Jezebel
The Great AI Celebrity Podcast Scam
By Claire Guinan
August 21, 2026

Nothing is sacred anymore. Not even Good Hang With Amy Poehler.

The scammers have officially come for the last frontier to ruin—celebrity podcasting. According to a Tuesday report from The Hollywood Reporter, some industry folks are being tricked into thinking they’ve been booked for celebrity podcasts, only to discover themselves as victims of an elaborate AI scam.

This ruse targets prey with obscure celebrity status or a quick agreement to appear on a major podcast. Think of an eager and gullible D-lister.

The report highlights two victims: Broadway actor and radio host Seth Rudetsky, and comedy writer Bruce Vilanch.

How it happened for Rudetsky, he told the outlet, was that he received word from Nikki Glaser’s team. They invited him to appear on her pod, even offering $4,000 for the spot.

It allegedly seemed legit. The manager had highlighted Rudetsky’s recent Broadway cruise and his work with Sara Bareilles. He accepted.

“Wow,” he remembers thinking. “Nikki Glaser loves my Broadway cruise.”
Famous last words. Before he could talk to Glaser, he had to speak with her manager over Zoom, who essentially manipulated him into handing over his Facebook permissions, thereby compromising his account.

Rudetsky said he received a similarly “legit” invitation from Good Hang, but knowing Poehler in real life, he asked her if it was real. She told him no, that she had not invited him to be on the podcast. (I’m sure that wasn’t awkward…)

The Ankler recently ranked Poehler’s podcast among the top “17 Press Stops Publicists Are Fighting Over,” so while I’d like to give Rudestky the benefit of the doubt here, I’m struggling to understand where he fits among the roster of Matt Damon, Rosie O’Donnell, and John Cena. But I digress…

Vilanch’s scam experience involved an invitation to appear on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. He told THR that “Terry” came right out and asked him for money (because it’s a nonprofit, of course), and he obliged, arguing that “It felt real.” But when he logged on for the interview, he was met with a man named Mike, not Terry Gross.

Once privy to the fact that he was being scammed, Vilanch wrote back, “Whoever you are, I hope you enjoy the paltry sum that I sent.”

While in hindsight it might read a tad obvious that these guys were being lured into swindles, the ploys are indeed getting increasingly sophisticated (with special thanks to AI). So, all this is to say that if you receive communications from NikkiGlaserManager at Gmail, be warned. It probably isn’t her.

The post The Explosive AI Celebrity Podcast Scam Involving Bruce Vilanch first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

FrontRow Classics
Podcast: FrontRow Classics Present Bruce Vilanch
By Brandon
July 23, 2026

Front Row Classics is thrilled to welcome comedy writer & actor Bruce Vilanch. Brandon and Bruce discuss his life in show business from his early days as a child actor to becoming one of the most sought-after comedy writers in the business. Bruce has worked with some of the most beloved entertainers of the last 50 years, from Bette Midler to Robin Williams & Billy Crystal to Dolly Parton. We also chat about his time on Hollywood Squares and his role as head writer for the Oscars.

His book, “It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time is currently available from Chicago Review Press, wherever books are sold.

The post Podcast: FrontRow Classics Present Bruce Vilanch first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

We Got Bruce
The Oscars: WWTT? – Podcast: 1955 – I Coulda Been An Oscar Contender – Bruce Vilanch
By Mister D
Oct 6, 2025

Hey Oscar fans — welcome to the 1955 Oscars for the films of 1954. In case you weren’t aware, 1954 was an absolutely outstanding year full of great movies…some of which even got nominated for Academy Awards! Which means some of the best movies that are still beloved, rewatched, referenced and remade today did NOT get any Oscar love. This includes a few shockingly egregious omissions that we’re pretty sure will have you scratching your head. So join us down on the waterfront as Bruce and “Tex” attempt to solve the mystery of “What they were thinking?” when the Academy looked out their rear window and saw…nothing. As always, thanks for listening and joining us at The Oscars!

The post Podcast: 1955 – I Coulda Been An Oscar Contender – Bruce Vilanch first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

We Got Bruce
Video: Bruce Vilanch Live With Billy Masters
By Mister D
April 25, 2025

Billy Masters LIVE (S05E1) – 4-25-25 – One of our most popular guests returns to Billy Masters LIVE. Bruce Vilanch is a writer, an actor, a personality, a raconteur, and a helluva good time. In his latest book – “It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time”, he brings us behind the scenes of some of Hollywoods most misguided events – from the Academy Awards to variety shows. And he does it all with his trademark wit and candor.

The post Video: Bruce Vilanch Live With Billy Masters first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

We Got Bruce
Oscars: WWTT Bruce Vilanch Podcast – 2013 – Four Score and Seven Oscars Ago
By Mister D
May 5, 2025

Hey Oscars fans, welcome to the 2013 Oscars for the films of 2012 — a year when Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln was poised to sweep based on a(mother) legendary performance by Daniel Day Lewis.  But instead…it was the second worst night in Lincoln’s life.  All in all, it was a pretty strange year for the Academy Awards — from the winners, non-winners, snubs and even the host!  So join Bruce Vilanch and Adam “Tex” Davis as they share their insider’s perspective on who won and why (and who should have won) — as well as why Seth Macfarlane will never host another Academy Awards show again.

Movies Mentioned

A Million Ways to Die in the West 

Ted

Ted 2

Lincoln

Life of Pi

Les Miserables

Silver Linings Playbook

Argo

Amour

Django Unchained

Skyfall

Zero Dark Thirty

Minecraft

Sinners

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Avengers

The Hurt Locker

The Master

Flight

Moonrise Kingdom

Batman: The Dark Knight

There Will Be Blood

Boogie Nights

The Hobbit

Brokeback Mountain

The Piano Teacher

Funny Games

Cache (aka Hidden)

The White Ribbon

Silkwood

The Impossible

The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming

Inglourious Basterds

The Big Lebowski

Raising Arizona

Barton Fink

Sessions

As Good As it Gets

Norma Rae

Places in the Heart

Forrest Gump

Mrs. Doubtfire

Pulp Fiction

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Anna Karenina

Red Sparrow

Under the Skin

La La Land

The post Oscars: WWTT Bruce Vilanch Podcast – 2013 – Four Score and Seven Oscars Ago first appeared on We Got Bruce!.