Fresh Air

The internationally acclaimed horseman Monty Roberts defied the conventional method of breaking horses and developed his own gentler approach — based on horses' non-verbal language. He died on July 31st at 91. Roberts spoke with Terry Gross in 1997, at the time of his memoir.

Also, jazz critic Martin Johnson reviews Jason Moran’s record of Duke Ellington tracks, and John Powers reviews Tony, the Anthony Bourdain biopic that focuses on his first time working in a kitchen. 


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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 "not for everybody," she tells Terry Gross. Her home, near Death Valley, is staggeringly beautiful and brutal. She talks about growing up around environmental activism, solitude, and her father's escape from the Manson Family.

Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new thriller series ‘Furious,’ starring Emmy Rossum, by ‘New Girl’ creator Elizabeth Meriwether. 

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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 every single season," Smart tells guest interviewer Aarti Shahani. They talk about why the show is ending, Smart’s distant relative who narrowly escaped the Salem Witch Trials, and adopting a baby when she was in her 50s. 

Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the novel ‘Country People,’ by Daniel Mason. 

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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 America Pageant, contestants in the first-ever Miss Black America Pageant, and women defending Miss America herself. McElya argues the collision that day created a politics of beauty that runs through the rise of the religious right, the #MeToo era, all the way to today. She spoke with Tonya Mosley. 

Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews HBO’s ‘Big Bang’ spin-off,  ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.’ 

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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 abysmally written, lacking in emotional depth and character development. She talks about her translation and divisive criticism of the film. 

Also, we hear from actor Jon Bernthal who plays Menelaus, King of Sparta in ‘The Odyssey’ and the Punisher in the new Spider-Man movie.  


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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 in the streets of Dublin. Ironically, it was his headmaster who urged him to drop out of school to pursue music. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2008, with his ‘Once’ co-star Markéta Irglová. Their song from the film, “Falling Slowly,” won an Oscar for Best Original Song. 

Also, Kevin Whitehead pays tribute to Tony Bennett, who would have been 100 next week, and film critic Justin Chang reviews ‘I Want Your Sex.’ 

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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 says that it’s easy for someone who’s scared to turn into someone who’s scary. He currently stars in ‘The Odyssey’ and the new Spider-Man film, ‘A Brand New Day.’ He spoke with Tonya Mosley about how he went from being an angry young man to a disciplined, dedicated artist. 

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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 she's translating the poem again. She spoke with Dave Davies about trolls, tattoos, and why she balks at her work being categorized as “feminist.” 

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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 guns and marketing a new brand of masculinity. McIntire spoke with Terry Gross about his book, ‘Ricochet: Guns, Greed, and the American Way of Violence.’ 

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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 mother, a doctor, pushed her to go to France to study. Slimani spoke with Terry Gross about her trilogy of novels inspired by her own French-Moroccan roots and her search for belonging. Her books include ‘I’ll Take the Fire’ and ‘The Perfect Nanny.’ 


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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 revival. He talks with Terry Gross about his Broadway debut in the original production of ‘The Wiz,’ living with HIV for almost 50 years, and why he walks like a king.

Also, White Mountain Apache Chef Nephi Craig explains how cooking and teaching about indigenous foods saved his life. His memoir is ‘Our Knives Will Save Us.’  

John Powers reviews Will Ferrell’s new series ‘The Hawk.’

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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 memoir is ‘Cloistered: My Years as a Nun.’ 

John Powers reviews the series ‘The Hawk,’ starring Will Ferrell.


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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 class struggles and generational differences. The storylines of both seasons were inspired by real events in Lee's life. Before ‘BEEF,’ he spent two decades in comedy writers' rooms, often feeling alienated as the only Asian person on staff. “That's what people first thought of me when I first started – I was the diversity hire." He spoke with Tonya Mosley about the years he spent masking to fit in, and the breaking point that changed how he writes. 

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new Apple TV series ‘Lucky.’ 


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Botox, fillers, facelifts: Plastic surgery is becoming so normalized and undetectable, it's changing our relationship to reality. ‘New Yorker’ staff writer Jia Tolentino considers how beauty standards have dovetailed with AI. 


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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 film of last year’s London revival. He made his Broadway debut in the title role of the 1975 original production of "The Wiz."

De Shields describes himself as Afro Queer, a longtime HIV survivor, and unreformed hippie, who grew up in inner city Baltimore. He’s always gone his own way in how he thinks, speaks, dresses and moves. "I don’t rush anywhere. I walk slowly. My reputation is that Andre DeShields doesn’t walk, he floats." He spoke with Terry Gross.

