The Soul of The Onion

Meet Todd Hanson

I’ve been thinking a lot about Todd Hanson recently and wanted to introduce you, in case you don’t know who he is.

Todd was The Onion’s head writer as it rose to prominence and has remained a driving force behind its voice for almost 30 years.

I tried to keep things professional at The Onion. I didn’t mingle too much with staff on a personal level. With Todd, that’s not possible. He’s everybody’s friend, not because he’s a smooth talker or gladhander. He’s not. He would mock such people with headlines like “Complete Asshole Offers Innovative Business Solutions.” No, Todd wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s always vulnerable.

He’s also one of the most brilliant, thoughtful, and soulful comedy minds this world has ever produced.

By way of introduction, I’m attaching a couple of Todd-heavy chapters from my week’s progress on The Onion book.

Also, I want to share this two-part interview that Marc Maron says is his all-time best episode of WTF. Todd is the guest.

The Onion Story, Chapter 12 - Kane: ‘I Don’t Know How to Run a Newspaper’