Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso is a weekly series of intimate conversations with artists, activists, and politicians. Where people sound like people. Hosted by Sam Fragoso. New episodes every Sunday.
Nobel Peace Prize-winner Maria Ressa has spent the past decade advocating for the protection of journalists. Today, we return to our urgent conversation with the trailblazing author and activist. We…
Nobel Peace Prize-winner Maria Ressa has spent the past decade advocating for the protection of journalists. Today, we return to our urgent conversation with the trailblazing author and activist. We…
Throughout his fifteen-year moviemaking career, director and actor Benny Safdie has been drawn to naturalism and first-time performers. Fittingly, his recent collaboration with comedian Nathan Fielder (“Nathan for You”) was…
For more than a decade, actor and writer Brit Marling has made futuristic work that reveals truths about our disquieting present. Her latest endeavor, A Murder At the End of…
Writer and comedian Ziwe has made a career out of conducting charged and satirical interviews. She joins us this week to discuss her debut essay collection, Black Friend (5:45), the…
Marina Abramović is a pioneer in the field of performance art, using her body as both the subject and the medium. Today, we return to our special conversation with the…
Upon taking a walk with crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, writer Michael Lewis had a sense that there might be a story here. In the intervening two years, that story has…
Singer-songwriter Weyes Blood is one of the most inventive musicians working today. One year ago, she released her prescient album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow. On the heels of…
One year ago, The New Yorker staff writer and critic Hua Hsu published his singular memoir entitled Stay True. Earlier this May, the autobiography won a Pulitzer Prize. Upon its…
Novelist Zadie Smith is one of the most acclaimed and beloved writers of her generation. Editor David Remnick has called her “a blessing not merely to The New Yorker but…
Writer Sandra Cisneros has been making sense of the world on the page since 1984’s The House on Mango Street. In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, we wanted to replay…
For the better part of a decade, David Byrne was the front-man of Talking Heads. To celebrate the revival of Jonathan Demme’s concert film, Stop Making Sense, we’re revisiting our…
For nearly two decades, Matt Belloni (The Town) has been observing and writing about Hollywood. He joins us today to unpack the latest on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. After…
Jazz singer Laufey wants to bridge the gap between the past and the present. Today, she joins us upon the debut of her latest album, Bewitched. We discuss her songwriting…
Sam Sanders is the host of Into It, a twice-weekly podcast surveying all things pop culture. Today: he joins us for a review of summer 2023! At the top, we…
Today, we return to our conversation with musician and actor Alana Haim! We first sat with Alana around her on-screen debut in the film Licorice Pizza, directed by Paul Thomas…
Musician and composer Este Haim has had quite the year. Today, she reflects on HAIM’s eventful summer as part of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour (5:45), her pivot into scoring…
For over a decade, composer and record producer Ludwig Göransson has created some of the defining music of our time. This week, he sits with Sam to discuss his latest…
As a fourth generation border resident in El Paso, politician Beto O’Rourke has long been making the case for immigration reform. He’s continued to do so this summer, as the…
For over three decades, legendary costume designer Ruth E. Carter has created the looks of our most era-defining films. Today, we're celebrating those pieces chronicled in her new book, The…
In a moment of historic upheaval in Hollywood, screenwriter and labor activist Alex O’Keefe (The Bear) believes he can turn the tide. The Writers Guild of America has been on…
Legendary photographer Joel Meyerowitz has been capturing life itself since 1962. Whether on the streets of New York City, the sand dunes of Cape Cod, or in transit across Europe,…
Last summer, we traveled to Princeton, New Jersey to sit with legendary writer Joyce Carol Oates. The talk begins with her daily routine, from writing to revision (6:34), the real-life…
With the closing of the latest season of The Run-Up, political reporter Astead Herndon (The New York Times) returns to the show. At the top, we discuss the recent impactful…
Today, on his 67th birthday, we’re joined by actor Tom Hanks! We begin by discussing his debut novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (6:45), his nomadic upbringing…
Today, we’re joined by actor Michael Shannon! We begin by discussing his recent turn as notorious country singer George Jones in George & Tammy (6:16) and his longstanding creative partnership…
Today, we sit with model, writer, and activist Geena Rocero! At the top, we discuss transgender visibility in the US (3:40), her ‘magical’ upbringing in the Philippines (5:52), and a…
Today, we’re joined by comedian Sarah Silverman! At the top, we reflect on loss (7:16), her new special, Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love (12:35), and coming of age in the…
Today, we're joined by Oscar Isaac in New York City! At the top, we discuss the past six months of his performance in The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window (5:10),…
