiday cards. It is the letter in the mail come December, containing achievements and (most likely) untruths. This podcast calls out the fake extravagance of others' lives in a humorous way. After all, it is a wonderful lie indeed. The title is a play on the classic Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life.

The holiday season is all about joy-whether that's the case or not. Often, mailboxes fill with year-end updates from friends and family. There are always the-more or less-personalized Season's Greetings cards. But there are also those endless annual breakdowns of someone's year in review. They go to great lengths about their wonderful lives and more. But how accurate are these details? How much of it is a facade? It's a Wonderful Lie indulges people who have, on occasion, wondered the same thing. The podcast dissects the accomplishments people brag about.

It's a Wonderful Lie started in 2020. Holly Laurent, Greg Hess, and Ashley Flowers host the show. Holly and Greg also host the podcast Mega, a satire of megachurches. It's a Wonderful Lie's season starts around mid-December. Each day until Christmas Eve, the hosts try to figure out the truth behind Christmas letters. Listeners and the It's a Wonderful Lie community send in their letters, so the content is real. In every episode, the three podcast hosts discuss a lengthy letter. They call out the nonsense, laugh at the blatant fabrication, and add color to the stories. Yes, it is presumptuous. But what else would one expect with two comedians and their friend hosting? The result is, in all honesty, hilarious. It is a fun comedy show with a festive touch. While the podcast is no longer making new episodes, the ones here are timeless.

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ComedyComedy

Episodes

Mega Presents...The Rise and Fall of Twin Hills
Nov 6 2023
Mega Presents...The Rise and Fall of Twin Hills
The Rise & Fall of Twin Hills is gripping five-part mockumentary investigating a scandal involving the podcast’s fictional pastor.  It masterfully combines elements of self-seriousness and sharp satire to present a story that is both absurd and believable, touching upon themes of power, popularity, secrets, sex, money, and even the temptation of delectable Chic-fil-A chicken nuggets. This is Part 1: Of Milk & Miracles - When a struggling food blogger comes to review the Chick-Fil-A at a local mega church, he stumbles on scandals involving its lead pastor Steve Judson.Listen to all 5 parts at www.megathepodcast.com or check out Mega on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. More about Mega:Mega is a completely improvised podcast satirizing the world of a fictional mega church. Each week, hosts Holly Laurent and Greg Hess are joined by a guest who plays a character inside the colorful world of Twin Hills Community Church — a “mega church with a tiny family feel.” Past episodes have included such guests as: Cecily Strong (SNL), Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), Lauren Lapkus, Louie Anderson (Baskets), Rory Scovel (Pen Pals podcast), The Sklar Brothers (Dumb People Town podcast), Nate Dales (Letterkenny), Jen Hatmaker (For the Love podcast), Ashley Nicole Black (Black Lady Sketch Show), Jason Mantzoukas (How Did This Get Made?), Duncan Trussell (Duncan Trussell Family Hour), Cameron Esposito, Lisa Lampanelli, Hello From the Magic Tavern, Naomi Ekperigin, Rob Huebel, Tom Papa, Rosebud Baker, Eliza Coupe (Happy Endings), Kulap Vilaysak, Blaire Erskine, Brit Prawat (Crime Junkie podcast) and more...!