Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.
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Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler's movies include both Black Panther films and Creed . His latest fillm, Sinners , is a vampire thriller about twins, both played by Michael B. Jordan, opening a juke joint in 1930s Mississippi. The film explores race, faith, and American history through the lens of horror. Also, Noah Wyle talks about his starring role in the MAX series The Pitt , about life at a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room. He also played a doctor on the long-running hit ER . Plus, c...
Before he became a musician, Merle Haggard lived the kind of life that's often mythologized in song: Hopping freights and doing prison time. When he became a star, he acquired his own observation car. Now that coach is part of the Virginia Scenic Railway. Terry Gross spoke with Haggard in 1995. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two albums: one's a collection of recordings by Paul Robeson, and the other features the music of Paul Robeson, performed by singer Davóne Tines. Finally, Jus...
ADHD has been considered a medical disorder, treatable with drugs like Ritalin, but New York Times Magazine writer Paul Tough says recent studies question that assumption and treatment options. Also, Martin Johnson reviews a new tribute to Anthony Braxton, who Johnson says is one of the most polarizing figures in jazz. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
The director of Black Panther and Creed talks about his new genre-bending vampire movie that takes place in the Jim Crow South. It's called Sinners and it stars Michael B. Jordan as twins working a juke joint in Mississippi. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about blues music, the supernatural, and why he wanted to own the movie outright after 25 years. Also, book critic Carolina Miranda reviews The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR ...
Harvard professor of government Steven Levitsky studies how healthy democracies can slip into authoritarianism. He says the Trump administration has already done grave damage: "We are no longer living in a democratic regime." David Bianculli reviews season 2 of Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
After 11 seasons on ER , Noah Wyle thought he was finished with medical dramas: "I spent 15 years avoiding — actively avoiding — walking down what I thought was either hallowed ground or traveled road." But then COVID happened, and he felt compelled to tell more of these stories. He spoke with Dave Davies about the making of The Pitt , the medical jargon, and his mom's feedback on the show. Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Poems by Dorothy Parker and The Usual Desire to Kill by Camilla...
You've seen Richard Kind on countless TV shows and films during his 40-year career — Only Murders in the Building, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Spin City, and A Serious Man, just to name a few. He's now the announcer and sidekick on Everybody's Live with John Mulaney . He spoke with Terry Gross about the new gig and why he's glad he's not that famous. Melinda French Gates also joins us to talk about her new book, The Next Day , which reflects on motherhood, grief, philanthropy, and life after divorce. ...
MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid tells the story of Medgar Evers and his wife Myrlie. Medgar was the NAACP field secretary in Mississippi, a state that lynched more Black people than any other. The risks of the job created a lot of tension in their marriage — and after Medgar's 1963 assassination, Myrlie's fury drove her to be an activist herself. And film critic Justin Chang reviews Sinners , the new supernatural thriller by director Ryan Coogler, starring Michael B. Jordan. Learn more about sponsor mes...
New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman says she's discovered dozens of cases where people in county jails across the U.S. have died of starvation, dehydration, or related medical crises. Many were people with mental health issues arrested for minor crimes who languished behind bars without treatment, unable to make bail. Also, we remember renowned jazz critic and Terry Gross' husband, Francis Davis. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
In The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West , journalist Shaun Walker shares how agents were trained to blend into a target country and posed as citizens. Walker tells the story of Andrei Olegovich Bezrukov, aka "Donald," and Elena Vavilova, aka "Tracey," who were embedded in Cambridge, Mass. until a 2010 FBI raid. Even their two children didn't know their parents' true identities. Also, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead pays tribute to versa...
In a new memoir, billionaire Melinda French Gates writes about the end of her marriage to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and her ongoing philanthropic work, directing funds and attention to women's health initiatives. Her book is The Next Day . Also, David Bianculli reviews the new season of Black Mirror . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Kind is the announcer and host sidekick on the Netflix show Everybody's Live with John Mulaney. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing. You must understand — it's anarchy," he says of the show. He spoke with Terry Gross about having ego but no confidence, working with Sondheim, and working in his father's jewelry store as a teen. Ken Tucker reviews Kendrick Lamar and SZA's single "Luther." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Isbell sings about his split from musician Amanda Shires on his latest album, Foxes in the Snow . "What I was attempting to do is document a very specific time where I was going through a lot of changes," he tells Terry Gross. David Bianculli reviews the FX/Hulu series Dying for Sex . When Scottish actor David Tennant was three, he told his parents he wanted to grow up to play Doctor Who on TV. His dream became a reality — he was Doctor Who for five years a...
The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedy series returns for a fourth season this week. It's about two women — a successful comic/TV personality in her 70s, and her 20-something comedy writer — and the generational clashes that ensue. We're revisiting interviews with stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, and Paul W. Downs who co-created the series and plays their manager. Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Warfare , a movie about U.S. Navy SEALs. Learn more about sponsor message choices: po...
