Dear Prudence

Today, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes from September 2023 with Dr. Orna Guralnik (host of Showtime’s  Couples Therapy ). In this episode, Dr. Orna Guralnik joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about what to do when a friend is obsessed with misogynistic love and relationship podcasts, when your husband just can’t figure out birthday gifts, and when you’...

In this episode, Erika Ettin (founder of  A Little Nudge ,  an online dating coaching service) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to fix a lackluster, long-distance relationship, when it is — and isn’t — a good idea to date a person who’s recently divorced, and whether a Type A person can stop doing all the work when it comes to dating. If you want more De...

In this episode, Farhad Manjoo (author of  Slate’s  r/Farhad  column ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how a 72-year-old introvert can become more social, when it’s okay to pop up unannounced at a romantic partner’s house and expect to have dinner, and whether you’re being unreasonable for not attending a family vacation because you didn’t get the upgrade y...

In this episode, Emily McCombs (the Deputy Editor of HuffPost Personal) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about when to confront someone who’s been consistently flaky, how to navigate dating across a 28-year age difference, and whether to tell a friend it appears they peed their pants. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jen...

In this episode, Dear Prudence editors Paola de Varona and Bryan Lowder join Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to deal with a spouse who says he needs friends but has already alienated yours, how to introduce a partner to religious parents, and why guests who spent a free weekend at a lake house would feel entitled to pack up all the leftovers and take them hom...

In this episode, Kiese Laymon (author of  Long Division ,  How to Slowly Kill Yourself in America , and  Heavy: An American Memoir ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to convince your strict religious parents to let you go to an out-of-state college, whether to report a coworker’s insensitive gym behavior to HR, and how to deal with a mom who forgets to t...

In this episode, Dan Savage (of the  Savage Love  sex advice column and  Savage Lovecast ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to approach a serious relationship with someone who lets her pre-teens sleep in her bed, how to share with your parents you’re omnisexual, and how to tell your sibling you think they’re in an emotionally abusive marriage. If you wan...

In this episode, Heben Nigatu (HBO’s  Game Theory with Bomani Jones  and BuzzFeed podcast  Another Round ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about what to do when a group chat explodes over allegations about offensive humor, when to cut a narcissistic stepsister from the wedding guest list, and how to relate to a little brother who’s openly sharing his wild conspir...

In this episode, Gina Cherelus (New York Times’ weekly dating column Third Wheel) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how much physical affection is appropriate with people who aren’t your partner, believing you are with your partner because you are more attractive than them, and more.  If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program...

In this episode, Bassey Ikpi (New York Times bestselling essay collection,  I’m Telling the Truth but I’m Lying ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about an international sisters’ trip gone awry, a husband’s struggle to live with his wife’s mental health issues, and an uncomfortable situation between coworkers. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate...

In this episode, Anna Sale (host of Death Sex and Money ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to navigate being the friend who always initiates plans, how to handle entitled stepdaughters moving into your home, and how to stop being a mean girl to other moms. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra...

We’re bringing you an episode of Choice Words with Samantha Bee from our friends at Lemonada Media. In this episode, Sam speaks with Queer Eye’s Karamo about the biggest choices he’s made in his life, his unconventional journey to fatherhood, and how he learned to stop living in fear. They talk about his experience as the first openly gay Black man on reality TV (remember The Real World: Philadelp...

In this episode, Dan Pashman ( The Sporkful  and  Anything’s Pastable ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to handle a person who tastes food in an unsanitary fashion and deeply annoys you while you’re trying to cook in a tiny kitchen, what to do when your dinner party invitations aren’t reciprocated, and whether two people with extremely different eating...

In this episode, Joel Anderson (host of  Slow Burn  and writer of  Emotional Investment ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about when to stop funding a “train wreck” daughter’s lifestyle, how to deal with watching your parents take expensive vacations when you’re broke, and whether to seek replacement costs when a friend’s drunk uncle destroys your expensive guita...

In this episode, Michael Arceneaux ( I Can’t Date Jesus  and  I Finally Bought Some Jordans ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about an interracial couple’s debate over African-centered home decor, how to cope with homesickness for a place you don’t actually want to live, and whether it’s fair to cut off an ex. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slat...

In this episode, Aubrey Gordon (who you may also know as “ Your Fat Friend ”) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to handle unwanted comments about Ozempic-fueled weight loss, how to get people to stop talking so much, and how to deal with the stress of a unconventional—and potentially disruptive—wedding guest. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plu...

In this episode, Jay Smooth ( Underground Railroad and Think Twice: Michael Jackson ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to find empathy for deeply unreasonable people who are totally wrong, how to navigate becoming a parent by accident, and how to reach out to support a friend without being “a cringey white person.” If you want more Dear Prudence, join Sl...

In this episode, Jenny Hagel ( Jenny Hagel Gives Advice  and  Late Night Trash Can with Jenny Hage ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to react to tacky gifts from your ex-husband’s girlfriend, what it means when your date says, “our energies didn’t mesh,” and whether to call out a friend who inexplicably lies about having a master’s degree. If you want m...

In this episode, Jenna Wortham ( Black Futures and Still Processing ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to get over a crush, what to do about a fiancé’s sneaky candy bar habit, and how to cope when your best friend’s secret social media reveals that she’s an unapologetic bigot who hates pretty much everyone. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus...

In this episode, Gia Peppers ( Healed Girl Era and More Than That ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to set boundaries with your friend now boss, how to help a friend who won’t help herself, and to determine if there’s a red flag in a work-spouse relationship. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an e...

In this episode, Michael Hobbes ( If Books Could Kill  and  Maintenance Phase ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to tell a friend they’re a horrible boss, whether a husband who won’t open the bathroom shades to give the plants light is a problem, and what to do when your friends setting you up on dates makes you think you might be a bigot. If you want mo...

In this episode, Cheryl Strayed ( Dear Sugar and Tiny Beautiful Things ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about whether it’s a good idea to offer to be your platonic best friend’s housewife, how to handle a husband’s disturbing body odors, and what an overachieving eldest millennial daughter can do to find happiness. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus...

In this episode, our first-ever married couple, Liz Neeley and Ed Yong, join Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about what to do when you discover your birthday gift and hate it, how to avoid losing respect for a partner who procrastinates, and whether it’s a problem if romantic daydreams are starting to stifle real-life relationships. If you want more Dear Prudence, join...

In this episode, Jamelle Bouie (New York Times opinion columnist) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to turn down gifts that make you cringe, what to do when you discover a sibling was given up for adoption before you were born, and when it’s too late to chase your dreams If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée an...

In this episode, Nicole Chung (author of A Living Remedy and All You Can Ever Know ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers dilemmas about a husband who wants to give up travel for grandpa duty, a partner who’s becoming really pushy about issues around adoption, and an engagement ring that could use a little work. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s...