Fresh Air

Amanda Peet is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Except last year there seemed to be three different shoes, as she faced her parents' deaths and a breast cancer diagnosis. Peet spoke with Terry Gross about her “ Season of Ativan ,” navigating middle age in Hollywood, and her memories of Diane Keaton from the set of ‘Something’s Gotta Give.’ Peet stars in the new film ‘Fantasy Life’ and in...

The war entered a new phase when President Trump began a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace explains what this means. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW MATERIALS The...

In a new book, Harvard professor Namwali Serpell makes the case that we have been reading one of the most celebrated writers in American history all wrong. ‘On Morrison’ is a deep dive into the Nobel Laureate’s complete body of work — her 11 novels, plays, and criticism. Serpell has been teaching Morrison for nearly two decades, and she says no matter how many times she returns to the work, she st...

Arsenio Hall grew up in Cleveland dreaming of being the next Johnny Carson – kind of. “I wanted to do this show that didn't exist when I was a kid, and I knew the talent was out there.” Hall spoke with Tonya Mosley about his groundbreaking talk show, ‘The Arsenio Hall Show,’ and why he decided to end it, despite its massive success.  Before he was a comic, producer and the “roastmaster,” Jeff Ross...

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist St. Vincent is known for her powerful guitar riffs and dark, poetic songs. Her early influences were Nirvana and David Bowie. “I've always felt like gender and identity were a performance. I've been aware of that since I was a young child and learning how to code switch growing up in Texas,” she told Terry Gross in 2024. She's backed by an orchestra at London’s Ro...

Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari's book, ‘Labor,’ is a portrait of reproductive healthcare in post-Dobbs America, serving a community in Oregon with an RV clinic. She also talks about her Iranian heritage and her grandmother's death from an illegal abortion.  Also, Ken Tucker reviews ‘After the Flood,’ by Robert Polito, a book about Bob Dylan’s past 30 years.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our c...

In 2020, writer Annabelle Gurwitch went to urgent care for a COVID-19 test and learned she had stage 4 lung cancer. She writes about life as a "cancer slacker" in her memoir, ‘The End of My Life is Killing Me.’ The humorist spoke with Terry Gross about facing her mortality, divorce, and going on a tour with her boyfriend and a young heavy metal band. Also, John Powers reviews the Nordic noir serie...

Known for his ruthless celebrity roasts, Ross turns inward in his Netflix special, ‘Take a Banana for the Ride,’ which details the loss of his parents and grandfather. The comic spoke with Terry Gross about working at his family’s catering business, his breakthrough ‘Letterman’ set, and living with alopecia. And, upon Terry’s request, he roasts her. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our co...

Hall grew up in Cleveland dreaming of being the next Johnny Carson. He got close – closer than anyone expected – and then he walked away. Thirty years later, he's finally telling the full story in a new memoir. “I wanted to do this show that didn't exist when I was a kid and I knew the talent was out there,” he tells Tonya Mosley. I found Bruno Mars and put him on the show when he was two feet tal...

We talk with John Lithgow, veteran of hundreds of performances on stage, screen and television. He’s currently starring in the play ‘Giant’ on Broadway. He plays renowned children’s book author Roald Dahl, caught in a public controversy after he wrote an article laced with antisemitic statements. Also, we’ll talk about Stephen Sondheim’s life and music with Daniel Okrent, author of a new book ‘Ste...

As a gay, atheist teenager in El Salvador, Julio Torres felt like an alien. He was legally labeled “alien” when he came to the U.S. on a student visa, and then tried to get a work visa.  The comic/filmmaker drew on those experiences to write, direct, and star in the satirical film, ‘Problemista.’ He spoke with Terry Gross in 2024 about immigrant stress, his odd form of comedy, and why he's attract...

Lithgow, 80, plays an intelligence agent in the FX action series 'The Old Man,' and he's currently starring in the Broadway production of 'Giant,' about a dark side of children's book author Roald Dahl. He spoke with Dave Davies.  Also, John Powers reviews 'Stay Alive' by Ian Buruma, about daily life in Nazi Berlin.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data...

