Ta-Nehisi Coates talks about his trip to Senegal and reflects on his ancestors taken from that side of the ocean... more

Beloved British actor of stage and screen Maggie Smith died last week at age 89. Though the Oscar-winner had a... more

David Wessel, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, compares the candidates' records and campaign promises on... more

More often than not, U.S. history classes fail to include the contributions of Latino people. Leguizamo's three-part PBS docuseries, VOCES... more

In his new book, Coates reflects on his time in Senegal, as well as trips he took to South Carolina... more

The host of the Food Network's Barefoot Contessa tells Tonya Mosley about a disastrous party she threw when she was... more

Todd Phillips, the director and co-writer of the new musical sequel to Joker, shares what it was like to direct... more

25 years ago, the TV series The West Wing premiered. It was a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional White House.... more

New Yorker writer Andrew Marantz describes Michigan's uncommitted, thousands of pro-Palestinian, anti-war protest voters who say they won't support Kamala... more

Orange Is the New Black actor Uzo Aduba grew up the daughter of Nigerian immigrants in a predominantly white Massachusetts... more

Mueller deputy Aaron Zebley looks back on the investigation of Trump's ties to Russia and explains why his team didn't... more

After his 2019 hit Joker, Todd Phillips knew he wanted to do more with the character. Joker: Folie à Deux... more

Pioneering television journalist Connie Chung gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what it took for her to climb to the... more

Florida's population has quintupled since writer Carl Hiaasen grew up near Fort Lauderdale in the '50s. As a former Miami... more

NYT senior political correspondent Maggie Haberman, who has spent years covering former President Trump, discusses his behavior on the campaign... more

TV news journalist Connie Chung has written a new tell-all memoir. It's about breaking into the boys club of her... more

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner spent years investigating the former president's finances and various businesses. They dispel... more

In the horror movie The Substance, Demi Moore plays an aging actress who uses a black-market drug to create a... more

Journalists Ryan Mac and Kate Conger talk about the chaos Elon Musk created inside Twitter, how Musk moved further to... more

James Earl Jones was the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mafusa in The Lion King, and once... more

Democrats and Republicans learned from the legal fight over the 2020 elections, New York Times reporter Nick Corasaniti explains how... more

After buying Twitter in 2022, Elon Musk instituted sweeping changes. He laid off or fired about 75% of the staff... more

Investigative journalist Jessica Pishko says that a growing group of "constitutional sheriffs" have become a flashpoint in the current politics... more

The After Midnight host was initially unsure about sharing her bipolar II diagnosis on-stage. But, she tells co-host Tonya Mosley,... more

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's new memoir, Lovely One, gives us a rare glimpse into her legal mind. And... more

25 years ago, The Sopranos premiered on HBO and changed expectations of what TV could be. There's a new two-part... more

New Yorker writer David Kirkpatrick says anti-fascists are using extra judicial methods to do what the FBI can't, by infiltrating... more

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson talks with Tonya Mosley about her teen years, her time as a public defender,... more

Novelist Danzy Senna spoke with Terry Gross about racial identity, growing up with a Black father and white mother in... more

To wrap up our series, we're closing with director Spike Lee and actor Samuel L. Jackson. Lee spoke with Terry... more

In 2022, E.T. and Jaws director Steven Spielberg talked about how he fell in love with film, and how he... more

The 1964 spaghetti Western A Fistful of Dollars turned Clint Eastwood into a star. He had a famous squint in... more

We continue our Classic Films and Movie Icons series and feature archival interviews with Dennis Hopper and Isabella Rossellini. They... more

Our special series of archival interviews continues with two of the GOATs: Meryl Streep, the actor with the most Oscar... more

We continue our Classic Films and Movie Icons series with two performers who gained fame as kids: Breakfast Club actor... more

From now through Labor Day we're featuring interviews from our archive with great actors and directors. Robert Duvall talks about... more

We begin our series celebrating classic movies with Terry Gross' 1988 interview with On the Waterfront director Elia Kazan, as... more

