Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including weekly bonus episodes and curated playlists of archive interviews from Fresh Air.And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air Weekly, to get interview highlights, staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and the week's interviews and reviews all in one place. Sign up at...
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Sep 28, 2026 · 45:37
MacLachlan was just 23 when he auditioned for Lynch's adaptation of Dune . The two would go on to work together on the cult classics Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks . “The worlds that…
Sep 26, 2026 · 47:58
Rhiannon Giddens doesn’t usually make pop music, but she wrote and played the banjo riff on Beyoncé’s country single, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” She comes from the Black string band…
Sep 25, 2026 · 46:57
The Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist has one foot in traditional bluegrass and another in improvisational jam music. He has a new album, So Much for Goodbyes ,…
Sep 24, 2026 · 45:40
Sean Combs founded Bad Boy Records and spent three decades as one of the most powerful men in hip hop. Now he's serving a federal prison sentence. Rolling Stone reporter Cheyenne…
Sep 23, 2026 · 46:20
As President Trump and China's President Xi prepare to meet tomorrow, Rush Doshi of the Council on Foreign Relations explains the current state of US-China relations and what to…
Sep 22, 2026 · 46:00
WIRED ’s Andy Greenberg explains how a cybercrime operation in Southeast Asia trapped computer engineers into defrauding victims of billions of dollars. Plus he discusses the…
Sep 21, 2026 · 46:57
A self-described "folkie to the bone," Giddens talks with Terry Gross about channeling her ancestors through her instrument, playing on Beyoncé’s country single “Texas Hold ‘Em,”…
Sep 19, 2026 · 49:07
10 years ago, former 49ers NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest police violence against Black people. After the season ended, he…
Sep 18, 2026 · 46:47
The new film Coyote vs. ACME is based on the classic Warner Bros. cartoons featuring the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote. Today, we listen back to Terry’s 1989 interview with…
Sep 17, 2026 · 45:45
In a biography of Roy Cohn, Kai Bird looks at how the lawyer taught President Trump to deny, delay, attack, sue and countersue, never admit defeat, side step paying bills and…
Sep 16, 2026 · 46:15
Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins says while Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is a U.S. special envoy negotiating peace, he's also working on private…
Sep 15, 2026 · 45:22
Brooks grew up in a church where her mom was a minister and her dad a deacon. She went on to play Taystee in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black . Now she co-stars in the…
Sep 14, 2026 · 45:45
It has been 10 years since former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem, in protest of police brutality against Black people. Once the season…
Sep 12, 2026 · 49:17
Author Claire Vaye Watkins lives in the Mojave Desert, just like the protagonist in her new novel, Yellow Pine . In the book, it’s an area being developed by an energy company,…
Sep 11, 2026 · 46:29
For the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, we go into our archive for voices of those who were there. Deputy Fire Chief John “Jay” Jonas spoke with Terry Gross about being…
Sep 10, 2026 · 46:30
Despite record viewership and attendance, and amazing talent across the league, the WNBA has been caught up in the national conversation about the culture wars. Sportswriter…
Sep 9, 2026 · 46:26
In his book Homeland: The War on Terror in American Life , Richard Beck looks at how the Sept. 11 attacks led to the expansion of government surveillance and a sharp increase in…
Sep 8, 2026 · 45:44
A decade ago, Casey Gerald was running a celebrated nonprofit, giving TED talks, and on magazine covers as proof that the American dream still works. Then he shut it all down and…
Sep 7, 2026 · 46:32