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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 police officers and a security guard. Judith Clark was driving a getaway car. She was sentenced to a minimum of 75 years. Her 11-month-old daughter was left to be raised by Judith’s collective and later by Judith’s parents. Terry Gross talks with her daughter, Harriet Clark, whose new acclaimed novel is drawn from childhood experiences visiting her mother in prison. “I think she figured out how to mother me in some of the most difficult conditions possible,” she says.  

Also, Ken Tucker reviews two albums that draw on rock's past: The Dirty Knobs’ ‘Mission of Mercy’ and Low Cut Connie's ‘Livin in the USA.’


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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 spirals out of control. They’ve been mining stories like this together for decades, finding the funny inside the painful. “We are never above a laugh. There's nothing that's grave enough for us not to laugh about, because that's how we release. That's how we process our pain,” Jones tells Tonya Mosley. 

Also, Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith’s longtime guitarist, has his first solo album at age 79. It’s called ‘Goin’ Local.’ He spoke with Terry Gross about his decades-long collaboration with Smith and evolving with age and experience. 


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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 Richie, the abrasive and ornery cook/maître d'. The show is known for kitchen chaos, but he says the set is calm. He spoke with 'Fresh Air' producer Ann Marie Baldonado. 

Film critic Justin Chang reviews Christopher Nolan’s epic ‘The Odyssey.’ 

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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 he's the executive chef at Café Gozhóó. He spoke with Terry Gross about Native cuisine, getting sober, and bringing nutrition education and addiction treatment to his community on the reservation. His memoir is ‘Our Knives Will Save Us.’

Also, John Powers reviews the big tech heist novel ‘Cloudthief’ by Nathaniel Rich. 


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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 calls "unrecognizable" from term one. The reporting duo interviewed over 1,000 sources for the book, including the president himself. Their work adds rich detail to developments that were generally known, and explores stories that had somehow slipped under the radar. Swan spoke with Fresh Air contributor and former politics reporter Dave Davies. 

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‘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 pressure people to accept deportation. There have been 52 deaths in detention centers since President Trump took office, and a significant number of them are suicides. Blitzer spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley. 

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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. Screenwriters Rashida Jones and Will McCormack have been mining this territory together for decades, while finding the funny inside the painful. “We are never above a laugh,” Jones says. “There's nothing that's grave enough for us not to laugh about, because that's how we release. That's how we process our pain.” They spoke with Tonya Mosley about their creative process and their other films, ‘Celeste & Jesse Forever,’ ‘Quincy,’ and ‘If Anything Happens I Love You.’ 

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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 basement. He spoke with Terry Gross about having a front-row seat to some of the biggest moments in recording history.

Also, romance novelist Kennedy Ryan talks about how she fell for the genre in middle school, even though her mother, a preacher, didn't approve. Ryan’s best-selling books center on people who are usually at the margins – Black women, queer women, and women with chronic illnesses and disabilities. 

TV critic David Bianculli has a review of the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ remake.

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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 manuscripts by them and other early 20th-century songwriters. Kimball also rescued and rediscovered the music of the Black Broadway team of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1994. 

David Bianculli reviews the remake of ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ and John Powers reviews the second season of ‘Sugar,’ starring Colin Farrell.  


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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 has his first solo album, called ‘Goin’ Local.’ He spoke with Terry Gross. 


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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 mechanics of voting." He spoke with Tonya Mosley about the SCOTUS decision that he calls the "final blow" to the Voting Rights Act, how the SAVE Act could disenfranchise thousands, and what keeps him up at night.

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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 songs I've ever heard in my life?” McCartney, who was dating Asher’s sister at the time, was living with his family. A new documentary, ‘Peter Asher: Everywhere Man,’ chronicles Asher’s life in the record industry. He spoke with Terry Gross about his own band in the British Invasion (Peter and Gordon), discovering James Taylor and launching Linda Ronstadt. 


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‘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 differently. Her book is ‘You Won’t Get Free of It.’ She spoke with Tonya Mosley. 

Also, John Powers reviews ‘Alice and Steve,’ starring Jemaine Clement. 


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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 diagnosed with cancer. A new Netflix documentary follows their careers and friendship as they navigate their lives on and off the court. 

Also, we talk about religious and political attacks on the arts with cultural historian Isaac Butler. His book is ‘The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art and the Birth of America’s Culture Wars.’ 

Critic John Powers  reviews ‘Alice and Steve,’ a British comedy series  about a 50-something man who starts dating his best friend’s much younger daughter.


