Jeselnik Book Club is coming to The Ringer

Anthony Jeselnik is launching a new podcast called Jeselnik Book Club on The Ringer, and his opening pitch is characteristically blunt: “I want you to read more books. Not summaries, not reviews, not whatever TikTok counts as reading.” The central argument of this short announcement episode is that reading books is a form of resistance against a world that is getting dumber, and that his show will be the vehicle for that rebellion.

The Case for Reading

Jeselnik frames the act of reading as something that makes you “a better, smarter, more attractive person.” He delivers this with his signature deadpan, immediately undercutting his own earnestness by adding, “That's a fact. I heard that on a podcast.” But the joke doesn't erase the thesis. The episode is built on the premise that books—actual, full-length books—are a superior form of engagement compared to the fragmented, shallow consumption that dominates modern media. He is not interested in summaries or reviews, which he treats as substitutes for the real thing. The goal is to get listeners to pick up the physical or digital object and read it themselves.

The Show's Format and Purpose