“
"You can sit at our table."
”
–
The tagline for Weird Kids.[4]
Weird Kids is a Beacon.tv exclusive video-podcast series featuring Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe talking about their experience as child actors on Hollywood sets, "unraveling their eccentric childhoods, swapping behind-the-scenes stories, and embracing their delightfully unique interests that set them apart."[5]
Other segments of the show will take Ashley and Taliesin on field trips called "Touching Grass" to explore weird things beyond the confine of the set.[6]
Production[]
Weird Kids was only available on Critical Role's membership service Beacon.tv. To celebrate the new series, Ashley, Taliesin and the rest of the cast of Critical Role were part of a live launch party with a Q&A hosted by Marisha Ray on Beacon, YouTube and Twitch on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 7pm Pacific. The launch party talked about the making of the show as well as a one hour sneak peak of some of the best moments of the first three episodes of Weird Kids. VOD and podcast were available everywhere on Tuesday, March 25th. Subsequent episodes were released only on Beacon.com every Tuesday at 5am Pacific but teasers from the show were posted on the Weird Kids YouTube channel.
During a Fireside Chat with Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe on Beacon, it was announced that a new segment will join the show called "Weird Kiks Mail Bag" where fans can send their weirdest questions and weird stories to Ashley and Taliesin.[7]
Theme song[]
The theme song for Weird Kids was composed by Los Angeles based artist Dave Heatwave. The song is first featured at the end of the second episode of Weird Kids that came out April 1st, 2025. It was made available April 8th on all streaming platforms.[8] Throughout the opening title sequence several cast and crew members can be seen in addition to Ashley, Taliesin, and Dave Heatwave himself. Lore Keeper Dani Carr and producer Kirby Winslow, but aslo Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Sam Riegel, and Liam O'Brien can be seen interacting with Ashley and Taliesin.
Cover of "Weird Kids".[art 2]
The lyrics of the song Weird Kids:
(Weird Kids)
Don't grow up
(Weird Kids)
Came here to save you, one friend at the time
(Weirds Kids)
Power up!
(Weird Kids)
Craving the adventure sure to blow your mind
Through galaxies we'll climb
A journey back in time
A worls so sublime
All you Weird Kids, shout it out!
(Weird Kids)
Don't give up
(Weird Kids)
Know what's up
(Weird Kids)
Lead you on a voyage sure to change your life
List of episodes[]
This list shows episodes only available on Beacon.tv.
| No. | Title | Original airdate | Link | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Welcome to Weird Kids" | 2025-03-25 | VOD | 52:47 |
| Welcome to the world of Weird Kids! Join Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe as they discuss growing up as child actors in Hollywood, and how they learned to re-discover a passion for storytelling as adults. They'll also take a walk down memory lane and show you all some of the comical commercials they starred in as children! (YouTube VOD here.) | ||||
| 2 | "Toys and Tiny Things" | 2025-04-01 | VOD | 1:03:35 |
| From Care Bears to Polly Pocket; Ashley and Taliesin talk toys that hit every Millennial’s nostalgia nerve. Of course this is through the lens of Hollywood Christmas parties where one could win entire toy runs in carnival games or get gifted all of the sci-fi Japanese toys bought for your character's space station bedroom. | ||||
| 3 | "Don't Let Me Die in the Valley" | 2025-04-08 | VOD | 1:02:35 |
| Ashley and Taliesin entone about embalming, epitaphs, and unearthly things in this episode about death. To lighten the mood, they “touch grass" by taking a field trip to “Vulture Culture Oddities,” a macabre shop in Burbank for taxidermy and other memento mori owned by a friend of Taliesin. | ||||
| 4 | "Blankets, Pillows, & Ouija" | 2025-04-15 | VOD | 1:05:59 |
| Come get cozy with Taliesin and Ashley as they discuss everything from comfy socks to not sleeping because of persistent thoughts. Of course a sleepover show wouldn’t be complete without reading fortunes on Taliesin’s over-the-top “Ouija like” Ka Bala séance game. | ||||
| 5 | "Snake, Rattle, & Roll" | 2025-04-22 | VOD | 43:39 |
| It’s a timewarp of an episode here at Weird Kids as Ashley and Taliesin catch up after the holidays. These proud maximalists celebrate their love of meaningful possessions as Taliesin discusses his treasured great-grandmother's portrait (that was once fished out of the Thames river) and Ashley has a ""share and tell"" featuring her swag bag from the grand opening of Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride. | ||||
| 6 | "Saturdays, Mornings, & Cartoons" | 2025-04-29 | VOD | 1:07:05 |