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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 spoke with Terry Gross in 2022 about how he fell in love with movies, became a filmmaker, and about growing up Jewish in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust.

Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews ‘Two Ships,’ a new book about two conflicting versions of American identity.

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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 and women with chronic illness and disabilities. The award-winning novelist spoke with Tonya Mosley about her “Trojan horse” storylines, the value of the sex scene, and giving people happily-ever-afters. 

Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews Craig Ferguson’s new CNN series ‘American On Purpose.’ 


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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 reporting on the tick-borne alpha-gal syndrome, and how doctors, scientists and pest control experts are responding. 


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“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 how the religious right made a template for expressing grievance over art, and how that is used to this day to defund the National Endowment of the Arts. Butler spoke with Terry Gross. 

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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 & Martina: The Final Set.’ They spoke with Terry Gross. 


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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 bullying and harassment she faced. She says she survived it by going somewhere else in her mind, often through music and dance.

Also, we hear from comic Ali Siddiq. He served six years in a Texas prison and turned his life into some of the most-watched storytelling in comedy.


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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,’ ‘Friends,’ ‘Will and Grace’ and ‘Cheers.' He was known for his comedic instincts, his visual style, and for insisting the comedy be believable. Burrows spoke with Terry Gross in 2006. Also, we hear an appreciation from TV critic and historian David Bianculli. 

Film critic Justin Chang reviews ‘The Invite,’ starring Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde.


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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 verbatim. Now she's telling a story from her own family with ‘Basil Biggs.’ It’s about her great-great-grandfather, a free Black man, who reburied the Union dead at Gettysburg and prepared the ground for Lincoln's most famous speech. Smith spoke with Tonya Mosley about how ‘Finding Your Roots’ led her to this story and why she sees herself as an Americanist.

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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 is becoming mainstream. She spoke with Terry Gross about her reporting. 

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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 in the Shakespeare Theatre Company production of “Othello.” He spoke with Tonya Mosley about aiming for a trifecta of TV, film and theater roles, why he almost left ‘The Wire,’ and caring for his late father.


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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 herself hidden. Cox spoke with Tonya Mosley about the bullying she endured, pursuing a dance career before acting, and the anti-trans culture shift of the last few years. Her memoir is ‘Transcendent.’ 


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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 returned. She describes her journey to reunite her family. Her piece in the New York Times is called "A Family Secret No More."

As the United States turns 250, scholar Eddie Glaude Jr. has blunt advice: “America has to grow up.” In ‘America, U.S.A.,’ the Princeton African American Studies professor looks at the country through the lens of its previous anniversaries and centennials. "The divided soul of the nation is in full view," he says.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan shares three book recommendations: ‘The Family Man,’ by James Lasdun, ‘The Hill,’ by Harriet Clark and ‘A Beautiful Loan,’ by Mary Costello.


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‘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 depositors millions. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about how this part of history reverberates today.

Also, we remember South African pianist, composer and bandleader Abdullah Ibrahim. He died Monday, at age 91. His song “Mannenberg” was an anthem during the fight to end apartheid. Jazz historian Kevin Whitehead shares an appreciation, and we listen back to Terry Gross’s 1989 interview with him. 


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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 parent. Siddiq spoke with Tonya Mosley about his upbringing, his time selling drugs, and making the leap from prison to comedy. 

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews ‘Toy Story 5.’ 


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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 on the run from the law and creditors. Also, David Bianculli reviews the Prime Video series 'Spider-Noir.'

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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 divided soul of the nation is in full view." As the 250th anniversary approaches, he says it's time for the U.S. to acknowledge the ways it has failed to deliver on its founding principles. "America has to grow up. It can no longer hide in its adolescence," he says.
Also, Maureen Corrigan recommends three books to help you jump into summer reading.

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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 at the 2026 Tony Awards. The musical is a satirical — sometimes affectionate, sometimes offensive — look at Mormonism and youthful naïveté. Rannells and Gad spoke with Terry Gross about their first impressions of the show, how their voices have changed, and how the songs in 'The Book of Mormon' are a tribute to musical theater.


Also, Clarke Peters played Det. Lester Freamon in ‘The Wire’ and now plays a retiree in the supernatural thriller ‘The Boroughs.’ He spoke to Terry Gross about both series, and about his continued work as an actor. “I picked this profession so that I would have longevity, so that I could still be acting at 100, if it comes to it,” he says. 

