It's Been a Minute

The Kardashians. Whether you're into them or not, one thing is true: You can't avoid them. When they're not releasing new episodes of their long-running reality TV show, they're making headlines about Halloween costume reveals or ex-husbands who go on anti-Semitic rants. Because somehow, over the past decade, the Kardashian family went from Hollywood D-listers to American institution. Host Brittan...

If you ask people to describe Christine Baranski, one word rises to the top: sophisticated. That's no accident; the actress has spent a lifetime refining her image and her craft. For the past 13 years, Baranski has played Diane Lockhart, a savvy and assertive attorney on the CBS television series The Good Wife and its spin-off The Good Fight . And just like her character, Baranski is a trailblazer...

Spooky season is upon us, so we decided to sink our teeth into the world of vampires. Host Brittany Luse kicks off the conversation with Kendra R. Parker, who teaches a class at Georgia Southern University about Black vampires in film and literature. They talk about the racial and sexual politics of vampire narratives and why humans continue to find vampire stories compelling. Then Brittany sits d...

Every fall, with the same regularity as birds flying south, Spirit Halloween materializes in locations across the country. The superstore sells all manner of trappings for spooky season, including costumes, props and décor. It boasts about 1,400 pop-ups nationwide, and often takes over temporary leases in malls where a big-box retailer struggled to stay open. This penchant for swooping in on faili...

The It's Been a Minute team gives you a sneak peek at the event of the season: BravoCon, where our producer met his favorite housewife, and the Salt Lake City stars spill the tea to host Brittany Luse . Then, Brittany sits down with Julio Torres, a comedian, actor, writer and creator of HBO's Los Espookys . They discuss the influences behind his unique world-building. Finally, if you're a Taylor S...

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has big dreams. The 20-year-old gained full celebrity status with her breakout role as Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen hit Never Have I Ever. But now that filming has wrapped for the show's four seasons, Ramakrishnan is looking ahead. Host Brittany Luse gets Ramakrishnan dishing on everything from cosplay to car chases. They also talk about Ramakrishnan's wildest dream r...

The saga around Elon Musk's deal to buy Twitter has been just that: a months-long soap opera involving lawsuits and subpoenas, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, even a town hall. But why does Musk — one of the world's richest and arguably most influential men — want with a social media platform? Host Brittany Luse dives into the dreams and myths surrounding Elon Musk with Jill Lepore, a...

When our host Brittany Luse first heard of The Woman King – a film about an all-women warrior unit defending the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the years of the Atlantic slave trade – the idea made her nervous. Hollywood's record with Black historical dramas is pretty checkered. But then she saw it. In this episode, Brittany breaks down the film's significance and the task of approaching h...

Stacey Abrams wants to make history again. After losing the Georgia governor's race to Brian Kemp back in 2018, Abrams — the first Black woman to be a major party's gubernatorial candidate — spent four years coalition building across the state. Now she's back, armed with a national reputation, the experience of running for statewide office and a fresh determination to defend her state from voter s...

NPR is proud to present Brittany Luse as the new host for It's Been A Minute. Whether you're a long time listener or you're just finding the show, you know that culture doesn't happen by accident. Find out why with Brittany every Tuesday and Friday starting October 7. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponso...

Today we have a special drop from our friends at NPR's Alt. Latino ! The show just welcomed Anamaria Sayre as a new co-host alongside Felix Contreras. In this conversation, Anamaria chats with Spanish musician Rosalía about her recent album Motomami , how she uses the album to play in different genres, and why she embraces change. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@n...

When folks think about where to get the latest in hip-hop, NPR doesn't usually come to mind. But that's changing, thanks to the team at the Tiny Desk Concerts, which was just nominated as the Best Hip-Hop Platform for the 2022 BET Awards. Since 2008, Tiny Desk Concerts have delighted millions of listeners and viewers on YouTube with stripped-down performances from their favorite artists. Now the s...

Julissa Arce used to think that the secret to fitting in was to "sound white" — to speak English perfectly, with no accent. And for years after her family came to the U.S. from Mexico, she did all the things immigrants are "supposed" to do to assimilate: she went to college, got a job at Goldman Sachs and became an American citizen. It wasn't enough. So Arce decided that the solution was to stop t...

