The Nightly

Matt Bragg talks with caller Alicia about her chaotic New York move, her stash of mismatched Band-Aids and multiplying bay leaves, and the memory box she can no longer find. What You'll Hear: A Seal With a Splint: Matt opens the show nursing a wrist, an elbow, and a fridge-door incident courtesy of his girlfriend, setting the tone for a night of minor domestic chaos. Twenty Boxes and a Truckload o...

Matt Bragg talks with Caller Amber about entitled strangers, airport etiquette meltdowns, and the strange thrill of calling out a guy who wouldn't return his shopping cart. What You'll Hear: The Great Disneyland Shove: Amber recounts getting physically shoved aside by a stranger at, of all places, the happiest place on Earth, and she and Matt debate whether courtesy has quietly left the building....

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Jonathan about chasing the magic of a late-night convertible drive, his homebody dog Felix, and whether a quarter-life crisis (or a convertible) might be the answer. What You'll Hear: A Late-Night Drive Down Memory Lane: Jonathan's recent convertible joyride down the coast sends him and Greta tumbling into nostalgia for corn fields, Portishead, and driving with nowh...

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Arielle about the meticulous list she keeps of every stranger and old friend she's ever bumped into, the math behind coincidence, and the particular high of an unplanned run-in. What You'll Hear: A Very Specific Kind of List: Arielle explains the running note she's kept since 2023, logging every chance encounter down to the circumstance, and why she's still chasing...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Eleanor about ditching friend groups for deeper one-on-one connections, the quiet joy of a good double date, and the surprising magic of "one-on-two" friendships. What You'll Hear: The Case for the Phone Call: Josh opens up about being an unapologetic phone call guy, and why catching up voice-to-voice with far-off friends feels more intimate than any text thread. B...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Anne about her reverse nostalgia for wire-rim glasses and big jeans, her new obsession with friendship bracelets, and the American Girl doll she surprised her mom with this summer. What You'll Hear: Grown-Up Jokes Hidden in Cartoons: Josh opens with a little ode to Animaniacs and the strange thrill of catching adult humor you weren't quite ready for as a kid. Wire...

Greta Johnsen chats with Ana Campos, the community manager of Postcrossing, about the quiet joy of mailing a postcard to a total stranger. Postcrossing is a free project that has helped people around the globe connect with strangers via postcards. What You'll Hear: The Mailbox Surprise: Greta replays a clip from Caller Lyndsay, who explains why finding a postcard among the junk mail still feels li...

Matt Bragg talks with caller Jaimee about her husband's golf obsession, the case for a golf widows' club, and her not-so-secret love of true-crime audiobooks. What You'll Hear: A Cat With a Vendetta: Matt kicks things off with an update from his cat-sitting gig next door, featuring one very unneutered, very unimpressed feline. The Golf Widow Diagnosis: Jaimee explains the term that perfectly descr...

Matt Bragg talks with Caller Loree about Harry and Meghan's return to the UK, the temptation of a fresh start, and why the grass isn't always greener on the other side. What You'll Hear: The Passport Photo Problem: Matt opens with a small confession about hating his own passport photo, and how being underslept never photographs well. Harry, Meghan, and the Big Move Back: Loree calls in curious abo...

Greta Johnsen talks with Kristen Meinzer about Dolly Parton's legacy of quiet kindness, persistent tattoo rumors, and the pandemic mornings that ran on "9 to 5." What You'll Hear: A Feed Full of Dolly: Greta and Kristen talk about the overwhelming, world-wide outpouring of love after Dolly Parton's passing, and why it feels different from the usual wave of celebrity mourning. The Dolly Room Confes...

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Lyndsay about her love of postcards, mildly threatening notes, and the underrated joy of a stuffed mailbox. What You'll Hear: The Puzzle of a Postcard: Greta and Lindsay talk about the small mystery of figuring out who sent a postcard before you even flip it over, and why that little guessing game is half the fun. Threatening Postcards, Lovingly Sent: Greta shares h...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Abbie about her 80-hour knitting projects and her surprise wool allergy. What You'll Hear: A Hobby Confession: Josh wonders aloud whether yelling at a basketball game counts as a hobby, and admits his relationship with crossword puzzles is happily unfinished. The Sweater Math: Abbie breaks down the real cost of a hand-knit sweater, and why $1.50/hr for calm might b...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Lauren about her upcoming podcast on bathroom culture and her lifelong ritual that she calls "Shower Belly." What You'll Hear: A Judgmental Shower Critic Confesses: Josh opens up about his surprisingly strong opinions on hotel water pressure, soap scents, and the strange comfort of coming home to your own shower. Bathrooms as Secret Social Hubs: Lauren shares why s...