For Labor Day, we’re listening back to our 2009 interview with Rosanne Cash. When she was 18, in 1973, her father Johnny Cash gave her a list of 100 essential country songs he…
Sep 5, 2026 · 49:23
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is nominated for an Emmy for his performance in the Marvel series ‘Wonder Man,’ but two weeks after his nomination, Disney announced the series would not…
Sep 4, 2026 · 46:47
Writer, activist and face of the women’s liberation movement Gloria Steinem died Wednesday at age 92. She spoke with Terry Gross several times over four decades, this remembrance…
Sep 3, 2026 · 45:13
Paul Greengrass’ new film, The Uprising , stars Andrew Garfield as a 14th-century peasant who, in the wake of the Plague, leads a revolt against the king. It's a history…
Sep 2, 2026 · 46:17
Tech giants like Google and Microsoft have been competing for years to get their devices, software and AI into public schools, even offering free training programs for teachers…
Sep 1, 2026 · 46:30
Coltrane was one of the most influential musicians in the history of jazz, from his beautiful ballads, to his more spiritual music, and his role in the forefront of free jazz.…
Aug 31, 2026 · 45:47
Atlantic journalist Annie Lowrey explores the administrative burdens people face applying for government benefits like unemployment and food assistance. It's not just about…
Aug 29, 2026 · 49:00
Jason Segel returns to talk with Terry Gross about his Emmy-nominated series Shrinking , in which he plays a therapist who suffered a nervous breakdown in the wake of his wife’s…
Aug 28, 2026 · 46:03
Actor Tim Curry, best-known for playing mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show , died this week at age 80. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2005 about…
Aug 27, 2026 · 45:24
In his Prime Video series, Bait , Riz Ahmed plays an actor auditioning to be the next James Bond. Ahmed says Bond is a "symbol of aspiration, this unattainable kind of self" his…
Aug 26, 2026 · 46:36
The beloved country superstar died Tuesday at age 80. Parton spoke with Terry Gross in 2001 about growing up in rural poverty with 11 siblings, leaving for Nashville to become a…
Aug 25, 2026 · 45:24
National security writer Joby Warrick tells the story of “Carlos the Jackal,” the world’s most notorious terrorist of the ‘70s and ‘80s. He became so famous for his brazen…
Aug 24, 2026 · 45:40
Lisa Kudrow is up for two Emmys for the final season of The Comeback , about an actress who will endure almost anything to keep working. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about her…
Aug 22, 2026 · 49:04
Colman Domingo is nominated for two Emmy Awards this year, for two very different roles: in the Netflix comedy The Four Seasons and in the final season of HBO's Euphoria . He…
Aug 21, 2026 · 45:59
The Dog Stars , directed by Ridley Scott and starring Josh Brolin and Jacob Elordi, is about two men who become unlikely compatriots when a pandemic wipes out much of the…
Aug 20, 2026 · 46:03
Two weeks after being nominated for an Emmy for his leading role in Wonder Man , Yahya Abdul-Mateen II found out that the series had been cancelled. He says Marvel could do more…
Aug 19, 2026 · 45:58
Defense analyst Stacie Pettyjohn says while the U.S. military is facing long-range missile shortages, prolonged deployments, and vacated regional bases, Iran is building cheaper…
Aug 18, 2026 · 45:38
Segel returns to talk with Terry Gross about his Emmy-nominated series Shrinking , in which he plays a therapist who suffered a nervous breakdown in the wake of his wife’s death.…
Aug 17, 2026 · 45:40
When you’re dieting to lose weight, human evolution is often working against you. We’ll talk about why with Daniel Lieberman, author of Fed Up and founder of Harvard’s Department…
Aug 15, 2026 · 48:32
Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues to break box office records, after having the biggest U.S. opening weekend in history. Tonya Mosley talks with the film’s director, Destin…
Aug 14, 2026 · 46:43
Poet and writer Clint Smith says we are taught to think of slavery as something that happened a long, long time ago. But then he learned that his grandfather's grandfather had…
