Welcome to Mad Props with Chris Schnabel! We’re all about giving mad props to individuals in various industries while diving into their inspiring journeys. From the NBA to civil rights and beyond, we chat with people from diverse backgrounds. Produced by Chris Schnabel Music by Kyle Scott Edited by Chris Schnabel. Let’s celebrate success stories together!
The 2026 MLB Postseason is here, and Chris Schnabel is breaking down his entire playoff bracket on Mad Props — from the Wild Card round through the ALCS, NLCS and World Series.
Which teams are actually built for October? Which contenders could fall apart early? And who will emerge as the unexpected postseason hero nobody sees coming?
Chris goes through every Wild Card matchup before laying out his path through the American and National League brackets. In the AL, he explains why he believes the Yankees' dominant starting pitching could overcome questions surrounding their lineup and eventually set up an ALCS matchup with the Cleveland Guardians.
Over in the National League, Chris makes the case for Atlanta making a deep postseason run despite entering October as an under-the-radar team. He also breaks down Milwaukee, the Dodgers and why pitching could ultimately decide which teams survive October.
That leads to the World Series prediction: New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves.
Chris explains why the Yankees' rotation could be their biggest advantage, why Atlanta's combination of pitching and hot bats makes them dangerous, and what could determine a potential six or seven-game World Series.
Finally, it's time for the annual Chris Taylor Award — Mad Props' prediction for the unlikely player who suddenly becomes an October hero. Chris makes one selection from each of his World Series teams: Austin Wells for the Yankees and Mauricio Dubón for the Braves.
Plus: World Series MVP predictions, the biggest potential postseason upset and the one prediction Chris thinks he may seriously regret.
It's October. Let's talk baseball.
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Mad Props is a Schnabel Studios Production
Chapters
00:00 – 2026 MLB Postseason Preview
01:28 – American League Wild Card Predictions
05:14 – National League Wild Card Predictions
09:30 – Predicting the AL Playoff Bracket
12:10 – Predicting the NL Playoff Bracket
15:16 – ALCS & NLCS Predictions
16:39 – World Series Prediction
19:12 – The Chris Taylor Award
21:20 – Final MLB Postseason Predictions
22:32 – Final Thoughts
24 Sept 2026
Jim Obergefell on the Love Story That Changed American History | Original Air March3rd, 2021
Welcome to Mad Props. Host Chris Schnabel throws it back to March 3, 2021, when civil rights activist Jim Obergefell joined the show to share the deeply personal story behind Obergefell v. Hodges and his unexpected path into civil rights advocacy.
Jim takes Chris back to 2013, when his longtime partner, John Arthur, was dying from ALS. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act, Jim spontaneously proposed to John after nearly 21 years together.
Because they lived in Ohio, where their marriage would not be legally recognized, the couple chartered a medical jet to Maryland and were married aboard the plane on the tarmac at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
They simply wanted to spend John's remaining days as husband and husband.
Days later, civil rights attorney Al Gerhardstein explained that Ohio would still list John as unmarried on his death certificate and would not recognize Jim as his surviving spouse. Jim and John decided to fight back.
What began as an effort to have their marriage recognized eventually reached the United States Supreme Court as Obergefell v. Hodges.
Jim walks Chris through that journey, John's death, the emotions surrounding the Supreme Court case, and how a couple who never considered themselves political became part of a landmark moment in American civil-rights history.
The conversation also explores what happened to Jim's life afterward, his transition into activism, his work with Family Equality, Equality Vines, and why he came to view equality as something that cannot apply to only one community.
Jim also discusses the power of personal stories to change minds, why his and John's story resonated with people who held very different political and religious beliefs, discrimination in America, and the lessons he learned after unexpectedly becoming an activist.
The episode closes with Jim's advice for anyone who finds themselves facing an injustice they never expected to fight: don't automatically shy away from the moment simply because you never imagined yourself becoming an advocate.
Originally aired March 3, 2021.
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Mad Props is a Schnabel Studios Production
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 – Welcome & The Story Behind This Throwback
02:22 – Jim Obergefell Joins Mad Props
02:49 – The Love Story Behind Obergefell v. Hodges
05:33 – Taking the Fight to the Supreme Court
10:10 – Becoming an Unexpected Activist
13:43 – Looking Back on the Historic Decision
17:05 – How Jim's Life Changed After the Case
20:20 – Family Equality, Equality Vines & Advocacy
21:27 – Fighting for Equality Beyond One Community
26:19 – Why Discrimination Still Exists
33:22 – Jim's Advice for Future Advocates
35:41 – Final Thoughts & Mad Props Outro
16 Sept 2026
How E. L. DuBois Turned Her Life Into Stories That Matter
Welcome to Mad Props. Today, we are joined by author and filmmaker E. L. DuBois at Comicpalooza in Houston for a wide-ranging conversation about writing, Hollywood, filmmaking, the Ransom series, and using entertainment to tell stories that actually mean something.
E. L. opens up about how her own experiences with trafficking, sexual assault, domestic violence, homelessness and survival eventually pushed her toward storytelling. Rather than presenting recovery as a simple happily-ever-after, she wanted to create stories that reflected the complicated reality of surviving trauma and rebuilding a life afterward.
That journey eventually led from her memoir into fiction.
E. L. explains the inspiration behind Ransom, her paranormal series set against the isolation of West Texas, and how her love of Batman, horror, thrillers, action movies and dark humor influenced the universe she created. She also discusses her writing process, building playlists for her books, creating antiheroes and why she has little patience for filler in the stories she consumes or creates.
Chris and E. L. also dive into the realities of being an independent author, the importance of social media, maintaining creative control when Hollywood becomes interested in your work and why she has been unwilling to simply hand over the rights to her stories.
This interview is also the final installment of Mad Props' Comicpalooza interview series.
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Mad Props is a Schnabel Studios Production
Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to Mad Props & E. L. DuBois
02:17 – Comicpalooza, Hollywood & Celebrity Stories
09:24 – Social Media & Life as an Independent Author
13:56 – Turning Real-Life Experiences Into Stories
17:31 – Creating Ransom & the West Texas Horror Universe
22:09 – Survival, Advocacy & Life After Trauma
25:02 – Hollywood Stories & Meeting Celebrities
29:21 – Maintaining Creative Control in Hollywood
33:26 – Writing, Comfort Shows & Creative Inspiration
38:19 – Audiobooks, Movies & the Stories That Shaped Her
47:57 – Journey & Using Film to Tell Difficult Stories
50:09 – The Power of Impactful Storytelling
53:13 – Final Thoughts & Mad Props Outro
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
434,228
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
4.3 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 66 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
53
Social presence
91
YouTube
93
Engagement
60
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