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  • Morning Minute: Bitcoin Clears $79,000, Then Reverses

    Morning Minute: Bitcoin Clears $79,000, Then Reverses

    Morning Minute is a daily newsletter written by Tyler Warner. The analysis and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Decrypt. And check out our new daily news show covering all of the top stories in 5 minutes or less, downloadable on Apple Pod or Spotify.

    GM!

    Today’s top news:

    • Crypto majors rally then reverse as oil concerns mount; BTC -1% at $77,300
    • The US Government discloses that it’s operating a Bitcoin node
    • Justin Sun sues WLFI to unfreeze his tokens
    • Andre Cronje’s Flying Tulip introduces a “circuit breaker” for DeFi
    • MegaETH gets 10th app launch with Xeet, TGE expected in May

    📈📉 Bitcoin Clears $79,000, Then Reverses

    Bitcoin crossed $79,000 Wednesday morning, reaching its highest level in 11 weeks after President Trump announced he was extending the US-Iran ceasefire indefinitely.

    The move came after Iran refused to send negotiators to a second round of talks in Islamabad, and Trump said the extension would hold until Tehran submits a “unified proposal” to end the war.

    But the price action was shortlived, with Bitcoin falling back to $77,300 overnight as oil concerns mount and the IEA Chief called that “We are facing the biggest energy security threat in history.”

    Oil jumped another 4% to $94/barrel and stock futures have moved into the red after making another new ATH yesterday.

    ⚖️ Justin Sun Sues Trump’s World Liberty Financial Over Frozen Tokens

    Justin Sun filed a federal lawsuit in California on April 21 against World Liberty Financial, the Trump family-backed DeFi project, alleging fraud, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment.

    The complaint centers on a hidden blacklist function that WLFI quietly added to its token smart contract in August 2025 – without a governance vote or any disclosure to investors. Sun alleges WLFI used that function to freeze approximately 2.9 billion of his WLFI tokens in September 2025 after he moved roughly $9 million worth of holdings, a transfer he says was routine. At the time of the freeze, his stake was worth over $100 million.

    WLFI fired back publicly: “We have the contracts. We have the evidence. We have the truth. See you in court.” Eric Trump went even further, commenting on Justin Sun’s $6M banana purchase. Well, I’ll let you read his comments for yourself 👇

    🗳️ Kalshi Fines Congressional Candidates for Betting on Their Own Races

    Prediction market platform Kalshi announced Wednesday that it had fined and suspended three congressional candidates for “political insider trading” – betting on their own elections.

    The three are Ezekiel Enriquez, a Republican who ran in Texas’ 21st Congressional District primary; Matt Klein, a Democrat running in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District primary; and Mark Moran, who ran in Virginia’s Democratic Senate primary before switching to an independent campaign.

    Fines were small, ranging from $539 to $6,229.30. All three were banned from the platform for five years. Two cooperated with Kalshi’s investigation though Moran did not.

    Moran made clear the stunt was intentional. He wrote on X: “I traded $100 on myself, knowing this would happen… and the attention it would create to highlight how this company is destroying young men.” He said as a senator he would “go after Kalshi and impose significant penalties – 25%, a vice tax – to pay down our national debt.”

    The plot thickens…

    ₿ The US Government Is Running a Bitcoin Node

    Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), disclosed Wednesday that the US government is actively running a Bitcoin node and conducting operational network security tests using the Bitcoin protocol.

    This followed his Tuesday Senate Armed Services Committee testimony, where he told lawmakers that “Bitcoin shows incredible potential as a computer science tool that, through the proof-of-work protocols, actually imposes more costs than just the algorithmic securing of networks.” He described Bitcoin as “a peer-to-peer, zero-trust transfer of value” with “really important computer science applications for cybersecurity.”

    Notably, the framing tracks directly with the Jason Lowery thesis that proof-of-work can function as a physical-cost cyberdefense layer, analogous to conventional military deterrence. Paparo’s testimony marks the first time a combatant commander has publicly characterized Bitcoin as a national security asset in congressional testimony.

    💸 André Cronje’s Flying Tulip Brings Circuit Breakers to DeFi Lending

    André Cronje, the developer behind Fantom, Yearn Finance, and Solidly, is addressing one of DeFi’s most pressing issues with his newest project.

    Flying Tulip, Cronje’s new AMM and lending protocol, has introduced a programmatic circuit breaker module designed to rate-limit capital outflows during abnormal withdrawal events.