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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 killer conman in ‘Ripley’ and the “hot priest” in ‘Fleabag.' Plus, we listen back to Terry Gross’ 2003 interview with French-Iranian artist and writer Marjane Satrapi, who died June 4.Satrapi's groundbreaking graphic novel ‘Persepolis’ introduced readers to life in Iran during the Islamic revolution and the Iran/Iraq war. And Justin Chang reviews ‘Disclosure Day.' 

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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. "We really connect with people on their faults." Johnson’s new comedy special is Symphony.


 
Also, Martin Johnson reviews ELEPHANT, a new album by jazz trumpeter Adam O'Farrill.

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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 Mosley about preparing in secret to star in the summer Blockbuster, why he initially had no interest in playing Prince Charles in The Crown, and why he gets sick after completing almost every role.

David Bianculli reviews new documentaries about Martin Short and Lorne Michaels.

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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 outbreak are impacting fans. Williamson also discusses President Trump’s UFC event on the White House lawn.

Ken Tucker reviews Kacey Musgraves’ album ‘Middle of Nowhere,’ which he says pairs well with the music biography ‘Gary Stewart: I Am From the Honky-Tonks.’


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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 at the 2026 Tony Awards. Created and written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the duo behind ‘South Park’), along with veteran Broadway composer Robert Lopez, ‘The Book of Mormon’ follows two young missionaries sent to try and bring Mormonism to a Ugandan village. The musical is a satirical — sometimes affectionate, sometimes offensive — look at Mormonism and youthful naïveté. Rannells and Gad spoke with Terry Gross about their first impressions of the show, mishaps onstage, and regretting their decision to leave when they did. 


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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 Ireland after the devastation of the Great Famine. 

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the latest by classics scholar Mary Beard.

Also, we hear from historian Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor. She has spent much of her career tracing the N-word through slavery, Jim Crow, the civil rights movement, and hip hop. For a long time she kept it a secret that her father was Richard Pryor, the man who put the word at the center of American comedy. "I was a scholar of the N-word — and so, obviously, is he." Her new book is ‘Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me.’ 


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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 productions, and Angela Lansbury, who starred in Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Sweeny Todd,’ as Mrs. Lovett who baked Sweeney’s victims into pies. 

Also, Justin Chang reviews two new horror films: ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms.’ 


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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 Boroughs’ on Netflix. Peters spoke with Terry Gross about his long career on stage and screen, his singing voice, and why he relocated to London in the ‘70s. “I picked this profession so that I would have longevity, so that I could still be acting at 100, if it comes to it,” he says. 

Also, David Bianculli reviews the Apple 10-part miniseries ‘Cape Fear.’


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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 returned. She describes her journey to reunite her family. Her piece in the New York Times is called "A Family Secret No More."

Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the Netflix series ‘The Boroughs.’


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O’Farrell’s 2020 novel ‘Hamnet’ was adapted into an award-winning film last year. She co-wrote the screenplay. It’s about the grief Shakespeare and his wife Agnes struggle with after their son, Hamnet, dies of the plague, and how that grief leads him to write the play Hamlet. O’Farrell’s new novel, ‘Land,’ is about the lives of an Irish family living in the aftermath of the Great Famine. Even though she writes historical novels, she tries not to lean too much into history: “I find there’s nothing that makes me put a book down faster than if somebody is trying to show me that they’ve done all their homework,” she says. ‘Land’ is in part based on her family. 

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Classicist Mary Beard’s new book ‘Talking Classics.’


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Historian Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor has spent her career tracing the racial slur, the N-word, through slavery, Jim Crow, the civil rights movement, and hip hop. But what she didn't tell most of her students, even some of her colleagues, was that her father was the comedian who put the word at the center of American comedy – Richard Pryor. "I was a scholar of the N-word — and so was he,” she tells Tonya Mosley. Her new book, ‘Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me,’ is part memoir, part history of a word her father, late in his career, decided to never use again. 


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Alfre Woodard stars in a new Netflix sci-fi mystery series ‘The Boroughs,’ from the creators of ‘Stranger Things.’ She plays a retired journalist living in a senior community where the residents are being preyed on by something otherworldly. She spoke with Tonya Molsey. 

Rose Byrne is now on Broadway in the comedy play ‘Fallen Angels.’ She spoke with Fresh Air producer Ann Marie Baldonado about her Tony-nominated performance, as well as her starring role in ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.’ In it she plays a woman trying to care for her sick daughter, while her life is unraveling. Byrne says the movie taps into the fear and horror of being a parent. 