Today, we sit with comedian, actor, and director Ramy Youssef! At the top, he reflects on his experience during Ramadan (5:36) before diving into the third season of his Hulu…
Today, we sit with singer-songwriter Arlo Parks! At the top, we discuss the arrival of her new record My Soft Machine (4:26), how performing with Harry Styles and Billie Eilish…
Today, we sit with filmmaker Nicole Holofcener! We discuss the making of her new A24 film You Hurt My Feelings (5:44), her creative upbringing in the ‘70s (15:00), and the…
Today, we’re joined by actor Alan Ruck! At the top, we dive into the Election Day episode of Succession (4:00), the ensemble’s first table read during the 2016 presidential race…
Today, we sit with writer and television host Padma Lakshmi! At the top, we discuss the return of her Hulu docuseries Taste the Nation (6:40), a formative episode in El…
Today, CEO and activist Jay Jordan tells his story. We begin in Stockton, California (13:31), where he came of age on the heels of the 1994 Clinton Crime Bill (16:33)…
Today, we sit with actor Betty Gilpin! We talk about her role in the prescient new Peacock series Mrs. Davis (6:35), her relationship to technology and social media (8:54), and…
Today, we’re joined by cook and food writer Alison Roman! We discuss her new dessert cookbook Sweet Enough (4:55), her early years as a restaurant pastry chef (12:24), and the…
Today, we sit with brilliant actor Michelle Williams! At the top, we walk through the making of Showing Up (6:05), Williams’ fifteen-year partnership with director Kelly Reichardt (8:10), and her…
Today, we sit with actor Steven Yeun! At the top, we discuss his new Netflix series Beef (3:40), a powerful church scene from the show (12:10), and his personal experience…
Today, we’re joined by writer and artist Jenny Odell! At the top, we discuss the recent legislation regulating social media in Utah (4:02), how these platforms affect our perception of…
Today, we sit with legendary actor and comedian Bob Odenkirk! At the top, we discuss his new AMC series Lucky Hank (6:10), the parallels between his character Hank Devereaux and…
Live from On Air Fest in Brooklyn, our talk with award-winning author Min Jin Lee! At the top, we discuss the roadmap to her upcoming third novel, American Hagwon (4:25),…
To celebrate Oscar Sunday, we return to our talk with actor Ke Huy Quan! At the top, he reflects on the making of A24’s Everything Everywhere All At Once (3:35),…
Ahead of this year’s Academy Awards, we sit with “RRR” actor Ram Charan! At the top, he reflects on his experience observing Ayyappa Deeksha (3:09 and what it meant to…
Today, we sit with brilliant actor, director, writer, and producer, Natasha Lyonne. At the top, we walk through the inspiration behind her hit Peacock series Poker Face (6:30), including shows…
Today, we sit with Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10). At the top, we discuss the five-year aftermath of the horrific shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida (2:29),…
For the long weekend, we return to one of our favorite talks with actor Pedro Pascal! At the top, we discuss his role in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (5:02),…
Today, we’re joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and critic Hilton Als! To begin, we unpack his approach to writing profiles (5:50), inspired by the words of photographer Diane Arbus (6:10),…
Today, we sit with actor and activist Nazanin Nour. At the top, we discuss the ongoing protests against the Islamic Republic (3:35), her transformative work in meetings with the UN…
Today, we sit with renowned artist Kehinde Wiley on the opening night of Colorful Realm, his new exhibition at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles. At the top, Wiley walks through the…
On January 22nd, 1973, the Supreme Court passed Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision preserving the right to abortion across the country. Today, we sit with Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, a…
Today, we sit with actor Ke Huy Quan! At the top, he reflects on the making of A24’s Everything Everywhere All At Once (5:40), growing up in Vietnam (9:10), and…
This week, we’re joined by actor Claire Foy! We discuss her compelling performance in Sarah Polley’s Women Talking (5:10), the painful journey of her character, Salome (7:50), and a pivotal…
Happy holidays! For our sixth annual Talk Easy holiday special, we've partnered with the Audre Lorde Project to celebrate. Named after the titular feminist, poet, and activist, the Audre Lorde Project is an…
As we near the end of 2022, we sit with trailblazing journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa. We begin by unpacking the fragmenting effects of social media (5:08),…
Today, we sit with actor, writer, and director Lake Bell! With the release of the her new audiobook (“Inside Voice: My Obsession with How We Sound”) we pinpoint the origin…
Today, we sit with musician Dev Hynes (Blood Orange)! We start by discussing his new EP (3:15), performing at Madison Square Garden with Harry Styles this fall (4:40), and the…
Today, we’re joined by actor, writer, and comedian, Kumail Nanjiani! We discuss his new series, Welcome to Chippendales, playing real-life entrepreneur Steve Banerjee (4:39), his fascination with American culture growing…
To close the holiday weekend, we sit with actor Jonathan Majors! At the top, we discuss how he embodied real-life US Navy pilot Jesse Brown in the new film “Devotion”…
Today, a visit to the office of legendary director and producer Judd Apatow! We talk about his upbringing in Long Island (5:20), conducting interviews with Jerry Seinfeld and Steve Allen…
