10 Times the “SmartLess” Hosts Got the Juiciest Anecdotes Out of Their Famous Guests

Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes take their massively popular podcast on tour in the new six-episode Max docuseries "SmartLess: On the Road" (streaming May 23) — and Bateman, for one, is still incredulous. "It's just four idiots — well, three idiots and a respectable guest — having a conversation on stage," he deadpanned in a late-night talk-show appearance. The three comic actors have been working podcast magic since launching their breezy, irreverent show mid-pandemic. "SmartLess" quickly became a top-rated podcast, thanks to the hosts' hilarious friend chemistry and their ability to elicit priceless anecdotes from their A-list guests.

Now, with "On the Road," they're launching the pod out into the world, with stops in Boston, Brooklyn, Washington DC, Chicago, Madison, and Los Angeles. The trio are joined by new guests at every stop, including Conan O'Brien, Will Ferrell, Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel, Kevin Hart, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, David Letterman, and more. As the new docuseries drops, let's look back at 10 times "SmartLess" interviews got everyone talking — and, usually, LOL'ing.

"White House Plumbers" star Justin Theroux talked to the "SmartLess" crew about what to wear (or not wear) on long-haul flights. Bateman regaled his fellow hosts with a story of being on a flight from LA to London on which Theroux had stripped down to his underwear to get comfortable in his "little pod." Theroux countered that Bateman's attire had been way weirder. "He was in the full pajamas — like, the slippers and a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth."

Clooney had the hosts in stitches as he recounted a long-ago prank played on fellow actor Richard Kind, his roommate at the time. As Clooney says, he had repeatedly emptied the litter box for Kind's pet kitten — but neglected to tell Kind he was doing it. When the other actor began to worry about his cat's digestion, Clooney said, "I realize[d] what I must do." He used the litter box himself — then watched Kind's incredulous reaction.

The legendary actor delved into the roots of his interest in World Wars I and II. At 18, Hanks told the hosts, he was working as a hotel bellhop, where he befriended an older colleague. After a two-week absence, the man told Hanks he'd made an annual pilgrimage to Normandy, where he served as a WWII paratrooper. "You can't take away the fact that these were young guys that were asked to liberate the world from really, really bad people," Hanks said, "and they did it."

In his appearance, the movie star talked openly about his stressful early years. "My household that I grew up in wasn't overly awful in the grand scheme of things, certainly as compared to some people, but my dad was never an easy person to be around," Reynolds said. "He was like a skin-covered landmine. Like you just never knew when you're gonna step on the wrong spot, and he was just going to explode."

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow looked back on her lifestyle during the pandemic and was shocked: "I was drinking seven nights a week and making pasta and eating bread. Like, I went totally off the rails." But she went on to rave about her drink of choice: "It's this great quinoa whiskey from this distillery in Tennessee with maple syrup and lemon juice, and it's just heaven."

In separate episodes, the two late-night hosts regaled "SmartLess" listeners with wild, gross-out tales about a supposed shared ski trip — albeit with very different recollections of the same event. While O'Brien described Colbert having a humbling accident and being carried down the mountain, Colbert told the hosts about O'Brien playing a scatalogical prank on skiing children while in the chairlift. Both sides of the fictional encounter had the hosts guffawing.

Bacon looked back on the dark time when he and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, found out they were among the victims of financial scammer Bernie Madoff. The couple "had most of our money in Madoff," Bacon told the hosts, adding that "when something like that happens, you look at each other and you go, 'Well, that sucks, and let's roll up our sleeves and get to work.'" They learned a valuable lesson: "If something is too good to be true, it's too good to be true."

Carell revealed a hilarious college alter ego in his interview. As a student at Denison University, the comic actor was a DJ at the student-run radio station, The Doobie. In his first year, he interned for another DJ who went by "Diamond Doug," so Carell picked a matching nickname for himself: On the airwaves, he was known as "Sapphire Steve."

Cooper opened up about Arnett's role in helping him get sober. As a younger actor, he told the hosts, he tried to emulate comics who did "mean" humor — and did so at a dinner party with Arnett. Days later, Arnett asked him how he thought the night had gone. "I thought it was great. I thought I was killing," Cooper recalled. "Will's like, 'You were a real a–hole, man. You were a real a–hole.'" The pushback from Arnett, one of his role models, was a reality check. "That was the first time I ever realized I had a problem with drugs and alcohol… It changed my entire life."

Cross, who costarred with Arnett and Bateman on "Arrested Development," revealed that he came close to not taking the role. When he got the call, the comic recalled, he had moved out of L.A. and wasn't eager to go back. He agreed to appear in a limited capacity, on six episodes only — until he went to shoot the pilot. "I called my then-girlfriend and was like, 'This show is amazing. This cast is amazing. I have to do it. I'm so sorry. I have to stay and do this.'" The rest is comedy history.

Subscribe to Max for access to "SmartLess: On the Road" and watch the trailer below.