We talk TV REBOOTS. Guest host Elise Hu chats with Judy Greer about her role in the new Hulu series Reboot; her work as a comedic actress, and the state of television. Then, Elise talks with Daniel Herbert, associate professor of film and TV at the University of Michigan and co-editor of the book Film Reboots , about why so many old shows are being remade now. Plus, a special reboot-themed "Who Sa...

HBO gave us some of the most iconic television shows of our time: Sex and the City. The Sopranos. Game of Thrones. But is the era of HBO coming to a close? Earlier this year, HBO's parent company, Warner Media, merged with Discovery. By next year, the new Warner Bros. Discovery will combine HBO Max with Discovery Plus into an as-yet unnamed umbrella streaming service. The merger raises questions a...

King Charles III doesn't enjoy the same popularity as his mother. In the face of mixed feelings towards the new king, some are asking: Is this the beginning of the end of the British monarchy? Guest host Elise Hu talks to Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, lawyer, activist and author of This Is Why I Resist about this new era for the British royals, the power they hold and the potential opportunities for t...

To celebrate their 15th anniversary, the K-pop group Girls' Generation put out their newest album, 'Forever 1.' Today, we're taking a look back at their career and how they changed the standards for K-pop through music, choreography and beauty. Their impact doesn't stop at that — Girls' Generation's debut song is now being used to change the world, just not in the way they planned. Guest host Elis...

Serena Williams just played her last U.S. Open. In the historic two-plus decades of her tennis career, she's won 23 Grand Slams and four Olympic gold medals — all while becoming a mother, dealing with injuries and health crises and facing more scrutiny and downright bias than her peers. Guest host Elise Hu talks to Alex Abad-Santos, senior correspondent at Vox , about her legacy in sports and beyo...

The Russian pop duo t. A.T.u released their smash single "All The Things She Said" 20 years ago this week. To this day, the bop is a queer staple, but should it be? From t. A.T.u to Britney Spears and Madonna, the early 2000s were full of straight women dabbling in queerness for profit. In this episode, senior producer Barton Girdwood sits down with author Jill Gutowitz ( Girls Can Kiss Now ) to t...

For a long time, Dungeons & Dragons was stereotyped as a game for nerdy young white guys in their parents' basement. But not anymore — the game has exploded in popularity and players of all backgrounds are joining in. Guest co-host Andrea Gutierrez talks to Jasmine Bhullar and Persephone Valentine, both content creators and dungeon masters, about how D&D has become an exciting medium for marginali...

What is culture, where does it come from and why does it change? W. David Marx , author of the new book Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change , says the answers come from our desire for prestige. Marx tells guest host Elise Hu how status has historically worked to drive trends like gourmet cupcakes or dark wash jeans, how the...

BeReal may be the hottest new social media app on the market, but can it live up to its promise to be a more authentic alternative to other platforms? Guest co-host Elise Hu talks with writers Haley Nahman and Ryan Broderick about how BeReal signifies a shift in what we want from our apps and why social media always barrels towards its worst self. They also flex their pop culture knowledge in a ga...

The Starz hit series P-Valley takes audiences to a strip club in a fictional town in the Mississippi Delta. Part soap opera, part Southern Gothic, the show focuses on the interior lives of the Black women who work at the club — and the complex social dynamics that shape their lives. On this episode from our friends at Code Switch , co-hosts Gene Demby and B.A. Parker speak with series creator and...

Bad Bunny is the biggest pop star in the world, so what does he believe in? Guest host Tracie Hunte and political anthropologist Yarimar Bonilla look at the politics of Bad Bunny, and his vision of a Puerto Rico for Puerto Ricans. Plus, Tracie talks to James Beard award-winning author Michael W. Twitty about his new book, "Koshersoul," how we connect to our histories through food and what makes a...

In FX's Reservation Dogs , Dallas Goldtooth plays the character "Spirit" — a Native American warrior in feathers and buckskin who curses and makes dirty jokes. Dallas also brings his irreverence to the frontlines of protests against oil pipelines. He talks to guest host Tracie Hunte about merging his passions for comedy and organizing, and how he's changing stereotypes with heaps of joy. You can f...