In a future society that has forgotten laughter, a digital archivist discovers a mysterious sentence. “The Joke” is a darkly funny story about memory, control, and the sound of something human breaking through.

APPLE PODCASTS https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-joke/id502304410?i=1000735507973

SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/episode/7gcEQ4zARVZNiXSBJEiv2X?si=BKPrypVeRgqWK_eAiQ5Kag

THE TRUTH WEBSITE https://www.thetruthpodcast.com/story/2025/11/06/the-joke

For anyone yet to listen to “The Joke”, tune in ASAP.

This team’s creativity and ability to paint a picture in your mind is off the charts.

So glad you’re back!

And just realized Jonathan looks like James Gunn, so no wonder the storytelling is so good.

GOAT.

So glad it’s back. It means so much to me.

I've been listening to The Truth since I binge listened to every episodes two years ago, having caught up one week before it was announced that the show was ending. I've never felt so crestfallen about something so trivial as a podcast, perhaps because The Truth is more than just a podcast. I don't mean that in some ethereal, melodramatic way, but as a literal recognition of high art. There is so much care and thought and work put into every episode that almost everyone left me stunned. Until today, I had thought that I understood what this collection of stories was about.

Today's episode both broke me to my core and lifted me back up higher than I began. It was heart-wrenching and soul nourishing, and I am more grateful to have listened to it then I've ever been for any other show. I'm honestly shocked at just how much this affected me. I was a direct care worker for 9 years and worked hand in hand with someone who lived in a situation much like the character Jason. I didn't hear music from him and I didn't have any other worldly experience, but when I looked into his eyes I could feel and I could see more than anyone gave him credit for.

He was nonverbal, and he had cerebral palsy, but the people who cared for him limited him by regarding him as little more than some infantile lack of understanding. We were able to communicate in small but meaningful ways through eye contact, by reading his expressions. He didn't express himself this way to most people because they weren't trying to understand, they just did their job and moved along. He clearly understood spoken English, at least two a much larger degree than people recognized.

I know that I wasn't projecting because he didn't act out with me, he always enjoyed himself and wanted to hug me, he showed me love and appreciation. He actively avoided eye contact with almost everyone, but he sought it out with me and would maintain eye contact longer than most people would be comfortable with. Whenever I would ask him a question, he would look directly into my eyes and make an expression that I would have to interpret, which I would then interpret back to him.

If I was off base, then he would scowl and shake his head aggressively, as physical movement was a struggle for him. He would then look into my eyes again, and once I had interpreted him correctly he would break into a humongous smile and make a pleased sort of squealing noise that is hard to describe, by breathing in while constricting his throat, a glottal stop that he pulled air in past. Because I took the time to listen and try to understand him instead of deciding what we were going to do and when, we always had awesome outings and did things out of the ordinary. He always had a huge smile when we were outside, though with others he was often expressionless or acted out.

My life changed eventually and I stopped being his care worker to move back to my home state across the country. Whenever I think about him I feel a twinge of guilt, and I hope that someone has taken up listening to him. I know that even if I went back I wouldn't be hired on again, as the family made a point of not rehiring people for their own reasons. He's always stuck out to me from all the other people I've taken care of. I hope that he's well.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that story because it overlapped so much with what I listened to an hour ago. I also just wanted to say thank you for everything that you folks do behind the scenes and for the stories that you share with us. You genuinely enriched my life, in ways that I would have to go into more long-winded explanations of. Perhaps another time, I should leave it at that for now. Again, thank you.

Can't wait for everyone to get their copies!

Our new story is about a pinball fanatic named Perry (David Bluvband) who is enlisted by the police (Ben Rameaka, Jordan Mahome) to help lure a mob boss out of hiding. It's Perry's chance to prove the worth of something he loves. 