    The circuit breaker works by monitoring outflow velocity in real time. When withdrawals exceed a defined threshold, whether triggered by a smart contract exploit, oracle failure, or a large coordinated position unwind, the system automatically throttles the rate at which capital can exit the protocol.

    Cronje has been vocal for years about DeFi’s need for TradFi-style risk infrastructure without TradFi’s centralization trade-offs. Circuit breakers are standard in equity markets (the NYSE halts trading when the S&P drops 7%, 13%, or 20% in a session) but have been largely absent from DeFi because they require either centralized admin keys or complex governance coordination to trigger. Flying Tulip’s implementation is fully programmatic, with no admin override, which means it operates the same way regardless of who is watching.

    Of course the timing is notable after last week’s $292M KelpDAO exploit and accelerating issues with Defi protocols being hacked. Perhaps a DeFi-wide circuit breaker would ease the pain…

    🌎 Macro Crypto and Markets

    • Crypto majors are red as oil concerns rise; BTC -1% at $77.7k; ETH -3% at $2,330; SOL -3% at $86; HYPE even at $41.10
    • Stable (+18%), DEXE (+8%), and M (+7%) led top movers
    • Oil +4% at $94; Gold -1% at $4,700
    • Stock futures are red after making another new ATH yesterday
    • GSR launched the first actively managed multi-asset crypto ETF in the US on Wednesday, the GSR Crypto Core3 ETF (BESO) on Nasdaq, offering exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana with weekly rebalancing and staking rewards on ETH and SOL holdings
    • Russia’s State Duma passed the first reading of its long-awaited crypto bill Wednesday, recognizing cryptocurrency as property and permitting its use in foreign trade settlements, explicitly as a mechanism to bypass Western sanctions; domestic use of crypto for payments remains banned, with the ruble staying the sole legal tender inside Russia
    • Robinhood Ventures Fund I (NYSE: RVI) closed a $75 million investment in OpenAI common stock on April 17, making it one of the fund’s largest positions to date
    • OpenAI launched workspace agents in ChatGPT Wednesday, replacing custom GPTs with a more powerful team-oriented successor powered by Codex; workspace agents can handle complex, long-running tasks like preparing reports, writing code, and responding to messages, while operating within organization-set permissions and role-based access controls

    Corporate Treasuries & ETFs

    Meme Coin Tracker

    • Meme leaders were red on the day; DOGE -2%, SHIB -2%, PEPE -4%, TRUMP -5%, BONK -3%, PENGU -3%, SPX -3%, FARTCOIN -6%
    • uncraft (+100x), Burnie (+77%) and Noob (+180%) led notable movers
    • Pumpcade rebounded 30% to $25M

    💰 Token, Airdrop & Protocol Tracker

    • Andre Cronje’s Flying Tulip project introduced a “circuit breaker” for DeFi using a programmatic module to limit outflows in extreme scenarios
    • MegaETH had its 10th app launch with Xeet, meaning that the MEGA TGE should indeed happen soon
    • Axie Infinity’s Ronin blockchain set May 12 as the date for its migration from Ethereum sidechain to full Layer-2 network on the OP Stack; the shift cuts RON token inflation from over 20% to under 1% and jumps marketplace Treasury fees 2.5x from 0.5% to 1.25%
    • Believe App founder Ben Pasternak was arrested for assault and strangulation

    🚚 What is happening in NFTs?

    • NFT leaders were mostly green again; Punks +3% at 28.9ETH, Pudgy +5% at 4.69 ETH, BAYC -5% at 8.64 ETH; Hypurr’s -3% at 375 HYPE
    • Azuki (+19%), Elementals (+33%) and Doodles (+17%) led notable movers; Meebits also up 14%
    • Nouns jumped 160% after the founder announced that the 1 Noun/per day streak had finally been broken after 1,700+ days
    • An 8-Punk sweep kicked off a big day of Punk action that led to 16 overall sales, the most in weeks

    Daily Debrief Newsletter

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  • ‘Excellent Window’ for Strategic Accumulation as Bitcoin Risk Indicator Flips Bullish

    ‘Excellent Window’ for Strategic Accumulation as Bitcoin Risk Indicator Flips Bullish

    In brief

    • Market intelligence firm Glassnode’s risk index and moderate strategy trackers have aligned, hinting at a “cleared risk” environment for Bitcoin.
    • Analysts called the current setup “an excellent window for strategic accumulation” pointing to a new all-time high for Bitcoin by year-end.
    • Glassnode warns 54% of recent buyers are in profit, with realized profit spiking to $4.4 million, a level that has marked every local top in 2026.

