The Cut

Filmmaker Sandi Tan told the Cut that her next project would be an adaptation of Elif Batuman's novel The Idiot — it's a book about a hapless college freshman. So we brought Elif and Sandi into the studio to talk. Sandi pumped Elif for autobiographical details, Elif told us her big revelation of 2018, and they agreed that people who lose touch with their past selves — however idiotic — are the wor...

Cynthia Nixon joins us this week as we consider the past and future of abortion. What does it look like to end a pregnancy when the law stands in your way? Wendy Zukerman from Science Vs tells us about a group of women in the 60s who developed their own safe abortion kit. And we hear from a Dutch doctor who’s made it her mission to distribute abortion pills in countries without access... which has...

The spring thaw is here... or is it? The Cut staff tries to figure out what it means to be horny in 2019. (The answer involves asking Adam Driver to run you over with a bus.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you see "Mom" in your missed calls, do you start to sweat? Does a voicemail that starts "Hi, sweetie, it's me, so sorry to bother you..." make you twitch? You're not alone. Whether you have a great relationship with your mom or a predominantly shouting-based one, calls between moms and their kids are complicated. And on this episode, we hear from friends, colleagues, and listeners about how t...

Cynthia Rowley is a fashion designer, author, and successful businesswoman, despite not having a background in business. Stella Bugbee talks with Cynthia about balancing work and life, hustling Andy Warhol at the start of her career, taking risks in fashion and business, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we listen in on a conversation between Dr. Alexandra Sacks, host of the new podcast Motherhood Sessions, and Anne. Anne never wanted to be a mom. For years, her family, friends, and husband all told her, "When the baby comes, you'll change your mind" — but the change never came. Anne's now the mother of a toddler, and she's still struggling with lingering doubts about motherhood. You ca...

Topeka Sam and Holly Harris are two women on opposite sides of the political spectrum who’ve worked together to pass criminal justice reform. They both played a part in passing the First Step Act, which reduced mandatory minimums, made it easier for families to visit loved ones, and allowed people who’ve been incarcerated to leave jail early for good behavior. Stella, Topeka and Holly discussed ho...

Nicole Cliffe and Daniel Mallory Ortberg met in the Hairpin comments section and quickly became long-distance friendship soulmates--they went on to start the website The Toast together. This week, they tell us about everything that's happened since they first bonded over Rebecca, answering questions like: How does a friendship change when one of you transitions? What about when one of you finds Go...

Tamara Mellon is a fashion designer, businesswoman, and magazine editor. She founded the luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo in the 90s, and she walked away the company back in 2011. We talked with Tamara about starting her professional life over again in her forties, her path to sobriety, how she's come to peace with fractious family relationships, and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Author Curtis Sittenfeld talks about what it means to sell out -- from short stories on Chipotle cups to brand-written tweets. And she reads her short story "Creative Differences," about the making of a viral ad campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yasmeen Hassan is the Global Executive Director for Equality Now, an international non-profit that has successfully pushed governments around the world to pass laws protecting women from sexual exploitation and harmful cultural practices like genital mutilation. Stella and Yasmeen discussed how to get it done as a single mom, the importance of face to face communication, and growing up in Pakistan...

Marriage: Why do we bother? Our theory is that it all comes down to a good story--so this week, we've got two couples with really good stories. First, she's Deaf and he's hearing. Second, a couple who met while he was serving 25 years in prison. And... we want to hear from you! We're working on an episode about calling our moms -- because, at any given time, there's a decent chance we should proba...

On this week’s show, Stacey Abrams tells us how she wound up $200,000 in debt, and Abigail Disney explains why no one should have a private jet. We're talking about the financial baggage we inherit from our parents—whether that means a trust fund, a mountain of medical bills, or a compulsive attraction to two-for-one deals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2014, Nora McInerny miscarried a child, lost her dad to cancer and her husband to a brain tumor, all within weeks of each other. Since then, she's written three books - her latest, No Happy Endings, was just released - and started a podcast called "Terrible, Thanks for Asking." Stella talked with Nora about how she got it done while her life was in turmoil, and how she gets it done now, as she...

This week, we return to the dawn of sexual knowledge--a time when the first stirrings of horniness were paired with a total lack of useful information. Featuring AIM, purity rings, a nail polish bottle, Song of Solomon, and The Neverending Story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our "How I Get It Done" series is back! For this episode, we sat down with Rukmini Callimachi, award winning journalist and host of the podcast Caliphate. She's been reporting on Islamic extremism for years, and her reporting has brought her to some of the most dangerous places in the world. Stella Bugbee talked with Rukmini about how she balances the risks of her job with her ambition, her secret...

We talked with Sally Rooney, author of Conversations With Friends and Normal People, about why she writes, how she’s smuggled socialism into page turners, the best way to keep her readers hooked, and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Natasha Lyonne, Greta Lee, Padma Lakshmi, Aidy Bryant, and Hope Solo tell us how they tackle rejection, imposter syndrome, new job stress, and get it all done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’ve got a story from our friends at the Nod about MDMA, therapy, and racial trauma.  You can find more episodes of The Nod wherever you listen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we take a look at ambition: the internal force that wakes you up at 2:30 am full of ideas, that makes you want to do more than you thought you could, or than anyone else said you can. We talk with writer, director, and actor Pamela Adlon; The Cut's Stella Bugbee, and outgoing New York Magazine editor Adam Moss about how they've each embraced (or rejected) their ambition.  Learn more abo...

A cartoon, a genius, a man who hated sweatpants... Making sense of one of the greatest fashion designers of all time, with Vanessa Grigoriadis, Carl Swanson, and Cathy Horyn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the fight over later abortions, the political rhetoric is miles away from the lived reality. This week, we tell one woman’s story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How are we feeling about weed? On this week's show, we talk to Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld of HBO's High Maintenance, Jia Tolentino, Aminatou Sow, Allison P. Davis, Nazanin Rafsanjani, Alex Blumberg, and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Lisa Miller's editor came to her with this story idea, she didn't want anything to do with it. But then she started poking around... and wound up spending the next year reporting what she found. On this week’s show, the link between menopause and late onset schizophrenia, and the role estrogen might play in women’s mental health You can read Lisa's original reporting for the magazine here.  L...

"Likeable" has always been a loaded word when it comes to women in politics--it sounds a lot like barely-veiled sexism. But what if everything's changing? How does a politician make voters like her in 2019? And, we want to hear from you! We're working on an episode about weed, and we want to hear about the secret things you like to do while high. Leave us a message and tell us about your stoned ac...