The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.
Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.
Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.
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'KPop Demon Hunters' is officially an Oscar-winner. The beloved movie took home the trophy for Best Animated Feature at Sunday’s ceremony. The film's popular anthem 'Golden' won Best Original Song, the first K-pop song to ever win an academy award. Songwriter Mark Sonnenblick helped write 'Golden' and many other songs in the film. He spoke with Sam last fall all about bringing them all to life and why music is so vital to great storytelling. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes ...
A twisted new horror film is being described as a mix between 'The Substance' and 'Mean Girls.' Sam can’t stop thinking about it. 'Slanted' follows an insecure Chinese American teenager who desperately wants to fit in, but faces constant bullying and discrimination. Then she finds a drastic solution — ethnic modification — surgery that makes her appear white. Pale skin, blue eyes and blonde hair included. Amy Wang wrote and directed the wildly brutal movie. She tells Sam how the script was inspi...
It’s almost Oscars weekend, so we’re hanging out with the man behind some of the wildest moments in the ceremony’s history. Comedian Bruce Vilanch spent 25 years writing for the Oscars. He crafted jokes for legendary hosts like Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal and more. He spoke with Sam last year about his experiences in the job and his advice for aspiring comedy writers. Bruce Vilanch’s book is called: It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History and Other T...
Awards season in Hollywood is in its final stretch. The suspense is rising. The Oscars are imminent. The ceremony is always full of glitz and glamour, but for years it’s been plagued by disappointments. Long and boring broadcasts. Unjustified snubs. Clunky skits and speeches. Despite it all, Sam loves to watch, but he has some ideas to fix Hollywood’s biggest night. Joining the show are two entertainment journalism heavyweights: Jacqueline Coley is awards editor at Rotten Tomatoes and host of Se...
Looksmaxxing. Mogging. Clavicular. There’s an alarming new figure (and vocabulary) taking over influencer culture. What does it all mean for the current internet? Here to explain is author and artist John Paul Brammer , who recently wrote about this for Playboy Magazine . Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. And remember to take our survey ! We want to know more about you and what you love about the show. The Sam Sanders Show is a production...
Kate Hudson has always loved acting, but she feels the most like herself when she’s singing. It’s how she landed her role in the musical drama ‘ Song Sung Blue .’ She stars alongside Hugh Jackman as performers in a Neil Diamond tribute band. She’s now nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. Kate tells Sam about how Quincy Jones encouraged her to sing as a kid and how she finally found the courage to share her voice. Kate also gets real about growing up in a famous fa...
From the Billboard charts to the Oscars, K-Pop is bigger than ever in Hollywood. Along with its global domination, there’s a dark side to the genre. Blatant appropriation of Black American culture. K-Pop stars caught using racial slurs. Fandoms torn apart over anti-Black racism. So, how should we all be thinking about K-Pop in 2026? Sam poses that question to Dr. Sarah Olutola, novelist and professor at Lakehead University. Her research centers on pop culture, Black culture and K-Pop. They exami...
Today we’re sharing Sam’s episode from This Is Uncomfortable . The show is all about life and how money messes with it. Sam joins host Reema Khrais to answer listener questions about finances and dating. They tackle issues with scammers, secret investments, and polyamorous partners. Remember to take our survey ! We want to know more about you and what you love about the show. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a pro...
Comedian and actor Ms. Pat kinda does it all. She performs standup, hosts her own podcast and created the acclaimed sitcom The Ms. Pat Show on BET+. The series is known for mixing a laugh track with real issues like racism, sexual assault and immigration. A recent episode follows Ms. Pat’s family as they help a young kid hide from ICE agents, while the show’s fictional President comes to town. Chaos ensues, but the story demonstrates Ms. Pat’s sharp ability to use humor as a vehicle to talk abou...
The moment is Mormon. From The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City , to The Bachelorette , to popular TikTok accounts like Ballerina Farm, women of the LDS faith are dominating pop culture right now. Sam breaks it all down with author and journalist Bridget Read. Her latest piece for New York Magazine is titled: U nder The Mormon Influence . Bridget unveils the ‘ receipts, proof, timeline…everything ’ behind this phenomenon. Plus, could all this new attention radically change the religion and its ...