    Bitcoin’s sustained bullish market structure over the past three weeks has triggered a clear risk landscape signal that could hint at an extension of the ongoing rally.

    The Risk Index—Glassnode’s proprietary metric that quantifies systemic risk on a scale of 0 to 100—is hovering at zero, the lowest possible level, indicating a “cleared risk landscape,” according to a Thursday Telegram post from the market intelligence firm. It also serves as a primary gauge of market health, with a 25 threshold that distinguishes between low- and high-risk regimes.

    The Moderate Strategy, which captures upside momentum and exits when conviction fades, has flipped from “Moderate” to “High Confidence.”

    The alignment of these models signals a bullish regime, analysts told Decrypt, underscored by sustained inflows into Bitcoin ETPs and aggressive demand from spot buyers.

    “This is an excellent window for strategic accumulation rather than chasing deeper dips,” Lacie Zhang, research analyst at Bitget Wallet, told Decrypt. Zhang added that the firm maintains, “a strong conviction for a positive close to 2026, supported by improving market structure and institutional conviction that should drive Bitcoin to a new all-time high.”

    “As the US-Iran conflict subsides, bullish bets will continue to propel the market upward in the near term,” Jeff Mei, COO of BTSE, told Decrypt.

    As a result, Bitcoin hit $79,388 on Wednesday, its highest level in over three months.

    Investor sentiment has also seen considerable improvement, resulting in the Fear and Greed Index jumping from “extreme fear” at the start of April to “fear.” Likewise, users on prediction market Myriad, owned by Decrypt’s parent company Dastan, see a 74% chance that Bitcoin extends its rally toward $84,000 next,up from lows of 62% at the start of the week.

    A similar outlook can be seen with Ethereum, with users assigning a 54% chance that the second-largest crypto by market cap pumps to $3,000 next.

    “Breaking and holding above $80K would act as a major technical and psychological catalyst, clearing the path for further recovery toward $90K and potentially $100K,” Zhang said.

    Both Bitcoin and Ethereum are down 0.5% and 2.9%, respectively over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko data. Bitcoin is currently trading at around $77,800, while Ethereum is around $2,330.

    What’s next?

    Despite Glassnode’s risk indicator and the underlying bullish developments, investors need to exercise caution, analysts argued.

    “Risks include the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East, restriction of oil flows, and elevated inflation that could lead to rate hikes,” Mei added.

    Geopolitical uncertainty remains a key concern, experts previously told Decrypt.

    Additionally, the recent uptrend has pushed 54% of recent buyers into profitable territory, according to Glassnode’s latest report. These buyers are now at a threshold that has historically exhausted bear market rallies.

    Short-term holders’ realized profit has spiked to $4.4 million, Glassnode analysts noted. That number is three times the $1.5 million threshold, which “ marked every local top year-to-date, signaling caution in the absence of a meaningful demand catalyst.”

    The missing piece remains a fundamental catalyst—whether it’s the CLARITY Act, Fed rate cuts, or a lasting Middle East truce. Until then, the risk landscape may be cleared, but the path above $80,000 is not.

    Daily Debrief Newsletter

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  • Hollywood Petition to Block Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Tops 4,000 Names as Robert De Niro, Sofia Coppola, Holly Hunter and More Join the Fight

    Hollywood Petition to Block Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Tops 4,000 Names as Robert De Niro, Sofia Coppola, Holly Hunter and More Join the Fight

    The $111 billion deal that would see Paramount Skydance swallow up Warner Bros. Discovery took another step closer to reality Thursday after WBD shareholders overwhelmingly voted in favor of the merger.

    But the pact isn’t over the finish line — and a new batch of Hollywood A-listers including Robert De Niro, Sofia Coppola and Holly Hunter have signed on to an open letter opposing the Paramount-WBD combination, citing the threat of lost jobs, higher costs for consumers, and fewer TV shows and movies.

    As of Thursday morning, the letter had 4,194 total signatories after launching on April 13 with 1,000 names. Organizers said the list of film and entertainment industry union members, actors, and directors includes more than 75 Oscar winners and nominees. The group is hoping to sustain opposition the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal, which is still pending approval by regulators in the U.S. and Europe — and could be subject to litigation seeking to stop the merger by state attorneys general.

