This week, we’re touring Washington, DC, to learn how the nation’s capital is a Native capital—with returning guest Dr. Elizabeth Rule! She and Jonathan explore the city’s significance for the 574 tribal nations in the US today and spotlight Indigenous art, architecture, and activism. Put on your walking shoes and join us for a journey that’ll change how you see the city, and the United States. Elizabeth Rule, PhD (enrolled citizen, Chickasaw Nation) is an Assistant Professor of Critical Race, G...
Mar 29, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep 311•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re celebrating the small screen with a TV legend: World of Wonder’s Fenton Bailey! Fenton is one of the creative forces behind RuPaul’s Drag Race and other groundbreaking TV shows and films. Fenton and Jonathan discuss how infomercials, public access stations, televangelist sermons, and unscripted TV have shaped our reality. Plus, hear all about Fenton’s decades-long creative partnership with RuPaul; his work with cultural icons like Britney Spears, Tammy Faye, and Monica Lewinsky;...
Mar 22, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep 310•Transcript available on Metacast We’re back with the second half of our special two-part episode about algorithms and artificial intelligence, featuring returning guest Meredith Broussard. Yesterday, we got the T on ChatGPT, and learned why we can’t trust algorithms to be fair or objective. Today, Jonathan and Meredith get personal about their encounters with algorithms, and consider what an equitable tech industry could look like. Plus, deepfakes, TikTok, the Supreme Court, and Jonathan’s take on M3GAN! Meredith Broussard is A...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr•Ep 309•Transcript available on Metacast Every time you interact with a targeted advertisement, use a drop-down menu, or scroll through TikTok, you’re engaging with an algorithm. And these algorithms are anything but objective. This week, Meredith Broussard returns to the show for a special two-part episode about algorithms and artificial intelligence—and how they shape our daily lives. In part one, we’re learning all about chatbots like ChatGPT, the origins of algorithmic bias, and WTF Francis Galton has to do with all of this. Join u...
Mar 15, 2023•40 min•Ep 308•Transcript available on Metacast When a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, just over a month ago, the team at River Valley Organizing sprang into action. River Valley Organizing is a multi-racial, multicultural working class organization that radically builds community throughout the Ohio River Valley—and they’ve been calling attention to the possibility of a train derailment like this for years. Since this catastrophic incident, they’ve been advocating for residents’ health and safety, holding...
Mar 10, 2023•51 min•Ep 259•Transcript available on Metacast A pastor, a president, and a foreign political leader step into a National Prayer Breakfast. What happens next? A whole lot of mingling between church and state. This week, Dr. Lauren Turek joins Jonathan to explore how evangelicals have influenced American politics—domestically and abroad—over the last half century. It’s a story of televangelism, missionary trips, and politicking of biblical proportions. Lauren Turek is an associate professor of history at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX,...
Mar 08, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep 307•Transcript available on Metacast Sports are about so much more than competition. Through athletics we learn life skills, we move authentically, and we find community. This week, Verity Smith joins Jonathan to discuss the importance of trans inclusion in sports, his personal experiences on the rugby pitch, and how we can stay resilient in this critical moment for LGBTQIA+ rights. Verity Smith (he/him) is the Mermaids’ Trans Inclusion in Sports manager. Verity is a gay trans man and has a disability. He played elite women’s rugby...
Mar 01, 2023•56 min•Ep 306•Transcript available on Metacast Gorillas. Orangutans. Bonobos. Chimpanzees. Humans. Can you name a more iconic Fab Five? This week, Dr. Laura Simone Lewis joins Jonathan for an episode all about our beautiful primate family tree! Listen in to learn how we’re related, what makes each species unique, and why we need to step up conservation efforts for our closest living relatives on the planet. Dr. Laura Simone Lewis is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and earned her PhD from Harvard in the depart...
Feb 22, 2023•56 min•Ep 305•Transcript available on Metacast Dust isn’t just something that accumulates between our couch cushions. Dust is ALL OVER Earth—there are 20 trillion grams of it!—and it plays a critical role in weather events, climate change, and how we understand Earth. This week, Dr. Sarah Aarons joins Jonathan to discuss her research on mineral dust, and her research trips to Antarctica. Plus, Jonathan asks hard-hitting questions, like: Is household dust really just dead skin cells? Does flushing your toilet make an aerosol mess? And how do ...
Feb 15, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep 304•Transcript available on Metacast Roses are red, violets are blue, we have a Valentine’s Day episode for you! This week on Getting Curious, we’re learning all about the history of Valentine’s Day, with returning guest Dr. Sally Holloway. Was the holiday always about love and romance? When did roses and chocolates become go-to gifts? And what would people living in Georgian England think of celebrations like Galentine’s Day? This episode is a perfect match with Dr. Holloway’s first conversation with Jonathan, all about love and c...
