Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness

Dr. Jeff Chen is the head of UCLA’s new Cannabis Research Initiative. He joins Jonathan to break down the numerous medicinal properties of THC, how it works, its effect on the mind and body, new cannabis research breakthroughs, marijuana laws, and more! Dr. Chen is on Instagram @drjeffchen. You can learn more about his work at www.uclahealth.org/cannabis/jeff-chen and www.uclahealth.org/cannabis....

Paul Geithner is the Deputy Project Manager — Technical for the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Paul joins Jonathan to give him a crash course in what the electro-magnetic spectrum is, how space debris can effect space programs, the vastness of space, his work with the James Webb Space Telescope, and more. Learn more about Paul’s work at htt...

Karl Racine is Attorney General for the District of Columbia - the only Attorney General in Trump’s backyard. He is the first elected AG in the District of Columbia, the co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, and the VP of the bipartisan National Association of Attorneys General. Attorney General Racine joins Jonathan to talk about corruption in government, his work to fight sys...

Gaby Goldstein is co-founder and Political Director of the Sister District Project, a grassroots organization of over 30,000 volunteers that supports Democratic candidates. She joins Jonathan to talk the importance of flipping red states blue, strategies to win legislative races, and more. Gaby Goldstein is on Twitter @gaby__goldstein. You can learn more about Sister District at https://sisterdist...

Julia Landauer is an American professional stock car driver who joins Jonathan to discuss being one of the few professional female drivers, the physical demands of driving, navigating a predominantly male dominated profession, her racing origins, how a pit crew works, and more. Find Julia’s work at https://julialandauer.com/. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @julialandauer. Find out what today’s gue...

Dr. Laura Ferguson is an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California and the associate director of the Program on Global Health & Human Rights at the USC Institute for Global Health. She joins Jonathan to discuss the importance of global health and its impact on day-to-day life. Dr. Ferguson is on Twitter @lauraf_la. The USC Institute for Global Health is on...

Dr. Amy Baker is a nationally recognized expert in parent-child relationships, parental alienation, and child emotional abuse who joins Jonathan to discuss the signs and causes of parental alienation, how it affects children, and how to avoid it. Find Dr. Amy Baker’s work at https://www.amyjlbaker.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter...

Dr. Nanthia Suthana is a neuroscientist from UCLA who joins Jonathan to discuss memories, how the brain works, epilepsy, new breakthroughs in medical technologies, how virtual reality is used in therapy, and more. Find Dr. Suthana's work at http://neurosurgery.ucla.edu/nanthia-suthana. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN....

Reese Witherspoon is an actress, producer, entrepreneur, and author of the newly released Whiskey in a Teacup, who joins Jonathan to talk British Baking Challenge, the work-life balance of social media, lady-entrepreneurship, the creation of Big Little Lies, the need to create better acting roles for all women, and more. Find Reese’s new book Whiskey in a Teacup at http://www.whiskeyinateacupbook....

Nicole Byer is a comedian, writer, and host of Netflix’s Nailed It as well as the Why Won’t You Date Me? podcast. Erin Gibson is a comedian, director/writer, creator of Gay of Thrones and the host of Throwing Shade. They join Jonathan live in Montreal at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival to talk Erin giving Jonathan his big break, being women in comedy & empowered content creators, Roseanne’s me...

Michelle Wolf is a comedian & writer featured performer at the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner and hosted The Break with Michelle Wolf. Florence Welch is an English musician, producer, singer/songwriter, and lead vocalist and primary songwriter of Florence & The Machine. They join Jonathan live at Outside Lands Festival to talk a variety subjects including reactions to Michelle’s Correspon...

Justin Theroux is an actor, producer, screenwriter, and director who joins Jonathan to talk about early days living and traveling in China, landing his first major acting role, his outlook on life, as well as a surprise Q&A session with Tan & Antoni. Recorded live at Vulture Fest. Find Justin’s work at https://www.achancetobloom.org/. He’s on Instagram @JustinTheroux. Find out what today’s guest a...

Dr. Adi Jaffe is a specialist in mental health, addiction, and shame who has spoken at multiple TEDx events and has a doctorate in psychology from UCLA. He joins Jonathan to discuss addiction and alternative treatments, the negative consequences of shame, and how abstinence-based treatment is not the only method to recovery. Find Dr Adi Jaffe’s work on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dradijaffe....

