This American Life

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Episodes

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This American Life

Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.

Episodes

535: Origin Story

Little-known and surprising stories of how all sorts of institutions began. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to business professor Pino Audia and Fast Company magazine columnist Dan Heath about corporate creation myths and why so many of them involve garages. (7 minutes) Act One: Sarah Koenig tells the story of her father, Julian Koenig, the legendary advertising copywriter whose work includes the slogan "Timex takes ...

Mar 09, 2025•1 hr•Ep 535•Transcript available on Metacast

855: That’s a Weird Thing to Lie About

Unnecessary and outrageous lies that make you wonder — why lie about that in the first place? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Kasey, a woman who prides herself on her truthfulness, tries to help host Ira Glass figure out how to stop lying about one specific thing. (10 minutes) Act One: Producer Dana Chivvis talks to reporter Liz Flock about a strange experience she had in 2011. (21 minutes) Act Two: Host Ira Glass talks with M. Gessen ab...

Mar 02, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep 855•Transcript available on Metacast

854: Ten Things I Don't Want to Hate About You

Zach Mack and his dad try to mend a rift between them in a very unusual way. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira Glass introduces Zach Mack’s story. (1 minute) Part One: Zach and his father enter into an agreement that could change their entire relationship. (9 minutes) Part Two: Zach’s mother and sister weigh in on the agreement. (28 minutes) Part Three: With the year coming to an end, someone is going to have to say, “You were right, a...

Feb 23, 2025•59 min•Ep 854•Transcript available on Metacast

758: Talking While Black

President Trump is eradicating DEI from the federal government, and private companies are following his example. We return to a show we did two years ago about the turning point that led to this moment. Our Executive Producer Emanuele Berry guest-hosts and shares stories about Black people who found themselves caught in the middle of this cultural fight when the country shifted decisively away from diversity, equity, inclusion, critical race theory, and affirmative action. Visit thisamericanlife...

Feb 16, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep 758•Transcript available on Metacast

339: Break-Up

For Valentine's Day, stories from the heart of heartbreak. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks with Lauren Waterman, who's in the middle of a break-up right now and grappling with totally contradictory feelings. (5 minutes) Act One: In the wake of a break-up, writer Starlee Kine finds so much comfort in break-up songs that she decides to try and write one herself—even though she has no musical ability whatsoever. For som...

Feb 09, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep 339•Transcript available on Metacast

853: Groundhog Day

People stuck in a loop, trying to find their way out. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to B.A. Parker about her birthday tradition. (6 minutes) Act One: Producer Aviva DeKornfeld speaks with a father and daughter who have been playing the same game for 25 years. (9 minutes) Act Two: Talia Augustidis asks a single question over and over. (5 minutes) Act Three: Editor David Kestenbaum speaks with Jeff Permar, who is tra...

Feb 02, 2025•56 min•Ep 853•Transcript available on Metacast

852: Pivot Point

People living in that in-between moment before everything changes. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Kirk Johnson tells Ira about a strange choice he made during his family’s evacuation from the Sunset Fire in Los Angeles. (5 minutes) Act One: Editor Nancy Updike tries to make sense of this current moment by talking to a master of dark comedy, Armando Ianucci. (19 minutes) Act Two: As President Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office, ...

Jan 19, 2025•58 min•Ep 852•Transcript available on Metacast

851: Try a Little Tenderness

In the new year, stories of people trying a radical approach to solving their problems. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira meets two sisters who got into a fight, and then learned a lesson in turning the other cheek. (8 minutes) Act One: A hardened PI works the toughest case of his very young life. (18 minutes) Act Two: Producer Aviva DeKornfeld talks to a man who finds himself the target of vengeful crows. (8 minutes) Act Three: Comedi...

Jan 12, 2025•1 hr•Ep 851•Transcript available on Metacast

850: If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Hold This Thread as I Walk Away

The tiny thing that unravels your world. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira talks to Chris Benderev, whose high school years were completely upended by an impromptu thing his teacher said. (8 minutes) Act One: For Producer Lilly Sullivan, there’s one story about her parents that defines how she sees them, their family, and their history. She finds out it might be wrong. (27 minutes) Act Two: For years, Mike Comite has replayed in his he...

Dec 22, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 850•Transcript available on Metacast

849: The Narrator

Banias is an 8-year-old kid living in Gaza. And she has a story to tell — many stories, in fact. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: While on the phone with reporter Maram Hamaid in Gaza, producer Chana Joffe-Walt gets interrupted by Maram’s daughter––Banias, eight, who grabs the phone from her mother and starts telling us about her life. The narrator arrives. (8 minutes) Part One: Banias, an 8-year-old in Gaza, tells us about her life––her ...

Dec 15, 2024•58 min•Ep 849•Transcript available on Metacast

848: The Official Unofficial Record

How do you count almost 12 million votes if you’re not the government? This week, we bring you the extraordinary story of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who created the only verifiable public record of votes in their presidential election — and other stories of people trying to correct the official record with their own versions. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Host Ira Glass sets us up for Nancy Updike’s insider account of the rec...

Nov 24, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep 848•Transcript available on Metacast

847: The Truly Incredible Story of Keiko the Killer Whale

Keiko was a hugely beloved adventure park attraction. He was also captured in the wild and taken away from his mother when he was just a calf. When Hollywood learned about him, a colossal effort began to un-tame him and send him back to the ocean. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira introduces a new series from Serial Productions and The New York Times. "The Good Whale" is about the killer whale Keiko and is reported by Daniel Alarcón. (...

Nov 17, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep 847•Transcript available on Metacast

A Big Announcement

Ira Glass has news to share about some things happening here at This American Life. To sign up as a Life Partner, visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners .

Oct 16, 2024•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast