Are You Captain Purple?

Are You Captain Purple?

iHeart Podcasts

4.5 (7K) · COMEDY · UPDATED WEEKLY

An improv comedy podcast where celebrity guests answer the single strangest question in podcasting — and everything spirals delightfully from there.

John Mulaney Arrives as Captain Purple's Nemesis

John Mulaney Arrives as Captain Purple's Nemesis

John Mulaney refuses to be Captain Purple, insists he is Captain Purple's arch-nemesis Dr. Tangerine, and then proceeds to construct an elaborate mythology that has Jonah in tears within the first ten minutes. Possibly the funniest episode in the show's history.

Hasan Minhaj Commits Fully and Pays the Price

Hasan Minhaj Commits Fully and Pays the Price

Hasan Minhaj arrives with prepared material, which is explicitly against the rules. He tries to hide this. Jonah finds the notes. What follows is a 90-minute improv battle that Hasan wins by losing completely.

The Bloopers Archive: Three Years of Moments That Didn't Make the Edit

SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

The Bloopers Archive: Three Years of Moments That Didn't Make the Edit

Three years of moments too chaotic, too unhinged, or too legally complicated to air. Jonah introduces each one with context. Several involve minor celebrity incidents that will now finally get an explanation.

Tig Notaro Gives the Most Deadpan Answer in Show History

Tig Notaro Gives the Most Deadpan Answer in Show History

Tig Notaro's response to "Are you Captain Purple?" is two words. She then defends those two words for 80 minutes with complete seriousness and total commitment. The audience loses their minds. Jonah never recovers.

Kate McKinnon Breaks the Show in the Best Possible Way

Kate McKinnon Breaks the Show in the Best Possible Way

Kate McKinnon's Captain Purple has a backstory, a romantic tragedy, a nemesis, three separate aliases, and a theme song that Kate composed on the spot. By minute 40, Jonah has completely lost control of the interview. This is what the show is for.

Ali Wong: The Episode That Almost Wasn't

Ali Wong: The Episode That Almost Wasn't

Ali Wong initially refused to answer the question. Then she reconsidered. What followed was an hour of comedy about a Captain Purple who runs a very specific type of criminal enterprise that cannot be fully described in a show description but is absolutely, completely illegal.

Bob Odenkirk on Taking the Bit Completely Seriously

Bob Odenkirk on Taking the Bit Completely Seriously

Bob Odenkirk, who has spent a career playing serious people in absurd situations, arrives as a man who has been Captain Purple for 40 years and simply never mentioned it. The specific details he invents — the costume, the origin story, the sidekick he had to let go — are extraordinary.

The Panel Episode: Six Comedians, One Question, Total Chaos

The Panel Episode: Six Comedians, One Question, Total Chaos

For the show's 100th episode, Jonah invited six previous guests back simultaneously. All six are Captain Purple. They have completely incompatible backstories. Over two hours, they attempt to reconcile them. They cannot. It is perfect.

Hosts & Guests

Jonah Ray Rodrigues

Jonah Ray RodriguesHost

4.5

out of 5

7K Ratings

The funniest podcast that exists

I have recommended this show to every person I know and every single one of them has come back saying I was right. The John Mulaney episode made me pull over while driving because I couldn't see through tears of laughter. Essential.

ImprovFan · Mar 5, 2026

Perfect absurdist comedy

The genius of the concept is that it reveals character completely. How someone answers "Are you Captain Purple?" tells you everything about who they are as a performer. Kate McKinnon's answer is still living rent-free in my head two years later.

ComedyNerd2026 · Feb 19, 2026

Not every episode lands but the ones that do are transcendent

The show is entirely dependent on how committed the guest is to the bit. When they fully commit, this is some of the best comedy in podcasting. When they hold back, it's just pretty good. The Tig Notaro episode is a five-star episode in a four-star show.

PodcastCritic · Feb 4, 2026

About

Are You Captain Purple? is the brainchild of comedian and writer Jonah Ray Rodrigues. Each week, a celebrity guest arrives with no preparation and faces the single question: "Are you Captain Purple?" What follows is 60–90 minutes of pure improv comedy as the guest creates and defends their answer, builds a mythology around Captain Purple, and improvises their way through whatever Jonah throws at them. The show is a love letter to improv, to absurdism, and to the specific joy of watching talented people commit fully to something completely ridiculous. It has become a cult favorite and a proving ground for some of the most interesting comedy minds currently working.

Information

Channel

iHeart Podcasts

Creator

Jonah Ray Rodrigues

Years Active

2020 - 2026

Episodes

130+

Rating

Clean

Copyright

© 2026 iHeart Media. All rights reserved.

Show Website

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Provider

iHeart Podcasts

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