Director Nia DaCosta has done it all. Horror, period drama, and even a Marvel blockbuster. Through it all, Nia is always asking: What does it mean to be human? Her latest films Hedda and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple are no different. She tells Sam about how horror themes mirror the real world, how she found her voice as one of the few Black women directors in the business, and why she’s not interested in teaching white people about race through her films. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get b...
As awards season grinds on, we're revisiting a topic that really irks Sam – bad wigs on the big screen. Why do sooo many wigs look so wrong? Here to break down what’s going on is Hollywood hairstylist and wigmaker Dawn Dudley . Her work has been seen in A Star is Born , Rob Zombie’s The Munsters , HBO’s Westworld and tons more. She breaks down what’s really happening on Hollywood sets and says it’s often not the hairstylist’s fault. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff fro...
Actor and comedian Sherry Cola often finds wild parallels between the characters she plays on screen and her personal life, including her new role in the hit dramedy Shrinking . She breaks down how the show normalizes therapy with humor, what she’s learned from years of therapy, and why she picks roles that break the stereotype of the model minority. She also shares how playing a queer character in Freeform’s Good Trouble helped her finally come out to her parents. Plus, how Sherry’s early caree...
This episode explores Bad Bunny's immense global impact, from his Grammy win to his Super Bowl Halftime Show, and how he's "rewriting the map" of pop culture by prioritizing his Puerto Rican identity and Spanish language. Dr. Nate Rodriguez explains that Bad Bunny's authenticity challenges the traditional "crossover" model and inherently politicizes discussions around immigration and American identity. The hosts also examine why the NFL, despite controversy, chose Bad Bunny, attributing it to his talent, global reach, and the league's strategic ambitions to expand its international audience.
Today we’re sharing Sam’s episode from The Assignment with Audie Cornish. This year marks a milestone for Millennials: the youngest of the cohort finally turns 30. So what comes next for the first generation of true digital natives now that they have achieved “unc” status? Audie talks with Sam Sanders about the generation that watched media transform from Buzzfeed quizzes into AI slop. They also discuss Millennial activism taking over the generation’s Instagram feed as ICE protests continue in M...
Should I have kids? Is there still enough time? Does time even matter? Comedian George Civeris is grappling with a lot of life’s big questions lately. He explores all of this in his latest standup special A Sense Of Urgency . He also chats with Sam about making jokes when the world is on fire and his own (sort of) immigrant experience as a gay millennial. Plus, they dive into his hottest takes on The Real Housewives , lost monoculture and gay vacation destinations. Check out George’s podcast Str...
Everyone is well aware of Heated Rivalry ’s immense popularity. The gay hockey romance seduced the masses in ways we haven’t seen in years… Maybe decades? The show even has a following in Russia, where queer media is outlawed. Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar is familiar with that climate. He was exiled in 2022 when he came out as a gay and married his now husband. Mikhail recently wrote about the parallels between the show and his own life for Vanity Fair. He tells Sam about what it all means f...
Today we’re sharing an episode from KCRW’s Question Everything . What happens when TikTokers replace TV hosts and interviewers, and presidential candidates start begging to be on their shows? Question Everything host Brian Reed sits down in a Brooklyn wine shop with four of the internet’s biggest creators: Caleb Simpson, who gets people on the street to take him up to their apartments; Julian Shapiro-Barnum who interviews kids on Recess Therapy; Anania Williams of the LGBTQ quiz show Gaydar; and...
Raphael Saadiq has been influential to the music industry since he burst onto the scene with his group Tony! Toni! Toné! — since then he’s produced hits with artists like Beyoncé and scored countless film and TV projects. He’s now nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his blues anthem “ I Lied To You ” from the blockbuster film Sinners. He breaks down what went into creating the song, his connection to director Ryan Coogler and his golden rule for making music for movies. Plu...
There’s a little trend that’s gaining a lot of traction… Many people are leaving Spotify – and making a fuss on their way out. They’re angry at the platform and the algorithm. They’re angry with how it pays artists. Some users are very angry about the ads Spotify runs. It’s quite the vibe shift for the world’s largest music streaming service. Sam breaks it all down with Bloomberg’s Ashley Carman who recently reported from Spotify’s headquarters in Stockholm. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get b...