| Taliesin and Ashley stay in their PJs and return to simpler times with this ode to Saturday morning cartoons. Name drops abound when these shows aren't just what you woke up to, but where you worked. | ||||
| 7 | "Punk is a Four Letter Word" | 2025-05-06 | VOD | 51:33 |
| Taliesin takes a look back with Ashley to reminisce about the Punk and Goth scenes of Los Angeles in the 80’s and 90’s. From dead clowns on display and shoelace codes to noise rooms and stompy boot music, join the Weird Kids as they dive into the lost privacy of counterculture youthhood. | ||||
| Special | Weird Kids X Third Person Crossover![9] | 2025-05-13 | VOD | 1:51:33 |
| Ashley and Taliesin welcome the creators of the Midst Cosmos and fellow weirdos Matt Roen, Sara Wile, and Xen to their Weird Kids table! From role-playing games to nostalgic artifacts to neat gadgets to just a shared love of scents, this motley crew of magnificent misfits has plenty of delightfully strange topics to show-and-tell. (YouTube VOD here.) | ||||
| 8 | "Trains, Trains, & Automoto-Trains" | 2025-05-20 | VOD | 49:04 |
| Ashley and Taliesin love trains! They love miniature toy train sets that turn an entire room into a model town. They love large rideable trains, like the ones at the “Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum” that they frequent. They love full-size trains and the trips they’ve taken in them in Scotland and Machu Picchu. | ||||
| 9 | "Found Things & Strings" | 2025-05-27 | VOD | 41:44 |
| Ashley and Taliesin share old mementos and show new toys. Taliesin brings to the table the string toys he played with back before the dawn of time; while Ashley reminisces about her filming history at Pinewood Studios. | ||||
| 10 | "World Wide Weird" | 2025-06-03 | VOD | 51:49 |
| Ashley and Taliesin remember the world before the world wide web and then login to the early days of the future. Taliesin, our resident ancient one, of course was an early adopter; using Bulletin Board Systems and Newsgroups to find raves. Ashley, on the other hand, discovered the internet through AOL CDs and proceeded to do what we all did: catfish via chatroom. | ||||
| 11 | "Mega Weird Kids Challenge" | 2025-06-10 | VOD | 52:15 |
| Ashley and Taliesin are all over the place, both literally and figuratively, talking about their recent trips and expounding on a litany of topics. Taliesin reminisces on lost friends, death museums and his hometown: Disneyland. Ashley shows a tape from her childhood where she competed on the game show “Star Kid Challenge” at Universal Studios. | ||||
| 12 | "Musings on Amusing Museums" | 2025-06-17 | VOD | 49:53 |
| Ashley and Taliesin are off to take a field trip to The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City, California. In alignment with our Weird Kids modus operandi, this collection is one part “museum”, two parts “banal whimsy”, and three parts “no cameras allowed”; a gallery that you have to see for yourself. This perfect place to inspire conversations about art and creativity is everything our hosts need to reminisce about all of their wonderfully weird histories. | ||||
| 13 | "Comics, Candy, & Cuisine" | 2025-06-24 | VOD | 1:10:53 |
| Inspiration comes in many shapes and forms—including Avocado Ice Cream! Ashley and Taliesin take a culinary-inspired stroll down memory lane, from the parking lot where Ashley learned to drive to Taliesin's favorite themed electronics store to the diner where all the child actors loved to flock back in the '90s. Share & Tell features a magnifying screen showcasing Dave Heatwave and a comic book with cover art inspired by Matthew Mercer. Then they dive into a taste test of candies from around the world. | ||||
| 14 | "Clickbait" | 2025-07-01 | VOD | 1:08:18 |
| SCANDAL ROCKS BEACON AS FORMER CHILD STARS SHARE SHOCKING TELL-ALL! EXCLUSIVE: Former BFFs-turned-BITTER RIVALS Ashley and Taliesin are BACK with another explosive episode of WEIRD KIDS! Your favorite ""will they/won't they"" co-hosts turned frenemies get real with each other and with audiences around the world. Taliesin's SECRET CRIMINAL PAST as an underground bootlegger EXPOSED! Ashley's DEVASTATING tabloid trauma from the 90's leaves audiences STUNNED! The Copywriter who wrote this CONFESSES to resorting to cheap sensationalism and lazy TITILLATION! | ||||
| 15 | "Episode 15" | 2025-07-08 | Forthcoming | Forthcoming |
| 16 | "Episode 16" | 2025-07-15 | Forthcoming | Forthcoming |
| 17 | "Episode 17" | 2025-07-22 | Forthcoming | Forthcoming |
| 18 | "Episode 18" | 2025-07-29 | Forthcoming | Forthcoming |
| 19 | "Episode 19" | 2025-08-05 | Forthcoming | Forthcoming |
| 20 | "Episode 20" | 2025-08-12 | Forthcoming | Forthcoming |
Trivia[]
- "Tashley" was the code name used by the crew to designate both Ashley and Taliesin during the production of the show.[10]
- The working title of the show for a while was "Something with Ashley and Taliesin" and they even considered keeping that title.[11] "I Have Thoughts" and "Am I on Speakerphone?" were alo ideas for the title.