We remember Phil Donahue, the daytime talk show host who pioneered thoughtful discussions on controversial issues, and paved the way... more

Georgetown professor and foreign policy analyst Daniel Byman discusses Ukraine's daring offensive into Russian territory. And he reflects on the... more

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter David Rohde argues that since 2016, Trump has used conspiracy theories, co-option and threats to... more

As 50,000 people attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, we look at the history of politics, protest and play... more

In The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat, Ellis-Taylor plays the outspoken ringleader among three women whose friendship spans several decades. Her... more

Pediatric surgeon and founder of the Black Doctors Consortium Dr. Ala Standford talks with Terry Gross about how, at the... more

Homicide: Life on the Streets, the critically acclaimed police procedural set in Baltimore, is coming to streaming (Peacock) for the... more

As democrats prepare for their national convention in Chicago next week, we take stock of a presidential race transformed. New... more

Casey Michel shines a light on Americans lobbying for foreign governments in Washington, in many cases representing brutally repressive regimes... more

Poet and writer Safiya Sinclair grew up in a devout Rastafari family in Jamaica where women were subservient. When she... more

Joe Moore, a former Army sniper turned FBI informant, shares how he infiltrated the KKK and helped foil a plot... more

In 1982, eight science fiction films were released within eight weeks of each other. Chris Nashawaty, author of The Future... more

We commemorate the 79th anniversary of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, by revisiting a haunting question: Was the... more

Filmmaker Greg Kwedar and formerly incarcerated actor Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin discuss their new film, which centers on the real-life... more

When the pandemic hit, Dr. Ala Stanford set up shop in parking lots, churches and mosques where she provided tests... more

Each year, nearly half a million migrants cross the perilous stretch of jungle between South and Central America. Many face... more

Dr. Theodore Schwartz has been treating neurological illnesses for nearly 30 years. He says being a brain surgeon requires steady... more

Comic Nikki Glaser talks with Terry Gross about finding the line between offensive and funny, hurt feelings, and why she... more

We go into the Fresh Air archive to remember two remarkable women: Bernice Johnson Reagon was one of the powerful... more

Grammy-winning singer, guitarist and producer Brittany Howard fronted the band Alabama Shakes before going solo. She talks with Terry Gross... more

In 1982, eight science fiction films were released within eight weeks of each other: E.T., Tron, Star Trek II: Wrath... more

Paul W. Downs co-created the HBO Max show with his wife, Lucia Aniello and their friend and collaborator, Jen Statsky.... more

The comic made headlines after the roast of Tom Brady. She spoke with Terry Gross about finding the line between... more

Jon M. Chu, the director of Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights is now directing the film adaptation of... more

We remember comic and actor Bob Newhart, who died last week at the age of 94. In his stand-up comedy... more

Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon, shares Hamas' goal of destroying the state of Israel. We'll talk with New... more

Chu takes his inspiration from his dad, a Chinese immigrant who worked both the front room and the kitchen of... more

Autocracy, Inc. author Anne Applebaum says today's dictators — including Putin and Xi — are working together in a global... more

Filmmaker and stunt coordinator David Leitch says it's easier to do stunts himself than direct his stunt performer friends. "You... more

Humorist/writer Shalom Auslander's new memoir is a satirical look at all the ways a sense of "feh," which is Yiddish... more

We remember actress Shelley Duvall, who died at the age of 75. Best-known for her role in The Shining, Robert... more

Humorist Shalom Auslander has written for decades about growing up in a dysfunctional household within an ultra-orthodox Jewish community. Feh,... more

PBS FRONTLINE documentarians Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes spent 34 years following two working-class families in Milwaukee who lost well-paying... more

Julianne Nicholson says when strangers recognize her on the street, they're never quite sure how they know her: "They might... more

We talk about the weapon the shooter used in the attempted assassination of former President Trump. Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post... more

Taffy Brodesser-Akner's new novel, Long Island Compromise, centers on the kidnapping of a rich businessman, and the impact, decades later,... more