    The coalition behind the open letter also organized a rally outside WBD’s Manhattan headquarters at 9 a.m. ET ahead of the shareholder vote. In addition, they’re planning to stage a protest Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET in Washington, D.C., outside of a private dinner that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is hosting “honoring” President Donald Trump and CBS News White House correspondents. The Ellison function is being held at recently renamed “The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.”

    “As filmmakers, documentarians and professionals across the movie and television industry, we write to express our unequivocal opposition to the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger,” the letter states in part. “This transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it. The result will be fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and less choice for audiences in the United States and around the world. Alarmingly, this merger would reduce the number of major U.S. film studios to just four.”

    Other signatories to the letter include: Florence Pugh, Pedro Pascal, Edward Norton, Atsuko Okatsuka, Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Stiller, Kristen Stewart, Adam McKay, Alan Cumming, Alyssa Milano, Boots Riley, Bryan Cranston, Cynthia Nixon, Damon Lindelof, David Fincher, Denis Villeneuve, Elliot Page, Glenn Close, Jane Fonda, JJ Abrams, Jason Bateman, John Leguizamo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Margaret Cho, Mark Ruffalo, Noah Wyle, Patti Lupone, Ramy Youssef, Rosario Dawson, Rosie O’Donnell, Ted Danson, Tiffany Haddish, Tig Notaro, Yorgos Lanthimos and Yvette Nicole Brown.

    Organizers of the BlockTheMerger.com open letter include the Writers Guild of America (WGA), Film Future Coalition, Democracy Defenders Fund, Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment, and the American Economic Liberties Project.

    RELATED: Mark Ruffalo Blasts Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger at Senate Hearing: ‘Don’t Trust Empty Promises from Billionaires’

  • Diana Ross Scenes Cut From ‘Michael’ Due to ‘Certain Legal Considerations,’ Says Actor Kat Graham

    Diana Ross Scenes Cut From ‘Michael’ Due to ‘Certain Legal Considerations,’ Says Actor Kat Graham

    Diana Ross will no longer appear in “Michael” due to “certain legal considerations,” according to Kat Graham, who was hired to play the legendary Supremes singer in the upcoming music biopic about Michael Jackson.

    “Ahead of the April 24 release of the Michael Jackson film, I want to share that certain legal considerations affected a few scenes, including the ones I filmed with an incredible cast,” Graham posted Thursday morning on social media. “Unfortunately, those moments are no longer part of the final cut, though the team worked hard to preserve as much of the story as possible.”

    “Michael” underwent major reshoots after the third act of the film was deemed unusable. The initial screenplay had recounted a 1993 lawsuit that accused Jackson of child sexual abuse, which he denied. After the movie was shot, producers discovered a clause in the settlement with the young accuser that barred the depiction or mention of him in film or television. Although Graham didn’t specify, her part in the film was likely axed due to these creative changes. Janet Jackson, the performer’s famous sister, is not a character in the movie, either.

    Jaafar Jackson, the real-life nephew of Michael Jackson, is portraying the King of Pop in the film, with Colman Domingo and Nia Long playing his parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, “Michael” focuses on the singer’s early years including his relationship with his domineering father, who doesn’t want his son’s solo career to come at the expense of the family’s Motown group the Jackson 5.

    “Michael” is poised to electrify the box office over the weekend, with estimates of at least $70 million domestically and $150 million globally in its debut. Those ticket sales would rank as the largest opening ever for a musical biopic, as well as the biggest hit for Lionsgate in more than a decade.

  • JPMorgan says DeFi exploits and stagnant TVL continue to limit institutional appeal

    JPMorgan says DeFi exploits and stagnant TVL continue to limit institutional appeal

  • Tether works with US authorities to block $344 million in illicit USDT flows

    Tether works with US authorities to block $344 million in illicit USDT flows

    Tether froze more than $344 million worth of $USDT in coordination with the Office of Foreign Assets Control and US law enforcement agencies, the firm said Thursday.

    The action targeted two wallet addresses flagged for connections to unlawful activity, locking the funds before they could be moved.

    The freeze followed multiple US authorities sharing intelligence with Tether that linked the wallets to sanctions evasion and criminal networks. Once the addresses were identified, Tether restricted them.

    The firm said it maintains a zero-tolerance stance toward illicit use of its products and has long followed OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals list.

    “$USDT is not a safe haven for illicit activity. When credible links to sanctioned entities or criminal networks are identified, we act immediately and decisively,” CEO Paolo Ardoino stressed.

