Joe Trohman, the lead guitarist from Fall Out Boy and The Damned Things, will debut a new podcast called “I Hate Myself” on March 17. Focused on mental health, each episode will feature in-depth interviews with celebrities and creative talents speaking about leading a successful career while living with depression and anxiety.
Television comedy writer Wade Randolph (“Rick and Morty,” “Uncle Grandpa”) will co-host the series. Hear a trailer for the podcast on Megaphone.
In the pilot episode, Trohman explains why he named the series “I Hate Myself” and how he aims to have open, honest conversations with guests about mental health. His first guest is actor and content creator Seth Green (“Robot Chicken,” “Family Guy”).
While Trohman will weave elements of comedy into the show, he also sees the podcast as a way to de-stigmatize and normalize mental health issues within our society, especially in light of the isolation people have faced while quarantined at home.
After learning about Trohman’s life story, Matthew Medney, CEO of Heavy metal (the company that’s home to the film and magazine of the same name), said he was impressed by Trohman’s self-awareness and the road he took to pull himself into a better place.
“I am beyond honored to have the ability to produce and work with Joe on bringing this important message to the world,” Medney said. “‘I Hate Myself’ is everything that Heavy metal stands for: outspoken in-your-face realities that push the envelope of what people find ‘normal’ to talk about while enriching everyone’s life by moving past the bleeding edge of the time.”
Added Trohman: “I’m truly thrilled to be making a show with Heavy metal. I grew up a huge fan of both the film and the magazine. And while this won’t necessarily be focused on scantily-clad warriors, space aliens, or skeletal ghouls, it’s going to be the most fun show ever about every sci-fi and horror nerd’s favorite malady: depression!”
“I definitely have an evolving relationship with depression, and the older I get and the more I experience, the more palpable it becomes, and the deeper and more intense it is when I experience it,” Seth Green says in the pilot episode. “I think it’s just really important to talk shit out,” Green said. “And you can’t always talk it out with friends, you can’t always talk it out with your relationships. It is very helpful to have someone who is both educated and objective to help me at least reflect on what I’m feeling, try and understand the root causes, and make any adjustments that I want to or that I can. That’s been incredibly valuable and helpful.”
Additional guests for the first season include YouTube and TikTok star Emma Chamberlain, comedian and voice actor Ron Funches, horror director and writer George C. Romero and actor Ryan Simpkins.
Episodes of “I Hate Myself” will become available every Wednesday on all major podcast platforms. In association with Heavy metal Entertainment and Crush Pictures, the podcast series is produced by Trohman, Medney, Tommy Coriale, David Erwin, Jon Lullo, Brendan Walter and Ari Lubet.