Martin Mull, who died June 27, appeared in the 1970s series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and later starred in Fernwood... more

David Madland of the Center for American Progress says new, "good" jobs are on the rise, but many of the... more

Disgraced financier Bernie Madoff scammed investors out of approximately $68 billion. Investigative journalist Richard Behar spoke to Madoff in prison... more

Jill Ciment met her husband in the 1970s when she was a teenager and he was almost 50. At the... more

Brodesser-Akner's new novel, Long Island Compromise, centers on the kidnapping of a rich businessman, and the impact, decades later, on... more

Comedian Michelle Buteau stars in the new comedy Babes, which follows best friends as they take different paths toward... more

For the 40th anniversary of Talking Heads' masterpiece concert film, Stop Making Sense, A24 remastered and rereleased the movie, bringing... more

A few years ago, Bon Jovi stopped performing because of a vocal cord injury. The Hulu docuseries Thank You, Goodnight... more

David Tatel is a former civil rights lawyer who spent 30 years as a judge on the D.C. Circuit, the... more

As a comedy writer for shows like The Late Late Show with James Corden, Ian Karmel spent most of his... more

New Yorker writer Emily Nussbaum discusses the lawsuits brought forth by the Love is Blind cast members, and reflects on... more

If you've ever wondered what conversations were like between Donald Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci during the Covid pandemic, wonder... more

British singer/guitarist Richard Thompson spoke to Fresh Air in 1994 and 2022 about about his formative years and about pioneering... more

New York Times political correspondent Shane Goldmacher has been following the flood of campaign finance money for both presidential... more

Buteau says covering the news of the 2001 terrorist attacks crystalized her desire to go into comedy. She spoke with... more

Bazawule is best-known for directing 2023 adaptation of The Color Purple: The Musical. He also co-directed Black Is King with... more

New York Times correspondent Peter Goodman illuminates the breakdown of the global supply chain during the pandemic. He says it... more

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson still remembers the first time he heard The Sugarhill Gang's 1980 hit "Rapper's Delight." It felt like... more

The award-winning playwright talks about his provocative Slave Play, which earned 12 Tony nominations. A new HBO documentary chronicles the... more

Von Furstenberg and filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy discuss Woman in Charge, a Hulu documentary about the fashion designer's meteoric rise in... more

Oyelowo produced and stars in the Paramount+ series about Bass, a formerly enslaved man who went on to become one... more

During his decades-long career, Dr. Fauci worked with seven different presidents to manage various public health crises, including AIDS, Ebola,... more

Einbinder co-stars with Jean Smart in the HBO Max series Hacks. Her new Max special is Everything Must Go. Einbinder... more

About 25 years ago, acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma asked a high school student to help him name his instrument. He... more

Hall of Famer Satchel Paige started his career pitching in the Negro leagues and later became a major league star.... more

Journalist Alexia Fernández Campbell says that some freed men and women were given titles to land following the Civil War... more

'The Always Sunny in Philadelphia' co-creator and co-star bought a Welsh football club during the pandemic. McElhenney says he and... more

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson still remembers the first time he heard The Sugarhill Gang's 1980 hit "Rapper's Delight." It felt like... more

Dunne grew up in Beverly Hills, in a family of storytellers — including his father, author Dominic. He talks about... more

Stephen Sondheim's musical Merrily We Roll Along flopped when it debuted in 1981. But its Broadway revival has been a... more

Comic, actor and filmmaker Julio Torres came to the U.S. from El Salvador in his early 20s — and he... more

While reporting on Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement, Farrow unearthed details of the National Enquirer's plan to pay for... more

Whitehead's sequel to Harlem Shuffle centers on crime at every level, from small-time crooks to Harlem's elite. "My early '70s... more

In his memoir, Small Acts of Courage, Velshi chronicles his family's journey, from a village in India to South Africa... more

Stephen Sondheim's 1981 flop is now a Broadway hit. This revival of Merrily We Roll Along is nominated for seven... more

In 2021, burnt out from the intensity of her early career, Maggie Rogers considered quitting music entirely. Instead, she took... more