    Enforcement numbers

    Tether currently works with over 340 law enforcement bodies across 65 countries. Those partnerships have contributed to more than 2,300 investigations globally, roughly 1,200 of which involve US law enforcement.

    The cumulative value of frozen assets has crossed $4.4 billion, with over $2.1 billion tied to American authorities.

    The US Department of Justice previously recognized Tether’s involvement in enforcement operations that led to seizures of nearly $61 million and approximately $225 million in separate cases, both connected to “pig butchering” fraud schemes, where victims are groomed over weeks or months into pouring savings into fake investment platforms.

  • Man skis across asphalt parking lot at 69 mph

    Man skis across asphalt parking lot at 69 mph

    Odd News // 3 weeks ago

    Virginia man buys 20 tickets for one lottery drawing, wins 20 times

    March 27 (UPI) — A Virginia man bought 20 identical tickets for a single Pick 4 lottery drawing and ended up winning $5,000 for each ticket — a total of $100,000.

  • FCC’s Foreign-Made Router Ban Expands to Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot Devices

    FCC’s Foreign-Made Router Ban Expands to Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot Devices

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  • Mariska Hargitay ‘Burst Out in Tears’ When Christopher Meloni’s ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Got Canceled: ‘It Took Me by Surprise’

    Mariska Hargitay ‘Burst Out in Tears’ When Christopher Meloni’s ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Got Canceled: ‘It Took Me by Surprise’

    Mariska Hargitay said she cried after seeing Christopher Meloni’s reaction to “Law & Order: Organized Crime” being cancelled.

    “I saw it and burst out in tears, first of all,” Hargitay told Extra at NBCUniversal’s Emmy Luncheon in L.A on Wednesday. “I immediately burst out in tears because it has, just like [Meloni] said, and he was so beautiful and open — because it has been a great ride. And it has been so beautiful and intimate and such a huge part of his life and was life-changing for him.”

    She went on to say that the show’s cancellation took her by surprise. “Chris is working and in demand and such a magnificent actor,” she said. “But it’s, in a way, closing a chapter. So when that happens, one needs to take inventory. It’s a real marker in your life.”

    The “Law & Order” spinoff, which premiered in 2021, was officially cancelled after five seasons earlier this month. The night of the cancellation, Meloni posted an Instagram video saying, “I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to the fans who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him and welcoming him back. It was a good ride.”

    The show aired on NBC for its first four seasons, then moved to Peacock for Season 5, which concluded in June 2025. Meloni starred as detective Elliot Stabler, the character he originated on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Per the official description, the series followed Stabler as he “returned to New York after a decade abroad to rebuild his life following a devastating personal loss. As lead detective in Sargeant Ayanna Bell’s (Danielle Moné Truitt) Organized Crime Control Bureau, he works to dismantle New York’s most vicious and violent illegal enterprises while fending off dangers that often follow him home.”

    Season 5, which aired its first two episodes on April 17, is set in “the dangerous worlds of cross-border smuggling, high-tech domestic terrorism and a crime family intent on repaying Stabler for the injury he did them in Rome.” The cast also included Rick Gonzalez as Bobby Reyes, Ainsley Seiger as Jet Slootmaekers and Dean Norris as Randall Stabler.

  • ‘Baby Reindeer’ Star Richard Gadd Talks Playing ‘Masculine Id’ in ‘Half Man’ and Why ‘All You Need Is Authenticity’ to Have a Hit

    ‘Baby Reindeer’ Star Richard Gadd Talks Playing ‘Masculine Id’ in ‘Half Man’ and Why ‘All You Need Is Authenticity’ to Have a Hit

    “Baby Reindeer” creator and star Richard Gadd opened up about his new show, Canneseries opener “Half Man.”

    It explores a complicated relationship between two brothers, Niall and Ruben, with Gadd acting alongside Jamie Bell. Stuart Campbell and Mitchell Robertson play younger versions of their characters. 

    “I sometimes just feel an impulse to write about something. I wrote the first episode back in 2019 and really wanted to go back to it, to honor the story and these characters. I assume there were many conversations about male rage and violence around that time, and some of it seeped into my subconsciousness.”

    Refusing to explain its title – “I don’t want to say why ‘Half Man’ because it’s important for people to have different interpretations. I don’t want to rob them of that” – he admitted he wasn’t always supposed to play Ruben.