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The great jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins died Monday at the age of 95. He was known for his improvisation and technique, his full bodied sound that could erupt into grunts and brays, and his love of songs. Rollins said of improvising: “When I'm actually on the stage and performing, the optimum condition is not to think. I just want the music to play itself. I didn't want to have to think about it.” We listen back to Terry Gross’s 1994 interview with Rollins. Also, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead pays tribute. 

Finally, critic Justin Chang tells us about the highlights from the Cannes Film Festival. 


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Alfre Woodard stars in the new Netflix series ‘The Boroughs,’ a supernatural mystery from the producers of ‘Stranger Things.’ In it, she leads an ensemble of folks in a retirement community who band together to stop an otherworldly threat. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about the new show, her Emmy-winning performance on ‘Hill Street Blues,’ where she played a mother whose child was killed by a police officer, and her network of Black actresses in Hollywood. 


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Ben Rhodes was a speechwriter and Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama. He spoke with Terry Gross about his experience negotiating with Iran during his time in the White House, and his read of the current conflict. His new book, ‘All We Say,’ is a collection of 15 speeches — from Ben Franklin to President Trump — about what it means to be American. He also reflects on collaborating with President Obama on one of his most impactful speeches, like the so-called "race speech." 


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Humorist David Sedaris says the best part of reading his work to an audience is earning the laughs — or the groans. "A collective groan is fine with me," he says. Sedaris reflects on his Duolingo obsession, AI, and why he’ll continue writing and touring as long as he possibly can. His new book of essays is ‘The Land and Its People.’ He spoke with guest interviewer Sam Fragoso, host of the podcast ‘Talk Easy.’ 

Also, John Powers reviews two new mystery novels: ‘The End of the Sahara,’ by the Algerian writer Saïd Khatibi, and ‘An Enigma by the Sea,’ by Italian authors Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini. 


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Popstar Billie Eilish has a new 3D concert film that she co-directed with James Cameron. She and her brother and co-producer Finneas spoke with Terry Gross in 2024 about the album ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft.’

Also, for Memorial Day, book critic Maureen Corrigan reflects on the history of pocket-size books that soldiers were given in WWII. 


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Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ ended last night after 11 years. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2016 shortly after he took over from David Letterman. Before that, Colbert played a conservative persona in the vein of Bill O'Reilly on ‘The Colbert Report.’ When he started ‘The Late Show,’ out of character, he said, “I knew it would be a little bit of a public discovery. It's somebody else's joke, but life is like learning to play the violin in public. You don't know what you're doing until you do it.”

Also we remember Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, who died this week at age 86. The influential Democrat helped normalize being openly gay in public office. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2015.

Also, John Powers reviews the horror-comedy Apple TV series ‘Widow’s Bay.’


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Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s mother, Bernardine Dohrn, was a leader of SDS, a student group protesting the Vietnam War. She also led a faction that broke away and became the Weather Underground, advocating armed resistance against the government. His father, Bill Ayers, was also an activist-turned-revolutionary. In a new memoir, Zayd wrestles with questions he had growing up, like if his parents were living underground and on the run from the FBI, why did they have kids? He spoke with Terry Gross.  

Also, two-time National Book Award winning writer Jesmyn Ward (‘Salvage the Bones,’ ‘Sing, Unburied, Sing’) has a new essay collection on grief, motherhood, and survival. It’s called ‘On Witness and Respair.’ She spoke with Tonya Mosley. 


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Rose Byrne starred in big box office comedies like ‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘Neighbors,’ and, more recently, the indie film ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’ which kind of defies genre. It’s about a woman trying to care of her sick daughter while her life is unraveling. “In many ways, it tapped into the monster within and the fear of being a parent and the horror of being a parent – and some of the joy, too.” Her raw performance won a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination this year. Now Byrne is nominated for a Tony for her performance in a revival of Noël Coward’s play ‘Fallen Angels.’ She spoke with producer Ann Marie Baldonado. 

Later, TV critic Davie Bianculli reflects on the end of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.’ The final episode airs tonight. 


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D.O.J. gave President Trump and his family immunity from tax audits and set up a $1.8 billion fund for victims of "government weaponization." Former government lawyer Andrew Weissmann explains the settlement. His book is 'Liar’s Kingdom: How to Stop Trump's Deceit and Save America'

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Jesmyn Ward  learned the term "respair" — the recovery of hope after despair — in 2020, shortly after her partner died suddenly. Her new book, ‘On Witness and Respair,’ is an essay collection on grief, motherhood and survival. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about writing through painful things and why she returned to her native Mississippi. Her previous National Book Award-winning novels are ‘Sing, Unburied, Sing’ and ‘Salvage the Bones.’  

Also, jazz critic Martin Johnson reviews an album from Tomeka Reid. 

