The Paper Machete Extra: WBEZ’s jog down memory lane with Julia Sweeney

The Paper Machete Extra: WBEZ’s jog down memory lane with Julia Sweeney
Julia Sweeney during her 2010 TED talk Flickr/Red Maxwell
The Paper Machete Extra: WBEZ’s jog down memory lane with Julia Sweeney
Julia Sweeney during her 2010 TED talk Flickr/Red Maxwell

The Paper Machete Extra: WBEZ’s jog down memory lane with Julia Sweeney

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Saturday, former Saturday Night Live star (and woman who played that hilarious nun who had cancer in that one episode of Sex and the City) will be at The Paper Machete reading about an as-of-yet undisclosed topic. But you may not know that Sweeney has had a bit of history with WBEZ. Not only did her work with Ira Glass and This American Life capture radio audiences nationwide (1996), she was in fact, the beginning and inspiration of our now storied “Wikipedia Files” series, where we talk to a celebrity and fact-check their Wikipedia page.

Sweeney was in the studio observing a taping of Sound Opinions. At the last minute, a producer ran over to the web team and suggested someone interview her, to take advantage of her brief visit and good mood. Justin Kaufmann wanted to interview her but had zero time to prepare, so a real in-depth, sit down interview was out of the question. So he decided to print out her Wikipedia page and ask her what was true and what wasn’t. It’s a rough look at the beginning of a series that has included a bevy of stars over the past few years, and we’re excited Sweeney was the first

And here, Sweeney shares a story about discussing sex ed with her daughter, a piece that became a viral sensation a few months back.