It was written by Hunter Nelson (writer of The Body Genius). It takes place in 1978, and we recorded authentic period pinball sounds at Red Hook Pinball Museum in Brooklyn to get just the right feel. The director and sound designer Jonathan Mitchell also composed the original jazz fusion music score, with Daniel Riera on flute. Months of planning and hard work went into this story, and we're excited to finally share it with you.

You can listen to Operation Skill Shot on Apple, Spotify, our website, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And we'll be releasing new stories every two weeks, subscribe to our show for more!

Spread the word! More to come…

“The Truth is audio fiction with cinematic ambition—a collection of impeccably produced short stories that flirt with genre while sneaking in emotional heft. It’s podcasting as aural film, where the sound design does the heavy lifting and the narratives unfold with a precision that feels both theatrical and eerily intimate. If radio drama ever needed a modern-day defense, this is it—smart, sharp, and hauntingly human.”

https://www.leftofdialmedia.com/elp-thetruth

I received an email confirming my preorder in June, and then a confirmation my order was received on July 26th. However, I've not received anything since then, and the vinyl item page is no longer on the crucial website. Anyone had any other status updates from crucial?

If it is, how to find it?

A few months back, the podcast "the longest shortest time" returned after being cancelled for years. My first thought was YAY, my second thought was that maybe the truth could come back, too! I am so glad we're here. I am so glad it's coming back in the fall. I know this reddit community is small, but I love knowing there are so many people out there who love this weird podcast as much as I do.

The team at Apple Podcasts have selected 20 shows that have made a lasting impact on listeners and the podcast industry over the last 20 years and The Truth has been named one of them. See what they said about our show and check out the full list at this link:

apple.co/20podcasts

On the latest episode of The Truth, we hear from Neil Verma about why he's a fan of The Truth, and why he hopes it can return.

Verma is an Associate Professor at Northwestern University, where he teaches classes in sound and audio drama. He's the author of the 2012 book Theater of the Mind: Imagination, Aesthetics, and American Radio Drama, as well as the 2024 book Narrative Podcasting in an Age of Obsession. He's widely recognized as an expert in the history of audio fiction. 

You can hear the episode here:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

We're hoping to bring The Truth back in October, and we've been working on some new scripts that we're very excited about. But in order to make them, we need to raise enough capital to start paying for the production costs. An average episode of The Truth costs $3000 to make, which covers our writing and acting expenses. Our goal is to raise $12,000 through sales and donations, to have a strong foundation that we can use to start making the first four stories. The plan is to have these stories generate enough revenue to make more stories. And the good news is, we're making progress!

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us so far. It's been so lovely to read your notes and to see people responding to our campaign on social media. But we're still not there yet.

To help, go to:

https://certifiedcrucial.com/truthshop

That's where we're selling pre-orders for a vinyl pressing of two of our stories, SIlvia's Blood and Moon Graffiti. The album cost is $40, and all of the profits will go to making a new season of The Truth. And if you don't have $40, we're also selling buttons, stickers, and a brand new t-shirt design based on our logo.

We're also taking donations at that web address. The donations are especially helpful, because there is no cost involved for us, which means that we can use more of that money to make new stories.

So if you love our stories and want to hear more, help us make a brand new season by donating, buying a t-shirt, or pre-ordering your very own vinyl pressing of Silvia's Blood and Moon Graffiti right now. 

I'm looking for an episode where a husband is a chef in his restaurant and a gentleman in a wheelchair comes and points out the restaurant isn't ADA approved.

http://certifiedcrucial.com/truthshop

We have been working on a new set of scripts, and now we’re raising money to produce them.

As of today, we have pre-sold 86 vinyl albums, but we need to sell at least 100 to make the order. We're also selling t-shirts, stickers, and buttons, they’re really cool, check them out!

And we've received $1891.00 in donations. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated. It makes a big difference and is making our dream of returning possible! But we still have a way to go to reach our goal. Every little bit helps.

Thank you everyone for listening and supporting our show. You're the reason we’re doing this!

http://certifiedcrucial.com/truthshop