Aug 13, 2026 · 45:52
Colman Domingo is nominated for two Emmy Awards for two very different performances — in the Netflix comedy The Four Seasons and in HBO's Euphoria . "I can go very deep with my…
Aug 12, 2026 · 45:58
China produces at least 70% of the world’s drones, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells. And with the U.S. stockpile of munitions diminished from the Iran…
Aug 11, 2026 · 45:31
Cretton grew up in Hawaii, and says movies expanded his perspective: “That is how I traveled. That is how I was exposed to other cultures. That's how I understand how kids grew…
Aug 10, 2026 · 46:10
Journalist Gil Durán argues that a small circle of Silicon Valley billionaires and venture capitalists have concluded that democracy is in their way — and that they should be…
Aug 8, 2026 · 49:04
Seven years ago, New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino coined the term “Instagram Face.” Now we talk about how current beauty standards are changing our relationship to reality.…
Aug 7, 2026 · 45:38
The internationally acclaimed horseman Monty Roberts defied the conventional method of breaking horses and developed his own gentler approach — based on horses' non-verbal…
Aug 6, 2026 · 46:22
Claire Vaye Watkins' new novel, 'Yellow Pine,' is about a group of misfits and activists in the Mojave desert, fighting a corporate solar development. Living in the desert is…
Aug 5, 2026 · 46:13
New York Times reporter Eric Lipton discusses his Pulitzer Prize-winning investigations into Trump’s conflicts of interest and whether he’s exploiting the power of the presidency…
Aug 4, 2026 · 45:12
The fifth and final season of the HBO comedy series ‘Hacks’ is nominated for 24 Emmys, including one for Smart as best actress in a comedy series. The writers “raised the bar…
Aug 3, 2026 · 45:14
Historian Micki McElya’s book, ‘Liberation Summer,’ revisits September 1968, when three groups of women converged on the Atlantic City boardwalk: feminists protesting the Miss…
Aug 1, 2026 · 47:51
Christopher Nolan’s new film ‘The Odyssey’ is a box-office hit, but classics scholar Emily Wilson, who translated Homer’s poem from the original text, says the film’s script is…
Jul 31, 2026 · 46:36
Irish musician Glen Hansard, best-known for his band The Frames and his part in the 2007 film ‘Once,’ died July 29 in a motorcycle crash. He was 56. Hansard got his start busking…
Jul 30, 2026 · 45:50
Bernthal often plays intense, violent, damaged characters, like Mikey from ‘The Bear’ and Shane from ‘The Walking Dead.’ When talking about himself and his characters, Bernthal…
Jul 29, 2026 · 45:34
Renowned classics scholar Emily Wilson caused a stir when her critical review of Christopher Nolan's ‘The Odyssey’ went viral. Wilson explains her reaction to the film and why…
Jul 28, 2026 · 45:12
Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘New York Times’ reporter Mike McIntire says gun companies and the NRA are broadening the scope of the Second Amendment, socializing kids to appreciate…
Jul 27, 2026 · 45:51
Award-winning writer Leïla Slimani grew up in Morocco, where women were second-class citizens, but inside her home and with her family, she was free to speak her mind. Her…
Jul 25, 2026 · 49:07
At the age of 80, André De Shields is now on Broadway in “CATS: The Jellicle Ball.” He won a Tony in 2019 for his performance in “Hadestown” and co-stars in the new movie of the…
Jul 24, 2026 · 45:34
Poverty, chastity, obedience, total devotion – and rebellion. Catherine Coldstream talks with Terry Gross about her years as a Carmelite nun and why she left the monastery. Her…
Jul 23, 2026 · 45:38
The second season of Lee Sung Jin’s Netflix series ‘BEEF’ earned 16 Emmy nominations. Set at an exclusive country club, it stars Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan in a story about…
Jul 22, 2026 · 46:00
Botox, fillers, facelifts: Plastic surgery is becoming so normalized and undetectable, it's changing our relationship to reality. ‘New Yorker’ staff writer Jia Tolentino…
Jul 21, 2026 · 45:37
