Unproblematic fave Paul Rudd gives us what we need while poking around at Art of Play in New York

Dear Gossips,

You know who haven’t heard from in a minute? Paul Rudd. Let’s see what he’s up to.

Oh, he’s at Art of Play? The Brooklyn close up magic shop/curio gallery that wouldn’t sell Kelly Clarkson a magic bird? Looking in the windows like he wants in?

Paul Rudd checks out Art of Play in New York, October 21, 2026

The thing about Paul Rudd is that he is going to do things for the bit. It’s honestly his second most underrated quality as a celebrity (first most underrated is that his dad was a noted Titanic expert, third most is his second career as a voiceover performer of audiobooks). And he’s got multiple ongoing bits! He’s constantly inviting people to keggers at his mom’s house in Kansas City when the KC sports teams are winning, and, of course, we all know the famous “Conan O’Brien Mac and Me” bit he does every time he sits down with Conan, in which he refuses to play a clip from the movie he’s promoting and instead shows a goofy ass clip from the terrible 1988 film Mac and Me (see supercut here).

But Paul Rudd is so dedicated to bits he’ll do them on podcasts. It’s not even a visual medium! Sure, he brought his Mac and Me bit to Conan’s podcast, but more dedicatedly, and more impressively, Rudd has an ongoing story arc in Rick Glassman’s Take Your Shoes Off podcast. They’re staging hospital visits! There are injuries and hurt feelings and missed calls! There’s a redemption arc! It’s episodes 303 and 336 of Take Your Shoes Off, and I recommend going for the Youtube version so you can fully appreciate how far Rudd and Glassman take things for a podcast, an audio-first medium. It’s bananas.

But it’s what we need right now. Like the original Art of Play saga, it’s low stakes. Did Paul Rudd really want to go to Art of Play and shop, or attend a close-up magic show? Or was he poking around for the lolz? Who cares, it’s amusing either way, it’s a perfect piece of nonsense to take into the weekend. This is why we love Paul Rudd, why he remains an Unproblematic Fave. He’s committed to the bit, and the bit never hurts.

Live long and gossip,

Sarah