Johnson & Johnson recently lost a bid to settle lawsuits that claimed its talc powder products, including baby powder, caused cancer. Author Gardiner Harris says the company's defense "is beginning to crumble." His book is No More Tears . Also, John Powers reviews the new Apple TV+ series Your Friends & Neighbors , starring Jon Hamm. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
President Trump's sweeping tariff policy has upended the global economy. Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief of The Economist, likens it to The Art of the Deal — on steroids. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Author Chris Whipple says Biden's family and closest advisors operated in denial regarding his ability to serve another term: "There's no doubt that they were protecting the president." Whipple spoke with campaign insiders to get a behind-the-scenes look at what happened in 2024. His book is Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History . Our book critic Maureen Corrigan shares an appreciation of The Great Gatsby for its 100th anniversary. Learn more ab...
When David Tennant was three, he told his parents he wanted to grow up to play Doctor Who on TV. As a teen, he held onto that dream: "I was quite weedy and I wore glasses and I had a terrible haircut, so all those things still felt possible in the world of the Doctor. There was something about that character I could be," Tennant tells Sam Briger. He was Doctor Who for five years and, it turns out, he was suited for lots of other characters–including villains and detectives, and the lead in many ...
Amanda Knox was convicted — and ultimately exonerated — for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher while studying abroad in Italy. Now in a new memoir, Knox explains why getting out of prison was not the end of her saga. Also, we hear from British actor Stephen Graham. He stars in the Netflix miniseries Adolescence as the father of a 13-year-old boy arrested for murdering a girl from his school. He also co-created the series and talks about the ambitious style in which it was shot — in one ...
Celebrating 20 years of 'The Office', this Fresh Air episode features archival interviews with cast members Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, and Mindy Kaling, along with executive producer Greg Daniels and co-creator Ricky Gervais, discussing the show's creation, character development, and enduring appeal. They share insights into their roles, audition experiences, and favorite moments from the series. The episode also explores the unique humor, awkwardness, and heartwarming relationships that made 'The Office' a hit.
Isbell sings about his split from musician Amanda Shires on his latest album, Foxes in the Snow . "What I was attempting to do is document a very specific time where I was going through a lot of changes," he says. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
As ICE agents arrest international students at campuses across the U.S., immigration law professor Daniel Kanstroom discusses the human cost. He says the round-ups are designed to "send a message... to scare people, and it's working." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
As a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker , Hilton Als's essays and profiles of figures like Toni Morrison, Joan Didion, and Richard Pryor have redefined cultural criticism, blending autobiography with literary and social commentary. Als is also a curator. His latest gallery exhibition is The Writing's on the Wall: Language and Silence in the Visual Arts , at the Hill Art Foundation in New York. The exhibit brings together the works of 32 artists across a range of media to examine how artists...
The Netflix miniseries follows a 13-year-old accused of murdering a girl from his school. Co-creator and star Stephen Graham says he read about similar crimes and wanted to know: "Why is this happening?" Graham spoke with Sam Briger about the crime that inspired the show, fatherhood, and the unusual way the show was shot — in one single take. Graham also stars as a bare-knuckle boxer in the period drama series A Thousand Blows. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get special behind-the-sce...
Hanif Kureishi began his new memoir just days after a fall left him paralyzed. He describes being completely dependent on others — and the sense of purpose he's gained from writing. The memoir is called Shattered . David Bianculli reviews the British series Ludwig . Writer Clay Risen describes a political movement which destroyed the careers of thousands of teachers, civil servants and artists whose beliefs or associations were deemed un-American. His book, Red Scare , is about post-World War II...
Sigrid Nunez's 2018 novel The Friend won the National Book Award. It's now a film, starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, about a woman who inherits a dog after her friend's suicide. She spoke with Terry Gross about the book in 2019. Also, Justin Chang reviews the new French film thriller Misericordia . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Atlantic writer Robert Worth talks about Syria's transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. He was the founder of the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, but is now advocating unity and inclusion. Syria borders Iraq, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, so what happens in Syria impacts the whole region. We'll also talk with Worth about the Houthis in Yemen, and the Trump administration group chat that accidentally included Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.co...
Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in an Italian prison for a murder she didn't commit. After her exoneration, she reached out to the man who prosecuted her case. She talks about how she made herself useful while in prison, readjusting to being back home, and the survivor's guilt that follows her. Knox's new memoir is Free . TV critic David Bianculli reviews The Studio , starring Seth Rogen, on Apple TV+. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
The MAGA-controlled 118th House passed only 27 bills that became law — the lowest number since the Great Depression. Journalists Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater examine the chaos in a new book, Mad House: How Donald Trump, MAGA Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby, and a Man with Rats in His Walls Broke Congress. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get special behind-the-scenes content, producer recommendations, and gems from the archive. Learn more about sponsor mes...
Legal scholar Elie Mystal talks about his new book, Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America . From the Hyde Amendment's impact on reproductive rights to laws that shield gun manufacturers, Mystal argues flaws within these laws have made life harder for all of us. We'll talk about immigration law, voting rights, and why the deregulation of the airline industry has made most of us hate the experience of flying. Also, our TV critic David Bianculli reviews the delightful new mystery seri...