At the age of 80, Broadway legend André De Shields now starring in "CATS: The Jellicle Ball." He won a Tony in 2019 for his performance in "Hadestown," and co-stars in the new…
Jul 20, 2026 · 46:18
In 1981, members of radical offshoots of the Weather Underground and the Black Panthers robbed a Brinks truck carrying over $1.5 million. It ended in a shootout, killing two…
Jul 18, 2026 · 48:46
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack are the screenwriting duo behind ‘The Invite.’ It takes on the realities of marriage in middle age, told over the course of one dinner party that…
Jul 17, 2026 · 46:40
As ‘The Bear’ wraps its final season, TV critic David Bianculli reflects on the show’s run. Also, we listen back to our interview with Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays Cousin…
Jul 16, 2026 · 45:36
White Mountain Apache chef Nephi Craig had an unconventional culinary path: from a reservation to a fine dining restaurant to cooking for 7,800 inmates while in county jail. Now…
Jul 15, 2026 · 45:42
Journalist Jonathan Swan’s book, ‘Regime Change,’ co-written with fellow ‘New York Times’ reporter Maggie Haberman, is a portrait of President Trump’s second term – which Swan…
Jul 14, 2026 · 45:25
‘New Yorker’ staff writer Jonathan Blitzer says thousands of people are being held in tents in the El Paso, Texas, desert, where inhumane conditions have become a tool to…
Jul 13, 2026 · 45:37
The new film, ‘The Invite,’ directed by Olivia Wilde, offers a portrait of a marriage in middle age, told over the course of one dinner party that spirals out of control.…
Jul 11, 2026 · 49:09
Record producer and manager Peter Asher discovered James Taylor and launched Carole King’s career. Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in his family’s…
Jul 10, 2026 · 46:56
Kimball, who died July 2, was artistic advisor to Ira Gershwin. He wrote books about the Gershwins, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, and helped unearth unknown songs and…
Jul 9, 2026 · 45:17
Kaye's collaboration with Patti Smith began in 1971 and continues to this day. He says she taught him to trust his musical sensibilities — and to always keep evolving. Now 79, he…
Jul 8, 2026 · 46:14
The rules of the midterms are being rewritten, from redistricting to campaign money. Mother Jones journalist Ari Berman explains why President Trump seems "obsessed with the…
Jul 7, 2026 · 46:03
Asher remembers when Paul McCartney and John Lennon played “I Want to Hold Your Hand” for him for the first time. “I thought, am I losing my mind, or is this one of the best…
Jul 6, 2026 · 45:50
‘New Yorker’ staff writer Rachel Aviv spent years reporting stories about mothers and daughters searching for each other. When she became a mom, she saw everything she wrote…
Jul 4, 2026 · 49:47
The two most famous women’s tennis champions of their generation, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, talk about being friends and rivals. After they had retired, they were both…
Jul 3, 2026 · 46:35
After making ‘ET’ and ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Steven Spielberg returns to the theme of extraterrestrials in his new film, ‘Disclosure Day.’ He…
Jul 2, 2026 · 45:48
The romance books Kennedy Ryan read growing up rarely included characters who looked like her. Now she deliberately centers people the genre has left out – like women of color…
Jul 1, 2026 · 45:48
The lone star tick seeks out its blood meal and transmits a potentially dangerous allergy to red meat. ‘New Yorker’ staff writer Burkhard Bilger talks with Terry Gross about his…
Jun 30, 2026 · 45:28
“The culture wars have completely eaten America,” says author Isaac Butler. His new book, ‘The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art, and the Birth of America’s Culture Wars,’ looks at…
Jun 29, 2026 · 45:40
Once the most successful women’s tennis champions of their generation, Evert and Navratilova open up about friendship, cancer and retirement in the Netflix documentary ‘Chris &…
Jun 27, 2026 · 47:00
For over a decade, Laverne Cox has been one of the most visible trans women in America. In her new memoir, ‘Transcendent,’ she writes about growing up in Mobile, Ala., and the…