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"From my very first memories, I knew that the FBI was chasing us," Zayd Ayers Dohrn says. "My parents tried to explain it in terms [like] we were like Robin Hood or we were like the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars. So I knew in the way a kid knows that our lives were precarious." 

His mother, Bernardine Dohrn, was a leader of the '60s radical student group Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), which opposed the war in Vietnam and racism. Along with his father, Bill Ayers, she helped found the Weather Underground, a group committed to armed resistance against the government. 

Dohrn spoke with Terry Gross about his radical childhood on the run, visiting his mom in prison, and the questions he needed to ask his parents. His book is ‘Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground.’ 


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Boots Riley talks about his new film, ‘I Love Boosters.' It stars Keke Palmer as the leader of a crew of women shoplifters who steal from luxury stores and sell the goods cheap to people who can't afford retail. Riley says he thinks of his work labor organizing, filmmaking and writing hip-hop music as the same project. 

Also, we’ll hear from actor Will Sharpe. He starred in season two of ‘The White Lotus,’ Lena Dunham’s series ‘Too Much,’ and the movie ‘A Real Pain.’ Now he plays Mozart in a new adaptation of ‘Amadeus.’ 

TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new special by David Attenborough.


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Philip Caputo wrote the 1977 acclaimed and unflinching memoir ‘A Rumor of War,’ about leading a Marine platoon during the Vietnam War. It taught him a painful truth. “I had discovered that I had a capacity to be violent and dark in my actions in a way that totally shocked me,” he told Terry Gross in 2005. He went on to become a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Caputo died May 7 at 84. 

Also, celebrated naturalist and nature documentarian Sir David Attenborough turned 100 this month. We listen back to his 1995 interview with Terry Gross about working in the field. 

John Powers reviews the new film ‘The Wizard of the Kremlin.’

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Former national security official Rush Doshi says President Trump’s 2025 sky-high tariffs on Chinese goods sparked a clash in which China prevailed. Doshi spoke with Dave Davies about  the current state of U.S.-China relations and President Trump’s meeting with President Xi in Beijing.

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Boots Riley’s new film is called ‘I Love Boosters,’ and it stars Keke Palmer as the leader of a crew of women shoplifters in the Bay Area who steal from luxury stores and sell the goods cheap to people who can't afford retail. 20 years before the movie, Riley wrote a song by the same name with his hip-hop group The Coup. The song is a love letter to shoplifters, or boosters, as they're called. Riley talks with Tonya Mosley about why his music, shows, and films -- including the 2018 movie ‘Sorry To Bother You’ -- continue to explore the contradictions that capitalism produces. Riley was a labor organizer in his teens.


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Tech writer Joanna Stern used AI to read medical results, respond to texts and serve as her therapist. She says her emotional connection to it was unsettling. Her new book is ‘I Am Not a Robot.’ She spoke with Terry Gross.

Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new PBS special marking David Attenborough’s 100th birthday. 


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Sharpe played a newly rich tech bro on vacation in Italy the second season of ‘The White Lotus.’ Now he's starring as Mozart, a musical genius who struggles to "read the room" in the new STARZ limited TV series ‘Amadeus.’ He spoke with Fresh Air producer Ann Marie Baldonado about studying piano, acting opposite Kieran Culkin in ‘A Real Pain,’ and feeling like an outsider as a kid. 


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Like the main character in his Booker Prize-winning novel 'Shuggie Bain,' writer Douglas Stuart grew up in Glasgow, working class, queer, and with a mother addicted to alcohol. His first career was in fashion, designing underwear for Calvin Klein. “Sometimes when I’m in an audience now and I feel a little nervous, I have a joke to myself and think, how many people in this audience have worn the underwear that you designed?” He spoke with Terry Gross about his new novel, ‘John of John.’

Later, Richard Gadd, creator and star of the Netflix show ‘Baby Reindeer' talks with Tonya Mosley about his new series, ‘Half Man.' It's about two boys who become brothers when their mothers fall in love. They spend the next 30 years trying to survive each other.

David Bianculli reviews the latest adaptation of ‘Lord of the Flies.’


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Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller played a key role in the production of RENT, Hamilton, In the Heights, Avenue Q, and the revival of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd that starred Josh Groban. His memoir traced his path from ‘Theater Kid’ to producer of Broadway mega-hits.

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews ‘Silent Friend.’ 