- Both Ashley and Taliesin were deeply involved with the set design. The majority of the memorabilia is from the homes and personal lives of Ashley and Taliesin.[12] On the set there's also photos of the cast of Critical Role when they were kids.[13]
- Dave Heatwave, from his real name Andrew Miller, is the brother of Matthew Mercer. He also composed under the name "Pontoon" some tracks on Mighty Vibes with his and Matt's father, Miki Miller.
- Per Ashley and Taliesin, if Fearne Calloway and Ashton Greymoore (their characters from Campaign Three: Bells Hells) had to make a podcast, it would be like Weird Kids, although they would probably be more obnoxious. Ashley and Taliesin are like less obnoxious versions of Fearne and Ashton.[14]
External links[]
Weird Kids (subscription required) on Beacon.tv- Weird Kids on CritRole.com
- Check Out Our New Series: Weird Kids! on the Weird Kids YouTube channel
- Weird Kids | Theme Song & Opening Title on the Weird Kids YouTube channel
- Weird Kids Launch Party with Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe! (subscription required) on Beacon.tv
- ‘Weird Kids’: Critical Role’s Ashley Johnson, Taliesin Jaffe Recount Their Bizarre Lives as Child Actors in New Show (March 4, 2025) on Variety
- "I'm Not From Your Planet" Critical Role's Taliesin Jaffe on Being a Weird Kid, Childhood Trauma & Therapy In TTRPGs (April 7, 2025) on CBR
References[]
- ↑
Weird Kids | Episode 1: Welcome to Weird Kids (subscription required).
- ↑
Dave Heatwave (daveheatwave) on Instagram: "I received a letter recently requesting my help! My dear friends @ashleythejohnson and @executivegoth have asked me to write them a theme song for their new show @theweirdkidspod. After much consideration, and some fan encouragement, it seems that I cannot simply refuse this task. So you’re on, you weird kids, you! I am up for the challenge! 💪 [...]" (March 27, 2025)
- ↑ See ‘Weird Kids’: Critical Role’s Ashley Johnson, Taliesin Jaffe Recount Their Bizarre Lives as Child Actors in New Show
- ↑ Weird Kids Launch Party with Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe! at 1:17:03 (subscription required).
- ↑ Weird Kids on CritRole.com
- ↑ See "By Heart Alone" (E4x04) at 0:05:58. Marisha Ray talks about Weird Kids during the announcements.
- ↑ Beacon (hellobeacon) on Instagram: "In our recent #FiresideChat with Taliesin Jaffe and Ashley Johnson, they shared a new way to interact with #WeirdKids 👀 Introducing the Weird Kids Mail Bag! Send in your weirdest questions and even weirder stories for our Weird Kids to explore. Start crafting those bizarre queries – they're waiting to hear from you!" (May 23, 2025) .
- ↑ Dave Heatwave (daveheatwave) on Instagram: "[...] The song can be heard during @theweirdkidspod on @hellobeacon April 8th and every episode thereafter. Also, the jingle-single will be available on all streaming platforms that same day! Just for all of your listening pleasure!" (March 27, 2025) Although he states the date as April 8, 2025, the second episode actually aired April 1st, 2025.
- ↑ This special episode is also available in its entirety on Critical Role's YouTube channel, see "Weird Kids X Third Person Crossover!"
- ↑ Weird Kids Launch Party with Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe! at 14:53 (subscription required).
- ↑ Weird Kids Launch Party with Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe! at 20:20 (subscription required).
- ↑ Weird Kids Launch Party with Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe! at 22:23 (subscription required).
- ↑ Weird Kids Launch Party with Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe! at 27:15 (subscription required).
- ↑ Fireside Chat LIVE With Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe! at 6:39 (subscription required).
Art:
- ↑ Weird Kids promotional art featuring Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Cover of "Weird Kids" (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.