Today we’re joined by journalist and podcast host, Kara Swisher. At the top, we unpack the midterms (4:22), the state of the GOP (7:28), and the role of social media…
Today, George Saunders returns! We discuss Liberation Day, his first short-story collection in nine years (3:40), the influence of Chekhov and Gogol (4:56), and a timely passage on democracy from “Love…
Today, director James Gray is back! We start by diving into the aftermath of Ad Astra (7:25), returning home to Queens with Armageddon Time (12:00) and the historical context of…
Today, we’re joined by comedian Nick Kroll! To begin, we dive into the origin of Little Big Boy, his first stand-up special in ten years (4:40), his pivot toward more…
Today we’re joined by Oscar-winning actor, Eddie Redmayne! We discuss how he embodied serial killer Charles Cullen in The Good Nurse (8:12), playing opposite Jessica Chastain (9:35), and the research…
Today we’re joined by Congresswoman Cori Bush! Back in 2020, Bush made history as the first Black woman elected to represent Missouri’s First Congressional District. With the upcoming midterms, we…
Today we’re joined by “Abbott Elementary” creator and star, Quinta Brunson! On the heels of its two historic wins at this year’s Emmys, we discuss the guiding principles behind its…
Today we’re joined by beloved author Sandra Cisneros! We discuss her first poetry collection in 28 years, Woman Without Shame (4:40), why she chooses to write ‘dangerous’ pieces (6:18), and…
With the US midterms approaching, we’re joined by New York Times political reporter and host of The Run-Up, Astead Herndon. We start by examining this “relentlessly disorienting time” in America…
Today we’re joined by Billy Eichner! We discuss the release of his groundbreaking rom-com Bros (4:22), how the film drew inspiration from James L. Brooks’ Broadcast News (6:30), and the power of working with…
Today, we’re joined by director Hiro Murai! With the return of Atlanta (5:06), we discuss the homecoming of this final season (7:14), Murai’s connection to the character Earn (10:04), the…
Last fall, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we turned to the work of photographer Joel Meyerowitz. In the aftermath of that fateful day, Joel spent nine months at…
This Labor Day weekend we’re joined by flight attendant and AFA President Sara Nelson! To begin, we discuss the challenge of summer air travel (6:14), the union’s fight against stock…
Today, we head to Princeton, New Jersey to sit with legendary writer Joyce Carol Oates. We begin with her daily routine, from writing to revision (6:34), the real-life events that…
Today we’re joined by Abbi Jacobson! We begin with her new series, A League of Their Own (5:35), the legacy of the 1992 film (10:35), her earliest comedic influences (15:05),…
Musician Joey Bada$$ joins us today! With the release of his new album, “2000”, we discuss the evolution of his songwriting (5:07), the direction of the new record (8:59), and…
Today we’re joined by Lena Dunham! We start by discussing her new film, Sharp Stick (6:20), the 1970s cinema that inspired it (9:50), and how it offers a “three-way mirror”…
Ethan Hawke has spent three decades telling stories. His latest project, The Last Movie Stars, honors two legends that inspired him to do so: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Today,…
Today, we’re joined by comedian John Early! We begin with his excellent new special, Would It Kill You to Laugh? (6:51) and its surprising tenderness (10:03), before revisiting a satirical…
Five years ago, Jenny and Sam sat for a special conversation. They promised to reconvene in 2020 (which they did). To celebrate the release of Marcel the Shell with Shoes…
This holiday weekend, we’re revisiting one of our favorite talks with actor, author, and woodworker Nick Offerman. We begin with his new book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play:…
Today, we sit with author and cultural critic Margo Jefferson. We begin with her new book, Constructing a Nervous System (6:54), an early Ella Fitzgerald memory (11:20), and the said…
Last month, a leaked draft opinion offered a repudiation of a 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights. The historic leak was followed by both pro-choice and…
This week we’re joined by beloved author David Sedaris! We begin with the timely opening essay from his latest collection, Happy-Go-Lucky (4:05). Then, David describes growing up in Raleigh, North…
This week we’re joined by actor Jon Bernthal! To begin, we discuss his latest performance on HBO’s We Own This City (6:00), policing and gun culture in America (9:15), growing…
This week we are joined by comedian Meg Stalter! With season two of Hacks, we talk about her role as Kayla the assistant (5:50), a formative experience in a middle…
To start, a reflection on the week that was. Then, we return to our conversation with Stacey Abrams. She won her Gubernatorial primary this week in Georgia, where she hopes…
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan (“A Visit from the Goon Squad”) joins us this week. She describes the structural pulse of her new novel (4:00), why she’s drawn to nonlinear…
This week we sit with actor Pedro Pascal! We begin with the release of his new film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (5:02), working with childhood idol Nicolas Cage…
This Mother’s Day, a special talk with actor Minnie Driver. On the heels of her debut essay collection Managing Expectations, she discusses the role of luck (3:40), her bifurcated upbringing…