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Nathan Lane just received a Tony nomination for his starring role as Willy Loman in ‘Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.’ He’s a veteran of the stage – often in comedic and musical roles. But in the role of Loman, which he does eight times a week, he’s noticed something different in the audience. “There’s an old joke – my job is just to keep 1600 people from coughing. It's kind of true, but when you hear what we hear during ‘Salesman,’ you hear people weeping in the dark.”  At the age of 70, Lane says this production of ‘Salesman’ is the thing he’s most proud of. He spoke with ‘Fresh Air’ guest interviewer Sam Fragoso, host of the podcast ‘Talk Easy.’  

Later, Ken Tucker reviews new songs by Ella Langley, Robyn, and Allison Russell. 


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Atlantic writer George Packer discusses how tech venture capitalists, who are heavily invested in AI and cryptocurrency, aligned with Trump and influenced policies related to their own investments. 

Also, David Bianculli reviews the new Netflix/BBC miniseries adaptation of ‘Lord of the Flies.’ 


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Crenshaw named two of the most contested ideas in American politics: intersectionality and critical race theory. Her new book is called ‘Backtalker: An American Memoir.’ It takes us to her childhood in Canton, Ohio, and along her path through Cornell, Harvard Law, and the University of Wisconsin, where, in 1988, as a graduate student, she sketched a diagram of an intersection to explain how race, class, and gender overlap. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about these moments in her career, and how she’s thinking about America’s 250th anniversary. 

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Like a number of his characters, Booker Prize-winning novelist Douglas Stuart grew up working class and queer in Glasgow. He went on to have a career in fashion, which plays into his latest novel,John of John. “It's hard to tell people about grief. It’s hard to talk to people about poverty... and so I’d got very used to the silence in my own life, and my writing is the only thing that allows me to connect with myself,” Stuart told Terry Gross.

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Flea co-founded the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1982. The bass/trumpet player spoke with Terry Gross about how his music and his life have changed. “Thank God I've changed. I was a lunatic. I was 19 going on 10.” He has a new solo jazz album called ‘Honora.’ 

Also, we’ll hear from Nick Offerman. He stars in the new series ‘Margo's Got Money Troubles,' about a bright college freshman who gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby. Offerman plays her estranged father, a former pro wrestler who comes back into her life to help. The ‘Parks and Rec’ actor spoke with producer Ann Marie Baldonado about transforming for the role. 

TV critic David Bianculli will review Zach Galifianakis’ new gardening show.


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We remember conductor, composer and musician Michael Tilson Thomas, who died April 22 at age 81. He was a longtime music director of The San Francisco Symphony, known for his innovation, his ability to translate classical music for the general public, and for fostering contemporary music. He founded the New World Symphony for young players. He got his musical inheritance from his grandparents, who were stars of the Yiddish theatre. When he was a kid, his grandmother took him on stage and pointed up to the last row in the balcony, telling him: “Up there are the cheapest seats and in those seats are the people who love the show the most. Whatever you’re doing you must remember that it must reach those people.” He spoke with Terry Gross in 1994 and 2012. 

John Powers reviews ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2.’

Correction: A previous version of this episode incorrectly said that both Anne Frank and Audrey Hepburn were born in Holland. Anne Frank was born in Germany, and Audrey Hepburn was born in Belgium.


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‘Baby Reindeer’ was an unexpected hit on Netflix in 2024. Now its creator and star is back with ‘Half Man,’ an HBO series about two boys who become brothers after their mothers fall in love in 1980s Scotland. Gadd spoke with Tonya Mosley about exploring toxic masculinity, becoming famous overnight, and bombing stand-up sets. 

Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan recommends three playful novels: ‘Yesteryear,’ ‘American Fantasy,’ and ‘Enormous Wings.’


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‘New Yorker’ staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert says EPA chief Lee Zeldin has rescinded regulations, cut or eliminated departments and terminated the jobs of many scientists. Trump calls Zeldin "our secret weapon." The Pulitzer Prize-winning environmental journalist spoke with Terry Gross. 


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The Red Hot Chili Peppers have sold tens of millions of albums and taken home multiple Grammy Awards. Now in his 60s, more than four decades after that band formed, Flea is releasing his first solo album. ‘Honora’ is a jazz album that connects back to his childhood. The legendary bassist spoke with NPR’s Terry Gross about some of his wild antics, his “blood bond” with his band, and finding beauty in the world.


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Best known for his role as Ron Swanson on ‘Parks and Recreation,’ Nick Offerman plays a former professional wrestler reconnecting with his estranged daughter in ‘Margo's Got Money Troubles.’ He spoke with producer Ann Marie Baldonado about transforming into a wrestler, his ‘Parks’ group chat, and advice for young woodworkers. 