How do you get on with life after an accident that leads to disability and chronic pain? That's the central... more

Yohance Lacour's Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast, You Didn't See Nothin', tells the story of Lenard Clark, a 13-year-old Black boy who... more

About 25 years ago, the acclaimed cellist asked a high school student to help him name his instrument. Yo-Yo Ma... more

When journalist Rachel Somerstein had an emergency C-section with her first child, the anesthesia didn't work. She recounts her own... more

The small Memphis label Stax Records created soul hits by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Rufus and Carla... more

Grammy-winning musician Michael McDonald looks back on his childhood and his career in a new memoir. He spoke with Tonya... more

The fifth installment of the Mad Max series of post-apocalyptic action films is roaring into theaters. It's called Furiosa: A... more

In Fat Leonard, journalist Craig Whitlock tells the story of a defense contractor who plied Navy commanders with lavish meals,... more

In 2021, burnt out from the intensity of her early career, Maggie Rogers considered quitting music entirely. Instead, she took... more

The SNL alum co-stars with Carol Burnett in Palm Royale, an Apple TV+ series about a former pageant queen who... more

McDonald says that earlier in his career, he tended to avoid writing about himself directly in songs. He opens up... more

Musician, activist, and punk pioneer Kathleen Hanna talks about being at the epicenter of the '90s riot grrrl movement. She... more

Filmmaker Roger Corman, the "King of the B" movies, died last week at the age of 98. He made hundreds... more

Wallace is known for his celebrity profiles, but his new memoir, Another Word For Love, is about his own life,... more

The Economist Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom explains why some Arab leaders hate Hamas, fear Iran and have some sympathy... more

Williams was thrust into the public eye as a kid, when he starred in Everybody Hates Chris. Now, playing a... more

Kathleen Hanna's band Bikini Kill was the epicenter of the riot grrrl feminist punk movement of the '90s. Their song... more

WNBA star Brittney Griner talks about the physical and emotional hell of her nearly 300 days in Russian prisons. Russian... more

Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer has been adapted into a series on HBO/MAX. It's set in Vietnam... more

We remember painter and sculptor Frank Stella, whose early work was considered revolutionary. He died last week at age 87.... more

#BlackLivesMatter. #OscarsSoWhite. #ICantBreathe. Filmmaker Prentice Penny's docuseries about Black Twitter celebrates the voices and movements that impacted politics and culture.... more

Griner spent nearly 300 days incarcerated in Russia after authorities at the Moscow airport found two nearly empty cartridges of... more

Climate journalist Zoë Schlanger explains the fascinating science behind how plants learn, communicate, and adapt to survive. She says plants... more

In a new Hulu docuseries, Jon Bon Jovi looks back on his career and his recovery after vocal surgery. He... more

The New York Times described Paul Auster as the "Patron Saint of Literary Brooklyn." He died Tuesday of complications of... more

Congress and President Biden say TikTok must shed its financial ties to China or face a ban in the U.S.... more

In The Demon of Unrest, author Erik Larson chronicles the five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860... more

Leigh Bardugo is best known for her YA Shadow and Bone series. Her adult novel, The Familiar, centers on a... more

A few years ago, Bon Jovi stopped performing because of a vocal cord injury. The Hulu docuseries Thank You, Goodnight... more

Songwriter, guitarist and singer St. Vincent talks about her new album, All Born Screaming. Also, we talk with child psychiatrist... more

Green's YA novel, Turtles All the Way Down, has been recently adapted to film (on MAX May 2). Green described... more

Nearly a year after the Hollywood writers' strike started, the entertainment industry remains in flux. Harpers journalist Daniel Bessner says... more

Journalist Susan Page talks about Barbara Walters's groundbreaking career as a newswoman and her signature interview specials, which blended news... more

The songwriter, guitarist and singer known as St. Vincent took her stage name from St. Vincent's Hospital in New York,... more

Journalist Ari Berman says the founding fathers created a system that concentrated power in the hands of an elite minority... more

