Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness

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...

Mirai Nagasu was the first American female figure skater to land a triple axel at the Olympics, securing a bronze medal at PyeongChang 2018. Jonathan chokes back tears of love and joy to get deep into the technical, artistic and political aspects of figure skating. Plus, Mirai shares what it’s been like losing the skates to compete in Dancing with the Stars: Athletes. Find Mirai on Instagram at mi...

Professor James Nieh answers Jonathan’s questions about the diseases that are killing off our bees, explains the role bees play in bringing us almonds, and outlines the hierarchies and communication processes going on in hives all over the world. Professor Nieh works out of UC San Diego, researching how natural and man-made stressors affect the biology and behavior of bees. Find out more about Pro...

Dr Natalie Feinblatt explains the four criteria an organization needs to meet to be called a cult and looks at how the term can be used and misused in relationship to religions and rehabilitation programs. Plus, Jonathan asks about murder porn cults and Wild Wild Country, because that’s what the podcast charts like, right? Find Dr. Natalie Feinblatt’s work at DrNatalieFeinblatt.com. She’s on Insta...

Queer Eye co-host Antoni Porowski joins Jonathan in a wintery New York studio to hang out, share stories from his childhood as a first generation Polish Canadian, and to compare the schooling systems he experienced in Montreal and West Virginia. Follow Antoni on Twitter and Instagram on @antoni. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @Curio...

Tim Molina, Political Director at Courage Campaign, explains why he’s currently focusing on California bail reform and what exactly he's hoping to change. Tim’s on Twitter @TMMolina and Courage Campaign is on Twitter @CourageCampaign. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at Jonat...

Catherine Cahill is an opioid neuropharmacologist and a professor in UCLA’s Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Studies, specializing in chronic pain. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Jonathan asks Professor Cahill why we experience pain, what makes chronic pain so different and what we can do to treat it. You can find out more about Professor Cahill’s work at UCLA or follow her on Twitter @Pai...

Andrew Ti, host of the podcast Yo, Is This Racist?, talks to Jonathan about how Trump’s America isn’t necessarily more racist than Obama’s, and about why we should be challenging ourselves and others on an ongoing basis. Check out Andrew Ti’s Yo, Is This Racist? blog and podcast. He’s on Twitter and Instagram @ANDREWTI. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Ins...

Dr. Chris Evans talks with Jonathan about how people get addicted to opioids, why addiction is so hard to kick, and what we can do about this national crisis. Dr. Evans is Director of the Brain Research Institute at UCLA and the Hatos Centre for Neuropharmacology. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each...

Jonathan sits down with his mom, Mary Winters, to talk about the way media is changing, childhood costumes, and things you learn on podcasts. And were there ribbon sticks or not?! With Jonathan Van Ness and guest, Mary Winters. Edited by Stacey Molski. Produced by Christian Dueñas and Daniel Baruela for MaximumFun.org. You can find Jonathan on Twitter @TheGayOfThrones or follow him on his Instagra...

Jonathan sits down with singer, songwriter, recording artist extraordinaire Lizzo to talk about having her heart broken, getting an album named one of the Top 20 of 2016, who she's obsessed with, and how she defines a "bad bitch." You can find Lizzo on Instagram @LizzoBeEating, and on Twitter @Lizzo. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @...

This week, Jonathan sits down with Wanyi Jiang, Design Director at Marie Claire. They talk about Wanyi's path to design, what 1990s TV drama is inspiring today's fashion, and the real problem with Millennials. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out...

Jonathan sits down with model Denise Bidot to talk about the modeling industry, New York Fashion Week, and how to truly embrace your body, curves and all. Plus, Denise tells us how to deal with haters on the internet. Denise is on Twitter and Instagram @denisebidot. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for eac...

Jonathan sits down with therapist and author Stan Tatkin to talk about how we can create meaningful and fulfilling relationships with other human beings. Plus, they discuss dating as a numbers game, the idea of soulmates, and Jonathan asks for love advice on behalf of his friends. Find Dr. Tatkin’s work at https://stantatkin.com. He’s on Twitter and Facebook @DrStanTatkin and Instagram @StanTatkin...

Jonathan sits down with evolutionary biologist Dr. Leryn Gorlitsky to discuss the many mass extinctions that have happened through Earth’s lifetime, why some species survive and why others die, and how humans are the primary cause of the ongoing mass extinction today. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for e...

Jonathan sits down with Physician Assistant and PrEP Research Clinician Kayla McLaughlin to talk about what PrEP is, how far HIV research has gotten since the 1980s, and why HIV is so hard to cure. Plus, Kayla discusses the curious cases of the Mississippi Baby and the Berlin Patient. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN....

This week on Getting Curious, Jonathan is joined by Editorial Manager Andrei Berman and Deputy Press Secretary Taylor Maxwell of Everytown for Gun Safety to talk about the second amendment, the ins and outs of the NRA, and what we can do to help promote gun safety. Everytown is on Twitter @Everytown and at www.everytown.org. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us o...

Jonathan sits down with physics professor Alan Weinstein to discuss gravitational waves, Einstein's theory of relativity, and his work for LIGO. Plus, Jonathan and Alan try to imitate the sound of two black holes merging. It's delightful. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at J...