Josh Gondelman talks with his friend Erin about learning to surf as an adult, the surprising kindness of Rockaway Beach versus the fistfights of "Topangry" LA, and why one good wave can keep you paddling out for hours. What You'll Hear: A Late-Blooming Love of the Ocean: Josh revisits a caller's confession about discovering the beach as an adult, then rings up his friend Erin, an enthusiastic amat...

Matt Bragg talks with caller Daphne about brainstorming career pivots, the wisdom of a funeral director who moonlights selling ice cream, and whether an Alaskan cruise can cure an existential spiral. What You'll Hear: Twenty-Five Minutes on a Folk Festival Stage: Matt recounts bombing in front of eight thousand folk fans, and how badly a gig has to go before you start Googling new careers. From Re...

Matt Bragg talks with Caller Aaron about his conflicting feelings about using Wikipedia as a legitimately useful, if messy, way to learn. What You'll Hear: A Yard Buried in Hay: Matt recounts his multi-day battle against a runaway hay trailer that's been dumping loads onto his street, and why fifteen rubble sacks in, he's decided manual labor was never his calling. In Wikipedia's Defense: Caller A...

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Mark about his plan to break up with email entirely, the horror of unsubscribe exit interviews, and why Christopher Nolan's inbox is definitely not his own. What You'll Hear: The Big Announcement: Mark calls in from Minneapolis with a mysterious confession -- he's seriously considering ditching email for good, and Greta is delighted to dig into why. The Unsubscribe...

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Paul about his reading comeback, the emotional wallop of Hamnet, and why he still craves the smell of a real book. What You'll Hear: The 1,200-Page Surprise: Greta kicks things off with a friend's funny realization that his new e-book was secretly enormous, sparking a little debate about whether not knowing a book's length is a blessing or a curse. A Reader Finds Hi...

Josh Gondelman talks with caller Thomas from Vancouver about déjà rêvé, that eerie feeling that real life is echoing a dream you can't quite place, plus recurring teeth-falling-out nightmares and a dream journal gone whimsically off the rails. What You'll Hear: Déjà Vu's Dreamy Cousin: Thomas explains déjà rêvé, the strange sense that something mundane happening right now was already dreamed, and...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Annabel about her surprising new love of the beach as an adult, from her Rockaway-bound bagel runs to the best sleep of her life afterward. What You'll Hear: A Late Bloomer Falls for the Ocean: Josh wonders aloud what it's like to discover the beach at 24, and then gets his answer straight from someone living it. The Bagel-to-Blanket Pipeline: Annabel walks through...

Greta Johnsen talks with sports reporter Maggie Hendricks about parallel-universe fan loyalties and why switching teams is never actually on the table. What You'll Hear The Alternate Universe Rewind: Greta replays caller Alex's confession that he could have avoided years of heartbreak by picking the Green Bay Packers over the Minnesota Vikings, then brings in Chicago sports reporter Maggie Hendric...

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Alexa about her lifelong cilantro-soap confusion, the genetic quirk behind picky palates, and the joys of turning suspicious herbs into pesto. What You'll Hear: Ketchup, Pineapple, and Other Hills to Die On: Greta kicks things off by confessing her most controversial Chicago food opinions, ketchup on hot dogs and all. The Cilantro-Soap Mystery, Solved-ish: Caller Al...

Greta Johnsen talks with caller Bernadette about her sudden urge to join a book club, the perils of a 6:30 a.m. book meeting, and how to build a club that runs on wine, snacks, and no spoilers. What You'll Hear: The Greta Graham Book Club: Greta shares how her monthly Zoom book club has thrived for over two years, complete with a beloved regular who complains about every single book. A Book Club B...

Greta Johnsen talks with caller Joe about the sprawling wooden town of the Maryland Renaissance Faire, his new life as a stone-giant magician in a virtual D&D group, and the search for a hobby that won't leave him talking to himself. What You'll Hear: The Wax Hand That Started It All: Greta opens with a childhood memory of dipping her hand in colored wax at the Renaissance Faire, and wonders aloud...

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Alex from New York about his lifelong loyalty to the maddening Minnesota Vikings (despite note being from Minnesota) and why some paths in life are simply neutral. What You'll Hear: Dragons, Basketball, and a Ten-Year-Old's Fate: Greta opens with a childhood memory of a college basketball game, a fantasy novel, and the moment her dad accepted she wasn't destined for...