Feb 08, 2023•42 min•Ep 303•Transcript available on Metacast Dogs. We snuggle up with them on the couch. We pamper them with treats and toys and songs. We even give them prime placement on our dating profiles! But how—and why—did we become BFFs with canines? And what does our love for dogs say about us? This week, anthrozoologist Dr. maythe han and her dog Frank join Jonathan to explore this special bond between humans and dogs. maythe han is an anthrozoologist of more-than-human kinship with dogs. Addressing the question ‘how can we live a good life toge...
Feb 01, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep 302•Transcript available on Metacast Starting in the late 1800s, a group of Syrian immigrants settled in America. Many of them took up peddling as a career. When American newspapers described these peddlers, it was often in derogatory ways—and through terms of queerness. This week, Dr. Charlotte Karem Albrecht joins Jonathan to explore this moment in Arab American history, how it's been remembered, and what it reveals about “the sexual, racial, and gender machinery of American society.” A note from Team JVN: In this episode, Dr. Ka...
Jan 25, 2023•1 hr•Ep 301•Transcript available on Metacast If you’d told Jonathan seven years ago that they’d be celebrating 300 episodes of Getting Curious this week, they would have passed out on the salon floor. You’d be visiting from the future, after all! We couldn’t have made it to 300 episodes without you, our listeners—so to celebrate this milestone, Jonathan’s answering your voicemails. Listen in for their takes on style, confidence, navigating the entertainment industry, and how we make the show each week. Make sure to grab some tissues and li...
Jan 18, 2023•53 min•Ep 300•Transcript available on Metacast We all need to eat. And we know that the choices we make with food are at once deeply personal and informed by systemic factors. As part of our ongoing exploration into global foodways, Dr. Aviaja Lyberth Hauptmann joins Jonathan to discuss the history, science, and culture of the animal-sourced Inuit diet. Listen in to learn more about Inuit fermented foods, how colonization has shaped what’s on shelves in Nuuk, and why you might want to pass on any papaya for sale in the Arctic. One note about...
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep 299•Transcript available on Metacast New year, Gilded Age drama! Today we might think of municipal trash collection as a mundane activity. But in the late 1800s, trash collection in the United States was the site of dirty politics, public health debates, and a whole lot of mess. Professors Patricia Strach and Kathleen S. Sullivan join Jonathan to discuss how we went from 16-foot-tall trash piles in the streets to our modern system of trash pick-ups. And we're getting into all the unsavory details... Want to (dumpster) dive deeper i...
Jan 04, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep 298•Transcript available on Metacast As we wind down for the year, we’re re-releasing one more essential beauty episode from the Getting Curious archives! Jonathan and David Yi celebrate the history of gender-inclusive beauty, and spotlight beauty influencers across millennia—like Neanderthals who used highlighters, Korean warriors who invented three-in-one sticks, and ancient Egyptians who developed anti-aging creams. David Yi is the co-founder of the gender-inclusive beauty brand good light, and the CEO and co-founder of Very Goo...
Dec 28, 2022•50 min•Ep 297•Transcript available on Metacast This holiday break, we’re re-releasing two gorgeous beauty episodes from the Getting Curious archives! First up, join Dr. Tina Lasisi—a biological anthropologist studying human hair—and Jonathan as they explore the evolutionary history of hair, measuring hair variation, and the twists and turns of Jonathan’s hair school textbook. Dr. Tina Lasisi is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Quantitative and Computational Biology at the University of Southern California, and incoming Assistant Professor of Ant...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep 296•Transcript available on Metacast For our last new episode of the year, we’re turning the mic on the Getting Curious community. Jonathan is answering your questions about all things hair—including dry shampoo, hair loss, highlights, and staying sleek while getting sweaty. And one thing is clear: curiosity looks good on you! We’ll be re-releasing two of our favorite beauty episodes from the Getting Curious archives to round out the year. And we’ll be featuring more of your questions about beauty and beyond in just a few weeks as ...
Dec 14, 2022•48 min•Ep 295•Transcript available on Metacast In the mid-1800s, Americans shipped ice to Hawaiʻi in the hopes that there would be a market for it. There wasn’t. So how did ice—in the form of cocktails, ice cream, shave ice, and beyond—become lodged in Hawaiʻi’s foodscape? This week, Professor Hiʻilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart joins Jonathan to discuss the social history of ice and refrigeration in Hawaiʻi—and what this history reveals about colonial relationships to the tropics. Hiʻilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart (Kanaka Ma...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep 294•Transcript available on Metacast There’s a world of curiosity just below street level, and this week, we’re taking the plunge with a truly glam academic! Dr. Marsha K. Allen joins Jonathan to discuss fractured rock aquifers, sinkholes, and her groundbreaking work on water sustainability in Tobago. Dr. Marsha K. Allen is a geologist with a research background in Cosmochemistry (meteorites) and Hydrogeology. Her current research focuses on the fractured rock aquifer of one of her home islands, Tobago. She is currently new faculty...