Also, John Powers reviews ‘Big Mistakes,’ starring Dan Levy on Netflix.


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Malala Yousafzai was 15 when a Taliban gunman shot her for advocating for girls' education in her native Pakistan. She understood that she was a target. “I had pictured it many times that this could happen. I had pictured it at school. I had pictured it in my school bus. I knew that the Taliban could do anything,” she told Terry Gross. Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize when she was just 17 years old. In an interview from a live event onstage, she talks about her childhood before the incident and finding herself after being in the public eye for so long.

Also, we hear from actor Oscar Isaac. He’s currently starring in the Netflix series ‘Beef' and recently played Dr. Victor Frankenstein in Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of ‘Frankenstein.’ 

Book critic Maureen Corrigan recommends three books for the spring: ‘Yesteryear,’ by Caro Claire Burke; ‘American Fantasy,’ by Emma Straub; and ‘Enormous Wings,’ by Laurie Frankel.


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‘Schmigadoon!’ is now on Broadway. Adapted from the Apple TV series that lovingly satirized musicals of the ‘40s and ‘50s, we’ll hear from the co-creator, co-writer and songwriter of the series, Cinco Paul, who also wrote the book and songs for the Broadway show. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2021. 

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews ‘Blue Heron.’ 


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In ‘The Secret War Against Hate,’ historian Steven J. Ross details the racist, anti-Semitic groups that sprung up after WWII, in the later half of the 20th century — and the spy network that worked to bring them to justice. He spoke with Terry Gross about that, and how it connects to the Dept. of Justice’s recent indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

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A former pro-wrestling executive, Linda McMahon is now the Education Secretary Trump tasked with abolishing her agency. ‘New Yorker’ staff writer Zach Helfand explains how her WWE experience led her to this role.


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Oscar Isaac stars in season 2 of the Emmy-winning Netflix series ‘Beef,’ which is an anthology about the unexpected consequences of everyday conflict. Isaac plays Josh, the manager of an upscale Los Angeles country club, whose life is unraveling. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about the series, his friendship with ‘Frankenstein’ filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, and being a “‘vulture” of his own life. 

Also, David Bianculli reviews ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles,’ starring Elle Fanning on Apple TV. 


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Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai spoke with Terry Gross about bravery, marriage, and defying cultural norms. She was 15 when a Taliban gunman shot her, in response to her advocacy for girls’ education. “When I look back, I'm like, yes, that was a crazy thing that I did. I put my life at risk. But, at the time, what scared me more was a life without an education as a girl. It terrified me.” 


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Amanda Peet is in the new film ‘Fantasy Life’ and the series ‘Your Friends & Neighbors.’ In a recent piece in ‘The New Yorker,’ she wrote about being diagnosed with breast cancer while both of her parents were in hospice. “I didn’t really have that ‘why me?’ thing. Maybe because I am Jewish and am always waiting for that other shoe to drop. In this case it was three shoes,” she told Terry Gross. 

Also, we’ll talk about Toni Morrison with Harvard professor Namwali Serpell. She says no matter how many times she returns to Morrison’s work, she finds something new.  She’s still haunted by the last sentence of the novel ‘Sula.’ “When that sentence comes into my life, whether I'm reading it to teach, whether I'm rereading it to write, whether I'm reading it out loud, even just now, tears always spring to my eyes," Serpell says. She spoke with Tonya Mosley.   

David Bianculli reviews the new Apple TV series ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles.’


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We celebrate the 80th birthday of the filmmaker known as ‘The Pope of Trash’ and ‘The Prince of Puke,’ John Waters. He's spent a career violating taboos and pushing boundaries. His films include the cult classic ‘Pink Flamingos’ and the relatively mainstream ‘Hairspray,’ which was adapted into a hit Broadway musical. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2014 and 2019. 


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Israeli Maoz Inon's parents were killed by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks. Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah's brother died after being tortured in an Israeli military prison. Their new book, ‘The Future Is Peace,’ chronicles their eight day drive across Israel and Palestine, through checkpoints, holy sites, refugee camps, and separation walls. 

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Amanda Peet is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Except last year there seemed to be three different shoes, as she faced her parents' deaths and a breast cancer diagnosis. Peet spoke with Terry Gross about her “Season of Ativan,” navigating middle age in Hollywood, and her memories of Diane Keaton from the set of ‘Something’s Gotta Give.’ Peet stars in the new film ‘Fantasy Life’ and in the Apple TV series ‘Your Friends & Neighbors,’ now in its second season. 


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