In award-winning journalist Beth Gardiner’s new book, ‘Plastic Inc.,’ she traces how plastic went from a wartime miracle to the survival strategy of the fossil fuel industry. What Gardiner found after years of reporting is that while millions of us were recycling and using less fuel, the companies that make plastic are producing more to make up for it. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about recycling,...

The Trump era has brought a resurgence of the “alpha male.” ‘New Yorker’ writer Charles Bethea reports on camps where men crawl through mud and sit in ice baths, in an effort to reclaim masculinity. Bethea says what he found underneath all the warrior posturing surprised him: men in genuine pain who felt lonely and desperate for connection. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about his reporting.  Also, bo...

Josh Owens spent four years as a video editor and field producer for Jones' Infowars media company. "It was all about making things look cinematic," he says. Owens' memoir is ‘The Madness of Believing.’ He spoke with Dave Davies about how he got into Infowars, the “nonsense” and “lies” the company sold, and how he got out. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of persona...

R&B artist Jill Scott shares some of the lessons she learned from the legends who came before her, including the moment she first met Aretha Franklin. Scott’s new album is ‘To Whom This May Concern.’  Also, actor Riz Ahmed talks about his Prime Video series, ‘Bait.’ He plays a British Pakistani actor auditioning to be the next James Bond. He talks about drawing from moments in his own life, ba...

We remember martial arts champion turned Hollywood action hero Chuck Norris, who died last week at age 86. In addition to his many kung fu and action films, he was the star of the long-running TV show, ‘Walker, Texas Ranger.’ He spoke with Terry Gross in 1988 about the karate he learned while stationed in Korea.  Also, we remember Tex-Mex musician Augie Meyers of the Texas Tornadoes, who died Marc...

‘Project Maven’ is the story of how the U.S. spent a decade building an AI warfare system that's now being used in the war in Iran. Author and Bloomberg journalist Katrina Manson reveals the people behind that mission, and their belief that AI could make war more precise and save lives. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about the ethics of this technology. A troubling research study found AI models plac...

In his second term, President Trump has ordered the removal of monuments, plaques and exhibitions related to slavery, and the history of racial injustice in the U.S. Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson has been working to ensure evidence of America's painful past is not erased. His organization, the Equal Justice Initiative, founded the Legacy Museum to show us the truth of our history....

New Yorker writer Jon Lee Anderson describes conditions in Cuba, why it's vulnerable now — and what regime change would mean — considering the Castro family's entrenchment in the Cuban government. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW MATERIALS The...

In his new Prime Video series, ‘Bait,’ Riz Ahmed plays an actor auditioning to be the next James Bond. Ahmed says Bond is a "symbol of aspiration, this unattainable kind of self" his character is pursuing. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about being his own worst critic, why he connected to Hamlet, and his early days as an MC on pirate radio.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...

Harrison Ford spoke with Terry Gross about his role in the Apple TV series ‘Shrinking,’ as a therapist who has Parkinson's Disease. He also talks about how he landed the role of Han Solo in ‘Star Wars.’ Also, we’ll hear from British novelist Francis Spufford. His new book, ‘Nonesuch,’ follows a young woman in WWII London trying to survive the Blitz, navigate romance, and fight time-traveling fasci...

‘Jury Duty’ is the Prime Video series about one unwitting regular guy who becomes part of a staged fake jury, not knowing that everyone around him is an actor. Season two is now streaming, with a new setting. It’s called ‘Company Retreat.’ We’re listening back to our interview with James Marsden, who played a satirical version of himself in the first season.  Also, we remember raconteur Roy Book B...

The Grammy-winning R&B star spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley about making her new album, ‘To Whom This May Concern,’ finding inspiration in the poetry of Nikki Giovanni, and growing up in a multigenerational household.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy EXCLUSIV...

In Francis Spufford’s new novel, ‘Nonesuch,’ magical, time-traveling fascists want to go back in time and murder Winston Churchill before he shores up Britain's will to fight the Nazis. The book’s hero, a young woman named Iris, is trying to survive the Blitz while navigating her love life and sexism in ‘40s London. The author spoke with Fresh Air Executive Producer Sam Briger. TV critic David Bia...