This week, legendary actor and comedian Bill Hader! We discuss the return of Barry (4:57), the thematic evolution of the series (7:02), and how it draws from films like Taxi…
This week, our guest is poet Rupi Kaur. Ahead of her international tour (4:44), we sat to discuss her childhood in Canada (13:05), how she processes trauma through writing (22:13),…
This week we’re joined by musician and founding member of The Internet, Syd! With the release of her new solo record, Broken Hearts Club (5:00), we discuss the origin of…
Film historian Karina Longworth is the host of You Must Remember This, a podcast exploring the forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century. This week she joins us to discuss her new…
This week we’re joined by Professor Anita Hill. She’s an author, lawyer, and host of the new podcast, Getting Even with Anita Hill. We begin by discussing her excellent new program…
To celebrate Oscar Sunday, we’re returning to our talk with legendary bandleader of The Roots and director of Summer of Soul, Questlove!We discuss his winding road to making the documentary:…
Marina AbramoviÄ is a pioneer in the field of performance art, using her body as both the subject and the medium. This week, we sit with the legendary performer in…
This week we head to New York City to sit with the legendary David Byrne (Talking Heads). We discuss how he’s processed the pandemic (7:14), finding creativity in unlikely places…
Today we are joined by legendary writer Margaret Atwood! We begin with her new collection of essays, Burning Questions (4:18), which wrestle with catastrophe (4:59), growing up in the wilderness…
This week, we’re in conversation with author, voting rights activist, and gubernatorial candidate for the state of Georgia: Stacey Abrams. To begin, we talk about the systemic challenges that small…
Comedian and documentary host W. Kamau Bell has built a career out of having difficult conversations. Today, he returns to the show with his latest project, the four-part docuseries We…
On this special episode, educator Dr. James Whitfield tells his remarkable story. Whitfield made headlines recently after being fired as Principal of Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas. The reason?…
Glory Edim, founder of Well-Read Black Girl, joins us today for a special episode! In 2015, she founded the Brooklyn-based book club and online community. Two years later, a literary…
This week, the legendary Cate Blanchett joins us. To start, we unpack her femme fatale turn in Nightmare Alley (6:06), the way director Guillermo del Toro wrestles with truth and…
This week we sit with legendary bandleader of The Roots, Questlove! On the heels of his directorial debut, Summer of Soul, we discuss his winding road to making the documentary: from…
This week we’re joined by actor and producer Tessa Thompson! To begin, we talk about Thompson’s entry point into her new film Passing (7:56), a pivotal scene starring Bill Camp…
Ezra Klein is a columnist for The New York Times, the host of The Ezra Klein Show, and the author of Why We’re Polarized. He joins us this week to unpack…
This week we sit with musician Alana Haim, star of the film from director Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza. Making her acting debut, Alana shares the serendipitous backstory that led…
This week one year ago, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election. For some perspective on the other side of this moment,…
As we begin the new year, we turn to writer George Saunders. He first joined us upon the release of his latest book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain.…
On our annual holiday special, we hear from the people that came on Talk Easy in 2021. To start: performer Ts Madison (4:20), CNN anchor Jake Tapper (7:25), actor Vicky…
As we near the end of 2021, we turn to Noam Chomsky. The renowned linguist, historian, and social critic helps us unpack President Biden’s response to the Omicron variant (2:17),…
At age 26, Michael Tubbs became the youngest mayor of a major city in American history. He joins us this week around the release of his breathtaking new memoir, The…
On this holiday weekend we’re revisiting a special episode with Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jhumpa Lahiri (“Interpreter of Maladies”, “The Namesake”). In vivid, writerly detail Lahiri describes being raised in a family…
This week, we’re joined by legendary singer-songwriter, Indigenous activist, and educator Buffy Sainte-Marie. She reflects on growing up to adoptive parents in Massachusetts (4:00), the value of encouraging creativity in…
This week we present a double feature with actors Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) and Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets)! To begin, Krieps shares the story behind making Bergman Island (6:00), what it…
As we mark the one-year anniversary of the 2020 election, activist and educator Janaya Future Khan returns for a state of the union (3:00). We begin with the trillion dollar…
With the return of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jeff Garlin is back on the show! Our talk with the Chicago-born comedian opens with a song (4:16) and a spirited exchange over…
Actor, author, and woodworker Nick Offerman joins us in the studio! We begin with his new book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play (5:05), which was inspired by Nick’s…
Sam Fragoso is a writer, director and podcast host based in Los Angeles. His interviews have appeared in Vanity Fair, The New Republic, The Atlantic and NPR. In a past…