    “Initially, I wasn’t going to be in it at all. I thought I would be just behind the camera. Jamie was the first person to bring it up. He said: ‘I really want to be acting opposite you as Ruben.’ Nobody has suggested it before. I thought I would cameo as a policeman or a bartender. That was the only meaningful character left that point. It terrified me and terrified us all, because you look at me and you don’t think of this masculine id.”

    He said: “I went home and I was shaken by the idea of it. But all my ‘what ifs’ were about what will people would think, and that’s a dangerous headspace. What an opportunity to play a role like this, one that doesn’t come around often, and I would deprive myself of it out of fear of what people would think? That wasn’t good enough. And now we will see.” 

    He decided to undergo a radical physical transformation for the role.

    “It’s an exploration of male masculinity and violence, and later in his life he needed to feel unhinged. I wanted him… Burly. That was the word I kept using to the personal trainers. I didn’t want this Hollywood sort of body with a sixpack. He wasn’t a gym goer. He’s heavy in his body because of life. It’s almost animalistic and it had to be real.”

    Gadd wants people to enjoy his work, he said. 

    “I never thought about all these expectations and pressure until I finished the edit. I just want people to like it and to respond to it, in whatever way they see fit. If you provoke a reaction, that’s great.”

    He certainly provoked one with “Baby Reindeer,” which became a global smash. But Scottish actor, in town in Cannes also to accept the Konbini Commitment Award, started out doing stand-up. 

    “I saw all these comedians giving it a shot, and I was in awe of it. It looked so much fun. I realized it wasn’t once I started to do it myself. The first gig was actually alright, but the second and hundred others weren’t. “

    How were they, then?

    “Terrible. That’s how I would describe it. It took a while to get going. None of it felt very genuine. Then I understood that all these gaps between the jokes, that’s what I found funny. I liked it when something wouldn’t land. I saw this human frailty within it. So I wrote a bunch of intentionally terrible jokes.”

    “Baby Reindeer” was his last show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

    “Someone told me, and it was good advice: ‘You should go to Edinburgh until you don’t have to anymore’,” he laughed. 

    “It was a talk of the town, I suppose. It exploded. All channels were interested; it was a bidding war. Netflix felt like the right home for it.”

    Exploring difficult subject of sexual violence against men, he thought of it as an “indie film.” 

    “With this subject, it was never supposed to achieve the way [it did]. It’s too idiosyncratic to be that commercial, but that’s also the reason why it stood out,” he said, also praising his co-star Jessica Gunning.

    “There’s a hesitation to tackle a lot of topics on TV. Not just with sexual violence, but with anything that’s challenging emotionally for people. But people want to be challenged. If you look at two shows that exploded into public consciousness and zeitgeist, you think of ‘Baby Reindeer’ and ‘Adolescence.’ One was about a comedian having a psycho-sexual relationship with a stalker, and another about a 15-year-old killing his schoolmate. None of them screamed commercial hit. All you need is authenticity to have the trappings of a hit.”

    Still, the show’s concrete social impact and people’s growing awareness is what he’s most proud of. Gadd is an ambassador for We Are Survivors, a sexual abuse charity for men. 

    “Their statement is ‘break the silence,’ which is something that got me out of my own hellhole. I never used to speak about these things. I thought people would judge me and I would feel disempowered. They do amazing work.”

    “Baby Reindeer” brought him awards – and recognition beyond his wildest dreams.

    “I asked Steve Martin for a photo and he asked for one back. I’m a big wresting fan, a big John Cena fan, and he sent me a video saying how much he loved the show. Elton John phoned me. But the biggest one was The Pogues,” he recalled. Gadd also got to rewatch his Emmy speech, where he said: “The only constant across any success in TV is good storytelling that speaks to our times.”

    “I think it’s true. If you look at all these success stories, they are ingenious ideas told through a prism of a singular voice. What really captures the masses are stories you didn’t know you needed to hear. That’s the secret formula. A mob boss with clinical depression, a chemistry teacher cooking meth, a sex addict and a priest falling in love.”

    While he doesn’t find letting go easy – “There’s this quote that all artistic endeavors are abandoned, never finished” – you just have to get going. 

    “Keeping on going is all I know in life. The show came out on Thursday and nothing much happened. My manager took me to a restaurant. It was a ‘better luck next time’ meal. And then a weekend came, when people do all their binging. On Sunday I couldn’t go anywhere.”

    He has “loads of plans, not just in TV,” but will he ever go back to comedy?

    “Never say never, but probably never.”

    “What drives me is whatever is next. I need something to become my next obsession.”