Writer Salman Rushdie talks about the knife attack that nearly killed him — and his life since then. In 2022,... more

Longtime PBS news anchor Robert MacNeil died last week at 93. He spoke with Terry Gross a few times over... more

Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser says mergers and acquisitions have created food oligopolies that are inefficient, barely regulated and... more

Alua Arthur works with families, caretakers, and people close to death who want to be intentional about the end of... more

Rushdie was onstage at a literary event in 2022 when he was attacked by a man in the audience: "Dying... more

Growing up, when Diarra Kilpatrick watched murder mystery shows with her grandmother, she never saw Black women driving the narrative.... more

Andrew Scott stars as a con artist with no conscience in the new Netflix series Ripley. It's an adaptation of... more

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is the latest film starring two of cinema's biggest monsters. Today we take a... more

Atlantic journalist Stephanie McCrummen says foreign interests are acquiring Serengeti territory in Northern Tanzania, effectively displacing indigenous cattle-herders from their... more

What happens to the body in the deep sea? You need oxygen to survive, but too much oxygen can be... more

Linguist Amanda Montell says our brains are overloaded with a constant stream of information that stokes our innate tendency to... more

Andrew Scott (best known as "hot priest" from Fleabag) plays con artist Tom Ripley in the Netflix adaptation of The... more

NCAA/WNBA star Sue Bird spoke with Terry Gross about her career, coming out publicly, and fighting for equity in women's... more

HBO's Curb your Enthusiasm comes to an end Sunday night, after 25 years and 12 seasons. We're featuring our interviews... more

The Guardian's reproductive health reporter Carter Sherman says efforts are underway in a number of states to assign fetuses "some... more

"A lot of things started going wrong from the very beginning," historian Hampton Sides says of Cook's last voyage, which... more

A global pandemic, school shootings, climate change, war: Children and teenagers are experiencing and being treated for unprecedented levels of... more

Retired point guard Sue Bird holds the record for most career assists in the WNBA, with 3,234 over the course... more

If you've ever wondered how directors convince stars to appear in their films, or what they do when an actor... more

Beyoncé's highly anticipated country album, Cowboy Carter, is out today. One of the musicians on it is fiddle and banjo... more

Author Nancy Nichols says that for men, cars signify adventure, power and strength. For women, they are about performing domestic... more

In 2020, Oregon voters overwhelmingly approved to decriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs, and mandate more spending on... more

ProPublica reporter Abrahm Lustgarten says in the coming decades it's likely tens of millions of us will relocate to escape... more

Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker co-founded the band Sleater-Kinney together 30 years ago, and became an important part of the... more

Catherine Coldstream spoke with Terry Gross about her years as nun in a Carmelite monastery. She talks about what drew... more

Reporter Jake Adelstein's memoir, Tokyo Vice, is about covering the organized crime beat in Japan. The MAX series (based on... more

Marijuana has been legalized in some states, but ProPublica's Sebastian Rotella says there's still a thriving illicit market in the... more

Catherine Coldstream spoke with Terry Gross about her years as nun in a Carmelite monastery. She talks about what drew... more

Christine Blasey Ford describes what it was like to come forward and testify that Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in... more

NPR Politics correspondent Sarah McCammon grew up in a white evangelical church that taught her to never question her faith.... more

Jenny Slate talks about childbirth and motherhood, the subjects of her new comedy special, Seasoned Professional. She'll do the voices... more

Michael Cecchi-Azzolina has worked in several high-end New York City restaurants — adrenaline-fueled workplaces where booze and drugs are plentiful... more

We talk with Peter Pomerantsev, whose new book, How to Win an Information War, is about the man he describes... more

Schitt's Creek star Eugene Levy visits distant lands and tastes exotic foods as the host of the Apple TV+ series... more

The comic/actor returns. Now she has a 3-year-old daughter, who she sings to in the voice of her character Marcel... more

Comic, actor and filmmaker Julio Torres came to the U.S. from El Salvador in his 20s. His new film, Problemista,... more