Jun 26, 2026 · 47:15
We remember one of the most sought-after directors in television, James Burrows. He died June 19 at age 85. Burrows worked on many classic sitcoms including ‘Taxi,’ ‘Frasier,’…
Jun 25, 2026 · 45:54
For more than 50 years, Anna Deavere Smith has pioneered a type of theater built from real people's words, interviewing hundreds of Americans and then performing their words…
Jun 24, 2026 · 44:37
Masculinism is a belief that feminism emasculates men, and men should be in control while women stay at home raising children. Atlantic staff writer Helen Lewis says the movement…
Jun 23, 2026 · 43:35
Wendell Pierce is working as hard as ever. He says he's motivated by the "ticking clock of mortality" — and the desire to challenge himself as an actor. He's currently starring…
Jun 22, 2026 · 45:08
For more than a decade, actor Laverne Cox has been one of the most visible trans women in America. But the ‘Orange Is the New Black’ star says she spent most of childhood keeping…
Jun 20, 2026 · 48:26
Pope Leo XIV’s Creole family roots inspired New Orleanian journalist Susan Saulny to research her Creole great-uncle who moved to Chicago, identified himself as white and never…
Jun 19, 2026 · 45:15
‘In Savings and Trust,’ historian Justene Hill Edwards tells the story of the Freedman's Bank. Created for formerly enslaved people following the Civil War, its collapse cost…
Jun 18, 2026 · 44:53
Siddiq grew up in Houston with a largely absent father. In his new stand-up special, he paints a picture of the flawed man he admired – and reflects on his own experience as a…
Jun 17, 2026 · 44:54
New Yorker writer Ben Taub tells Dave Davies that while the idea of acquiring Greenland is out of the headlines, it hasn’t been dropped by Trump. Taub describes how his ongoing…
Jun 16, 2026 · 44:48
Jesse Wegman talks to Dave Davies about James Wilson. A brilliant lawyer who helped craft the U.S. Constitution, Wilson lived a colorful life and died as a Supreme Court justice…
Jun 15, 2026 · 44:38
Glaude's book , ' America, U.S.A.,' looks at the country through the lens of its previous anniversaries and centennials. Today, as in the past, he tells Tonya Mosley, "the…
Jun 13, 2026 · 48:05
Fifteen years after ‘The Book of Mormon’ made its Broadway debut, original cast members Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad once again took the stage as Mormon missionaries — this time…
Jun 12, 2026 · 46:17
In the new film 'Pressure,' Scott plays an Army meteorologist advising military officials on the date for the D-Day invasion. He spoke to Terry Gross in 2024 about playing a…
Jun 11, 2026 · 44:51
Johnson says he’s not shy about sharing his insecurities on stage. "One of the most connected attributes of the human condition ... is just being flawed," he tells Terry Grosss.…
Jun 11, 2026 · 44:13
O'Connor stars as a cybersecurity expert who decides the world deserves to know the truth about alien life in the Steven Spielberg film Disclosure Day . He speaks with Tonya…
Jun 9, 2026 · 45:18
The biggest World Cup ever starts this week. Laura Williamson, editor in chief of The Athletic, describes how sky-high prices, travel restrictions, politics and the Ebola…
Jun 8, 2026 · 44:52
Fifteen years after ‘The Book of Mormon’ made its Broadway debut, original cast members Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad once again took the stage as Mormon missionaries — this time…
Jun 6, 2026 · 48:10
Maggie O’Farrell wrote the novel ‘Hamnet’ and co-wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation. She has a new book called ‘Land,’ about a father and son mapping 19th-century…
Jun 5, 2026 · 46:01
The Tony Awards are this Sunday. To celebrate, we’re listening back to two award-winners from our archive: Alan Cumming, who played the emcee in ‘Cabaret’ in three different…
Jun 4, 2026 · 44:42
Peters’ credits include police Detective Lester Freamon in ‘The Wire,’ a Vietnam veteran in Spike Lee’s ‘Da 5 Bloods,’ and now a retiree in the supernatural thriller ‘The…
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