Le Show with Harry Shearer - March 22, 2026

Harry Shearer's Le Show explores a wide range of cultural, technological, and political developments in a rapidly shifting world. The episode opens with a critical look at AI's growing role in human interaction, citing a study showing that human-to-human texting reduced loneliness far more effectively than chatbot interactions. It delves into OpenAI's controversial plans to enable adult-themed conversations in ChatGPT, sparking internal and public outcry over emotional dependency and child safety. Meta's abrupt exit from the metaverse, after billions in losses, underscores the failure of immersive virtual platforms. Meanwhile, AI is being weaponized in financial fraud, with criminals using voice cloning to deceive victims. On the nuclear front, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposes relaxing the long-standing ALARA principle, a move tied to the Trump administration's push to expand nuclear power for AI data centers. The episode also covers a disturbing rise in glorified Nazi imagery on Instagram, the controversial approval of a 24-carat gold coin featuring the sitting president, and a series of apologies for incidents ranging from a NASCAR driver's homophobic impersonation to a hospital leaving a patient in an MRI for six hours. The centerpiece is a deep dive into the explosive growth of legalized sports gambling in the U.S., featuring guest Danny Funt, author of 'Everybody Loses.' Funt traces the evolution from illegal bookmaking and the 1919 Black Sox scandal to the current era of daily fantasy sports and billion-dollar partnerships between leagues and sportsbooks. He warns of deceptive advertising, predatory practices, rising addiction rates—especially among youth—and the alarming lack of effective regulation, arguing that the industry is self-policing in ways that prioritize profit over public welfare. The episode ends with a sobering reflection on how societal pendulums swing, and how only catastrophic events may force a reckoning with the unchecked expansion of gambling and AI.