Nov 30, 2022•59 min•Ep 293•Transcript available on Metacast This holiday season, we’re inviting Getting Curious listeners to reflect on what it means to be in community. In that spirit, we’re re-releasing a conversation about mutual aid with the writer and activist Dean Spade. Mutual aid is all about meeting people’s survival needs at a local level, and building sustained, decentralized, compassionate support networks. We encourage you to take a listen to Dean and Jonathan’s conversation, then take some time to learn about—and get involved in—mutual aid ...
Nov 23, 2022•54 min•Ep 292•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re learning all about the culture of cheese, and literal cheese cultures, with Carlos Yescas and Lee Hennessy. They join Jonathan to discuss how cheese is made, the politics and economics of the global cheese industry, and why we should enjoy Swiss cheese while we have it. It’s the episode equivalent of a gorgeous charcuterie board! Carlos Yescas is a cheese scholar, advocate, distributor, and researcher. He documents cheese traditions and stories and is currently researching raw-mi...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep 291•Transcript available on Metacast If you take a shower and use basic cosmetics, you could be exposed to more than 100 chemicals. Add in your furnishings and food, and we’re talking several hundred chemicals, some of them bioaccumulative—and dangerous. But if we know that certain consumer goods have toxics in them, how did they end up on shelves? And why are they still for sale? This week, Dr. Norah MacKendrick joins Jonathan to break down the history and politics of daily chemical exposure, and what needs to change so that we ca...
Nov 09, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep 290•Transcript available on Metacast This week’s episode is a gymnastics EVENT! Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles joins Jonathan to discuss how she’s taking the sport to new heights at both the elite and collegiate levels, why she doesn’t take any wins for granted, and who’s on her playlist heading into competition days. Whether you’re a gymnastics newbie or an elite level fan like Jonathan, this one’s a winner. One note is that we recorded this episode just before Jordan qualified for the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships. M...
Nov 02, 2022•53 min•Ep 289•Transcript available on Metacast In 1977 more than 100 disabled activists in San Francisco took over a federal building for 25 days. It was the longest non-violent occupation of a federal building in United States history. As they advocated for their rights, they found an ally in the Black Panther Party, which understood that disability rights were connected with their own anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist racial justice work. This week, Professor Sami Schalk joins Jonathan to discuss how Black cultural workers have approached ...
Oct 26, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep 288•Transcript available on Metacast Let’s say you pass a group of people dressed identically. Are they a) following a trend, b) wearing uniforms, or c) in a cult? And who’s to say the answer can’t be all of the above? This week, we’re diving fabric first into the world of American cults, communes, and alternative communities with fashion historian and archivist Sarah C. Byrd. Listen in as she and Jonathan discuss how these groups have historically expressed themselves through style—and why the definition of “cult fashion” might be...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep 287•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re traveling back to one of our favorite sites for curiosity: the ancient Mediterranean. Professors Sarah Derbew and Nandini Pandey join Jonathan to discuss how people across the region experienced cultural diversity; how they related to—and set themselves apart from—their neighbors; and what it looks like to approach the ancient past on its own terms rather than filtered through contemporary assumptions. Sarah Derbew is an assistant professor of Classics at Stanford University. Sh...
Oct 12, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep 286•Transcript available on Metacast Treat this episode like a spritz of your favorite fragrance. Let the beauty talk consume you. Linger on the film industry stories. Stay for the base notes of Jonathan in disbelief that our guest is literally Michelle Pfeiffer. Michelle Pfeiffer joins Jonathan to discuss the science of scent, the trade secrets harming people’s health, and how she’s modeling transparency with her company Henry Rose. Need more Jonathan and Michelle in your life? Check out their Instagram Live from earlier this year...
Oct 05, 2022•38 min•Ep 285•Transcript available on Metacast Each year, more than 250,000 children in America are removed from their families by judicial means—and more than 3.5 million children are investigated by child welfare agencies. Most of these children are Black, Indigenous, queer, disabled, and / or otherwise marginalized. And much of the tens of billions of dollars allotted each year to so-called “child welfare” is spent on separating families. This week’s guest Dorothy Roberts joins Jonathan to discuss how this system operates; who it most har...
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep 284•Transcript available on Metacast If Getting Curious were a magazine, this week’s episode would be the “September Issue,” and this week’s guest would be the cover star of our dreams. British Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful, OBE, joins Jonathan to discuss how he’s transformed your favorite magazines over the last three decades; how he’s leading the way for a more diverse, welcoming fashion world; and what it was like to get vulnerable for his new memoir A Visible Man. Edward Enninful is Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue an...
Sep 21, 2022•56 min•Ep 283•Transcript available on Metacast 
