The following is a list of episodes of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, NPR's news panel game, during 2012.[1] Job titles and lines of work reflect the position of individuals at the time of the appearance. All shows, unless otherwise indicated, are hosted by Peter Sagal with announcer/scorekeeper Carl Kassel, and originated at Chicago's Chase Auditorium.
| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| January 7 | Director Paul Feig | Roy Blount, Jr., Amy Dickinson, Adam Felber | |
| January 14 | Comedian David Cross | Kyrie O'Connor, Brian Babylon, Paula Poundstone | |
| January 21 | Singer Duke Fakir Of The Four Tops | Mo Rocca, Tom Bodett, Faith Salie | Show recorded in Detroit, MI |
| January 28 | Children's author Jack Gantos | Peter Grosz, Roxanne Roberts, Brian Babylon | |
| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| February 4 | Actor Gary Oldman | Faith Salie, Charlie Pierce, P. J. O'Rourke | |
| February 11 | Jazz singer Kurt Elling | Roxanne Roberts, Tom Bodett, Paula Poundstone | |
| February 18 | Speedskater Nick Pearson | Peter Grosz, Kyrie O'Connor, Mo Rocca | Show recorded in Salt Lake City, UT |
| February 25 | Actor-themed "Best of" episode, featuring Kevin Bacon, Lisa Kudrow, Pee-wee Herman, Lucy Lawless and John Leguizamo |
| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| March 3 | Actor Alec Baldwin | Alonzo Bodden, Luke Burbank, Roxanne Roberts | |
| March 10 | Chef Rick Bayless | Brian Babylon, Tom Bodett, Amy Dickinson | |
| March 17 | Musician Joey Burns of Calexico | Charlie Pierce, Faith Salie, Roy Blount, Jr. | Show recorded in Tucson, AZ |
| March 24 | Actress Ana Gasteyer | Mo Rocca, Jessi Klein, Tom Bodett | |
| March 31 | Writer and musician Carrie Brownstein | Maz Jobrani, Brian Babylon, Paula Poundstone | |
| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| April 7 | Comedian Rachel Dratch | Roxanne Roberts, Adam Felber, Roy Blount, Jr. | |
| April 14 | Author and former baseball pitcher Jim Bouton | Alonzo Bodden, Jessi Klein, Mo Rocca | Show recorded in Boston, MA |
| April 21 | Writer-themed "Best of" episode, featuring Jack Gantos, Tom Robbins, Susan Orlean, Mary Roach, and Carl Hiaasen |
| April 28 | Director Barry Sonnenfeld | Paula Poundstone, Tom Bodett, Amy Dickinson | |
| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| May 5 | Former talk show host Dick Cavett | Charlie Pierce, Kyrie O'Connor, Roy Blount, Jr. | Show recorded in Lincoln, NE |
| May 12 | Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait | Amy Dickinson, Mo Rocca, Tom Bodett | |
| May 19 | Kyle Gass and Jack Black Of Tenacious D | Brian Babylon, Roxanne Roberts, Charlie Pierce | |
| May 26 | Folk singer Bonnie 'Prince' Billy | P. J. O'Rourke, Luke Burbank, Paula Poundstone | |
| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| June 2 | "Best of" episode featuring actor Gary Oldman, actor Simon Pegg and baseball legend Cal Ripken |
| June 9 | White House chef Sam Kass | Roxanne Roberts, Mo Rocca, P. J. O'Rourke | Show recorded in North Bethesda, MD |
| June 16 | Novelist John Irving | Maz Jobrani, Amy Dickinson, Roy Blount, Jr. | |
| June 23 | Director Rob Reiner | Brian Babylon, Paula Poundstone, Luke Burbank | Guest host Peter Grosz |
| June 30 | Comedian Drew Carey | Alonzo Bodden, Kyrie O'Connor, Mo Rocca | Show recorded in Cleveland, OH |
| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| August 4 | Actors Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell | Paula Pell, Charlie Pierce, Adam Felber | |
| August 11 | NASA engineers Bobak Ferdowsi and Adam Steltzner | Tom Bodett, Amy Dickinson, Roy Blount, Jr. | Show recorded in Portland, ME |
| August 18 | Comedian Mike Birbiglia | Luke Burbank, Faith Salie, Paula Poundstone | Guest announcer/scorekeeper Bill Kurtis |
| August 25 | British ambassador to the US Peter Westmacott | Charlie Pierce, Jessi Klein, Tom Bodett | Political-themed episode
Show recorded in North Bethesda, MD |
| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| September 1 | "Best of" episode, featuring former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Bouton, director Barry Sonnenfeld, and rock band Tenacious D |
| September 8 | Singer and songwriter Bonnie Raitt | Jessi Klein, Tom Bodett, Paula Poundstone | Guest announcer/scorekeeper Bill Kurtis |
| September 15 | Author George R.R. Martin | Charlie Pierce, Roxanne Roberts, P. J. O'Rourke |
| September 22 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Thomas Frieden | Mo Rocca, Faith Salie, Roy Blount, Jr. | Show recorded in Atlanta, GA |
| September 29 | Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe | Brian Babylon, Kyrie O'Connor, Adam Felber | Guest host Peter Grosz |
| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| October 6 | Musician Ben Folds | Amy Dickinson, Maz Jobrani, Paula Poundstone | |
| October 13 | "Best Of" episode, featuring actor Tom Hanks, puppeteer Kevin Clash, actress Carrie Fisher, singer Linda Ronstadt, and voiceover artist Don LaFontaine |
| October 20 | Congresswoman and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California | Faith Salie, Luke Burbank, Charlie Pierce | |
| October 27 | United States women's national soccer team member Abby Wambach | Brian Babylon, Kyrie O'Connor, Tom Bodett | Guest host Drew Carey |
| Date | Guest | Panelists | Notes |
| November 3 | Smithsonian Institution secretary Dr. Wayne Clough | Paula Poundstone, Luke Burbank, Firoozeh Dumas | |
| November 10 | TV host and author Martha Stewart | Alonzo Bodden, Roxanne Roberts, P. J. O'Rourke | |
| November 17 | Beer maker and Sprecher Brewery owner Randy Sprecher | Faith Salie, Charlie Pierce, Mo Rocca | Show recorded in Milwaukee, WI |
| November 24 | Science-themed "best of," featuring NASA engineers Bobak Ferdowsi & Adam Steltzner, astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist Adam Riess, and economist Paul Krugman |
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