Episodes

  • Best Of: 'Hysterical' Podcaster / 'Seinfeld' Writer

    Best Of: 'Hysterical' Podcaster / 'Seinfeld' Writer
    Jun 28 2025
    What happens when a former federal government employee turns his lens on the psychology of panic? You get Hysterical, a podcast series from Dan Taberski. In it, Taberski investigates a mysterious illness that swept through a group of high school students in upstate New York. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about his award-winning podcast.

    Book critic Maureen Corrigan recommends some mystery and suspense novels for your summer reading list.

    Also, we'll hear from Larry Charles who has been a writer, director and/or executive producer on a number of culturally impactful TV shows and films including Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, and Borat. He spoke with Terry Gross about his new memoir.

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    48 mins
  • Remembering War Correspondent Rod Nordland

    Remembering War Correspondent Rod Nordland
    Jun 27 2025
    After surviving many close calls as a war correspondent — from bullets, mortars and the threat of execution — Rod Nordland was diagnosed with a lethal brain tumor in 2019. He died last week, at the age of 75. In his interview with Terry Gross last year, he spoke about facing his mortality as a war correspondent and as a terminal cancer patient. Nordland covered wars and conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Bosnia, El Salvador and Cambodia.

    Also, we'll listen back to Terry's 1993 conversation with legendary guitarist Buddy Guy, who has a cameo in Sinners.

    TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new season of Hulu's The Bear.

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    46 mins
  • Virgil Abloh's Unconventional Path To Luxury Fashion

    Virgil Abloh's Unconventional Path To Luxury Fashion
    Jun 26 2025
    Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Robin Givhan talks with Tonya Mosley about her new book, Make It Ours: Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virgil Abloh. It's a powerful look at the life and influence of the late designer, who made history as the first Black American artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton. Givhan reveals how Abloh, the son of Ghanaian immigrants and a digital native, shaped by hip hop and skate culture, was able to penetrate fashion's elite barriers and redefine who gets to belong.

    Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews the summer blockbuster F1 starring Brad Pitt.

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    46 mins
  • Ebon Moss-Bachrach Takes Us Inside 'The Bear' Kitchen

    Ebon Moss-Bachrach Takes Us Inside 'The Bear' Kitchen
    Jun 25 2025
    Ebon Moss-Bachrach has won two Emmys for his portrayal of Cousin Richie, the abrasive and ornery cook/maître d' on the FX series The Bear. The show is known for kitchen chaos, but he says the set is calm. He spoke with Fresh Air contributor Ann Marie Baldonado about the show, his character on GIRLS, and his venture into the Marvel Universe.

    TV critic David Bianculli reviews the documentary, My Mom Jayne, produced and edited by Law & Order actor Mariska Hargitay. It's about her mom, the actress Jayne Mansfield, who died young in a car accident.

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    46 mins
  • Will Israel And The U.S. Attacks On Iran Affect Tehran's Regime?

    Will Israel And The U.S. Attacks On Iran Affect Tehran's Regime?
    Jun 24 2025
    Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour has called Trump's bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities a once-in-a-generation event that could transform the Middle East. While the impact of the conflict may not be clear for years, Sadjadpour says the attacks by the U.S. and Israel do raise a more immediate question: Will they strengthen the authoritarian regime in Tehran, or hasten its demise?

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    45 mins
  • Gen Z Is Having Less Sex. Why?

    Gen Z Is Having Less Sex. Why?
    Jun 23 2025
    Journalist Carter Sherman says Gen Z — people ages 13 to 28 — are having less sex than previous generations. As part of her research, Sherman interviewed more than 100 teenagers, college students, and sexual health experts. She argues that miseducation, porn, digital disconnection, and political pressure have combined to reshape how young people experience sex and intimacy. Her book is The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation's Fight Over Its Future.

    Also, critic at large John Powers reviews Endling, the debut novel from Maria Reva.

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    46 mins
  • Best Of: Benicio del Toro / Molly Jong-Fast

    Best Of: Benicio del Toro / Molly Jong-Fast
    Jun 21 2025
    Benicio del Toro talks about his leading role in Wes Anderson's new film, The Phoenician Scheme. He'll look back on his acting career, and tell us about moving from Puerto Rico to Pennsylvania in his teens. His other movies include The Usual Suspects, Traffic and Sicario.

    Justin Chang reviews the new rom-com Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson.

    MSNBC political analyst Molly Jong-Fast's mother Erica Jong became famous from her 1973 novel Fear of Flying, which was considered a groundbreaking work of feminist literature. But Molly's mom became addicted to the fame and couldn't bear to lose it. She talks about her childhood and a year of great loss in her new memoir, How to Lose Your Mother.

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    49 mins
  • Remembering Pioneer Of Gay Lit, Edmund White

    Remembering Pioneer Of Gay Lit, Edmund White
    Jun 20 2025
    Edmund White, one of the most eloquent and perceptive chroniclers of gay life and culture, died June 3. He was 85. His 1982 semi-autobiographical novel, A Boy's Own Story, became an international bestseller. White wrote over 30 books, fiction and nonfiction and co-authored the guide The Joy of Gay Sex. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1985, 1994, 1997, and 2006.

    Jazz critic Martin Johnson reviews a new album from Amaryllis, the septet founded by guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson.

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    46 mins