It’s officially awards season in Hollywood – with endless red carpets, secret ballots, snubs, scandals… and vibes that feel increasingly weird. Joining Sam to check-in on the health of the movie industry are two of the sharpest cinephiles in the game. Amanda Dobbins and Sean Fennessey, hosts of The Big Picture podcast. They unpack the drama shaping this year’s hottest races and break down this era of dramatic mergers, shrinking monoculture, and box office uncertainty. Plus, a round of bold predi...
Consumed by a fear of looking bad on camera, dance floors across the country are filled with young people standing still. It suddenly seems everyone is too scared to let loose and move to the rhythm. Artists like Tyler, The Creator and Kaytranada have recently called out their crowds for rigid behavior. Sam breaks it all down with Elias Leight, reporter covering the music business for The Wall Street Journal. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each w...
It’s a new year, so how about some timeless pop culture to lift our spirits? Music that heals, TV shows that inspire joy, movies that create everlasting memories. Sam describes these as Modern Scriptures – the stuff that we can return to again and again to help us stay grounded, centered and connected. Joining Sam for this is meditation and mindfulness expert Dan Harris. He hosts the popular podcast 10% Happier . Dan shares the pop culture that always boosts his mental health and gives advice on...
Today we’re sharing Sam’s episode from One Song . Is Dreams what it sounds like when personal chaos becomes collective brilliance? Recorded live at On Air Fest at KCRW, Sam joins hosts Diallo and LUXXURY to break down this Fleetwood Mac classic. Together, they dive into the Rumours -era drama and unravel why the magic of Dreams feels both intensely personal and universally resonant. If you like this episode, be sure to check out One Song on YouTube , Apple Podcasts, Spotify , or wherever you get...
There was a time when popular music was inseparable from civil rights and civil unrest. But today, very few popular songs reflect the grievances seen in the streets. Fela Kuti is an artist who wasn’t afraid to make protest music. Known as the father of Afrobeat, his music became the soundtrack for social change in his native Nigeria. He’s the focus of the new podcast Fela Kuti: Fear No Man created by Jad Abumrad. He tells Sam about the lasting impact of Kuti’s work, his complicated history, and ...
Today we’re sharing Sam’s episode from the How To! Podcast. Sam is many things: journalist, podcaster, pop-culture obsessive, and a familiar voice from public radio. He’s also “quite possibly the world’s most hesitant homeowner.” Sam wants to fix up the house he recently bought, but three things are holding him back: First, he doesn’t have a clue where to start. Second, he’s not very handy. And third, he’s intimidated by the thought of talking with contractors (who might discover the first two t...
Today we’re sharing Sam’s episode from Life in Seven Songs . Sam grew up strictly Pentecostal in Texas. Non-religious music was forbidden in his house – so Sam got resourceful, smuggling CDs into the house in his underwear and watching MTV in secret. At 18 years old, just as he was getting ready to leave for Stanford, Sam’s life was turned upside down. Both of his parents suffered major health crises in the span of a few months, resulting in Sam becoming their caregiver. Years later, Sam would f...
Even though 2025 gave us big albums from artists like Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny, did pop music fall short overall? Sam breaks down the year’s hits and misses with Reanna Cruz , music journalist and producer at Switched on Pop . Why does everything sound like it’s stuck in the 2000s? Who are the artists actually pushing boundaries? And is there anything to look forward to in the new year? Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. NOTE: The Sam Sande...
Grammy winner Samara Joy is a jazz prodigy, but her singing is rooted in gospel music. She tells Sam about discovering jazz in high school, her family’s famous Godmobile , and how faith shaped the artist she is today. Plus, why her music will never be touched by AI. Samara Joy’s latest album Portrait is out now. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions....
Tis’ the season! It’s that time of year when we’re bombarded by gift guides. Something for your partner, your friends, White Elephant gifts, and the always daunting task of getting something for your parents. It seems like every year we’re expected to GIVE so much. Sam breaks down the gift guide overload with Avery Trufelman, host of the Articles of Interest podcast, a show all about what we wear. Together, they offer some thoughts on how to survive the craze of consumerism this holiday season. ...