Hrishikesh Hirway is a musician & host of Song Exploder who joins with Jonathan to talk about about the many elements that go into creating a song, speaking with artists like Solange, Lorde, & Weezer about their creative process & what goes into their songwriting, as well as his own creative process. Find Hrishi Hirway on Twitter & Instagram @HrishiHirway & visit Song Exploder http://songexploder....

Bobby Berk is an interior designer & fellow Queer Eye cast member who joins Jonathan to talk growing up closeted in the Midwest, emancipating himself from his parents as a teen, landing the role on Queer Eye, finding his way to New York City, and his love for interior design. Check out the Queer Eye cast's Glamour friendship test here. Find Bobby Berk on Twitter & Instagram @bobbyberk & visit his...

Dr. Elizabeth Barnert joins Jonathan to talk about the toxic effects that separating families can have on a child’s physical and mental state, the process of family reunification, and how to help child who have been impacted by family separation. Dr. Barnert is a pediatrician and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hosp...

Austyn Weiner is a renowned photographer and artist extraordinaire who, at 28 years old, has worked with the likes of Cara Delevingne and Gigi Hadid and exhibited at Art Basel. Jonathan talks with this business woman and artist about her own artistic evolution, and the advice she’d offer to young female artists coming up behind her: commit 100%, share with those around you, don’t be afraid to put...

Ryan Huber is an ethicists, PhD, and theologian who joins Jonathan to talk ethics, the life and death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazism in post-WWI Germany, and what we can learn from the past. Find Ryan Huber on Twitter @ryanmhuber or visit his site https://arcdigital.media. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter...

Amit Paley is the CEO of the Trevor Project and joins Jonathan to talk about the suicide rates among LGBTQ youth, destigmatizing the conversations around suicide & mental illness, and the importance of the work of The Trevor Project. Find Amit Paley’s work at TheTrevorProject.org and @TrevorProject on Twitter @amitpaley. The Trevor Lifeline - 1-866-488-7386 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1...

Tan France is the fashion expert for Queer Eye and joins Jonathan to talk about growing up in Yorkshire, getting a Barbie collection from his dad, and when he realized he wanted to marry a boy. Plus, Tan discusses coming out to a religious household and how Queer Eye helped him find acceptance with his family. Check out more of Tan’s work at TanFrance.com. He tweets @tanfrance and you can follow h...

Helen Zaltzman hosts The Allusionist podcast and joins Jonathan to talk about the current and historical differences between British English and American English. It doesn’t take long for the conversation to spiral out to cover accents, manners, and how language can be used to shape our opinions and understanding of the news. Find Helen’s work at TheAllusionist.org. She's on Twitter @HelenZaltzman...

Jessica Rae Huber is a film and television composer who has written music for projects such as The Walking Dead, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Outlander, and Constantine. Jonathan talks with Jessica about how she got into film scoring, the process of adding music to a TV show, and the important Walking Dead death she saw before the rest of us. Plus he gets into the #MeToo side of scoring and wh...

Nineteen years ago, Amy Throckmorton donated an egg. Eighteen years later, she was contacted out of the blue by Gaba, whose life she helped create. Amy and Gaba met, and discovered that Gaba is currently a singer in the SoCal Vocals, the acapella group that Amy was a member of at college. Jonathan had to talk to them and serve some Pitch Perfect realness. Amy Throckmorton is on Twitter @Hereinamyl...

Lisa Boutin Vitela is Assistant Professor of Art History at Cerritos College. In Jonathan’s words, she’s “most professory about the gorgeous Renaissance,” so she comes by to talk about the Ninja Turtle artists (Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Leonardo Da Vinci), plus feminist art trailblazer Artemisia Gentileschi. Professor Boutin Vitela is on Twitter @LisaBoutin and Instagram @ProfVitela147...

Karamo Brown joins Jonathan to talk about his childhood, gay rights, school shootings, The Real World, make-up, self improvement, working for Oprah, and their shared experiences on Queer Eye. Find Karamo on Twitter and Instagram @KaramoBrown, and at his website KaramoBrown.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcr...