It's Been a Minute

It's cuffing season: the time of year where the weather cools down and folks look for a warm body to cuddle up with. But we're getting into some of the less warm and fuzzy aspects of dating. For the next couple of weeks, we're kicking off cuffing season with some of the big questions about dating in our culture right now.This week – so you got 'The Ick?' That feeling of disgust when someone your dating does this one thing that you just can't look past. You think it's about them, but is The Ick actually about you?Brittany is joined by B.A. Parker, co-host of NPR's Code Switch, Corey Antonio Rose, a producer for It's Been A Minute, and Josh Rottman, associate professor of psychology and a disgust expert. They discuss what The Ick is and what it's really about.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When TikTok user, Slim Kim, posted a video expressing how much she loves 'being skinny,' she set off a wave of internet discourse. What's the line between loving your body and dog-whistling fatphobia? This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by authors Emma Specter and Kate Manne to find out: what's so wrong with loving being skinny?Then, Brittany takes goes on a field trip to the Anime NYC convention. She and IBAM producer Alexis Williams venture out to find out how generations of Black folks have found comfort, confidence, and fandom in the genre.Support public media and receive ad-free listening & bonus content by joining NPR+ today: https://plus.npr.org/Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's cuffing season: the time of year where the weather cools down and folks look for a warm body to cuddle up with. But we're getting into some of the less warm and fuzzy aspects of dating. This week – a lot of us have seen how explosive breakup stories have been on social media. From Reesa Teesa's "Who TF did I marry..." to Spritely's breakup song, these posts have been drawing gasps and gaining traction. But is it harmless fun, or an invasion of privacy?To find out, Brittany is joined by Molly McPherson, crisis PR expert, and Rebecca Jennings, senior correspondent at Vox. They get into what people actually get out of breakup posting - and discuss their theories of poster's etiquette.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's cuffing season: the time of year where the weather cools down and folks look for a warm body to cuddle up with. But we're getting into some of the less warm and fuzzy aspects of dating. For the next few weeks, we're kicking off cuffing season with some of the big questions about dating in our culture right now.This week – the song "Looking for a Man in Finance" went super viral on TikTok this year, and yeah, it's fun. But does it speak to people's broader desires to find someone who's more than comfortable financially? Host Brittany Luse is joined by Wailin Wong, co-host of NPR's The Indicator, and Reema Khrais, host of Marketplace's This Is Uncomfortable. They discuss what people are really looking for from a man in finance... and whether dating up in class is even possible. Support public media and receive ad-free listening & bonus content by joining NPR+ today: https://plus.npr.org/Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Our culture loves to celebrate adoption stories - and a lot of state governments put millions into promoting it. But adoptees and birth parents are opening up online about "coming out of the fog" - a term for becoming more openly critical of adoption, or facing the grief within their adoption stories. November is National Adoption Month, and Brittany Luse takes a closer look at how adoption functions in our culture by examining the supply side of adoption - the birth parents. She's joined by Gretchen Sisson, the author of Relinquished: the Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. They dive deep into the stories told about birth parents, and how our culture decides who deserves to be a parent.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Are UFOs real? Maybe, but that's not the point. From Congressional hearings on UFOs to the claims of RFK Jr., conspiracies have gone from fringe to mainstream political talking points. Authors Kelly Weill and Mike Rothschild join the show to explain why. Then, PEOPLE Magazine released this year's Sexiest Man Alive... and it was certainly a choice! But it got Brittany thinking: what makes someone sexy in the year 2024, and who decides what's hot? The hosts of Who Weekly, Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, join the show to get into it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The boys are not alright. They are falling behind in education and employment, and many have responded by leaning into the politics of the aggrieved. For decades, these major cultural developments have laid the groundwork for Donald Trump's re-election. Today Brittany talks with Hanna Rosin. Fifteen years ago she started researching what was going on with men. Her groundbreaking book The End of Men was one of the first to note this societal shift for men. Over a decade later, her assessment is more accurate than ever.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Baby fever just isn't spreading like it used to. The United States fertility rate hit an all-time low last year, and some of our biggest musicians, like Charli XCX and Tyler the Creator, are working their parenting anxieties out in their club bangers. This week, host Brittany Luse invites Anastasia Berg, co-author of What are Children For?, to explore the unique way millennials are confronting the age old question of whether or not to have a child.Then, in the wake of media layoffs, there's still a hunger for food coverage. Enter TikTok star and former MMA fighter Keith Lee, whose reviews of local eats have gained him over 16 million followers. Critics of Lee say he's diluting the art of culinary criticism, but fans can't get enough of his casual style. Brittany turns to Detroit Free Press restaurant and dining critic Lyndsay C. Green, and New York Times food writer Korsha Wilson to grapple with the #KeithLee Effect.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives to your favorite homemaking TikTok influencers, the women of the Church of Latter Day Saints have been gaining mass audiences via social media for over a decade. This week, Brittany is joined by Jana Riess, senior columnist at Religious News Service and author of The Next Mormons: How Millennials are Changing the LDS Church, to discuss how Mormon culture provides some of TikTok's most powerful influencers with heavenly tools for success.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What's surprising about Trump returning to the White House? For Brittany Luse, Pop Culture Happy Hour's Aisha Harris, and NPR's Alana Wise there isn't much to be surprised about. Three Black women and journalists mull over how this moment is business as usual from where they sit.Then, Brittany puts the spotlight on a word that's been in the shadows in this election cycle: feminism. Vox's Constance Grady and Paper Magazine's Joan Summers join the show to discuss the state of feminism in American politics.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's Election Day, but instead of focusing on politics, we decided to do something a little lighter for the occasion: we're looking at this year's hot mom rom-com boom. Host Brittany Luse is joined by New York Magazine features writer Rachel Handler to get a little deeper into three movies from this genre: A Family Affair, The Idea of You, and Between the Temples. They discuss how hot moms on screen have changed, but why movies like these often still feel behind the times.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The 2024 presidential candidates are making their closing arguments. While VP Harris is focused on the economy and abortion rights, Donald Trump has doubled down on anti-immigrant and anti-trans attack ads. This week, Brittany invites Translash's Imara Jones and NPR immigration correspondent Sergio Martínez-Beltrán to understand what deeper fears these attack ads are stoking. Then, Brittany is joined by Code Switch's Gene Demby to explore the roots of a corner of the conservative internet that may have surprising effects on the election: The Black Manosphere.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For the third and final installment of our Trilogy of Terror series, host Brittany Luse turns her attention to the ultimate taboo: cannibalism. Cannibalism stories have gotten big recently: it's in The Last of Us, Society of the Snow and Yellowjackets. She's joined by NPR Arts Desk reporter Neda Ulaby to dig deeper into three cannibalism films. They break down how versatile the trope is, what it says about how we consume – and how we love.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The same songs are sitting at the top of the music charts longer than ever, and that has Brittany Luse wondering, are our listening habits stuck in a doom loop? Brittany chats with NPR music editor Stephen Thompson to get to the bottom of the top of the charts. Plus, when a daughter or sister disappears how does a family move on without closure? Host Brittany Luse is joined by Fresh Air co-host Tonya Mosley and and her nephew Antonio Wiley to talk about their new kind of true crime podcast, She Has A Name.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Kylie Minogue is having a capital-M moment, and Brittany sits down in studio with the pop star to talk about how to keep reaching new heights in a career full of peaks. Hot off her Vegas Residency, Kylie just dropped her new album Tension II and is gearing up for a world tour. The legend shares her tips for staying on top for three decades, and Brittany asks what's the secret for turning underground dance music in pristine pop bangers.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Extreme weather is becoming more frequent. Now some towns that were touted as "safe" are seeing hurricanes, floods or heat waves. This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by NPR climate solutions reporter Julia Simon and NPR culture reporter Chloe Veltman to understand misconceptions around "climate havens" and what it means to preserve culture in the face of the climate crisis.Then, Brittany continues her Trilogy of Terror series with an unexpected horror trope: scary service workers. She invites Bowdoin College English professor Aviva Briefel and Slate writer Joshua Rivera to break down how the maids, murderers, and motel workers in horror reveal different cultural anxieties about eating the rich.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sasha Colby is your favorite drag queen's favorite drag queen. That's because she's one of the most decorated and influential drag queens working today - she's Chappell Roan's inspiration, a Miss Continental winner and a RuPaul's Drag Race winner.Sasha Colby joins Brittany following her 'STRIPPED' world tour to dish about her career, the mainstreaming of drag, and what it takes to persevere through drag's rhinestone trenches.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In anticipation of more pro-Palestinian protests, many college administrators rolled out new rules this fall that include getting pre-approval for posting flyers or hosting demonstrations. Brittany is joined by UC Irvine sociology professor David S. Meyer, who studies social movements and public policy, and Chronicle of Higher Education reporter Kate Hidalgo Bellows. They discuss the changes on campuses and how they tie into debates over free speech. Then, Brittany kicks off a new series exploring horror tropes. It's called The Trilogy of Terror. First up: Beelzebub. Brittany invites Travis Stevens and Klaus Yoder, historians and co-hosts of the podcast Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the Devil, to talk about the symbology of the devil and how representations of him in horror movies have changed over time.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Who will win today's cage match?For the past two months Brittany has been hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. Today, she ends her tour in her hometown. It's a homecoming of sorts. Beyoncé style. For the last episode in the series, Brittany lands in Detroit, Michigan, and debates with Tia Graham, co-host of WDET's CultureShift and Cary Junior II, producer for WDET's Created Equal. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Tuesday night, JD Vance and Tim Walz faced off in their first debate. Host Brittany Luse is joined by NPR's national race and identity correspondent Sandhya Dirks and political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben to discuss how the candidates display competing brands of white masculinity.Then, Fat Bear Week is back! The annual March Madness-style bracket of the fattest bears in Alaska's Katmai National Park is in full swing after a rocky start. In honor of Fat Bear Week, Brittany revisits a journey through time to unpack what bears mean to us — and why they're family, friend and foe all at once.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Who will win today's cage match?Welcome to The Smackdown! For the last few weeks Brittany has been hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. This episode Brittany lands in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and debates with KOSU's Jacob Littlebear and Kuma Roberts, co-hosts of Focus: Black Oklahoma. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Following the false allegations against the Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, the city received over 30 bomb threats, saw school closures and even the cancellation of a celebration for diversity in arts and culture. Host Brittany Luse talks to NPR Immigration correspondent Jasmine Garsd about what she's learned from her reporting in the region and how all this could tie into a larger Midwest identity crisis.Then, Brittany is joined by Danzy Senna, author of Colored Television, to talk about how she's seen biracial representation change over the last three decades, and what it means to be in the "Not Like Us" era. They dig into her latest novel and its perspective on racial profiteering.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Who will win today's cage match?Welcome to The Smackdown! For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. This episode Brittany lands in Miami, Florida, and debates with WLRN reporter Wilkine Brutus and The Miami Herald's C. Isaiah Smalls II. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises.This discussion features excerpts from the NPR Music's Louder Than A Riot. Hear more from Sidney Madden's interview with Trina here.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

On Monday, the embattled rap mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs was arrested and charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. He's been denied bail twice, and is facing a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. Host Brittany Luse is joined by NPR Music editor Sidney Madden and legal affairs reporter Meghann Cuniff to understand what this indictment means for Combs and if this could be the beginning of a #MeToo movement in hip-hop.Then, Brittany is joined by Tony Tulathimutte, author of Rejection, to talk about a rising culture around rejection, his book and why online life can enable rejections to curdle inside us.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Who will win today's cage match?Welcome to The Smackdown! For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. This episode Brittany lands in New Orleans, Louisiana, and debates with Gulf States Newsroom health equity reporter Drew Hawkins and writer & editor Ko Bragg. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Podcast and social media influencers have become important campaign stops for political hopefuls. But what kind of voters are the candidates courting? And what does the popularity of these interviews say about the growing political power of the influencer? Brittany is joined by Slate staff writer Luke Winkie and NBC News tech and culture reporter Kat Tenbarge to find out. But first, what can we learn about the political candidates through their clothes? After the presidential debate, Brittany sat down with Washington Post fashion writer Rachel Tashjian and New York Times chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman to talk about the fashion choices of the front runners and how power dressing has changed. They also play a Taylor Swift trivia game.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Who will win today's cage match?Welcome to The Smackdown! For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. This episode Brittany lands in Birmingham, Alabama, and debates with Gulf States Newsroom sports & culture reporter Joseph King and AL.com culture reporter Cody Short. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's September, which means millions of young learners across the country are dusting off their backpacks and heading back to school. But a new study from Gallup and The Walton Family Foundation has shown that students are less engaged, and feel less challenged than last year, and about half of them have no plans to get a Bachelor's degree right after high school. Host Brittany Luse is joined by Karin Klein, education reporter and author of Rethinking College: A Guide to Thriving Without a Degree, and NPR Education Desk correspondent and Senior Editor Cory Turner to parse through what has next generation feeling despondent and if we need to rethink the purpose of high school.Then, Brittany is on the housing hunt, but she's found that even outside major urban areas, small cities across the country are rapidly gentrifying. Richard E. Ocejo, author of Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification and Race in a Small American City, joins Brittany to look at what happens when big city gentrifiers move to town and how some of them have rebranded gentrification.Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Who will win today's cage match?Welcome to The Smackdown! For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. This episode Brittany lands in Concord, New Hampshire, the Granite State, and debates with New Hampshire Public Radio reporters Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, the hosts of the excellent podcast Civics 101. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After Chappell Roan posted about how some fans have been making her feel unsafe, there's been speculation around whether the singer is really 'cut out to be a pop star.' But are the critiques fair? Brittany sits down with Kelsey McKinney, who wrote about the controversy for Defector, and Dr. Mel Stanfill, author of Fandom is Ugly. They discuss modern fandom, how Chappell Roan framed it as a conversation about gender and what people misunderstand about celebrity. Then, Brittany looks at the how charity is changing. Traditional charitable giving is down in the US and some non-profits have declared that we're in the middle of a "generosity crisis." At the same time, a new genre of online viral videos has emerged: feel-good 'charity' content. And nobody does it bigger than MrBeast. Brittany is joined by journalist Max Read to understand the MrBeast phenomenon and break down the generational divides these videos reveal.Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been 21 years since Starbucks debuted the first pumpkin spice latte in 2003. Since then, it's become a cultural phenomenon greater than itself: it's shorthand for fall, for basicness, for femininity, and even for white culture. In this episode from last year, we explore why the PSL became so powerful — and how food trends garner so much meaning. Host Brittany Luse chatted with Suzy Badaracco, food trend forecaster and founder of Culinary Tides, to discuss the $500 million dollar industry, and how little miss pumpkin spice has held on to her cultural power.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As the dust settles on the DNC, host Brittany Luse takes a look at the challenges facing a group of progressive democrats commonly known as "The Squad." Incumbent Reps. Cori Bush in Missouri and Jamaal Bowman in New York lost their seats this summer to candidates whose campaigns received funding from pro-Israel PACs. Brittany is joined by POLITICO Congress reporter Sarah Ferris and Capital B News national politics reporter Brandon Tensley to understand how these PACs are impacting progressives in Congress. Then, Brittany talks to Colman Domingo about his new film, 'SING SING,' which follows the emotional lives of a group of incarcerated actors working together to stage an original musical. Colman stars alongside a cast of real-life formerly incarcerated actors, and connects with Brittany over experiencing new versions of masculinity and paving the way for a new kind of Hollywood star.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Who will win today's cage match?Welcome to The Smackdown! For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. This episode Brittany lands in San Francisco, California, the Bay Area, and debates with KQED reporters Pendarvis Harshaw, host of Rightnowish, and Olivia Allen-Price, host of Bay Curious. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Who will win today's cage match?Welcome to The Smackdown! For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. This episode Brittany lands in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, the Twin Cities, and debates with Minnesota Public Radio reporters Kyra Miles and Jacob Aloi. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ever since Minnesota governor and Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz called Republicans "weird," we've seen other Democrats embrace this name-calling strategy and deploy it in interviews and in memes online. We've also seen Republicans lobbing the "weird" moniker right back at Democrats. To get into how "weird" this all is, Brittany chats with NPR culture reporter Andrew Limbong and NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben about this new political strategy and redefining "normalcy" in 2024.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Now that we're in the dog days of summer, host Brittany Luse wants to know - do we have a song of the summer this year? According to NPR Music reporter Sidney Madden and NPR Music host, writer and editor Stephen Thompson, there isn't one song - but many songs. "We are more disparate than ever, that's why it's hard to chart a single song right now," said Sidney. "It's more like choose your own adventure." So - we're choosing our own adventure today and discussing the many contenders for song of the summer - and hearing why each song tells us something a little different about our cultural moment. Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the presidential race, things changed. Her campaign almost immediately started framing the election as: Harris, the former prosecutor - vs. Trump the felon. And that word - "felon" - is one that our friends over at NPR's Code Switch have been thinking a lot about since former President Trump was convicted of 34 counts back in May. In this episode, Code Switch co-hosts B.A. Parker and Gene Demby chop it up with the comedian Arif Shahid, who performs under the name Felonious Munk, to talk about what it means for him to carry this reference to his felony conviction so publicly. Then, Gene talks to Josie Duffy-Rice, a writer who focuses on the criminal justice system, to look at the ways "felon" sticks to people long after their sentences end. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From the attempted assassination of former President Trump, to President Biden dropping out of the election, and VP Kamala Harris stepping up... The news these past few weeks has been buck wild. And the energy online is similarly unhinged. But what do most people get wrong when they try to interpret the latest explosion of political memes? And what do these posts actually say about how people are processing major events? And are there consequences to just posting through it? Host Brittany Luse is joined by Tatum Hunter, consumer tech reporter at The Washington Post, and Kyle Chayka, staff writer at The New Yorker, to discuss what meaning could possibly be gleaned from the meme madness.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It seems like there are countless streamers these days – there's Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Max, Peacock, Roku, just to name a few. Still, success and profit remain elusive to even some of the biggest in the biz. However there is one smaller streamer that seems to have found a path to prosperity: Dropout. In this encore episode, IBAM host Brittany Luse sat down with Dropout CEO Sam Reich earlier this year to find out how his company is forging a path to success in a successful market, all while revamping the gameshow format. The pair also play a little gameshow game. Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This is the first year the Olympics have gender parity between men's and women's teams - but does it mean gender equity? ESPN writer Katie Barnes and Rose Eveleth, host of NPR and CBC's Tested, join Brittany to discuss the barriers that women athletes still face - from men-only categories to women-only sex testing. And later - in recent years, you may have noticed some new behemoths prowling the streets of America: giant trucks. The sheer size of them has sparked policy debates – many are so big that it's not possible to see a child crossing directly in front of them, and there's been a spike in pedestrian deaths. Brittany is joined by Angie Schmitt, author of Right of Way, to chat about why these big trucks are so popular and what they say about our cultural anxieties.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In the latest revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, there are no singing cats. The actors have basically ditched the furry ears and velvet tails and reimagined the characters as competitors in the ballroom scene, vying for trophies and a new chance at life. This week, host Brittany Luse talks to Cats: The Jellicle Ball star Chasity Moore and co-director Zhailon Levingston about ballroom, spectacles and memories.Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Last Saturday, former president Donald Trump was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania when a gunman shot at him – killing one spectator and clipping Trump in the ear. The response? Outrage, condemnations, and prayers on all sides... but there's been less chatter about the gun that shot at him. And this gun has a lot of symbolism: The AR-15. Host Brittany Luse is joined by The Wall Street Journal's Zusha Elinson, co-author of the book American Gun, and Jennifer Mascia, senior news writer and founding staffer at The Trace, a nonpartisan nonprofit newsroom that covers guns. Together, they discuss how the AR-15 style rifle went from an outcast in the gun world to the one of the biggest pro-gun symbols and why that actually reflects bigger cultural shifts.And later - cop comedies are getting big reboots this year. But why do audiences want to see funny Black guys playing cops? And what does it mean that the characters poking fun at power are also the ones enforcing it on screen? To find out - Brittany is joined by Soraya Nadia McDonald, who wrote a deep dive on all of Will Smith's law enforcement roles, and Washington Post opinion columnist Alyssa Rosenberg, who wrote a five part series on Hollywood's long relationship with law enforcement on and off screen.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We're at the peak of summer, which means sunny days on the grass with a good book! Bestselling authors Tia Williams and Jean Chen Ho join host Brittany Luse to give their recommendations for great summer reads. They also offer some armchair theories on why we love a gossipy summer novel.Books mentioned in this episode:The Guest by Emma ClineMeet Me Tonight in Atlantic City by Jane Wong Hip-Hop Is History by Questlove with Ben Greenman Devil is Fine by John VercherGood Material by Dolly Alderton Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen HoA Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia WilliamsWant to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What did the raunchy joke say to the podcast host? That we might need to pay attention to the "zynternet." Host Brittany Luse is joined by Slate's Luke Winkie and sex and culture writer Magdalene Taylor to understand why the "hawk tuah" phenomenon is emblematic of a corner of the internet that's both culturally and politically powerful. Then, we're breaking down one of the most potent symbols in America: the cowboy. Brittany revisits her conversation with New York Times culture critic J Wortham, and Museum of Contemporary Art Denver director Nora Burnett Abrams to unpack the history of the symbol and explain why it continues to lasso Americans.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, the legendary singer and civil rights figure Mavis Staples is turning 85 and there's no sign of her slowing down: She released a new song, "Worthy," and a children's book, Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples. Today, Mavis joins host Brittany Luse to share stories from her life: what it was like to be mentored by Mahalia Jackson, how she helped create the soundtrack for the Civil Rights movement, how she was spurned by the church then welcomed back, and what it was like to collaborate with Prince. Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It is the first week of July, which means we are officially halfway through the year. And what a year it's been! Brittany sat down with NPR Politics reporter Elena Moore and co-host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour Stephen Thompson, to take stock of what's happened so far in 2024.Then, remember when brands weighed in on politics? Like when Gushers said Black Lives Matter or Pepsi made that Kendall Jenner ad? However, in the past few years brands seem to have shied away from touching on "woke" politics. And if advertising reflects culture, what does that say about our culture now? Brittany sits down with Michael Serazio, professor of communication at Boston University – who specializes in the study of advertising - to uncover what's at the root of the reversal.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Too often, our attempts at nailing the family recipes end up in disaster and disappointment. This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by former Kentucky Poet Laureate Crystal Wilkinson, author of Praisesong for the Kitchenghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks. The two talk about Appalachian food culture, turning oral recipes into written ones, and the emotional relationship between food, family and memory.Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The internet freaked out when Charli XCX and Lorde revealed - and put to rest - their pop girl rivalry on Charli's "Girl, so confusing" remix. That same day, Brandy and Monica seemed to settle their decades long feud when they appeared on the remix of Ariana Grande's version of "The Boy is Mine." But while the pop girls are healing, a lot of fans still seem to want blood - can this music heal us? To break it all down, Brittany is joined by NPR Music Editor Hazel Cills, and Pop Pantheon podcast host, DJ Louie XIV.Then, AMC's Interview with the Vampire is back for a second season and so Brittany revisits her conversation with the star of the show, Jacob Anderson. But first, Brittany sits down with Black vampire aficionado, Kendra R. Parker to help understand what these monsters say about our fears and desires.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's Black Music month! This week, Host Brittany Luse invites Howard University professor and trombonist Myles Blakemore to talk about how classical music influenced some of our favorite musicians. They look at how the counterpoint technique of Johann Sebastian Bach may have inspired Nina Simone, and how a love of Ginuwine can turn into a career in classical music. Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

First up, there has been a media frenzy around the fouls made against rising basketball star and Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. Commentators and fans have called her fellow WNBA players bullies, jealous, and catty. But Code Switch co-host Gene Demby and Defector's Maitreyi Anantharaman say a lot of the people commenting misunderstand the WNBA. Host Brittany Luse learns what the new fans might be missing and how racism, sexism and homophobia could be fanning the flames of the latest hot takes. Brittany also leads Gene and Maitreyi through a game of "But Did You Know."Then, what is up with all the deodorant being locked up in stores? It's not just you, it's a peculiar nationwide trend that Brittany is trying to understand. Vox policy correspondent Abdallah Fayyad and The Marshall Project's engagement editor Nicole Lewis join the show to explain how this is related to a big shoplifting panic and what it could mean for the shelf life of certain crime policies across the country.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In his new memoir, Another Word for Love, Carvell Wallace lays out his journey to find self-acceptance after a childhood colored by instability. Host Brittany Luse sits down with Carvell to talk about how he built new language around love and his new perspectives on recovery and healing.Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Flags have been making a lot of headlines lately, and it's not because today is National Flag Day. The upside down flag that was flown outside of Justice Samuel Alito's house after January 6th is back in the headlines again. Plus the Colorado Republican Party has been making news for their post on X to "burn all the #pride flags this June." Host Brittany Luse is joined by Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy - hosts of NHPR's Civics 101 - to get into why both liberals and conservatives get so riled up by a piece of fabric.Then, in honor of the Tony Awards this weekend, Brittany sits down with critic and playwright Sarah Jae Leiber. They talk about why there are so many presidents in American musical theater, the bizarreness of some of these portrayals and what the real politicians pulling the strings get out of it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Cole Escola is the star and creator of Oh Mary!, an upcoming Broadway play about Mary Todd Lincoln, the wife of President Abraham Lincoln. But there's a twist: Mary is reimagined as a raging alcoholic with cabaret dreams and Lincoln is portrayed as an evil closeted gay man plotting on her misery. On the cusp of the show's Broadway debut, Brittany chats with Cole about the inspiration behind Oh Mary!, their favorite joke and why it's fun to play older women.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What is our justice system for? Many Republicans over the past week have suggested it's for revenge, calling for the prosecution of Democrats across the country following Trump's guilty verdict. Brittany looks at how the justice system can be politicized with NPR's national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Plus, we all have examples of how bad those those new artificial intelligence search engine results can be. So why does it seem like every tech company is all in on the hottest tech trend? Brittany gets into it with NPR's technology correspondent Bobby Allyn and disinformation correspondent Shannon Bond.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Cheerleaders are canonical when it comes to teen media - but is it time we expand our idea of who cheerleaders can be? Devery Jacobs's new film, Backspot, explores the internal life of a cheerleading backspot - the person making sure those high-flying cheerleaders don't break their necks. Devery joins Brittany to talk about redefining the cheerleader for a new generation, and keeping her sense of integrity while navigating the film industry.Want to be featured on the show? Record your response to Brittany's question at the end of 'Hey Brittany' via voice memo and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Summer is supposed to be for vacation and more relaxation, right? Well, for climate watchers, this season goes by a more sinister name. Brittany and NPR climate correspondents Lauren Sommer and Nate Rott get into what changes in summer weather mean for how and where we live.Then, it's prom season and high schoolers are showing out! But styles have changed since the days of poofy dresses and bedazzled purses: prom fashion has reportedly become more adult. For many young people, prom reflects their ideas of glamour, so does this shift say something new about the fantasies of girlhood? Brittany sits down with writer Hilary George-Parkin who wrote about the blurring of age in fashion. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When a daughter or sister disappears how does a family move on without closure? Host Brittany Luse is joined by Fresh Air co-host Tonya Mosley and and her nephew Antonio Wiley. The two produced She Has A Name, a documentary podcast that unravels the disappearance and death of Tonya's half-sister, Anita Wiley. Brittany, Tonya, and Antonio get into how Anita went missing, and how their show breaks the stereotypes of true crime podcasting. Want to be featured on the show? Record your response to Brittany's question at the end of 'Hey Brittany' via voice memo and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jasmine Crockett exchanged heated words on the House floor. Greene commented on Crockett's eyelashes, and Crockett referred to Greene's body as "butch." We dive into the history of these two attacks, and look at what history the two representatives were pulling from — from misogynoir to transphobia. And what does this say about what we want from our politicians? Brittany is joined by NPR's Alana Wise and writer Kerry Manders. Then, 'The Matrix' came out 25 years ago, and became an instant classic. It's a powerful story for both trans people and incels who "took the red pill." What makes the movie's core metaphor so widely appealing (and widely applicable)? Brittany is joined by critic Emily St. James and critic James Wilmes.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, Brittany Luse sits down with playwright Jocelyn Bioh, whose new play, Jaja's African Hair Braiding, is up for five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play. The two discuss Bioh's unique approach to comedy, what it took to bring a hair affair to Broadway, and how to find humor in dark situations.Want to be featured on the show? Record your response to Brittany's question at the end of 'Hey Brittany' via voice memo and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, the dating app Bumble could not stay out of the news. First, the company launched an anti-celibacy advertising campaign mocking abstinence and suggesting women shouldn't give up on dating apps. Then, at a tech summit, Bumble's founder suggested artificial intelligence might be the future of dating. Both efforts were met with backlash, and during a time when everyone seems irritated with dating - where can people turn? Shani Silver, author of the Cheaper Than Therapy substack, and KCRW's Myisha Battle, dating coach and host of How's Your Sex Life? join the show to make sense of the mess. Then, it's been four years since the start of the COVID pandemic. So much has changed - especially attitudes towards public health. Brittany talks to, Dr. Keisha S. Ray, a bioethicist, to hear how public health clashed with American culture - how we're supposed to live among people with different risk tolerance - and what all this means for the next pandemic.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Our culture is full of stories about what it's like to be young: to find yourself, to fall in love, to leave home. But there aren't nearly as many scripts for what middle age might look like, especially for women. This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by author and filmmaker Miranda July, whose new novel 'All Fours' dives deep into the mystery and miracle of being a middle aged woman.Want to be featured on the show? Record a question via voice memo for 'Hey Brittany' and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Drake and Kendrick have been trading diss tracks for weeks, and it's gotten darker and darker with each track. Drake accuses Kendrick of beating women, and Kendrick accuses Drake of abusing minors. It's a spectacle, but who are the pawns? Brittany chats with NPR Music's Sidney Madden and writer Tirhakah Love about the collateral damage in this rap beef.Then, Brittany turns to Holding It Together a new book that describes how America has avoided building a social safety net and instead relies on women to provide the services that could be universal to all. Author Jessica Calarco joins the show to dive into the book and take a look at the cultural forces that keep women holding it all together.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

NPR's Rachel Martin is the host of a new weekly podcast called Wild Card. It's part-interview, part-existential game show. In this episode, Brittany sits down to play the game with Rachel, which brings up some surprising emotions for the both of them.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Brittany sits down with Jane Schoenbrun, the director of A24's coming of age horror film, I Saw The TV Glow. Brittany and Jane discuss suburban decay, delightfully creepy kids shows, and new metaphors for the trans experience.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Pro-Palestinian protests have been popping up at universities around the world, and in the last few days things have escalated at a number of those campuses. Columbia University called on police to shutdown the encampment on their university lawn and 300 people were arrested. At University of California Los Angeles, about 200 pro-Israel counter-protestors raided a pro-Palestinian encampment. To get first hand accounts of the protests, Brittany talks to two student journalists: Shaanth Nanguneri, an undergraduate reporter at UCLA, and Claire Davenport, a graduate reporter at Columbia University in New York.Then, Eurovision may seem like a quaint, quirky event to Americans but it's a huge cultural event that easily surpasses the Super Bowl in terms of global viewership. And for an apolitical event, Eurovision can teach us a lot about geopolitics. This year, all eyes are on Israel, which is not European but has been a competitor since the 70s. With Israel's ongoing conflict in Gaza, there's a lot of politicking for and against its inclusion at the song contest. Brittany chats with Eurovision scholar Paul David Flood about Israel's controversial song and dance at Eurovision... and why Americans might want to pay attention.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Host Brittany Luse sits down with Arionne Nettles, author of We Are the Culture: Black Chicago's Influence on Everything. Arionne shares how Black media in Chicago influenced the way Black Americans see themselves and why the city deserves to be called 'the heart of Black America.'Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, President Biden signed a law that could ban TikTok nationwide unless its Chinese parent company sells the media platform within a year. Brittany is joined by NPR's Deirdre Walsh and Bobby Allyn to discuss the backdrop of this decision and its implications.Then, the tradwife - aka "traditional wife" - has taken social media by storm. But there's more to this trend than homemade sourdough bread and homeschooled children. Writer Zoe Hu chats with Brittany about her article on the "fantasy" of the tradwife and what this influx in content says about how women feel about work and the modern world.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

One of Brittany's latest TV obsessions has been Netflix's Love on the Spectrum. It's a reality series that follows several autistic adults as they wade through the dating pool, guided by relationship coach Jennifer Cook. Brittany sits down with Jennifer to unpack how her own experience with autism informs the advice she gives. Then, Brittany is joined by Gender Reveal podcast host Tuck Woodstock and Flyest Fables producer Morgan Givens. Together, they discuss how the show deals with stereotypes, the problems baked into all dating shows and what it's like to watch the show as autistic viewers.Want to be featured on It's Been A Minute? Record a voice note for 'Hey Brittany' and send it to IBAM.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Earlier this week, pro-Palestinian protestors blocked traffic on highways and bridges in San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Seattle. On that same day, the Supreme Court made it incredibly difficult to protest in a lot of the American South. In this episode, host Brittany Luse looks at the state of protest in America. She sits down with Sandhya Dirks, an NPR reporter who covers race and identity, and Elizabeth Blair, a senior arts reporter at NPR. Together, they discuss shifting attitudes towards protest as well as new anti-protest legislation. Then, they play a game of But Did You Know?After that, we take a look back at OJ Simpson and his impact on culture. Brittany is joined by NPR's Mandalit Del Barco and Eric Deggans to hear their account of how OJ shifted media and television as we know it. He's had an outsized influence on everything from true-crime, to TMZ, to the Kardashians.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Some of us whistle while we work, but what happens when your work is whistling? This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by professional whistler, Molly Lewis. Lewis' catalogue spans across the film and music industries, from features on the Barbie soundtrack to performances alongside Karen O. From NPR's New York Bureau, Brittany sits down with Lewis to talk about the world of competitive whistling, how she hones a craft many people see as fidgeting, and why older generations are more likely to whistle. This episode also features a special live performance with songs from Lewis' new album, On The Lips.Want to be featured on the show? Record a question via voice memo for 'Hey Brittany' and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Biden has been pushing new regulations to promote electric vehicle production to combat the climate crisis — and former president Trump is using those regulations as a talking point against Biden. To break down how cars became the latest weapons in the culture wars, host Brittany Luse is joined by NPR's transportation correspondent Camila Domonoske and Dan Brekke, a reporter and editor at KQED in San Francisco who covers transit. Together, they talk about why Americans are so invested in their cars — and how cars became more than just a policy battle. Then Brittany discusses a new HBO documentary series that is making waves right now: Quiet On Set. The show alleges a pattern of sexual harassment behind the scenes at Nickelodeon, and includes interviews with several former child stars describing experiences that range from taking part in sexualized gags to facing downright sexual abuse while working for the network. Brittany looks closer at the trouble with child performers with Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, co-hosts of the Eating for Free podcast. They discuss what makes child performers especially vulnerable to abuse — and they ask why society demands performances from children.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Grab your cowboy hat, and saddle up that horse, because Beyoncé's highly anticipated album, Cowboy Carter is here. So far, the album has spurred praise, criticism, and questions about what the actual goal of this project is and how it fits into the Renaissance trilogy. To get into all of that, Brittany joined NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour to discuss whether this foray into country is an exercise in experimentation or industry validation.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last week, the city's 39 year old mayor, Brandon Scott, a Black man, stepped out to address the crisis. Hours later, a tweet went viral calling Scott a "DEI Mayor." To which Brittany and her guests, NPR's Gene Demby and Alana Wise, say "wait what?" The three dig into the racism lurking under the surface of this kind of rhetoric.Then, as March Madness reaches its final nail-biting stages, Brittany takes a look at the reality of "student-athletes." What may feel like an accurate descriptor of these players is actually a legal classification that bars them from asking for worker's compensation and other benefits - benefits usually given to employees. Brittany is joined by sports business reporter Amanda Christovich and Assistant Professor of Legal Studies in Business at Boise State University Sam Ehrlich. They discuss how the recent news of Dartmouth men's basketball team unionizing opens up doors for broader conversations around how we value "work."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, we're revisiting an exploration of hair braiding gone wrong. Online, women looking to get box braids have gone viral with their complaints about confusing pricing structures, minimal care, and poor customer service. Brittany Luse chats with public historian and YouTuber Jouelzy to get an overview of the tension. Then, Jessica Poitras, legislative counsel for the Institute of Justice, joins the show to talk about the legal roadblocks many hair braiders face in setting up their businesses. And later, Brittany is joined by stylist Tyré Rimple to discuss the hidden costs behind braiding. This segment first aired last summer.Want to be featured on the show? Record a question for 'Hey Brittany' and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

TikTok has come under fire for its addictive algorithm and for being a place where misinformation spreads. But still, there is one institution that thinks TikTok actually has the potential to be a source of good in our world: Harvard. To be more specific, it's the Harvard Chan Center for Health Communication.To hear more about how the center is working with TikTok influencers to share researched information with the public, host Brittany Luse is joined by Kate Speer. Kate started as a mental health TikToker, but was recently hired as a marketing director for the Harvard Chan Center for Health Communication. Kate also shares her mental health journey and what it's been like to work within a mental health system that harmed her.Then, Brittany looks at the history left out of the new Netflix film, Shirley, which follows the presidential run of Shirley Chisholm. Brittany sits down with Dr. Anastasia C. Curwood, author of Shirley Chisholm: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics, to discuss what came before the historic race. They talk about how Shirley's various identities informed her approach, and scan for her fingerprint on American electoral politics today.Want to be featured on the show? Record a question for 'Hey Brittany' and send it to ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Erotic thrillers are meant to be sexy, bloody, and fun. The best of them also deal with shifts in culture that people are anxious about: Fatal Attraction was about the threat of working single women, and Basic Instinct got into bisexual panic. A hot new erotic thriller takes on women's strength and capacity for rage: Love Lies Bleeding is an 80's fantasia of big muscles and big hair with steamy sexy scenes and thrilling plot twists. It follows the story of a bodybuilder named Jackie, played by Katy O'Brian, who falls madly in love with gym manager Lou, played by Kristen Stewart. Host Brittany Luse sat down with Katy O'Brian to talk about strong women and the fantasy of wielding the rage that lurks just under the surface.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Dune: Part Two is a marvel of cinematic wonder. Amongst all the chatter around the cinematography and lore, Brittany also noticed that there was a particular fascination with Austin Butler's accent. Butler is no stranger to a distinctive voice - he was Elvis after all. But the discourse around what makes a good or bad accent made Brittany want to revisit a conversation with New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan. In this interview from last year, Kyle makes the case that bad accents make movies more fun. Then, Brittany turns from bad accents to bad sex. What may feel like a personal problem is actually an indicator of bigger social issues, at least according to Nona Willis Aronowitz. Her book, Bad Sex: Truth, Pleasure, and an Unfinished Revolution, tackles the historic and systemic causes of unsatisfying sex. Brittany and Nona spoke last year about where bad sex comes from and what could be done about it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Awards season is finally over and even though Oppenheimer took home the top prize for best picture at the Oscars, Barbie still seemed to be a fan favorite. To celebrate the final close of the Barbie movie press run, we revisit an episode from last year about the spectacular femininity of Barbie girls.Host Brittany Luse sits down with Hannah McCann, a lecturer at the University of Melbourne who specializes in critical femininity studies. They discuss how both Barbie and real-life bimbos are criticized for being bad role models, and yet their carefree, maximalist, hyper-feminine approach might actually be a little subversive.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The 2024 presidential election will be a rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden; and with that rematch comes political fanfare, some public apathy and déjà vu. To take a look at the public perception of this repeat race, host Brittany Luse is joined by NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben and NPR White House Correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Then, Brittany is joined by Vinson Cunningham to discuss his debut novel, Great Expectations. It's a period piece that follows the story of a young man working on an election campaign that echoes that of Obama's 2008 run. Ultimately, it's a novel about belief - both religious and political. Brittany and Vinson discuss American politics as a sort of religion - and why belief in politics has changed so much in the last decade.To end the show, Brittany shares her thoughts about "Kate Gate" and the mysterious case of royal photoshopping.One more thing: we are working on a special series for IBAM about the gender divide and we want to talk to YOU. We're looking for people aged 18-24 for a roundtable interview on everything from dating, money, politics, and your future hopes. If you're interested in joining us, email our producers: ibam@npr.orgLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's basically spring - which means wedding season is starting to rev up. And no one does weddings quite like Jennifer Lopez - both on-screen and off. Host Brittany Luse revisits her conversation with New York Magazine features writer Rachel Handler to break down J.Lo's wedding planning movies, how they add to J.Lo's brand, and what they say about our investment in the real-life wedding industrial complex.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This weekend's Oscars ceremony will mark the close of awards season. But what has been an exciting year in film seems to have turned into an opportunity for outrage over snubs, "firsts" and more. Host Brittany Luse wants to know: Is the discourse over awards season stifling our love of art? Brittany is joined by Aisha Harris, co-host of Pop Culture Happy Hour and author of the essay "Award shows have become outrage generators. Surely there's another way?"Then, politicians and economists are constantly telling us the economy is good. But with high grocery prices, high interest rates, and high rent - Brittany feels like there's something lost in translation. To get to the bottom of it all, The Indicator co-host Darian Woods joins the show to shed some light on what exactly makes this economy good while also feeling kind of bad.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's Been a Minute host Brittany Luse and producer Liam McBain took a little field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York — and after having a Gossip Girl moment on the steps, they saw a brand-new exhibit: The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism. Brittany and Liam explored the exhibit's wide-ranging subject matter: paintings, photographs, explosive scenes of city life, and quiet portraits of deep knowing — but they also learned that the Harlem Renaissance started a lot of the cultural debates we're still having about Black art today. Like — what is Black art for? And how do Black artists want to represent themselves? After the show, Brittany sat down with the curator, Denise Murrell, to dig a little deeper into how the Harlem Renaissance laid the groundwork for Black modernity.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The American journalism industry is in crisis - layoffs, strikes, and site shutdowns have some people talking about the potential extinction of the the news industry as we know it. Just last week, VICE Media announced their plans to layoff hundreds of employees and halt website operations. Taylor Lorenz, the Washington Post online culture and technology columnist, joins the show to unpack what is at stake with the continued media closures and layoffs. Then, Brittany is joined by Deva Woodly, a professor of Political Science at Brown University. They discuss Aaron Bushnell's self-immolation outside the Israeli embassy in DC. They look at how this extreme act of protest is unique and how it might impact the ongoing conflict in Gaza.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Da'Vine Joy Randolph just keeps winning — she's won best supporting actress for her role in The Holdovers at the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes, and Critics Choice Awards, and now she's up for an Oscar. And her performance as Mary Lamb, the head cook at a boy's boarding school in 1970's Massachusetts, really is awards worthy. Mary is no-nonsense, but loving, and grieving a son who's been killed in the Vietnam War. It's a moving and subtle portrayal of grief. Da'Vine says part of the success of her performance is owed to the quality of the script and of her collaborators, but she also has an awe-inspiring character creation process. Host Brittany Luse sat down with Da'Vine to chat about how she conveys a character's spirit – and the personal stories she drew from to build this particular performance - while at the same time battling Hollywood stereotypes about curvy Black women.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Brittany feels like we've entered a new phase of celebrity oligarchy; new celebrity business enterprises are popping up daily, and we can't seem to get away from it all. But is this new? Brittany invites culture journalists Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber to discuss how the notion of celebrity is changing, and what it means for us. Then, we turn to Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary animator-director whose latest film, The Boy and the Heron, is a frontrunner at this year's Academy Awards. Brittany is joined by Jessica Neibel, Senior Exhibitions Curator at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, to unpack the life lessons Miyazaki's films offer, from the unreliability of adults to the messages of resilience rooted in Miyazaki's own postwar childhood.If you have 10 minutes, please do the team at It's Been a Minute a huge favor by taking a short, anonymous survey about the show at npr.org/ibamsurvey. Tell us what you like and how we could improve the show!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jada Pinkett Smith is the kind of celebrity that makes headlines just by breathing. But looking at those headlines — mostly about her marriage to fellow actor, Will Smith — made host Brittany Luse think that most people have gotten Jada all wrong. A graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts, Jada's best known for her acting, but she's also a producer, musician, and painter. After reading her memoir, Worthy, Brittany noticed the way Jada's artistic mind and process had been overlooked. So, she sat down with Jada to ask about it. They talked about what Jada's painting, what she got out of her time as a rock singer, why she looks at her relationship with Will as a masterpiece, and what she wants for her future.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Choreographer Fatima Robinson has had an incredibly prolific career: she gave us the iconic King Tut-style moves from Michael Jackson's 'Remember the Time' music video, she taught us how to 'Rock the Boat' with Aaliyah, and she was head choreographer on Beyoncé's Renaissance tour. And all through that time, she's moved through all kinds of changes in how we dance – including Tik Tok. Host Brittany Luse chats with Robinson about how she pulls rhythm out of stars – and what causes the dance moves of the day to change.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, we're asking: do the fantasies we read in romance novels say anything about what we want in our real-life relationships? Devoted readers share how the genre has impacted their love lives. Host Brittany Luse revisits her conversation with writer Rebekah Weatherspoon about how she builds a world of desire. Then, we revisit our talk with Dr. Gale E. Greenlee, teacher-scholar in residence at the bell hooks center in Berea Kentucky, about lasting impact of bell hooks' work, and how she changed the way we think about love. If you have 10 minutes, please do the team at It's Been a Minute a huge favor by taking a short, anonymous survey about the show at npr.org/ibamsurvey. Tell us what you like and how we could improve the show!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This weekend, Vegas hit the jackpot. For the first time ever, Sin City will host the Super Bowl; and the halftime headliner is the current Vegas residency darling - Usher. But, NPR Senior Editor Bilal Qureshi says this royal flush was years in the making. Bilal joins host Brittany Luse to share his experience covering the city's journey from 'Old Vegas' to 'New Vegas,' as new hotels, concert venues, and artist residencies bring Vegas to a new market - millennials. Then, Brittany turns her sights to the Stanley Cup. No, not the hockey championship but the colorful tumblers taking the internet by storm. The frenzy for a new collectible is never surprising, but the very thing that goes inside it - water - has The Wellness Trap author Christy Harrison wondering if this is just another extension of diet and wellness culture gone sideways.If you have 10 minutes, please do the team at It's Been a Minute a huge favor by taking a short, anonymous survey about the show at npr.org/ibamsurvey. Tell us what you like and how we could improve the show!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It seems like there are countless streamers these days – there's Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Max, Peacock, Roku, just to name a few. Still, success and profit remain elusive to even some of the biggest in the biz. However there is one smaller streamer that seems to have found a path to prosperity: Dropout. IBAM host Brittany Luse sat down with Dropout CEO Sam Reich to find out how his company is forging a path to success in a successful market, all while revamping the gameshow format. The pair also play a little game.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Charlamagne tha God has been dominating hip-hop radio for years, and lately, his influence has extended far beyond the music industry; for better or worse, Charlamagne has become one of the go-to voices for political discourse in the Black community. And while his comments often resonate with The Breakfast Club audience, they've also been picked up by political operatives across party lines. This week, Brittany sits down with Democratic pollster Terrance Woodbury and POLITICO National Correspondent Brakkton Booker to discuss Charlamagne's power as a pundit and if tha God's politics are indicative of larger trends among Black voters. Then, Brittany turns to a classic television show that just celebrated it's 25th anniversary: HBO's The Sopranos. Although the show wrapped years ago, it remains a deeply salient portrayal of assimilation and conditional whiteness. Brittany chats with author Morgan Jerkins about whiteness in America and why the show's commentary on Italian Americans resonated with them as Black women. To end the show, Brittany passes the mic to music journalist Naima Cochrane to answer a question about the Nicki Minaj and Megan thee Stallion beef.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We're taking it way back — all the way to college. This episode is a mini-reunion: host Brittany Luse and Ayesha Rascoe, host of NPR's Weekend Edition, are both alumnae of Howard University — they even attended during some of the same years. Howard is an HBCU: a historically Black college or university. There are around a hundred in the US, and they've had a big impact on both graduates and American culture writ large. Ayesha has edited a book of essays all about that impact, called HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience. Brittany chats with her about the book and what makes HBCUs special — they also trade tales from their own time as students.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This morning, the International Court of Justice shared a decision on South Africa's genocide case against Israel. The courts found sufficient evidence that it's "plausible" that Israel has committed acts of genocide in Gaza and ruled that Israel must prevent genocidal attacks. Earlier this week, host Brittany Luse sat down with South African journalist Redi Tlhabi to look at the context of this story and lay out how the histories of Israel and South Africa factor into this moment. Then, Brittany chats with Professor Poulomi Saha about America's obsession with cults. With so many shows choose from, cult documentaries could now be seen as their own genre. But what might our fascination with cults reveal about society's shortfalls?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Director and actor Benny Safdie is probably best known for co-directing the film Uncut Gems, but he's also acted in Oppenheimer, Licorice Pizza, and one of host Brittany Luse's personal favorites: Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. In his latest project, Safdie co-created and acts in Showtime's The Curse. It's an intensely uncomfortable examination of the smoke and mirrors behind your favorite home improvement shows, but it's also a marriage drama – and it picks apart our desire to seem like good people, rather than being good people. Host Brittany Luse sits down with Safdie to learn what makes home improvement shows both soothing and sinister — and the difference between do-gooders and seem-gooders. They also play a game where they're forced to distinguish reality from fiction.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For decades, Evangelicals have propped up Republican presidents. And while church attendance has fallen across the board, Evangelicals are still making waves politically; they just helped deliver Trump a historic win in the Iowa caucus. But the political bent of Evangelicals begs for closer inspection because white Americans who align with Trump are more likely to start identifying as Evangelical, even if some of them no longer sit up in the pews. NPR Political Correspondent Sarah McCammon joins the show to dig into host Brittany Luse's question: are Evangelicals now a religious group or a political one? Then, after calls for a ceasefire interrupted President Biden's speech at Mother Emanuel AME Church, many people denounced the protest saying that it was not the right time or place. But Brittany wonders; if not there, then where? She sits down with Dr. Anthea Butler, religious scholar and chair of the department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, to dive into the roots of political activism within the Black church. They also look at the complicated relationship between Democrats and the Black church.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Anna Deavere Smith is an acclaimed actress, journalist, and playwright. She's a pioneer of what's known as 'verbatim theater,' which is performance based on conversations and interviews with real people. But after decades of becoming thousands of Americans on stage, what has she learned about our nation? Host Brittany Luse sat down with Deavere Smith in studio to hear her unique perspective about who — and what — America is.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Fantasia Barrino-Taylor is picking up awards buzz for her portrayal of Celie in The Color Purple, and Brittany is sitting down with the former American Idol winner to look at the path she took from high school dropout to potential Oscar nominee. Brittany and Fantasia explore how her journey in life has made her come to love the character she plays, and even heal some old wounds along the way.Then, after living through the fast churn of microtrends, social media influencers are embracing the trendiest anti-trend in fashion: "personal style." And while personal style is the it-girl, other fashion trends may be around the corner. Will 2024 be the most conservative fashion year yet? We turn to Washington Post fashion writer Rachel Tashjian to talk about personal style, why it's trending, and what to look for in 2024.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

American Fiction is a movie you can spend hours discussing. Based on Percival Everett's novel Erasure, the movie is a satire of what the publishing industry wants from Black authors. The film also belongs to a lineage of Black movies that look at selling out in the entertainment industry: from CB4 to Hollywood Shuffle. But does American Fiction say anything new? Host Brittany Luse chats with Aisha Harris, NPR culture critic and co-host of Pop Culture Happy Hour, about her essay on what American Fiction gets right — and the cultural marks it misses.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, host Brittany Luse is starting with the biggest story of the year - the upcoming presidential election. The economy, foreign policy, reproduction rights have all been top of mind lately - but how will these issues play out in the voting booth? NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben and Domenico Montanaro join the show to talk about what might sway voters in November. Next, Brittany tackles a popular New Year's tradition: Dry January. Last year, one out of every seven American adults participated in Dry January, and one in three say they want to drink less in general. Writer and journalist Ana Marie Cox joins the show to discuss the growing interest in sobriety. She shares what's contributed to this "non-alcoholic" moment, who benefits, and the lessons she's learned as a recovering alcoholic.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Looking for joy? Then it might be worth exploring your sorrow. In his collection of essays, Inciting Joy, poet Ross Gay considers the breadth of joy, arguing that it can be found – and even strengthened – in life's hardest moments. After all, those are the times when we rely on one another. Brittany Luse sits down with the poet to discuss the complexity of joy and creating meaning in life.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

To close out the year, Brittany is sitting down with Lonnie Holley. He's a painter, sculptor, and musician who released his latest album, Oh Me Oh My, in early 2023. In it he sings of his difficult childhood growing up in Jim Crow Alabama where he was sold, beat, and effectively enslaved. But today he sings of hope. He's been on a journey to heal his pain, and the pain of the generations that came before and the ones that will follow. It's a story of gratitude.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

On August 11, 1973, hip-hop was born at a house party in the Bronx. 50 years later the genre has been reshaped in the image of cities and regions around the world. Brittany is joined by KQED's Pendarvis Harshaw to do a deep dive into one hip-hop scene from the Bay Area known as hyphy. They unpack how the loud, brash, hyperactive music helped a community grieve. To hear more of Pendarvis Harshaw's reporting on this Bay Area music scene, check out the Rightnowish series: Hyphy Kids Got Trauma.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Flying can be a frustrating experience, but holiday travel tends to shift our stress levels into overdrive. Overbooking, delays, lost baggage, and long TSA lines are just the tip of the iceberg. Even pricey membership services can't promise a completely efficient or comfortable travel journey. With big price tags and the quality of service seemingly going down, host Brittany Luse wondered: How did we get here? To answer that question, aviation and travel journalist Benét J. Wilson joins the show to give us a birds eye view of the issues and why things may not be getting better anytime soon. Then, Brittany takes on one of the most recognizable stories in Christmas lore - A Christmas Carol. To celebrate the iconic story, she plays Spot the Scrooge with NPR critics Linda Holmes and Bob Mondello.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

2023 has been huge for the celebrity memoir game: Britney Spears, Prince Harry and Jada Pinkett Smith are just a few of the many A-listers who dropped bestsellers. But which memoirs should you actually read? To help parse through the pages, Brittany Luse is joined - once again - by Celebrity Memoir Book Club hosts Ashley Hamilton and Claire Parker. They each share their favorite memoirs of the year and discuss what these books reveal about the machinations of fame.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Welcome to the first ever IBAMmys, the It's Been A Minute 2023 culture awards show! It's been a minute - a whole year - and we're looking back at the biggest cultural moments of the past 365 days. Host Brittany Luse, NPR's Ayesha Rascoe, and Vox's senior pop culture correspondent Alex Aband-Santos all made nominations for each category, and a select group of culture experts at NPR voted for who should take home the prize.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been an eventful year for music; we saw the rise of Mexican Regional music on the charts, the emergence of AI artists, and the dominance of country music to boot. Host Brittany Luse chats with Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding, co-hosts of the podcast Switched on Pop, to break down what's behind the latest pop music trends — and to share some of their 2023 favorites.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Nicki Minaj just released her first album in half a decade, Pink Friday 2. The self-proclaimed 'Queen of Rap' has an unparalleled career, but the rap game - and women's position within it - has changed dramatically during her hiatus. While Nicki helped shape rap today, the artist has also faced a slew of controversies and an erratic album rollout that all have us asking: is Nicki still the verified 'Queen of Rap'? Host Brittany Luse sits down with NPR Music Editor and Louder Than A Riot host Sidney Madden to discuss. Then, we're breaking down one of the most powerful symbols in America: the cowboy. Brittany is joined by New York Times culture critic J Wortham, and Museum of Contemporary Art Denver director Nora Burnett Abrams to unpack the history of the symbol and explain why it continues to lasso Americans.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In the credits for 'Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé' the Queen Bee makes it clear who is in charge. Written by? Beyoncé. Directed by? Beyoncé. Produced by? Beyoncé. And of course, starring...Beyoncé. For someone who is so in control of their own image, what is spoken and what is unspoken are equally loud.In this episode, Brittany and B.A. Parker, co-host of NPR's Code Switch, get into key takeaways from the film and why people are calling on her to speak directly to today's politics. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, Brittany chats with New Yorker television critic Inkoo Kang about Showtime's historical romance, Fellow Travelers. The show follows the lives and love of two closeted men - Hawk and Tim. It starts in 1950s Washington DC, at the height of McCarthyism and the lavender scare and continues through the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Brittany and Inkoo discuss how the politics of the time shape the characters and how survival isn't always pretty.Then, we switch gears and meet an artist that's been bringing Brittany joy in the cold winter months. Singer-songwriter Olivia Dean joins the show to talk her debut album, Messy, and gives IBAM an unforgettable live performance from her catalog.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week we're bringing you a special episode from the Embedded series 'All the Only Ones.' The series looks at the history of trans youth next to the realities experienced by trans youth today. In this episode, we meet Parker, a senior in high school in Columbus, Ohio. Parker is a top field hockey athlete, but as a trans person, he is faced with making a difficult decision: either pursuing his dreams as a D1 trans field hockey player in college next year, or pursuing his dreams of starting hormone replacement therapy, which could get him banned from playing. We also meet two historical trans youth of the 1960s, Vicky and Donna, both facing barriers to getting the care and treatment they need after repeatedly looking for help.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Disney recently celebrated its 100th birthday, so we're exploring a fandom that's kept the magic alive while also generating lots of online hate: Disney Adults. To break the phenomenon down, Brittany Luse chats with Rolling Stone senior writer and self-proclaimed Disney Adult, E.J. Dickson. Their conversation looks at the rise of Disney Adults, why they're so maligned and what the public may misunderstand about these superfans.Then, in honor of Trans Day of Remembrance, Brittany talks with influential Black trans activist Raquel Willis. They get into her new memoir, The Risk It Takes to Bloom, which looks at pivotal moments in her organizing journey alongside the movement for Black Lives and the rise of trans visibility in modern culture.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For the millions of Americans that celebrate Thanksgiving, it's a time when a lot of us reflect on the things and the people in our lives that we appreciate. But according to Dr. Laurie Santos, psychology professor at Yale and host of the podcast, The Happiness Lab, a practice of gratitude can improve our lives year-round. Host Brittany Luse chats with Dr. Santos about the surprising science of how gratitude can affect our brains — and how it leads us to be more generous with our future selves.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As many male rappers seem to become more depressed or vindictive in their lyrics, the women of rap appear to be having all the fun. One show that captures this moment is Rap Sh!t on Max. Brittany sits down with the showrunner and writer, Syreeta Singleton. They discuss the complexities of navigating the rap game as a Black woman, the new social media landscape, and how rap and Rap Sh!t approach sexuality. Then, a conversation with Andre 3000. After 17 years, the rapper, producer, and instrumentalist is back with a new album, New Blue Sun. Notably, this album has no rapping and focuses on the artists passion for the flute. In honor of the occasion, host Brittany Luse passes the mic to NPR colleague and host, Rodney Carmichael. In this excerpt of their hour long interview, Rodney and Andre retrace the artist's journey from rapper to flautist, the beauty of aging, and why there should be more celebration in death.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon is everything an Oscar contender might be - long, epic, morally complicated and expensive. Yet, while many movie-goers left theaters moved, others called the film a problematic disaster. Today on the show, we hear what the movie got wrong and how it fits into a broader history of Native Americans on screen. To unpack this, Brittany Luse is joined by Robert Warrior, a literature and professor and an Osage Nation citizen, Liza Black, a Native American and Indigenous Studies professor and Cherokee Nation citizen, and Nancy Marie Mithlo, a gender studies professor and Fort Sill Chiricahua Warm Springs Apache citizen.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The season of the celebrity memoir is upon us. In just the past few months Britney Spears, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kerry Washington, and more have showered us with bombshells and revelations about their origin stories and private lives. Despite those heavy hitters and the crowded field they occupy, the celebrity memoir our host Brittany Luse coveted most is that of the singular Ms. Barbra Streisand. Brittany sits down with Barbra to talk about her new memoir, My Name is Barbra, her struggle to take creative control of her work, and what legacy she wants to leave behind.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The restaurant industry has been making headlines lately. Fine dining heavyweights are shuttering: Noma announced it would be closing in 2024 and NYC staple Momofuku Ko closed this past weekend. Then, there's the unintentional chaos caused by a popular Tiktok food critic, whose visit to Atlanta was so profound that it drowned out the debut of the city's first ever Michelin Guide. After seeing all of this, host Brittany Luse wants to know: What's up with restaurants these days? To answer that question, she sits down with writer and Eater correspondent Jaya Saxena to get the lowdown on the most recent food news and the trends that tell us about both our interests and our economy.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Gilded Age delighted audiences with its lavish sets, decadent costumes and social sniping when it debuted. Lucky for us, the period drama just returned to HBO Max with a second season. But if we look a little closer at the show, it reveals what we truly want out of period pieces: to remake the past with our modern sensibilities and values. As Brandon Taylor wrote in his essay called "morgan spector pls break me in half," The Gilded Age engenders "self-delusion" about our history – because to reflect our past more accurately, would be "too horrifying" for a somewhat soapy show. Brittany Luse sits down with Brandon to discuss sentimentality, why we're particularly drawn to this era now and how it's portrayal could be done better.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's a big week for fans of reality TV - it's Bravocon 2023. This year it's in Las Vegas – and while we couldn't make it to Vegas, we're revisiting what we learned from last year's Bravocon in New York. Host Brittany Luse and producer Liam McBain talked to fans, a producer, an academic and the Housewives themselves to understand what makes The Real Housewives peak culture – as in the #1 topic in the group chat – for so many people.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Britney Spears just released one of the most hotly anticipated celebrity memoirs of the year, The Woman In Me. The book details her meteoric rise to fame, her family history, and her 13 year-long conservatorship. This week, host Britney Luse talks to the two best people to break it all down: Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, comedians and co-hosts of the Celebrity Memoir Book Club podcast. Together they look at what the princess of pop is trying to tell us, how she contextualizes her own story and how she doesn't seem to implicate the audience in her abuse.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Halloween is upon us — and it's the season for horror movies. Host Brittany Luse is a HUGE horror girlie, but loving horror also means critiquing it. Today, we're breaking down two major figures in horror: the final girl and the horny hag. First, Brittany chats with Dr. Kinitra Brooks, Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair of Literary Studies at Michigan State University, about what it means when the final girl is a Black woman. And later, Brittany is joined by horror author and film critic Gretchen Felker-Martin to discuss what's behind the horny hags in movies like X and Barbarian — and what that trope tells us about how we feel about older women in our society.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A warning: This episode contains explicit language and mentions of rape.For the past two weeks, social media has been flooded with coverage and commentary on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. And while the news updates have been devastating, not everything coming across our feeds has been true. We've seen footage pulled from a video game purporting to show a Hamas fighter shooting down a helicopter, and a fake memo from the White House that claimed to announce $8 billion in military aid. This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by NPR correspondent Shannon Bond to learn why we're seeing so much misinformation online. Brittany is also joined by Molly McPherson, a crisis public relations expert, to unpack the hasty public statements about the conflict made by corporate brands and celebrities. They discuss how this may be indicative of a new media landscape that demands commentary and sentimentality.Then, we turn to Tupac Shakur. He is back in the news 27 years after his death, following the first arrest of a suspect connected to his murder. Joel Anderson, a Slate reporter who covered Tupac for the Slow Burn podcast, joins Brittany to discuss Tupac's complex impact and how the rapper has been able to stay relevant almost three decades after his passing.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From our friends at Code Switch, we present a story about one group of student activists in Baltimore and how their efforts to make their neighborhood healthier has them facing big coal — and actually making gains.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Taylor Swift and her maybe boyfriend, Kansas Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, have been inescapable the past few weeks. The pop superstar has been showing up at Chiefs games, and the NFL has been playing it up - all to the mutual benefit of each party involved. Regardless of if the three of them - Taylor, Travis, and the NFL - are in a romantic polycule, public relations expert Molly McPherson says they are for sure in a PR relationship. Brittany and Molly get into how PR relationships work for celebrities — from pop superstars to politicians.Plus, Taylor Swift released her Eras Tour film and Beyoncé announced her Renaissance Tour film a couple weeks ago. Brittany takes a look at whether these films add something for fans or if they are just another cash grab from these artists.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We can all think of a bad movie accent. There's Lady Gaga in House of Gucci, Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black, or Emma Watson in The Bling Ring. A bad accent takes you out of a movie, right? Well, Brittany sits down with New York Times columnist Kyle Buchanan who thinks a bad accent actually pulls you into a movie. Brittany and Kyle breakdown his theory and play a special game of "Where IS she from?"Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Every year, the Katmai National Park in Alaska puts on a March Madness-style bracket of all the fattest bears in their park. It's a celebration of fatness, because a fat bear ahead of hibernation means a healthy bear come spring. This competition is popular — there were over a million votes tallied last year — and it speaks to a larger cultural obsession with bears. In honor of Fat Bear Week, Host Brittany Luse journeys through time to unpack what bears mean to us — and why they're family, friend and foe all at once. And later, an exploration of how the queer community emulates bearness — and what the symbol of the animal can mean to them.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, host Brittany Luse kicks off spooky season by sitting down with the current champion of Black horror, Jordan Peele. In his most recent project, he's taken his talents from the screen to the page as the editor of a new book of short stories, Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror. Then, Brittany is joined by Black horror scholar and author Tananarive Due, to discuss her contributions to the anthology and her upcoming novel, The Reformatory. Due walks Brittany through how she honors a horrific past while offering readers satisfying scares.Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror is out today.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A recent New Yorker piece on Hasan Minhaj found that some crucial bits of his stand-up act didn't stand up to fact-checking. Stretching the truth in comedy is par for the course, but how does that work for a figure like Minhaj, who'd previously doubled down on these stories in interviews and is known for his political satire shows? Brittany is joined by writer Imran Siddiquee and journalist Allana Akhtar to make sense of an entertainment industry that created the conditions for his fame.Then, we explore what happens when you recast western fantasies through a Black lens? We start by looking at one of the most beloved Black fantasies of our time: The Wiz. It's Been a Minute producer, Corey Antonio Rose shares how the original Broadway production of The Wiz made the storyline from The Wizard of Oz hit different for post-civil rights America. Brittany is then joined by African American Studies professor Darieck Scott to discuss the difference between representation and RE-presentation in fantasy.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Bethann Hardison is the fashion icon behind so many fashion icons: she worked as a modeling agent in the era of the supermodel – brokering the careers of stars like Kimora Lee Simmons and Tyson Beckford. And when models of color all but vanished from view at the turn of the millennium – she forced designers to bring them back. Host Brittany Luse sits down with Bethann to discuss the new documentary about Bethann's life, Invisible Beauty, and why fashion imagery, while fraught, is still powerful in our culture.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This year, the WNBA had its most-watched regular season in 21 years, but what went into creating this new moment of visibility for the league? Host Brittany Luse is joined by Katie Barnes, author of Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates to unpack the league's initial 'Barbie girl' image, the trailblazers who pushed the WNBA to become the first professional sports league to celebrate Pride, and what it means for an athlete to 'authentically' express themselves.Then, we explore the growth of sports betting. Sports betting went from a somewhat shameful hobby to something that is fully mainstream - with billions of dollars in bets placed. Dr. Timothy Fong, an addiction specialist, joins Brittany to talk about the associated risks with the growth of sports betting.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Every couple of weeks there's a new story of a fan at a concert misbehaving. One fan threw ashes at Pink, another hit Drake with a cellphone, Miranda Lambert stopped her show when fans took selfies with flash photography. Extreme instances have landed performers in the hospital, but more often attendees have noticed the audience has gotten louder and more distracting than ever. Where is all of this coming from?Brittany Luse is joined by YouTube commentator Tiffany Ferguson to breakdown how ticket sales, artist merch, and social media create a perfect storm for fans to act out.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In 2017, Today, Explained co-host Noel King says she started getting a vibe: young people were discussing and dissecting capitalism. She began noticing the word in pop culture and cultural reporting — but found her own tribe of economics reporters were missing from the conversation. Flash forward to 2023, and the word capitalism is all over politics and culture: it's on the stage at the Republican debates, it's on the picket lines and the language of union strikes from Hollywood to New York City, it's even in the new Indiana Jones movie. How did we get here — and has talking about capitalism made us more divided? Noel King joins host Brittany Luse to discuss her new multi-part series exploring how a new generation of Americans are coming to terms with capitalism.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When you think of rockstar royalty, a queer, Southern Black man normally doesn't come to mind. But director Lisa Cortés wants us all to reconsider that thought. Her documentary, Little Richard: I Am Everything, takes viewers through the life and legacy of one of the most influential men in music - Little Richard.From the bawdy roots of his hit song, "Tutti Frutti," to teaching Mick Jagger how to work a crowd, Little Richard's impact spans generations. Host Brittany Luse and director Lisa Cortes talk about the documentary, Little Richard's struggles with own identity, and the queer influence on rock and roll.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When former President Donald Trump's mugshot was released, pundits immediately searched for meaning. Was it defiant? Was it embarrassing? Turns out what we see in that image could change over time. Brittany Luse is joined by Vanessa Friedman, senior fashion critic for the New York Times, to talk about the cultural meaning of infamous mugshots and their resounding impact on us.Then, we welcome Emory law professor emeritus Morgan Cloud to talk about the legal tool that's taking pop culture by storm: the RICO charge. We explore what the act was originally intended to do, and the role of the RICO reboot in several big pop culture cases today, from rapper Young Thug to fashion retailer SHEIN.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been 20 years since Starbucks debuted the first pumpkin spice latte in 2003. Since then, it's become a cultural phenomenon greater than itself: it's shorthand for fall, for basicness, for femininity, and even for white culture. Why did the PSL become so powerful — and how do food trends garner so much meaning? Host Brittany Luse chats with Suzy Badaracco, food trend forecaster and founder of Culinary Tides, to discuss the $500 million dollar industry, and how little miss pumpkin spice has held on to her cultural power.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Music is all about pushing the envelope, and no one knew that more than Luther Vandross. His rendition of "A House is Not a Home" is so beloved, many fans don't even know it's a cover. His sound also laid the groundwork for many popular artists today, from Jazmine Sullivan to Beyoncé. Host Brittany Luse is joined by Craig Seymour, author of "Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross" to discuss Luther's impact and why his name isn't often in conversation with other greats - even though it should be.Then, Brittany is joined by Grammy award-winning jazz singer Samara Joy. Samara talks about her album, Linger Awhile, and how she makes music that sounds timeless.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In September 2002, the Russian pop duo t.A.T.u. released their smash single "All The Things She Said." The song is a grungy euro-dance track, and the video features the lead singers Lena Katina and Julia Volkova dressed in schoolgirl uniforms and making out in the rain. The video was banned from UK television for being "not really suitable for children." That did not stop the song from becoming a global sensation. It topped the charts in 13 countries, and in the United States the duo would perform the song over and over on live television. During performances, they made a point to do as they did in their video and make out.But here's the thing: neither Katina or Volkova identified as lesbians or queer at the time. From Harry Styles to Katy Perry, debates over queerbaiting have raged online, and t.A.T.u.'s "All The Things She Said" fits squarely in that lineage. But despite roleplaying as lesbians for their own success, is there something redeemable in how they represented lesbianism at a time when no one else would put two women kissing on camera? And how should we look at this song today?It's Been A Minute senior producer Barton Girdwood talked this out with Girls Can Kiss Now author, Jill Gutowitz. You can email us at IBAM@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this conversation from November 2022, host Brittany Luse chats with beauty reporter Jessica Defino about the increase in celebrity skincare lines and why the the way we talk about skin is regressive. Plus, Brittany revisits her chat with "Fat Talk" author Virgina Sole-Smith: they dive into anti-fat bias in parenting and why it's important to embrace fatness. And later, Brittany gives her take on Jennifer Aniston's latest comments on cancel culture.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week is all about beauty and diet trends. In this first interview from March, host Brittany Luse chats with Forbes staff writer Steffi Cao to discuss her essay, "white women want their power back: on bbls and balletcore, and the entropy of aesthetic." Steffi points to the online rise of the 'clean girl' and 'vanilla girl' aesthetics, just as the myth of innocent white womanhood erodes in the public sphere following outrage at "Karens" and critical looks at stars like Miley Cyrus who borrowed from Black aesthetics for years.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, we're looking at some of the best TV of the year. Brittany Luse revisits her November 2022 conversation with Abbott Elementary writers Brittani Nichols and Joya McCrory. They talk about creating a world that feels both authentic and funny to American teachers. Then, Linda Holmes of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour stops by to chat about the television episode that had our group chats in a chokehold, and how it eloquently captured the way we experience death and grief in real life.Note: all interviews were conducted before the 2023 Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this conversation from March, Brittany Luse is joined by Chicago Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz to chat about why there are so many shows and movies about rich jerks — Succession, White Lotus and Billions, to name a few — and why we're experiencing a dearth of stories about workers.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

On August 11, 1973, hip-hop was born at a house party in the Bronx. 50 years later the genre has been reshaped in the image of cities and regions around the world. Brittany Luse and NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce take a tour of those regions and look at where hip-hop might go in the next 50 years.Plus, Brittany is joined by KQED's Pendarvis Harshaw to do a deep dive into a hip-hop scene from the Bay Area known as hyphy. It was loud. It was silly. But underneath all that partying, the hyphy movement also helped a community grieve.To see more of Pendarvis Harshaw's coverage you can check out KQED's year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history. To dig into NPR's series on the regional sounds of hip-hop, you can check out All Rap is Local.You can email us at ibam@npr.org. This episode has been updated to include a listener question and the credits. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The crack epidemic has had seismic impact on American culture, from music to TV and film. This week, Brittany Luse talks to Donovan X. Ramsey, author of When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era, about why pop culture can't let go of the "crack fiend" or the drug dealing anti-hero. They discuss how both those tropes miss some very big marks, where the stereotypes originated and who tried to set the record straight.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Over the past few years, tipping expectations have changed: we're asked to tip in restaurants and coffee shops, yes, but also at bodegas, farm stands, even unmanned grab-and-go kiosks. And while the pandemic increased tips, inflation and a return to normal may put downward pressure on them again. Now, it seems none of us can agree on what the minimum should be. Host Brittany Luse chats with Ramtin Arablouei, co-host of the NPR history podcast Throughline, about the long and fraught history of tipping in the US, and what shifts in tipping may say about where we are today.And later — we explore hair braiding gone wrong. Online, women looking to get box braids have gone viral with their complaints about confusing pricing structures, minimal care, and poor customer service. Brittany Luse chats with public historian and YouTuber Jouelzy to get an overview of the tension. Then, Jessica Poitras, legislative counsel for the Institute of Justice, joins the show to talk about the legal roadblocks many hair braiders face in setting up their businesses. And later, Brittany is joined by stylist Tyré Rimple to discuss the hidden costs behind braiding. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The top three songs in America right now are country tracks, and the top two hits are by artists facing allegations of racism. At the top of the charts is Jason Aldean: he shot to number one after releasing his music video "Try That In A Small Town," which included montages critical of the Black Lives Matter protests and showed Aldean singing in front of a courthouse where a Black teen was lynched. Morgan Wallen has the number two hit, and his popularity rose after being cancelled for using the N-word.But this is not unprecedented for the genre. Brittany sits down with historian Amanda Martinez to talk about country music's history of marketing itself in opposition of Blackness for financial gain. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Screenshots of dating apps are making the rounds online and what feels like mundane exchanges are generating lots of ire and discourse. As these screenshots become more common in our feeds, how does it impact the search for love? And what happens when people use the apps to swipe for content? We talk to Rolling Stone culture reporter Miles Klee about modern dating expectations and if the apps have changed them. Then, Vox senior correspondent Alex Abad-Santos talks with host Brittany Luse about dating on television. Sex and the City was one of the most culturally important shows to air on television: it showed the aspirational lives of four single women in their thirties and forties. Now that we have the sequel series And Just Like That, Alex and Brittany sift through its nonsense to ask: what important things does the show have to say about women in their fifties and beyond?You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Think of the top women rappers of our time: Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj. They all showcase signature styles that include multicolored wigs, skyscraping heels and designer logos on everything. But that blend of high fashion, femininity and attitude began before any of them joined the game. It was pioneered in the 1990s by the original queen bee: Lil' Kim. Ahead of her time, Kim's ingenuity – and her cementing of the relationship between fashion and hip-hop – has not always been recognized. Host Brittany Luse and fashion journalist Scarlett Newman make the case for why it's time Lil' Kim gets the credit she deserves.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Barbie movie has arrived and we seem to be reaching peak Barbie-mania. But, Barbie's brand of hyperfeminine fun has been on the rise for years — especially online among left leaning femmes who call themselves bimbos and have been giving the term a new meaning. Host Brittany Luse and Hannah McCann, a lecturer at the University of Melbourne who specializes in critical femininity studies, explore how both Barbie and real-life bimbos are criticized for being bad role models, and yet this carefree, maximalist, feminine style may actually be a little subversive.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In the wake of user dissatisfaction with Twitter, a crop of hungry new apps have sprung up to replace it. This week on It's Been A Minute, host Brittany Luse is joined by Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz to unravel Meta's newest app: Threads. They also discuss the latest changes in the the social media landscape, our power to shape it and why influencers could ultimately come out on top.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been 20 years since Beyoncé's single Crazy in Love poured out of every radio, car speaker and club for a whole summer — setting her up to be the solo star she is today. Host Brittany Luse revisits that moment and shares the surprising story behind the music with show producer Corey Antonio Rose. Then, she sits down with Beyoncé's longtime stylist Ty Hunter, who put together the iconic looks in the Crazy in Love music video. And finally, she discusses why there is no song of the summer for 2023 — and why that matters — with NPR culture editor Bilal Qureshi.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Joy Ride, the ensemble R-rated comedy of the summer, has burst onto the scene with raunchiness, heart, and an unapologetic attitude. The film follows Audrey, played by Ashley Park, who goes to China for a work trip and, along with her friends, gets into more than she bargained for as the trip goes off the rails. Host Brittany Luse talks to Ashley Park about the universality of raunchiness and how Joy Ride breaks the myth of the polished Asian-American woman. From unfortunate tattoos to a K-Pop rendition of WAP, Joy Ride helps audiences see that everyone can get a little nasty.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Years before their appointments to the highest court in the land, Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas both walked the hallowed halls of Yale Law School as beneficiaries of affirmative action policies. After handing down the ruling on affirmative action, both justices stood to deliver their different opinions about affirmative action: Sotomayor in support, Thomas against.To discuss this moment and how two people can have the same experience and land at drastically different conclusions, host Brittany Luse is joined by Ron Elving, Senior Editor and correspondent on NPR's Washington desk, and Leah Wright Rigeur, professor of history at Johns Hopkins University.Then, Brittany invites Janelle Wong, University of Maryland professor and political scientist, to unpack the various public faces of the efforts to end affirmative action - and how the myth of the model minority shifted the conversation. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Bravo's hit reality show Vanderpump Rules has become infamous due to a much-discussed affair between two members of its cast. The whole thing has been nicknamed "Scandoval" and has led to record-breaking ratings, countless memes, and even a joke at the White House Correspondents Dinner. In a world were reality television is synonymous with secret affairs and drama, why is "Scandoval" such a big deal? Pop Culture Happy Hour's co-host Stephen Thompson is joined by culture writer Shamira Ibrahim and columnist Amil Niazi to discuss.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

HBO's 'The Idol' has been riddled with controversy, and with the show coming to an end, host Brittany Luse and NPR's Hazel Cills had a lot to say about the series portrayal of female pop stars, along with the more interesting stories they'd like to see Hollywood show us.Then, Brittany takes on fat discrimination with author, columnist and Maintenance Phase co-host Aubrey Gordon LIVE from the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. Gordon just had the world premier of "Your Fat Friend" a documentary follows her journey from the eponymous blogger 'Your Fat Friend' to New York Times bestselling author and podcaster. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has big dreams. The 21-year-old gained full celebrity status with her breakout role as Devi Vishwakumar in the Mindy Kaling-produced hit Never Have I Ever. The final season just dropped on Netflix so we're revisiting our 2022 conversation with the star where host Brittany Luse gets Ramakrishnan dishing on everything from cosplay to car chases. They also talk about Ramakrishnan's wildest dream role, how to deal with haters and why she hopes this is just the beginning – for her, and for other nerdy brown girls who want to make it in Hollywood.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Today, we consider the himbo — sweet hotties who are maybe a little naive about the world, but are always having a good time. One of the greatest himbos of our age is Lance Arroyo on Max's comedy The Other Two. Host Brittany Luse sits down with actor Josh Segarra, who plays Lance, to talk about what makes an ideal himbo and why they're speaking to the greater culture and our hearts.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Dominique Fishback is starring in one of the biggest summer movies, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, but her star has long been on the rise through roles in Judas and the Black Messiah, Swarm, and The Deuce.This week, Dominique opens up to Brittany Luse about finding the vulnerability in her characters, portraying the rarified Black female serial killer, and what makes her the actress "with a thousand faces."You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

There's been a common theme swirling throughout the culture wars: from gun policy, to drag bans, to talking about race - the innocence of children is always at the center of discussion.This week, we're exploring the ideas and systems around childhood. We learn why we first drew the line between child and adult, why the line is so jagged and what implications this has on our lives today. We hear from a few kids themselves, then host Brittany Luse is joined by historian Jules Gill-Peterson and author Sophie Lewis. Last, Brittany chats with children's therapist Gerri Cadet Mareus about cultivating kids' autonomy by turning conflicts at home into opportunities to work together.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Virginia Sole-Smith is an author, writer and host of the podcast Burnt Toast — and her work focuses on our relationship to food and fat. Her latest book, Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture is based on one simple idea: it's okay and normal for kids to be fat. "What fat kids need is to know that we see them, we accept them, and we know they are worthy of respect, safety, and dignity," she writes. "Making their body smaller isn't the solution." Virginia sits down with host Brittany Luse to discuss why anti-fat bias hurts people of all body sizes, why we need to rethink "unhealthy" foods and how to have the fat talk. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Grammy-nominated singer Emily King is a master architect of love songs: her dreamy pop-infused music has provided the soundtrack to many romances. This week, she's opening up about how she baked a fresh heartbreak into the sound of her latest album, Special Occasion. She's writing through her pain, shaking the shame around being honest and dealing with vulnerability hangovers.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The prince of pranks, Eric André, changed the comedy landscape with his long running series on Adult Swim, The Eric Andre Show. After a 3-year hiatus, the show is back. Brittany Luse sits down with André to talk about the new season, his pranks on Amber Rose and Jaleel White, and why his humor seems to always flip the script of figures of authority and create heroes out of average joes. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's finally summer! And what better way to celebrate than to pick up a juicy book on a nice day? Romance authors Bolu Babalola and Emily Henry join host Brittany Luse to give their recommendations for great summer reads. Plus, they play a dating game featuring literary hotties. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, host Brittany Luse chats with author and culture critic Brandon Taylor about his latest novel, The Late Americans. The book is set in Iowa City and follows several characters pursuing love, art and the promise of prosperity. They discuss what's so American about The Late Americans, and how it's a departure from what's currently seen as fashionable in fiction.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, the world went into mourning after losing the Goddess of Rock n' Roll: Tina Turner. Veteran music journalist and Shine Bright author, Danyel Smith, joins Brittany Luse to unpack Tina's powerful performances and her role as an architect of rock. They also dig into the obstacles the star overcame, her smart strategies and the lessons she has for us on resilience, peace and happiness.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We're in a motorsports moment: Fast X just dropped, Rosalía is popularizing the motomami aesthetic and now it's time for the Monaco Grand Prix. This is the biggest weekend in Formula 1 racing, a sport that's seen an explosion of popularity in the United States. This episode, Brittany welcomes Vox deputy editor and F1 superfan Izzie Ramirez to talk about how new fans are revving up geopolitical conversations and if other sports should be copying the F1 popularity playbook. Then, Brittany speaks with Christian Horner, CEO and team principal for Red Bull Racing. They get into the racing strategy that has won him 11 world titles and his plans for F1's most popular driver.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Author and one of NPR's beloved hosts, Elise Hu, joins Brittany Luse to talk about her new book: Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital. For Elise, what started as a professional move to Seoul turned into a long-term interest in beauty culture and the societal demand to look flawless. Elise and Brittany talk about the high price of South Korea's lookism, how the government props up beauty culture, the technological gaze, and how Korean beauty culture is spreading throughout the United States.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration could approve certain psychedelic drugs for treatment of PTSD within the next few years, but what does this mean for Black people who suffer from Racial Trauma? Host Brittany Luse talks with the host of Truth Be Told, Tonya Mosley, about the latest season of her podcast exploring the healing potential of psychedelics. They talk about the latest studies, the war on drugs and what it's like to tell your new boss about your psychedelic journey.Then, Brittany is joined by Trace Lysette, star of the new film 'Monica.' The two explore what it means to come home, the structure of family dramas, and the things we say without words.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It has been one year since a white supremacist drove to a predominantly Black neighborhood with an AR-15 style rifle and murdered 10 people and injured 3 others. NPR's Embedded podcast has followed a cheerleading troop over the past year to understand how the mass shooting changed the community. This week, Brittany brings you the first episode in their multi-part series.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Since releasing one of the most critically acclaimed albums in 2022, pop titan Beyoncé has withheld the visuals for almost a year. NPR Senior Culture editor Bilal Qureshi went to the first stop on the Renaissance World Tour and joins producer Corey Antonio Rose to reveal one of the most highly anticipated musical secrets.Then, journalist Tre'vell Anderson takes host Brittany Luse through a groundbreaking look at the history of transgender representation onscreen, in their new book, "We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film."You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Host Brittany Luse revisits her 2022 conversation with the legendary DJ Honey Dijon. As one of the only Black trans DJs playing the biggest venues in the world, she's not only become an icon of the scene, but an arbiter of the culture. It's no surprise that Beyoncé tapped Honey for her biggest album yet, Renaissance. Brittany and Honey talk house music's Black roots, the evolution of the club scene, and working with Beyoncé on "Alien Superstar" and "Cozy." You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Brittany Luse talks to Padma Lakshmi about the second season of her series Taste The Nation. They get into what is "American food" from apple pies (spoiler: nothing in an apple pie is from here) to daal and pancakes. Then Brittany sits down with the hosts of the new investigative podcast Think Twice. Jay Smooth and Leon Neyfakh dive into the history of Michael Jackson to show how he controlled his narrative and to answer the question: is Michael Jackson too famous to cancel?You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Yesterday was the first Monday in May, which meant we were inundated with pics of the Met Gala. The theme this year: Karl Lagerfeld, the late controversial fashion designer who led the house of Chanel for years. In this episode, host Brittany Luse sits down with fashion editor and journalist Marjon Carlos. They separate the winning looks from the losing ones, break down the Lagerfeld legacy and play a game of "Show Me The Receipts."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A big strike might be coming to Hollywood. That's because the Writer's Guild of America - the union that protects screenwriters - is pushing back against what they see as unfair wages. NPR's Linda Holmes explains why we as viewers should care. Plus, Brittany talks with Dr. Orna Guralnik. Orna is the lead therapist on Showtime's docuseries Couples Therapy, and her and Brittany discuss how to bridge differences in relationships, how to maintain meaningful relationships, and why humans have the capacity to heal. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

New York Congressman George Santos has been embroiled in controversy since the day he stepped into office in November. The New York Times and other publications have reported that much of the Republican lawmaker's alleged resume – from where he went to college to his supposed time at Goldman Sachs – cannot be backed up with evidence. In this episode, rather than dig into what is true or false, host Brittany Luse asks why someone would embellish their resume in the first place. Author Tara Isabella Burton says it all goes back to the uniquely American obsession with being "self-made."Burton's book, Self-Made: Curating our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians is available for pre-order here.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

While hip hop has a history of anti-establishment and progressive politics, hip hop media is taking an increasingly conservative turn. Host Brittany Luse is joined by Rolling Stone staff writer Andre Gee to discuss one of the most influential current stars of hip hop media — DJ Akademiks — and what his conservative provocations and visibility say about changes in the rap landscape. Later, Brittany chats with actor, producer, and cabaret singer Bridget Everett about season two of her show, Somebody Somewhere on HBO. They talk about the show's distinctive coming-of-middle-age narrative and what it means to build community in small town America. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From our friends at Louder Than a Riot, a look back at the origins of Miami's wildest rap icon, Trina Rockstar. Her vivacious vibes and ruthless bars helped flip the script on the double standard that women in the industry often faced. This episode looks at the unwritten rules that continue to shape hip-hop – specifically rule number four: "It ain't trickin' if you got it."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by UC Berkeley Law professor Khiara Bridges to connect the dots between the recent legal battles over the abortion pill mifepristone and our constitutional right to privacy. Then, Linda Holmes of NPR's 'Pop Culture Happy Hour' stops by to chat about the television episode that still has our group chats in a chokehold, and how it eloquently captured the way we experience death and grief in real life. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Tracee Ellis Ross is an icon. From playing the premiere Black bachelorette, Joan Carol Clayton, on Girlfriends to becoming America's mom as Bow Johnson on Black-ish, she's spent the past two decades portraying a paragon of Black womanhood on screen. More recently, Tracee's turned her focus toward uplifting the stories of real people – on her Hulu documentary Hair Tales, and with her new podcast, I Am America. Host Brittany Luse talks with Tracee about her long and varied career, how she tackles storytelling through documentary and what it means to have rich auntie energy.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In reality TV, bringing the drama used to mean making it big. But these days, it doesn't seem to pay to be the mean girl. B.A. Parker, co-host of NPR's 'Code Switch,' joins Brittany Luse to explore the end of reality TV's villain era and the state of the influencer economy. Then, we dive into the psyche behind Academy Award-nominee Steven Yeun's latest character in Netflix's 'Beef.' He and Brittany discuss the diabolical antics of protagonist Danny and the surprising result of all that on-screen tension with his co-star Ali Wong.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The AI revolution has come for our love lives. Millions around the world are now in relationships with chatbots who can text, sext and – for a fee – talk to you on the phone and have 'in-person' interactions via augmented reality. Host Brittany Luse tries the AI companion app Replika for herself – and discusses the experience with The Cut's Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz, who's spent the past year covering tech and dating. They talk about the surprising market that Replika has found and whether relationships with AI chatbots will become more common. Finally, they play a new game called 'Boyfriend... or Bot?' You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's not just you – the constant texts, calls, emails and DMs from scammers are invading so many of our lives. And when the scams are successful, there's often no recourse at all. So how do we protect ourselves from these schemers?Host Brittany Luse talks first to Laci Mosley, host of a podcast called 'Scam Goddess,' about how even a scam queen can become a victim. Then, Brittany chats with Susan Tompor, money columnist at the Detroit Free Press, about how these scams work, what's being done about them and why we all need to stop judging people who've fallen prey to scams. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

If you're more than a casual observer on the interwebs, you've probably heard the term, "chronically online" – someone who knows the ins and outs of viral trends, memes and memorable moments. But sometimes you can get too deep in the Matrix. That's why our new segment, Chronically Online, is here to find the balance. To kick it off, host Brittany Luse chats with Buzzfeed News internet reporter Steffi Cao about her essay, "white women want their power back: on bbls and balletcore, and the entropy of aesthetic." After scrolling on Instagram Reels, Steffi noticed that the clean girl, coastal grandmother and – most importantly – the vanilla girl trends are all ushering in a very specific aesthetic. Brittany and Steffi talk beauty as soft power and the rebrand of white womanhood.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's basically spring - which means wedding season is starting to rev up. And no one does weddings quite like Jennifer Lopez - both on-screen and off. Host Brittany Luse is joined by New York Magazine features writer Rachel Handler to break down J.Lo's wedding planning movies (the Jennifer Lopez Wedding Industrial Complex Canon), how they add to J.Lo's brand, and what they say about our investment in the real-life wedding industrial complex.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been three years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. And according to the CDC, out of all the American adults who have had COVID — and that's a lot of us — one in five went on to develop long COVID symptoms. While so many are struggling with this new disease, it can be hard for people to know what to do to take care of themselves. The Long COVID Survival Guide aims to give people struggling with long COVID practical solutions and emotional support to manage their illness. In this conversation from November 2022, host Brittany Luse talks to Fiona Lowenstein, editor of the guide, and Karla Monterroso, one of the contributors, about the difficulty of getting diagnosed, navigating long COVID and creating long-term collective care.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Even after Silicon Valley Bank crumbled and tech workers have been laid off in the thousands, Silicon Valley is still surrounded by a mythos of progress and futurity. Host Brittany Luse talks to author Malcolm Harris about his new book, Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World, to break down how that mythos was built, the dark underbelly underneath it, and why the tech industry is a microcosm of American capitalism. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

John Legend has permeated the culture for over two decades. His music has racked up billions of plays and he and his wife regularly make headlines when they bring us into some of their happiest and most vulnerable moments as a family. Today, we're looking back on his rise to fame, his most creative project, and what keeps him coming back to the ivory keys. Brittany also brings on the fun with an EGOT game of trivia.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In nearly 100 years, the Oscar award for Best Director has only gone to three women. The film industry as a whole has been heavily dominated by men, but it wasn't always this way. Ahead of Academy Awards, Brittany chops it up with Maya Montañez Smukler, author of Liberating Hollywood: Women Directors and the Feminist Reform of 1970s American Cinema, to discuss the state of women directors and how the industry systematically shifted them out of the spotlight.Then, we ask Chicago Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz about the oversaturation of fictional, churlish billionaires on screen - and why there should be more depictions of the workers they exploit.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In the six decades since Marilyn Monroe passed away, Hollywood has not let her go. Actresses have portrayed her in countless films and there have been more than 15 biopics dedicated to the late icon. Ahead of the Academy Awards, Ana de Armas has been getting Oscar buzz for playing Marilyn 'Blonde.' However, one critic finds this role, this film, and these stereotypes deeply problematic. Host Brittany Luse is joined by culture critic Angelica Jade Bastién to talk about Marilyn's misinterpreted legacy and why the Hollywood impersonations never shine as bright as the real star. You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What makes The Real Housewives peak culture – as in the #1 topic in the group chat – for so many people? Host Brittany Luse and producer Liam McBain descend into the depths of Bravocon – the Bravo convention – to find out. They talk to fans, a producer, and the Housewives themselves to understand how the franchise became a cultural juggernaut. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Keyla Monterroso Mejia is a dramedy star on the rise. She made audiences cringe with laughter in Curb Your Enthusiasm playing Maria Sofia Estrada and then passed the vibe check as the chaotic teacher's aide Ashley Garcia on Abbott Elementary. And to top it all off, she's leading the new Netflix show, Freeridge. Host Brittany Luse sits down with Keyla to talk about her comedic characters, her new leading role, and betting on yourself.You can watch the full video interview here.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How should U.S history be told, and who gets to tell it? Debate over these questions has raged for years – but nowhere is it more pronounced right now than in Florida. This week, Brittany Luse chats with NPR's Giulia Heyward to get the download on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent efforts to ban AP African American studies in his state. Then, Brittany sits down with Dorothy Roberts, a legal scholar and sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, and Leslie Alexander, a historian at Rutgers University. In line with their work on The 1619 Project – now a Hulu documentary series –they make the case that slavery led to some of our biggest political fissures today, and discuss why it's important for all Americans to understand those connections.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Looking for joy? Then it might be worth exploring your sorrow, complications and mess. In his latest collection of essays, Inciting Joy, poet Ross Gay reconsiders the breadth of joy, arguing that it can be found – and even strengthened – in life's hardest moments, when we must rely on one another. This week, host Brittany Luse sits down with Gay to discuss the complexity of joy, the beauty of grace and creating meaning in life. You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

If you haven't stepped into an underground club in the last decade, you might be forgiven if you don't know Kelela. But the Washington, D.C. native has had a seismic impact on dance music since she broke into the scene in 2013. Now, after a six-year hiatus, Kelela is out with her fourth and latest record, 'Raven' – and with it, she's remaking the future of dance music. This week, host Brittany Luse sits down with Kelela to discuss Black queer liberation, and how she hopes this record helps folks find freedom on the dance floor. You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, we're asking: do the fantasies we read in romance novels say anything about what we want in our real-life relationships? Devoted readers share how the genre has impacted their love lives. Host Brittany Luse also sits down with writer Rebekah Weatherspoon to learn how she builds a world of desire.Then, we talk to Dr. E. Gale Greenlee, teacher-scholar in residence at the bell hooks center in Berea Kentucky, about lasting impact of bell hooks' work, and how she changed the way we think about love.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The scintillating strip sensation is back! 'Magic Mike's Last Dance' hits theaters this weekend – and to celebrate, we're talking about male dancers in the media and in the clubs. Our host Brittany Luse sits down with sociologist Dr. Katy Pilcher, to talk about female desire and what it means that a whole family can enjoy a male strip revue together.Then, Brittany talks to Penn Badgley, the star of Netflix's 'YOU.' He reflects on playing bad guys for the last 15 years, what a murderer can tell us about love and why all television is camp.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This weekend Rihanna will perform on the world's biggest stage as the halftime headliner at the Super Bowl. Yet, in 2019 she turned down the gig because she said there were things within the NFL she could not support. Brittany sits down with Gene Demby, host of NPR's Code Switch, to discuss if Rihanna's previous concerns were addressed and why she might need to step up to the mic.You can find more of Gene's reporting on the NFL by checking out NPR's Code Switch.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From "A House Is Not A Home" to "The Glow of Love," Luther Vandross' music has become a staple for weddings, family reunions and graduations. While Luther changed the sound of R&B, brought ballads to epic new heights and influenced countless musicians, he somehow doesn't have the same icon status as some of his collaborators and contemporaries like Whitney Houston or Aretha Franklin.20 years after Luther's last live concert, Brittany is joined by Craig Seymour, author of "Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross" to discuss Luther's impact and why he isn't usually placed on the "Mount Rushmore" of American music. Then, Brittany jazzes it up with two-time Grammy nominee Samara Joy. They talk about her unique style of singing and how she's bridging generations with her timeless music.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

New York Congressman George Santos has been embroiled in controversy since the day he stepped into office in November. The New York Times and other publications have reported that much of the Republican lawmaker's alleged resume – from where he went to college to his supposed time at Goldman Sachs – cannot be backed up with evidence. In this episode, rather than dig into what is true or false, host Brittany Luse asks why someone would embellish their resume in the first place. Author Tara Isabella Burton says it all goes back to the uniquely American obsession with being "self-made."Burton's book, Self-Made: Curating our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians is available for pre-order here.You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's the end of an era. After more than 25 years, The Pokémon Company is closing the book on the adventures of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. To celebrate the cultural impact of this dynamic duo – and of the Pokémon franchise – Brittany Luse sits down with actor Sarah Natochenny, who's voiced Ash since 2006. Sarah talks about growing up with a character who stays 10 years old, and how fans have been the lifeblood of the show. Then, Brittany sits down with Dexter Thomas, VICE News correspondent and Japanese culture critic, and Daniel Dockery, author of Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All. They explore how Pokémon transformed gaming and children's TV in the U.S. and became one of the biggest media franchises in the world. You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Everything Everywhere All at Once is the critical darling of the 2023 awards season. The film is up for 11 Oscars, including a Supporting Actress nomination for breakout star, Stephanie Hsu. Hsu, who played Joy Wang AKA Jobu Tupaki in the film, started her career in experimental theater, which eventually led her to meet the directors of Everything Everywhere All at Once. Stephanie joined host Brittany Luse to chat about her comedic roots, the freedom of nihilism, and how the film has brought intergenerational healing to the stars. You can watch a video of the interview here.You can follow us on Twitter at @NPRItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's in our homes and in our pockets, and now artificial intelligence is in our art. The runaway rise of AI generator apps has sparked hot debate around the technology's impact on creative industries. Brittany Luse talks to Karla Ortiz, an artist who's part of a new lawsuit against a group of companies that use AI to generate images. Ortiz gives her take on why it's important to regulate this technology, and why everyone – not just artists – has a stake in the issue. Then, Brittany talks to Tuck Woodstock, host of the 'Gender Reveal' podcast, about the show's five-year mark and how we can all talk about gender in more informed ways. You can follow us on Twitter at @NPRItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

At first blush, M3GAN seems like your standard murder doll horror film. Uncanny appearance, eerily close relationship with a young child, and of course, murder. But it's become way more than that. She's got a viral dance, powerful side eye, wig fittings, and songs - all of this led M3GAN to become a camp queer icon overnight. Host Brittany Luse and writer Alex Abad-Santos talk M3GAN's queer appeal, our skepticism of Silicon Valley life hacks and how the movie inverts some classic horror tropes.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For Black women, hair is about so much more than beauty. It can affect how they're treated and what opportunities are available to them. It's tied to history, identity and politics. And though many Black women and girls now embrace their natural curls, Black hair is still a site of discrimination. In this episode, Brittany Luse talks to two women fighting to change that: Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who has been pushing for a federal law against race-based hair discrimination, and Michaela Angela Davis, whose docuseries "The Hair Tales" is meant to inspire Black women to celebrate their crowning glories. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For women who date men, bad sex might feel like a personal problem, but Nona Willis Aronowitz says it's political too. In Bad Sex: Truth, Pleasure, and an Unfinished Revolution, Aronowitz tackles the historic and systemic causes of unsatisfying sex. With wisdom from both her reading and romps, Aronowitz sits down with host Brittany Luse to talk about pleasure and the paths to building better relationships with men.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's a new year, and with it comes a new Congress. This week, Brittany Luse sits down with the first Gen Z member to be raised to its ranks, Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida. They talk about his vision for the future, the literal costs of entering the halls of power and getting a shoutout from his favorite band after winning his election. Then, what could Congress do better in 2023? NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis gives Brittany her thoughts on new year's resolutions for lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this episode from June 2022, guest host B.A. Parker and Vox entertainment critic Emily St. James dive into a trend that was all over Hollywood: parents apologizing on-screen. From miniseries like 'Ms. Marvel' to the indie darling 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' St. James calls the subgenre the 'millennial parent apology fantasy.' They get into how stories about parents and children confronting gaps in culture, generation and identity could pave the way for new perspectives about trauma and family. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

2022 was a banner year for Honey Dijon. She co-produced two of the fiercest tracks on Beyoncé's latest record, 'Renaissance,' and she released her own studio album this fall, called 'Black Girl Magic.' But Honey – one of the only Black trans DJs playing the biggest clubs in the world – has been a mainstay on dance floors for decades. And she's become a historian, and champion, of the Black musical traditions that house music draws from. In this episode, Honey talks to host Brittany Luse about using music to create spaces of liberation and paving the way for future generations to do the same.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this conversation from April 2022, former guest host Juana Summers sits down with author Danyel Smith to chat about her book, Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. They talk all about Black women in music — like Gladys Knight, Mahalia Jackson and Whitney Houston — whose true genius and contributions have not yet been fully recognized. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For the last two weeks, rapper Tory Lanez has been on trial for allegedly shooting Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion. Since Megan went public with the allegations in August 2020, she's faced significant backlash – on social media, on popular gossip blogs and also from her peers in the hip-hop community. Megan was shot, and yet it somehow feels like she's been the one on trial. This week, NPR's 'Louder Than A Riot' senior producer Gabby Bulgarelli joins host Brittany Luse to talk about her reporting inside the courtroom, how social media has impacted the trial and the ripple effect this verdict might have for Black women across the country.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been almost two decades since the star-studded romantic comedy premiered, but Love Actually is still a holiday staple that plays in both movie theaters and living rooms across the country. Since the film is here to stay, we feel it's about time to see how it holds up. Host Brittany Luse chats with NPR Weekend Edition's Ayesha Rascoe, who saw the film for the first time this year. They also break down what defines the Christmas movie genre – and its surprising overlap with horror.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Donna Tartt's The Secret History turned 30 this year. Since the book's release, the novel has sold millions of copies and become a classic - the blueprint for a cluster of aesthetic and literary works under the label "dark academia." Host Brittany Luse and culture writer Alice Vincent examine the novel's long shelf life and why it's still relevent to young people today. Then she sits down with author Olivie Blake, who shares how authors are bringing new perspectives to the genre.Then, Brittany is joined by Avery Trufelman, host of the podcast Articles of Interest. In her latest season, Trufelman explores the classic look of ivy style, and its journey from the hallowed halls of academic institutions to retail stores near you.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

#BlackLivesMatter. #OscarsSoWhite. #Zola. These huge cultural moments come from one of the most chaotic, beloved, and influential communities online: Black Twitter. But with Elon Musk at the helm, the future of the community is in question. What's next for the digital public square and by extension Black Twitter? Host Brittany Luse sits down with Jason Parham, senior writer at WIRED, to discuss why he believes, "There Is No Replacement for Black Twitter"; and why his three-part oral history, "A People's History of Black Twitter" is needed now more than ever.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When the world never stops questioning you, do you refuse to answer... or do you play along to get what you want? These questions are at the heart of Framing Agnes, an award-winning documentary about the legacy of a young trans woman in the 1950s who was forced to choose between access and honesty. The film uses the format of a talk show to re-enact interviews with the eponymous Agnes and five other trans people – taken from case files from a decades-old gender identity clinic at UCLA. Brittany Luse chats with the film's director, Chase Joynt, and historian Jules Gill-Peterson about the ways our society tells trans stories. They also dive into the limits of representation, the power dynamics of interviews and the nature of truth itself. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin or email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Think of the top women rappers of our time: Cardi B. Megan Thee Stallion. Nicki Minaj. They all showcase a signature style that involves multicolored wigs, skyscraping heels and designer logos on everything. But that blend of high fashion, femininity and attitude began before any of them, pioneered in the 1990s by the original queen bee: Lil' Kim. Ahead of its time, Kim's ingenuity – and her place in the fusion of fashion and hip-hop – has not always been recognized. Host Brittany Luse and fashion journalist Scarlett Newman make the case for why it's time Lil' Kim gets the credit she deserves. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Recently, host Brittany Luse has found herself curious about motherhood. As she's thought about the kind of mom she might be, she looked for models in film and TV – and found that there's little room for mothers, and Black moms in particular, to be anything but excellent. From Brittany's previous podcast, For Colored Nerds, a discussion with Eric Eddings about motherhood and misbehaving, and why less than perfect is more than enough. Follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour, a deep dive on The Godfather – and why the classic film was not universally loved by the Italian-American community that it portrayed. This episode is part one of the new three-part podcast series Screening Ourselves, which is all about the complicated relationships between on-screen characters and the people they aim to represent.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

There's nothing like the holidays for family drama. And in today's episode, Brittany Luse sits down with two actors who portray a classic brother-against-brother dynamic in the Pulitzer-winning play Topdog/Underdog, which recently returned to Broadway. Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II talk sibling rivalries, the American dream and why their two-man show is not just an exploration of race. Then Brittany goes fangirl on actor Randall Park, whose 2019 film Always Be My Maybe is a staple in her household. She and Park talk about his latest projects: the holiday-friendly Netflix sitcom Blockbuster and his forthcoming directorial debut. They also get into the challenges of making it big in Hollywood and his passion for all things creative. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin or email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

According to the CDC, out of all the American adults who have had COVID — and that's a lot of us — one in five went on to develop long COVID symptoms. While so many are struggling with this new disease, it can be hard for people to know how to take care of themselves. The Long COVID Survival Guide aims to give people struggling with long COVID practical solutions and emotional support to manage their illness. Host Brittany Luse talks to Fiona Lowenstein, editor of the guide, and Karla Monterroso, one of the contributors, about the difficulty of getting diagnosed, navigating long COVID and creating long-term collective care. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

They call him a 21st-century god of soccer. One of the all time greats. A king. But Lionel Messi's crown is still missing one big jewel: a World Cup trophy for his home country, Argentina.In this episode, host Brittany Luse explores Messi's long road to a World Cup victory with Jasmine Garsd, host of NPR's new podcast The Last Cup. Along the way, they go into how immigration, race and class coil around the world of international soccer. Then, Brittany goes on a gastronomic journey with food columnist Illyanna Maisonet, whose new cookbook Diasporican weaves in diasporic influences with Puerto Rico's Indigenous, African and European culinary traditions. You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenaMin or email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Brittany Luse watches a lot of TV, but there's one show she's always caught up on — Abbott Elementary. This workplace comedy follows a group of teachers at a Philadelphia public elementary school. The show is sweet and roaringly funny, but it also touches on national issues such as underfunding and teacher retention.Currently in its second season, the writers room is led by the great Quinta Brunson. Today, Brittany is joined by two of her talented writers, Brittani Nichols and Joya McCrory. They talk about creating a world that feels both authentic and funny to American teachers.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's a big week in Black cinema as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hit theaters Friday. But on the same day, another film dropped that may be just as powerful in its message about Black moviemaking. Is This Black Enough For You? pays homage to the decades of creativity that made the celebrated Marvel movie possible – and deeply influenced cinema as we know it. Host Brittany Luse sits down with Elvis Mitchell, the longtime film critic who directed the documentary. They dig into the ingenuity of Black filmmakers through the 1960s and '70s, the overlooked contributions of Blaxploitation films and the one Black classic that led to the demise of an era.Then, Brittany talks about a different kind of homage with Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle – the brains behind the sitcom South Side and the variety show send-up Sherman's Showcase. The comedy duo reveal why writing jokes around specific references can appeal to all kinds of audiences, and how parody can be a form of love. You can follow us on Twitter @npritsbeenamin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's Election Day, and Brittany's focusing on those long lines at the polls. For years there's been a lot of talk about voter disenfranchisement - especially for Black and Brown voters who wait for hours to cast a ballot. But Brittany's guest thinks of those lines differently. Sami Schalk is the author of Black Disability Politics. She argues that by focusing on the intersection of disability and Black liberation you can find creative ways to address systemic oppression. Long lines are just one example of where Black and disabled oppression meet.You can find Sami's book here.Follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Kardashians. Whether you're into them or not, one thing is true: You can't avoid them. When they're not releasing new episodes of their long-running reality TV show, they're making headlines about Halloween costume reveals or ex-husbands who go on anti-Semitic rants. Because somehow, over the past decade, the Kardashian family went from Hollywood D-listers to American institution. Host Brittany Luse unpacks that journey with MJ Corey, known by her social handle Kardashian Kolloquium. Corey, who also runs a newsletter where she applies media theory to the Kardashians' antics, breaks down their rise to the heights of American society and power – and how they got there using beauty, traditional milestones and a media playbook that might look similar to another first family.You can follow us on Twitter @npritsbeenamin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

If you ask people to describe Christine Baranski, one word rises to the top: sophisticated. That's no accident; the actress has spent a lifetime refining her image and her craft.For the past 13 years, Baranski has played Diane Lockhart, a savvy and assertive attorney on the CBS television series The Good Wife and its spin-off The Good Fight. And just like her character, Baranski is a trailblazer herself. With women making up only 3% of major TV characters 60 and over, she's carved out a path for other actresses to follow.In this episode, host Brittany Luse talks with Baranski about The Good Fight for women in Hollywood.Follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Spooky season is upon us, so we decided to sink our teeth into the world of vampires. Host Brittany Luse kicks off the conversation with Kendra R. Parker, who teaches a class at Georgia Southern University about Black vampires in film and literature. They talk about the racial and sexual politics of vampire narratives and why humans continue to find vampire stories compelling.Then Brittany sits down with Jacob Anderson, star of the AMC reboot of Interview with the Vampire. The two get into the shaky ethics of vampirism and the trauma of immortality. Follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Every fall, with the same regularity as birds flying south, Spirit Halloween materializes in locations across the country. The superstore sells all manner of trappings for spooky season, including costumes, props and décor. It boasts about 1,400 pop-ups nationwide, and often takes over temporary leases in malls where a big-box retailer struggled to stay open. This penchant for swooping in on failing businesses has led many consumers to see the company as a kind of Grim Reaper of retail – and turned the store into an internet meme. This week, host Brittany Luse sits down with Planet Money's Kenny Malone to dive into the origin story of Spirit Halloween, and what the store's success says about the economy and the future of retail. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin or email us at ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The It's Been a Minute team gives you a sneak peek at the event of the season: BravoCon, where our producer met his favorite housewife, and the Salt Lake City stars spill the tea to host Brittany Luse.Then, Brittany sits down with Julio Torres, a comedian, actor, writer and creator of HBO's Los Espookys. They discuss the influences behind his unique world-building.Finally, if you're a Taylor Swift fan, this was a pretty big week, with Swift releasing her 10th studio album, Midnights. It seems that Swift is as big as ever. What is it about her and her music that's so enduring? Brittany sat sat down with an avid Swiftie and Rolling Stone writer, Brittany Spanos – who also teaches a class on Swift. They talk about the artist's evolution and how she's navigated the music industry through the years.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has big dreams. The 20-year-old gained full celebrity status with her breakout role as Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen hit Never Have I Ever. But now that filming has wrapped for the show's four seasons, Ramakrishnan is looking ahead. Host Brittany Luse gets Ramakrishnan dishing on everything from cosplay to car chases. They also talk about Ramakrishnan's wildest dream role, how to deal with haters and why she hopes this is just the beginning – for her, and for other nerdy brown girls who want to make it in Hollywood.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The saga around Elon Musk's deal to buy Twitter has been just that: a months-long soap opera involving lawsuits and subpoenas, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, even a town hall. But why does Musk — one of the world's richest and arguably most influential men — want with a social media platform?Host Brittany Luse dives into the dreams and myths surrounding Elon Musk with Jill Lepore, a political historian and host of the podcast Elon Musk: The Evening Rocket. They look back at his science fiction and fantasy influences and ask where his vision could lead.Then, Brittany brings on senior producer Barton Girdwood to play a brand new game called, Sounds Fake, But OK. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRITsBeenaMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When our host Brittany Luse first heard of The Woman King – a film about an all-women warrior unit defending the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the years of the Atlantic slave trade – the idea made her nervous. Hollywood's record with Black historical dramas is pretty checkered. But then she saw it.In this episode, Brittany breaks down the film's significance and the task of approaching historical representations in fiction. She sat down with actor Sheila Atim – who plays the warrior Amenza – to talk about the physical trainings, the joys of making a movie with actors from across the diaspora and how Atim has played characters on different sides of the Atlantic slave trade. Then Brittany is joined by Maya Cade, creator and curator of Black Film Archive, and culture critic Shamira Ibrahim. They discuss how to square historical accuracy with a satisfying Hollywood narrative.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Stacey Abrams wants to make history again. After losing the Georgia governor's race to Brian Kemp back in 2018, Abrams — the first Black woman to be a major party's gubernatorial candidate — spent four years coalition building across the state. Now she's back, armed with a national reputation, the experience of running for statewide office and a fresh determination to defend her state from voter suppression. Will it be enough to make her the country's first Black woman governor?In her debut as the new host of It's Been a Minute, Brittany Luse talks to Abrams herself — about the power and pitfalls of being an icon; how she deals with criticism from inside her own party; and what it will take to shift the politics of the Deep South.Brittany also brings on Christina Greer, political scientist at Fordham University, to discuss Abrams' strategy and how the former minority leader mirrors other Black women politicians who made history. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRITsBeenaMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

NPR is proud to present Brittany Luse as the new host for It's Been A Minute. Whether you're a long time listener or you're just finding the show, you know that culture doesn't happen by accident. Find out why with Brittany every Tuesday and Friday starting October 7.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Today we have a special drop from our friends at NPR's Alt.Latino! The show just welcomed Anamaria Sayre as a new co-host alongside Felix Contreras. In this conversation, Anamaria chats with Spanish musician Rosalía about her recent album Motomami, how she uses the album to play in different genres, and why she embraces change. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When folks think about where to get the latest in hip-hop, NPR doesn't usually come to mind. But that's changing, thanks to the team at the Tiny Desk Concerts, which was just nominated as the Best Hip-Hop Platform for the 2022 BET Awards. Since 2008, Tiny Desk Concerts have delighted millions of listeners and viewers on YouTube with stripped-down performances from their favorite artists. Now the series is proving it's also an authentic space for showcasing all forms of hip-hop. Guest host Elise Hu talks to Tiny Desk Concerts series producer Bobby Carter about bringing new musicians into the mix, what goes on behind the scenes and where the team wants to take the show next.Then, Elise plays a Tiny Desk edition of 'Who Said That' with Carter and video producer Josh Bryant.Finally, Elise chats with P.E. Moskowitz, author of the 'Mental Hellth' newsletter, about how terms from therapy have crept into our daily language. Does it help or harm how we think about mental health? You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Julissa Arce used to think that the secret to fitting in was to "sound white" — to speak English perfectly, with no accent. And for years after her family came to the U.S. from Mexico, she did all the things immigrants are "supposed" to do to assimilate: she went to college, got a job at Goldman Sachs and became an American citizen. It wasn't enough. So Arce decided that the solution was to stop trying to fit in, and instead embrace her whole identity. Her ideas come to life in her book, You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation.In this encore episode from this past March, guest host Elise Hu revisits her conversation with Arce about the book, and what it means to celebrate your own culture and history. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin and email us ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We talk TV REBOOTS. Guest host Elise Hu chats with Judy Greer about her role in the new Hulu series Reboot; her work as a comedic actress, and the state of television. Then, Elise talks with Daniel Herbert, associate professor of film and TV at the University of Michigan and co-editor of the book Film Reboots, about why so many old shows are being remade now. Plus, a special reboot-themed "Who Said That!" with Rob Pearlstein, co-executive producer and writer of the CBS MacGyver reboot (note: Rob is also Elise's partner) and his sister Joanna Pearlstein, opinion editor at The New York Times.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

HBO gave us some of the most iconic television shows of our time: Sex and the City. The Sopranos. Game of Thrones. But is the era of HBO coming to a close?Earlier this year, HBO's parent company, Warner Media, merged with Discovery. By next year, the new Warner Bros. Discovery will combine HBO Max with Discovery Plus into an as-yet unnamed umbrella streaming service. The merger raises questions about what's next for the HBO brand – including whether or not "HBO" will still mean "quality TV" once the dust settles. Guest host Elise Hu talks to Charles Pulliam-Moore, who covers TV and film for The Verge, about HBO's legacy, how it paved the way for prestige TV, and what changes at the company could mean for what kind of television we'll see.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at IBAM@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

King Charles III doesn't enjoy the same popularity as his mother. In the face of mixed feelings towards the new king, some are asking: Is this the beginning of the end of the British monarchy? Guest host Elise Hu talks to Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, lawyer, activist and author of This Is Why I Resist about this new era for the British royals, the power they hold and the potential opportunities for the new monarch.Then, Elise chats with Atlantic writer Amanda Mull about the HGTV-ification of interior design and what the trend says about the housing market.Lastly, Elise plays a fast-food-themed version of Who Said That with Sarah and Kaitlin Leung, sisters and co-authors of the upcoming cookbook, The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family: A Cookbook.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

To celebrate their 15th anniversary, the K-pop group Girls' Generation put out their newest album, 'Forever 1.' Today, we're taking a look back at their career and how they changed the standards for K-pop through music, choreography and beauty. Their impact doesn't stop at that — Girls' Generation's debut song is now being used to change the world, just not in the way they planned. Guest host Elise Hu discusses their legacy with music critic Tamar Herman and Korean film and culture scholar Michelle Cho.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Serena Williams just played her last U.S. Open. In the historic two-plus decades of her tennis career, she's won 23 Grand Slams and four Olympic gold medals — all while becoming a mother, dealing with injuries and health crises and facing more scrutiny and downright bias than her peers. Guest host Elise Hu talks to Alex Abad-Santos, senior correspondent at Vox, about her legacy in sports and beyond. Plus, the 74th Annual Emmy Awards are on Monday, Sept. 12. In this era of so much TV, how are nominees rising to the top? And how are the different streaming services standing out in the crowd? Elise talks to TV critics Lorraine Ali of the Los Angeles Times and Roxana Hadadi of Vulture about what to expect. They also play Who Said That.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Russian pop duo t.A.T.u released their smash single "All The Things She Said" 20 years ago this week. To this day, the bop is a queer staple, but should it be?From t.A.T.u to Britney Spears and Madonna, the early 2000s were full of straight women dabbling in queerness for profit. In this episode, senior producer Barton Girdwood sits down with author Jill Gutowitz (Girls Can Kiss Now) to talk about how these moments gave young queer millennials a taste of their sexuality even though it was all an act. They discuss whether or not a false representation can still be meaningful, and how the basic formula of "All The Things She Said" gets lesbianism right — even though so much of it is wrong.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at IBAM@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For a long time, Dungeons & Dragons was stereotyped as a game for nerdy young white guys in their parents' basement. But not anymore — the game has exploded in popularity and players of all backgrounds are joining in. Guest co-host Andrea Gutierrez talks to Jasmine Bhullar and Persephone Valentine, both content creators and dungeon masters, about how D&D has become an exciting medium for marginalized people to tell new kinds of fantasy stories.Then, Andrea sits down with Chanté Adams, star of the new Amazon Prime series A League of Their Own. Adams plays Maxine Chapman, a queer Black woman loosely based on historic female players in the Negro Leagues. The role also expands on a non-speaking, unnamed character in the original 1992 film. Adams talks about seeking complex Black characters to portray onscreen, and bringing her family into each new role. Finally, Andrea tests All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang and producer Mia Venkat on their pop culture news knowledge in a game of Who Said That.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What is culture, where does it come from and why does it change? W. David Marx, author of the new book Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change, says the answers come from our desire for prestige. Marx tells guest host Elise Hu how status has historically worked to drive trends like gourmet cupcakes or dark wash jeans, how the internet can lead to cultural stagnation, and ways we can redefine status to build a more equitable society.Status and Culture is out Sept. 6.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at IBAM@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

BeReal may be the hottest new social media app on the market, but can it live up to its promise to be a more authentic alternative to other platforms? Guest co-host Elise Hu talks with writers Haley Nahman and Ryan Broderick about how BeReal signifies a shift in what we want from our apps and why social media always barrels towards its worst self. They also flex their pop culture knowledge in a game of Who Said That.Then, guest co-host Andrea Gutierrez talks with Jude Stewart, author of Revelations in Air: A Guidebook to Smell. They discuss trends in fragrance, how COVID is making us change how we think about smells, and why scent is so tied to memory and emotion.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Starz hit series P-Valley takes audiences to a strip club in a fictional town in the Mississippi Delta. Part soap opera, part Southern Gothic, the show focuses on the interior lives of the Black women who work at the club — and the complex social dynamics that shape their lives. On this episode from our friends at Code Switch, co-hosts Gene Demby and B.A. Parker speak with series creator and Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Katori Hall.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Bad Bunny is the biggest pop star in the world, so what does he believe in? Guest host Tracie Hunte and political anthropologist Yarimar Bonilla look at the politics of Bad Bunny, and his vision of a Puerto Rico for Puerto Ricans.Plus, Tracie talks to James Beard award-winning author Michael W. Twitty about his new book, "Koshersoul," how we connect to our histories through food and what makes a kitchen sacred.And later, Tracie plays Who Said That? with her group chat! Her friends Alana Casanova-Burgess, host and producer of La Brega from WNYC and Futuro Studios, and Rebeca Ibarra, host and producer of The Refresh from Insider, go head-to-head to win the title of Who Said That? champion. Warning: some Spanish speakers may find language in this episode offensive.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In FX's Reservation Dogs, Dallas Goldtooth plays the character "Spirit" — a Native American warrior in feathers and buckskin who curses and makes dirty jokes. Dallas also brings his irreverence to the frontlines of protests against oil pipelines. He talks to guest host Tracie Hunte about merging his passions for comedy and organizing, and how he's changing stereotypes with heaps of joy.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What does Brittney Griner's hypervisibility as a tall, queer, Black woman have to do with her 9-year sentence in a Russian prison? A lot, according to historian Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon, who studies race and Blackness in Russia. She chats with guest host Tracie Hunte about what Griner's detainment means for Black queer folks who travel and the antagonism surrounding the case.Then, Tracie talks about the big moment Nigerian pop culture is having in the U.S. She is joined by Nigerian American filmmaker and artist Amarachi Nwosu to discuss why this is happening now and how Nigeria's success might impact pop culture from other African nations. Plus, we play Who Said That! Tracie connects with NPR's B. A. Parker and Juana Summers to test their pop culture knowledge.You can follow us on Twitter @npritsbeenamin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In HBO's Industry, Myha'la Herrold plays Harper, a ruthless young trading floor analyst working for a bank in London. We've seen characters like her before — think of the power-obsessed personalities in shows like Billions and Succession. The big difference? The stakes are much higher for a young Black woman like Harper. Myha'la talks to guest host Tracie Hunte about the new season of Industry, bringing her own context to a complex, morally ambiguous character and why she credits her mom for her success. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What do we expect from women rappers? Guest host Tracie Hunte and music and culture journalist Naima Cochrane discuss HBO's Rap Sh!t — and how it portrays women in hip hop walking the line between sexuality and respectability.Then, Tracie talks to NPR TV critic Eric Deggans about recent shake-ups in late-night TV. They look at the genre's influence on comedy and what the future looks like for women and comedians of color.Plus, we play Who Said That! Tracie brings on her WNYC colleagues Alex Neason, producer and editor for Radiolab, and Janae Pierre, host of WNYC's Consider This.You can follow us on Twitter @npritsbeenamin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After years of covering HIV and AIDS, journalist Steven Thrasher knew that the hardest hit communities were almost always the poorest and most marginalized ones. Then COVID-19 struck, and he saw that the same groups of people were suffering the most.In his new book The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide, Thrasher explores how this pattern plays out in communities around the world. Guest host Tracie Hunte talks to him about the ways that systemic oppression puts marginalized people at greater risk of infection for all diseases – and also blames them for transmission. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Beyoncé's new album is here! Guest host Anna Sale chats with Dan Runcie, founder of the hip hop site Trapital, and Joey Guerra, music critic for the Houston Chronicle. They talk about Renaissance, what Beyoncé means to us and how this album meets the moment. Also, It's Been a Minute producer Liam McBain talks to culture writer Crispin Long about their shared obsession with reality dating shows. They discuss how these shows lay bare our society's obsession with marriage, and why reality dating drama is so compelling — even to folks who don't buy into the fixation on finding "the one."— Read Crispin's Astra Magazine essay on reality dating shows: "Heterosexual Vortex"You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this episode from our friends at The Limits with Jay Williams, host Jay Williams speaks with Colman Domingo, the ultimate character actor, known for stealing scenes in films like Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Selma and If Beale Street Could Talk. He embodies every character he takes on, most recently earning an Emmy nod for his role as father-figure Ali to Zendaya's Rue on HBO's Euphoria.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

These days, following the news can be utterly demoralizing. How do we deal? Guest host Anna Sale talks to Amanda Ripley, journalist and anchor of the Slate podcast How To!, about strategies for staying informed without stressing out (too much). Then, Anna chats with author, educator and producer Tananarive Due about the history of the Black horror genre ahead of the release of Jordan Peele's Nope. They talk about how horror can be a way to process trauma, how marginalized creators can — but don't always — reclaim old movie tropes and where Black horror is today.Finally, Anna plays Who Said That with It's Been a Minute guest hosts pf the past, present and future: Julia Furlan, executive producer of the podcast Death, Sex & Money, and WNYC's Tracie Hunte. — Read Amanda Ripley's opinion piece: "I stopped reading the news. Is the problem me — or the product?"You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From guest host Anna Sale's other podcast Death, Sex & Money, we bring you this story about Mary Gundel, whose journey from manager to labor activist starts out on TikTok, during a bad day at work, and ends with her losing her job —but finding her power.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Starting July 16, anyone in the US experiencing emotional distress or a mental health crisis can call the phone number 988 and reach a crisis counselor. Guest host Anna Sale talks to Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, about bringing local call centers into this network, what challenges they're facing and how it will reshape how we view mental health resourcing. Then Anna talks to Pop Culture Happy Hour host Aisha Harris about why so many biopics get produced and what makes a good one. Antonia Cereijido, executive producer at LAist Studios, joins Anna and Aisha to play Who Said That.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In 2017, author Erika L. Sánchez was making her dreams come true, her young adult novel I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter earning critical acclaim. But even as she rose to fame, Sánchez found herself struggling with her mental health. Her new memoir, Crying in the Bathroom, captures the tension between her public success and her private suffering — and more. Sánchez talks with guest host Anna Sale about sharing some of her darkest moments with readers, caring for her mental health and what she's learned from her personal role model — Lisa Simpson.If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

They're short, sexy and on-trend: Hoochie daddy shorts are all the rage for cisgender straight men this summer. And this week, they are the center of a conversation between guest host Anna Sale and writer and poet Danez Smith about sex, gender and freedom. What do higher hemlines on men reveal about the gender anxiety rippling through America today? Also, Anna speaks with Wired editor Alan Henry about his new book Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized. They discuss how employees of marginalized identities can navigate workplace dynamics, and focus on work that can advance their careers.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How do freedom and rights intersect with sex, pleasure and the self? It's a question the U.S. is facing in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — and a central theme in writer Davey Davis's new novel. In X, Davis relocates the conflict over these ideas from courts and abortion clinics to queer clubs and BDSM dungeons in a more dystopic version of our present.In this episode, guest host Anna Sale talks to Davis about why sadism is romantic, how bureaucracy can become a tool of oppression and why bad behavior doesn't make us less human.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Supreme Court gutted abortion rights by overturning Roe v. Wade. For those who have been in the trenches of the reproductive justice movement — people who saw this coming — is there anything left to feel hopeful about? Guest host B.A. Parker chats with four young organizers about their stories and their plans for the future.Plus, Parker talks with cultural critic and writer Clarkisha Kent about navigating body positivity discourse as Black women and how the movement has strayed from its more radical origins in fat liberation. Kent's forthcoming book Fat Off, Fat On: A Big Bitch Manifesto comes out in 2023.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Family conflict is a cinema staple. But recently Hollywood has come out with a slew of stories about parents and children confronting gaps in culture, generation and identity — from animated films like Encanto and Turning Red, to the recent miniseries Ms. Marvel and the indie hit Everything Everywhere All at Once. Vox entertainment critic Emily St. James calls the subgenre the "millennial parent apology fantasy." She shares with guest host B.A. Parker how the form came to be, what its limits are and how it could pave the way for new perspectives about trauma and family.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In a matter of days Beyoncé and Drake both released music that draws deeply on 90s era house music. Neither of them are queer, but the they're borrowing from a genre that has been liberating for Black & Latino queer people from the 70s to today. In this episode our June guest host B.A. Parker welcomes Back Issue's co-host Josh Gwynn to chat about house music's roots and the genre's resurgence. Also, comedians Kate Berlant & John Early talk about their new special Would it Kill You to Laugh. They're great friends, and they let us in on some of their inside jokes.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Fangirls often don't get taken seriously in pop culture. But in her new book, Everything I Need, I Get From You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It, culture reporter Kaitlyn Tiffany explores just how much fangirls have shaped online life. She talks with guest host B.A. Parker about how fans used Tumblr to transform internet culture, how being a One Direction fan enriched her own life and why fandom is more complicated than we might think. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When singer-songwriter Kate Bush released "Running Up That Hill" in 1985, it peaked at number 30 on the Hot 100. Now it's soared into the top ten, thanks to the newest season of Stranger Things. Guest host B.A. Parker talks to Stereogum writers Rachel Brodsky and Chris Deville about why old music seems to be getting more love than new music these days — and how even new music seems retro. Plus, actor and writer Jana Schmieding on the second season of Rutherford Falls, exploring physical comedy, and honoring aunties.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We don't often think of Hawaii and the Korean peninsula as having any kind of shared history. But author Joseph Han disagrees — and he makes the case in his debut novel Nuclear Family. In this episode, Han and guest host B.A. Parker discuss the book and Han's experience as a Korean immigrant in Hawaii. And they unpack the long effects of U.S. imperialism and military presence in both places. Along the way, they get into ghosts, grandmas and Guy Fieri.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

These days, it seems everyone wants to be an influencer. But as content creators realize that it's a demanding, often short-lived career, they're forcing us to think hard about the future of an industry that's still on the rise. Guest host B.A. Parker speaks with Rebecca Jennings, senior correspondent at Vox, who reported on how influencer burnout is a microcosm of our changing relationship with work.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The first time Joel Kim Booster vacationed on New York's Fire Island with his friend, comedian Bowen Yang, he brought with him Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as a beach read. Over the years, he'd often joke with friends about making a gay version of the novel. Today Booster is the writer and star of Hulu's Fire Island, a queer, Asian romcom based on Austen's classic, set in the titular gay vacation spot. Booster talks with guest host Elise Hu about how the film honors his queer friendships, subverts hetero romcom norms, and tells a personal story that feels universal. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Once again, Americans are asking how to end mass shootings. With consensus on gun laws unlikely, some are turning to Hollywood to help change the narrative. Can those who control the levers of culture shift the public's relationship with guns? Guest host Elise Hu speaks with former video game creative and now TV writer Nadra Widatalla about a world where on-screen heroes don't rely on guns. Plus, seriously, why are movies so long? It isn't scientific but it sure feels like movies are racking up the minutes. Elise chats with Variety reporter Rebecca Rubin about total runtimes — and if they aren't actually getting longer, why does it feel that way?You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Name a Black musician from the 1970s and chances are Bruce Talamon has photographed them. The Jackson 5. Aretha Franklin. Marvin Gaye. Donna Summer. Bob Marley. The list goes on.For the final episode of our summer music series, former host Sam Sanders talks to Talamon about his incredible collection of photographs and what it was like to capture intimate moments with such iconic artists.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this episode from our friends at Life Kit, guest host Elise Hu teaches us how to make the most of our time off. Joined by travel writer Torre deRoche and artist Jenny Odell, they go beyond travel tips and investigate why we travel and share what travel means to them.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Singer Phoebe Bridgers had a huge year in 2020. She was nominated for four Grammys for her work on her album Punisher. The album was released to wide critical acclaim. But like the rest of us, Bridgers was stuck at home. So what's that really like for a musician? In the latest episode of our summer music series, we revisit Sam Sanders' conversation with Phoebe from 2020. They talk about her love/hate relationship with touring, how she aims for the universal in the specificity of her lyrics, and her hopes for the future of music.Watch the extended video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/nTmW6jr_hd0 You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this special episode from our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour, guest host Aisha Harris talks with journalists Tre'vell Anderson and Jarrett Hill about stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael's new HBO special Rothaniel where Carmichael comes out publicly as gay for the first time and talks about secrets that have haunted his family for multiple generations.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this encore episode from 2018, former host Sam Sanders speaks with singer-songwriter Syd about her work with the hip-hop collective Odd Future and now with her own group – The Internet. The two discuss how she produced The Internet's fourth album, Hive Mind, and how she incorporates songwriting her sexuality.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

With the anticipated repeal of Roe v. Wade, it's unclear how Americans will access abortion and other reproductive care. Will tech platforms continue to provide the same information about services in states where the procedure is outlawed? And what risk does your digital footprint create, if you seek information about abortion or other reproductive health care? Guest host Elise Hu talks it out with Rachel Cohen, senior policy reporter at Vox News and Lil Kalish from CalMatters.Plus, you love to hate her on Selling Sunset; Christine Quinn is in the house! Elise chats with Christine about her villainous persona and her book, How to Be a Boss B*tch.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Yebba had a huge year in 2016. The singer and songwriter's career was taking off. But 2016 was also the year that something awful happened: Yebba's mother died by suicide. And that changed everything in her life. In this encore chat from 2021, former host Sam Sanders and Yebba discuss the emotional toll it took to make her recent album Dawn, growing up in the church, and shedding old beliefs while making room for new ones. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Protests erupted across the nation this week in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court brief suggesting the landmark "Roe v. Wade" abortion ruling will be overturned. The decision could endanger people seeking medical care and set a precedent for challenging other reproductive rights. Guest host Elise Hu discusses patients' concerns with health and gender reporter Shefali Luthra of "The 19th" and Dr. Jennifer Kerns, an OBGYN and associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco.Then, Elise chats with authors Jasmine Guillory and Emma Straub about the best books to read this summer. They also play Who Said That.Some books mentioned in this episode:By the Book - Jasmine Guillory This Time Tomorrow - Emma StraubLove Radio - Ebony LaDelleFunny You Should Ask - Elissa SussmanBomb Shelter - Mary Laura PhilpottSorrow and Bliss - Meg MasonThe Lifestyle - Taylor HahnI'll Be You - Janelle BrownYou can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Attention to all the music lovers out there! All month, we're revisiting our best music episodes from It's Been a Minute. In this episode from February 2020, former host Sam Sanders is joined by Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding, co-hosts of the podcast Switched On Pop. They break down what makes a song: why certain pop songs become ear worms and what their form and structure mean for the future of music. Sloan and Harding deconstruct songs in their 2020 book, Switched On Pop: How Popular Music Works and Why It Matters. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Legislation targeting transgender Americans and trans children has increased sharply in the last year. Guest host Ari Shapiro speaks with the Florida mother of a trans daughter about how their family is coping with that state's new, more restrictive policies. Then, Ari discusses how this wave of law-making differs from so-called "moral panics" of past decades — and why that matters — with historian Jules Gill-Peterson, of Johns Hopkins University.Then, Broadway is back and bigger than ever, with 16 new shows opening this month. But this Broadway burst hasn't been immune to the pandemic. "Macbeth" director Sam Gold talks to Ari about having to go onstage himself this month, when too many of his cast tested positive for Covid; and about what feels different as actors and audiences try to get back to normal. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Guest host Juana Summers speaks with co-authors Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy about their new book, Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay. In the book, Liz and Mollie explore seven emotions that they found particularly difficult to overcome — uncertainty, anger, burnout, comparison, perfectionism, despair and grief. With hopes to normalize conversations on these "big feelings," they talk about the power in owning and sharing their emotions and what they've gained in the process.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

With travel mask mandates dropping, increasing cases, and more COVID variants, precaution exhaustion is real, but the pandemic is far from over. Guest host Juana Summers talks with science writer Katherine J. Wu of The Atlantic about how the U.S. has moved from a collective approach to an individual-focused mindset in its handling of the pandemic.Then, Juana is joined by Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigueur, hosts of the new Oprahdemics podcast, to talk about Oprah Winfrey's reign as 'Queen of Talk' and her influence on the culture. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Guest host Juana Summers talks with Danyel Smith about her new memoir, Shine Bright: A Personal History of Black Women in Pop. As a previous editor-in-chief for both Billboard and Vibe magazines, host of the Black Girl Songbook podcast, and longtime music reporter, Danyel uses her expertise to spotlight the stories of pop powerhouses like Gladys Knight, Mahalia Jackson, Whitney Houston, and more. Danyel crafts a love letter to Black women in pop, capturing the intimate details of who they were, their influence on her, and how their music changed pop forever.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From homemade candles to jewelry, leather goods to cloth masks, online marketplace Etsy has been a haven for makers looking to sell their goods and build small businesses for themselves. But with fees increasing, some sellers are frustrated and have gone on strike. Guest host Juana Summers is joined by Wall Street Journal reporter Charity Scott to learn more about how sellers feel and what it means for online shopping.Then, Juana is joined by GLOW creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch to chat about their upcoming Apple TV+ series, ROAR.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this special episode from our friends at the Broken Record podcast, we will hear producer Rick Rubin's conversation with hip-hop legend Nas. Rick talks to Nas about his earliest experiences with rap in the Queensbridge housing projects where he grew up, how recording King's Disease with Kanye West in Wyoming almost took him out of his zone, and how early beef with Jay-Z made them both stronger rappers.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Guest host Jasmine Garsd talks to Kristen Warner, an associate professor at the University of Alabama, about Bridgerton's diversity problem. They discuss color blind v. color-conscious casting, how race factors into historical narratives and why any representation isn't always good representation.Then, Jasmine catches up with host Ceci Bastida and creator Núria Net about their new podcast, Punk In Translation: Latinx Origins, about the role of Latinx and Latin American musicians in the history of punk music. They also play Who Said That.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this special new episode of It's Been a Minute, we share a conversation Sam Sanders recorded about one of his favorite things: reality TV. He's joined by Danielle Lindemann, author of True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us, to discuss the genre's origins in Real World and Survivor, how reality TV influences our culture, and why we should all take the genre more seriously.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

You may see it in the news or on social media. You may be feeling different in your relationships or with your job. The "vibe" has shifted. Our guest host Jasmine Garsd is joined by Elamin Abdelmahmoud, culture writer for BuzzFeed News and host of CBC's pop culture podcast Pop Chat, to learn more about this vibe shift and why we all may be feeling a little off right now.Plus, a chat with Dylan Marron, author and host of the book/podcast Conversations with People Who Hate Me on how he talks to people with opposing views. That's followed by a game of Who Said That with Jonny Sun.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Elise Hu chats with Soo Hugh, writer and showrunner of the much anticipated series Pachinko, based on the 2017 novel by Min Jin Lee. It's the epic story of a family through four generations across the 20th century, all about their lives as Zainichi Koreans in Japan. In this chat, Hugh talks about what it was like to bring the beloved book to screen, what she's is doing to support Asian American creators coming up behind her, and why this story resonates with people of all backgrounds.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A trimmed telecast? A crowd-sourced award? DJ Khaled as a presenter? The Oscars are back like you've never seen them before. Guest host Elise Hu is joined by Pop Culture Happy Hour host and reporter Aisha Harris and NPR film critic Bob Mondello to talk about these new changes and their top picks for who's taking home the big awards of the night. Then, they play a game of Who Said That.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A school crush once told Julissa Arce that she sounded "like a white girl." At the time, Arce believed that was exactly what she wanted. But over the years, even after perfecting "accent-less" English, graduating from college, getting a job at Goldman Sachs, and becoming an American citizen, Arce still felt like she didn't belong. Instead of just trying to fit in as the solution, Arce began to question whether that was the very problem to begin with. Elise Hu talks to Arce about her new book — You Sound Like a White Girl — and the case for rejecting assimilation in favor of embracing yourself, your history, and your culture.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been one year since the Atlanta-area spa shootings that claimed eight lives, six of whom were Asian women. Guest host Elise Hu reflects on the event with Nicole Chung, author of the memoir All You Can Ever Know and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. They discuss their own experiences and the unprecedented violence that Asian Americans—especially Asian American women—are facing. Plus, are tech TV shows about failures and scams a worthy critique or part of the problem? Elise and Nitasha Tiku, tech culture writer for the Washington Post, discuss the latest TV adaptations of tech scandals: WeCrashed, Super Pumped, and The Dropout. Then, a game of 'Who Said That?' with Nitasha's friend and colleague Heather Kelly.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Our friends at Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! have a new show out with host Emma Choi. It's called Everyone & Their Mom. For her first episode, Emma is joined by comedian Josh Gondelman to discuss a saucy situation. Celebrity chef Roy Choi also joins to troubleshoot a kimchi recipe with Emma's grandma. Emma then settles an age old debate: heels or rollerblades?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's Been A Minute is sticking around, but before our beloved Sam Sanders takes flight we've got news to cover! In Sam's last episode as host, he's joined by NPR Weekend Edition Sunday host Ayesha Rascoe and NPR Congressional Correspondent Susan Davis to talk about the latest in politics news from gas prices to Ukraine to the upcoming US midterms. He then plays a special game of Who Said That? with his Aunt Betty and her friend, Lynette Maxwell.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

With more extreme antisemitic attacks on the rise and more antisemitic rhetoric in the mainstream, antisemitism has become an increasingly pressing issue in the US. But at the same time, the conversation around antisemitism is getting more fraught. Sam talks with Dov Waxman, professor and director for the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies, about what people are getting wrong about antisemitism. They discuss why there's so much contention around what the term means, why it can be hard to talk about, and how to fight antisemitism when it happens.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, global powers have put the pressure on with sanctions upon sanctions. But what does that even mean? Class is in session as Sam attends Sanctions 101 with Cardiff Garcia, host of The New Bazaar, and Stacey Vanek Smith, co-host of The Indicator. They talk about how economic sanctions are supposed to work and whether they can be effective enough to change anything on the ground.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's our 500th episode and what better way to celebrate than with Johnny Knoxville's first appearance on NPR? We couldn't think of a better milestone. In this episode, Sam and Johnny chat about his latest Jackass endeavor with Jackass Forever while also looking back at the reality show that started it all — and how its very first stunt actually shut down production. They also discuss Jackass' queer fanbase and Johnny's time in therapy. Come for the talk about raunchy stunts, stay for the Johnny Knoxville School of Radical Acceptance!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Before George Floyd and Michael Brown, there was Trayvon Martin. And this weekend marks ten years since the watershed moment that planted the seed for the Black Lives Matter movement we know today. A decade later, Sam is joined by Nailah Summers-Polite, co-director of the Dream Defenders, and Georgetown law professor, Paul Butler to discuss their feelings ten years ago and how their activism has evolved along with the movement.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this episode from our friends at NPR's newest podcast The Limits, host Jay Williams chats with Gabrielle Union — actress, activist, producer, entrepreneur and author of the books We're Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True and You Got Anything Stronger? Gabrielle talks to Jay about why "balance" is a myth, her journey with surrogacy and how she she overcame a turbulent time in her relationship with her husband, former NBA star Dwayne Wade.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What is the metaverse? How do you get to it? Why does it seem to dominate headlines every week? Is it possibly a sign of our dystopian future? Sam learns all about the metaverse and more with NPR technology correspondent Shannon Bond and NPR tech reporter Bobby Allyn. They define the metaverse, explain why companies are so eager to jump into it, and whether or not we should worry about it.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Streaming has totally changed the face of TV, but in all its abundance, who gets to make a show, and which shows live to see another season? Sam chats with TV writer and producer Gloria Calderón Kellett (One Day at a Time, With Love), who has long grappled with this question. They talk about what it takes to make something for your people in the industry right now, what she's doing to claim space for Latinx creatives and how she copes with it all.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Victoria Walker, former The Points Guy senior travel reporter, didn't think much about tweeting her salary when she quit her job and offering advice for anyone interested in applying. But the tweet went viral and sparked a wider conversation about pay transparency. Sam asks Victoria why she did it and talks with Wall Street Journal workplace reporter Lauren Weber about why pay transparency matters.Plus, Sam chats with Morgan Cooper, creator of Bel-Air, a new dramatic retelling of the The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Then, they play Who Said That? with actor Jordan L. Jones, who plays Jazz on the show.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

China has held a soft power over Hollywood for the last few decades. Examples range from the cosmetic, like the way Chinese police heroically restore order in films like The 355. It can also be more overt, like China blocking the release of Chloé Zhao's film Eternals in the country. Sam and Erich Schwartzel talk about how and why China has influenced the American film industry and more reporting in his new book Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's hard to believe the Winter Olympics have begun in Beijing, our second COVID Games. Sam talks to NPR correspondent Emily Feng about the political implications of this year's Olympics, the crackdowns on activists, and diplomatic boycotts.Then, Sam talks to Hiwote Getaneh and Jesse Baker, producers of the podcast This Is Dating, a show about first dates. They talk about what the show taught the two of them about love and dating and offer up some advice of their own. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

There were two big music festivals happening in the summer of 1969. While one defined an entire generation of culture and music... the other remained obscure — the only recorded footage placed in a basement that was said to have sat, unpublished, for decades. That is, until Questlove's first documentary Summer of Soul came out last year. In this episode, Sam chats with Questlove about the recent release of the film's soundtrack, the long history of Black erasure, and the memorable performances from the likes of The 5th Dimension, Stevie Wonder (playing the drums!), Mavis Staples, Mahalia Jackson, and Nina Simone.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam sits down to chat, sing, improv and of course play Who Said That with actors Ben Schwartz and Sam Richardson, stars of the new murder mystery The Afterparty on Apple TV+. Then, Sam revisits his 2021 conversation with Devon Price, author of Laziness Does Not Exist, where they discuss the lie of laziness and what it means for productivity.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam chats with author Wajahat Ali about his new book, Go Back To Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on Becoming American. The book points out just how hilarious, untenable, and difficult becoming American can actually be. Throughout the book, Ali uses his own story to offer strategies to make America more welcoming and compassionate. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

André Leon Talley became a major part of the global fashion zeitgeist while navigating being one of the few, if not the only, Black, queer man at his level. Sam is joined by author and poet Saeed Jones and Zach Stafford, host of the podcast In the Deep, to remember the late fashion editor and celebrate Talley's legacy.Read Saeed Jones' essay on André Leon Talley here and Zach Stafford's essay here.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam revisits his 2021 conversation with Sarah Schulman about ACT UP. The organization united a diverse, non-partisan group of individuals committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. In Schulman's book, Let The Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993, she draws from nearly 200 interviews with ACT UP members to document the movement's history and explore how the group's activism transformed the way the media, the government, corporations and medical professionals talked about AIDS and provided treatment. Schulman and Sam discuss this transformation and its relevance to social movements today.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A group of elite colleges and universities this week found themselves at the center of a lawsuit alleging that they conspired to limit financial aid to admitted students. Sam talks to Washington Post higher education reporter Danielle Douglas-Gabriel about the lawsuit and what it means for students and families across the country. Plus, Eric Eddings and Brittany Luse join Sam to talk about the era of Black abundance in media and their revamped podcast, For Colored Nerds. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Former President Donald Trump is still one of the most influential members of the Republican party even after leaving office nearly a year ago. Sam chats with Vann R. Newkirk II, senior editor for The Atlantic, and McKay Coppins, staff writer for The Atlantic, to make sense of what Trump's GOP has been up to this past year — and its strategies going into the next elections.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been a full year since the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, perhaps the most shocking political event of the past year — or even this generation. But has our understanding of the insurrection changed with time? Sam chats with Hannah Allam, national security reporter at The Washington Post, and Tom Dreisbach, NPR investigative correspondent, about how the U.S. government has responded to the insurrection — and how we've moved from political polarization into political radicalization. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this special episode from our friends at Throughline, co-hosts Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei explore the war over history with Nikole Hannah-Jones, an investigative journalist at The New York Times and the creator of the 1619 Project. They discuss how the 1619 Project became one of the most dramatic battlegrounds in the fight over our country's historical narratives — and whether an agreed upon history could ever exist.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Happy New Year's Eve, y'all! Before we officially end 2021, we're revisiting on one of our favorite episodes of the year — our deep dive into Whitney Houston's 1991 national anthem. Sam chats with Danyel Smith, host of Black Girl Songbook, about how Whitney Houston captivated the entire nation with her rendition of the national anthem that year and why it still matters more than 30 years later. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam chats with Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan, the two co-hosts of the podcast Switched on Pop, about the year in music. They discuss how TikTok and streaming continue to change the pop landscape and share their favorite albums of 2021. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Do holiday movies actually make money for networks like Hallmark and Netflix? How many Vanessa Hudgens characters is too many Vanessa Hudgens characters? Sam is joined by Pop Culture Happy Hour co-host Linda Holmes and author Kat Chow to discuss the best and worst 2021 holiday movies on TV and talk about the business behind them.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In an era when social media and streaming reign supreme, how has a daytime talk show on network television managed to stay relevant? With help from Ramin Setoodeh (author of the book Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View) and writer Amanda FitzSimons (who covered this for The New York Times Magazine), Sam explores why — and how — ABC's The View continues to trend on Twitter, regularly lands presidential candidates in the guest chair, and turns its Hot Topics roundtable into a microcosm of modern-day American politics. Here's looking at you, 2022 midterms!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We take a look back on the year in news and pop culture... in quotes. For this special episode of It's Been a Minute, Sam is joined by NPR All Things Considered hosts Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro to play a deluxe version of our favorite game, Who Said That.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this special episode from our friends at Alt. Latino, host Felix Contreras talks to Elvis Costello and Grammy-winning producer Sebastian Krys about Costello's classic 1978 album, This Year's Model. It was reimagined as Spanish Model this year by a score of Latin artists. And unlike its predecessor, all the songs are in Spanish.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Now that we're nearly a year into Joe Biden's presidency (and out of Donald Trump's)... what has Biden actually achieved? What promises has he kept or not kept? Sam talks it out with Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour and moderator of Washington Week, and Ayesha Rascoe, NPR White House correspondent, about the year of Biden. They also play Who Said That.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Has working from home during the pandemic been frustrating for you? You're not alone. Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen's new book Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home tackles how remote work can improve, no matter what industry you're in. They talk to Sam about how companies can create sustainable and flexible work environments, the history of workplace culture in the U.S., and how employees can maintain a healthy work-life balance.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Was 2021 the labor movement's year? It certainly felt like it — thousands of workers went on strike this year, at numbers considerably higher than in 2020. But in the context of American labor history, this year's organized strikes are small in comparison. Sam chats with author and labor historian at Georgetown University Lane Windham about why labor activism might be on the rise again. Plus, Rose Dommu and Fran Tirado chat about their new podcast, Like a Virgin, and how they bring their different cultural backgrounds and pop culture sensibilities together. They also play Who Said That?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this special episode from our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour, guest host Ayesha Rascoe joins co-hosts Glen Weldon and Stephen Thompson as well as NPR contributor Cyrena Touros to talk about the new movie Ghostbusters: Afterlife. They discuss why it's hard to recapture the original Ghostbusters magic and if the latest installment of the franchise added more to its world — or not.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Guest host Ayesha Rascoe is joined by NPR senior editor Barrie Hardymon and Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks podcast, to talk about banned books. They talk about why it's important for kids to discover books freely, even if that means starting a hard conversation with them. They also discuss their favorite — and least favorite — books that often show up on banned book lists.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What better gift to give this holiday season than the gift of... advice? And solicited advice at that! For this episode, Sam is joined by Jenée Desmond-Harris, Slate's Dear Prudence advice columnist, to help answer everything from how to deal with a partner's overbearing adult daughter to a boyfriend's recent conversion to becoming a Swiftie (read: a fan of Taylor Swift) to the group dynamics of the Thanksgiving prayer in an atheist household. Happy holidays, everybody.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A lot of consumers are worried about supply chain delays this holiday season — but there are also other issues to watch out for when shopping. Guest host Ayesha Rascoe talks about the hidden costs of holiday consumption with The Atlantic staff writer Amanda Mull and The Washington Post retail reporter Abha Bhattarai. They discuss the potential downfalls of buy now, pay later services and where online shopping returns really go. Then, they play a game of Who Said That?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Why do we feel shame for sincerely enjoying something that others don't like? That's one of the big questions tackled in Rax King's new essay collection Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer. She talks to Sam about her love of the band Creed, The Cheesecake Factory, and Jersey Shore, and embracing the things that others consider bad taste.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Now that more people are getting comfortable flying again, it's about time to remind ourselves that, oh yes, flying was sometimes terrible in the Before Times, too! And in 2021, that's still the case — if not more so — with cascading cancellations, staffing and plane shortages, and outbursts from passengers. Sam chats with Natalie Compton, travel reporter at The Washington Post, about the state of the airline industry heading into the holiday travel season... and how to get through it. Plus, author Jamal Jordan discusses his book 'Queer Love in Color,' and what it means to photograph and document queer intimacy. They're also joined by TV producer Hassan Williams for a game of Who Said That? You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The global pandemic has spawned a different type of epidemic, one of an entirely different nature: a nostalgia outbreak. Longing for 'simpler times' and 'better days', many of us have been turning to 90s dance playlists, TV sitcoms, and sports highlights. We're looking for comfort and safety in the permanence of the past, or at least, what we think the past was. But, when it first appeared, nostalgia itself wasn't considered a feeling; it was a deadly disease. In this episode from our friends at NPR's Throughline podcast, Laine Kaplan-Levenson traces the history of nostalgia from its origins as an illness to the dominating emotion of our time. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam talks to Slate staff writer Mark Joseph Stern about the Supreme Court hearing challenges to the Texas abortion law and what it all means for Roe v. Wade. Plus, comedian Jo Firestone and her student Nicki Cochrane talk about their new comedy special, Good Timing with Jo Firestone. They also play Who Said That?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this episode from our friends at NPR's Code Switch podcast, Kat Chow chats with former host Shereen Marisol Meraji about her memoir, Seeing Ghosts. After her mother died when Chow was 13, her family rarely discussed how to handle their loss. Chow says she wrote this memoir as a way to talk with her mother about that grief, her navigation of identity and her family's history. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ahead of the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow this weekend, Sam chats with climate experts Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, marine biologist and writer, and Kendra Pierre-Louis, senior climate reporter with the podcast 'How to Save a Planet.' Together, they answer listener questions about everything from how to talk to your kids about global warming... to how to deal with all of this existential dread.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this special bonus episode, Sam joins Switched On Pop co-host Charlie Harding to talk Cyndi Lauper. Many fall for "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," but Sam's favorite song is the slow burner "All Through The Night," save for one moment: the synthesizer solo. For Sam, this solo never fit in. Charlie investigates the source of Sam's musical malady and uncovers how the '80s got its groove. Hear Sam on another episode of Switched On Pop making the case for why Labrinth's "Sexy MF" should be a modern classic here. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Author and host of the No Skips podcast Shea Serrano gets obsessive about things — movies, basketball, and now, rap. In Hip Hop (And Other Things), he dives into Cardi B's explosive 2018, the early days of Missy Elliott's career, and the 1995 Source Awards, which he says remains — to this day — one of the biggest nights in rap history.You can follow us on Twitter at @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam chats with NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson about why dysfunction in the Democratic Party is putting the big "Build Back Better" spending bill in Congressional limbo. Plus, The New Yorker staff writer Doreen St. Felix on Succession, representations of class on TV, and why the plethora of shows about white people being terrible (Succession, The White Lotus, The Undoing, Nine Perfect Strangers, Hacks ... you get the idea) are so addictive. Then, they are joined by The New York Times metro reporter Jazmine Hughes for a game of Who Said That? You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jermain Charlo was an Indigenous mother who went missing in Montana in the summer of 2018. Relisha Rudd, an 8-year-old Black girl, went missing in Washington, D.C. in March 2014. Neither has been found. Unlike Gabby Petito, these cases didn't grab national headlines. Connie Walker, host of Stolen: The Search for Jermain, and Jonquilyn Hill, host of Through the Cracks, join Sam to discuss why cases of missing Black and Indigenous people don't get the same kind of attention from media and law enforcement. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam revisits his 2020 conversation with comedian and Nailed It! host Nicole Byer on her coffee table book: #VeryFat #VeryBrave: The Fat Girl's Guide to Being #Brave and Not a Dejected, Melancholy, Down-in-the-Dumps Weeping Fat Girl in a Bikini. They talk about home goods, drunken bravery, and learning to love yourself. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Latino artists like Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira ruled the pop charts. But who was that so-called "Latin Explosion" actually for, and what were the business considerations behind it? In the third part of our series exploring crossover in pop music, we examine how this supposed boom turned out to be more of a marketing creation, which evaporated when digital streaming entered the picture. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam interviews women's work and economic justice writer Meg Conley about the documentary series LuLaRich and how vulnerable people still get sucked into multi-level marketing schemes because their shape mirrors the American economy. Then, Harvard Ph.D. candidate and Mormon Studies Fellow at the University of Utah Janan Graham-Russell joins for a game of Who Said That?You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

On the 35th anniversary of Janet Jackson's first No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit, we look back at Control, her career-defining album that changed the trajectory of pop music in the late '80s and '90s. In the second episode of a three-part series exploring crossover in pop music, we look at Jackson's musical and cultural legacy over the years. We also reconsider how Jackson was vilified after her Super Bowl XXXVIII appearance, and why. You can follow us on Twitter at @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How much has really changed in U.S. immigration policy since President Biden came into office? After seeing graphic images of Haitian migrants being chased by law enforcement on horseback and a recent rejection of an immigration reform bill in Congress, The Atlantic staff writer Caitlin Dickerson breaks down the long history uniting Democratic and Republican administrations when it comes to enforcing immigration policy. She also plays Who Said That? with her friend and senior producer of NPR's Life Kit, Meghan Keane.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When Soul Train was first nationally syndicated in October 1971, there was nothing else like it on TV. It became an iconic Black music and dance show — a party every weekend that anyone could join from their living room. In the first episode of a three-part series exploring crossover in pop music, we break down the lasting influence of Soul Train on our culture with Hanif Abdurraqib, author of A Little Devil in America. We ask: Why has there never been another show like Soul Train since it went off the air? You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ever since the pandemic hit, life has been split into two timelines: before the pandemic and after the pandemic. But when will the "after" truly be after? Or will some version of the coronavirus be around... forever? Sam talks to The Atlantic staff writer Katherine Wu about continuing to live with some version of COVID-19. Plus, Sam talks to playwright Heidi Schreck and actress Cassie Beck, who are currently in rehearsals for the upcoming tour of the Broadway play What The Constitution Means to Me. As live theater returns, they talk about what the last 18 months have been like and how theater has changed for the long term.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Author Brandon Taylor used to spend most of his hours studying nematodes under a microscope as a grad student. He wrote his first novel over a period of five weeks, mostly while in a lab. That book, Real Life, was released in 2020 to much critical acclaim. He published his second book this year, a short story collection called Filthy Animals. Taylor talks to Sam about his focus on the tensions of everyday relationships, writing from a Black and queer perspective and his intended audience of just a couple close friends. This conversation is part of a collaboration between NPR and the Library of Congress National Book Festival. For more information about the festival, visit loc.gov/bookfest.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam is joined by NPR's The Indicator host Stacey Vanek Smith to talk about her new book, Machiavelli for Women and how women in the workplace are still falling behind. Plus, actor Harvey Guillén on the new season of the FX show What We Do in the Shadows and not waiting for people to be comfortable with his "brownness, queerness and roundness" to be comfortable in his own skin.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It was 2016, and Yebba's career was beginning to take off. But 2016 was also the year that something awful happened: Yebba's mother committed suicide. And that changed everything, too.Now, after years of collaborating with artists the likes of Sam Smith, PJ Morton and Robert Glasper, Yebba has her own standalone album. It's called Dawn, a reference to her mother's name. In this chat, Yebba and Sam talk about the emotional toll it took to make Dawn, growing up in the church, and shedding old beliefs while making room for new ones.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam talks to Washington Post security and terrorism reporter Souad Mekhennet about what the war on terror has—and hasn't—achieved in the two decades since 9/11. Plus, for its 20th anniversary, we look at the legacy of Mariah Carey's album Glitter with Texas Monthly senior editor Paula Mejia and Danielle Turchiano, senior features editor at Variety, to explore how culture and fandom have changed since the album's release. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Writer and actor Michaela Coel wrote, created and starred in HBO series I May Destroy You, which is up for nine Emmy nominations. Her new book, Misfits: A Personal Manifesto, is out this week. She talks to Sam about why she champions misfits like herself, I May Destroy You's basis on her trauma, and how her spirituality has shifted over time. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam talks to Novena Carmél and Anthony Valadez, hosts of KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, about their end of summer song picks and the best albums of the year so far. They talk about how listening to music changed during the pandemic and why any floor can be a dance floor. Want to hear more of this year's best music? Check out all the songs from the episode in this playlist. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this special episode from our friends at the Code Switch podcast, we feature author Ashley C. Ford. For much of her childhood, Ford's father was incarcerated, and her mother struggled to raise her while grappling with her own upended life plans. In her recent memoir, Somebody's Daughter, Ford explores how these formative conditions shaped her understanding of childhood, authority, forgiveness and freedom.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For the last 20 years, the U.S. has been wrapped up in a costly war in Afghanistan, initially in response to the attacks on September 11. But America's chaotic withdrawal this year, in just a short amount of time, has left the country back in Taliban control, with troops scrambling to get U.S. citizens and Afghan allies out before the deadline of August 31. So how do we make sense of it all? And what will be the impact on U.S. foreign policy going forward? Sam breaks it all down with Monika Evstatieva, senior producer on NPR's Investigations Unit, and Asma Khalid, NPR White House correspondent.Plus, Sam talks about the FX on Hulu series Reservation Dogs with co-creator and executive producer Sterlin Harjo and writer Tommy Pico. They discuss the process of writing a show by and for Native people and why they centered on a coming-of-age story. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jonathan Van Ness stepped into the spotlight in 2018 as a walking, talking bundle of energy, optimism and positivity as the grooming expert on Queer Eye. Queer Eye is now in production for its sixth season, and Jonathan— along with the rest of the Fab 5— have been nominated for an Emmy for their work as hosts this year. In this conversation from 2019, Sam chats with JVN about his book, Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love, a memoir about his life journey and addressing his trauma along the way. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Maya Rudolph has had a successful career, spanning decades as a Saturday Night Live cast member and well-loved actor and entertainer. She chats with Sam about her recent Emmy nominations, her approach to comedy, and the importance of having strong role models. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Kathryn Hahn dazzled audiences in one of the biggest streaming hits of the year, WandaVision— and she just earned an Emmy nom for her performance. In this conversation with her from 2019, she and Sam talk about her film 'Private Life,' balancing politics in her work, and the nature of birth. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

#ShowerGate. Sam talks to Carl Zimring, professor of sustainability studies at Pratt Institute and author of Clean and White, about the online debate over celebrities showering habits and how it taps into a long history linking hygiene and race.Then, we hear from Yessenia Funes, climate editor for Atmos Magazine, about this week's report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Tracee Ellis Ross won a Golden Globe in 2017 for her role on ABC's Black-ish. She's also been nominated five times for that role at the Emmys. In this chat from July 2020, she and Sam discuss her Black-ish role, sharing her singing from The High Note with mom Diana Ross, and portraying Black joy on screen. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam is joined by LA Times television editor Matt Brennan to understand why ratings for this year's Olympics are not just dismal, but symbolic of changes in our culture. Then, culture writers Hunter Harris and Alessa Dominguez join the show to talk all things Bennifer. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Prince's posthumous album, Welcome 2 America, came out last weekend. In honor of the release, Sam revisits his 2020 conversation with Prince's photographer, Randee St. Nicholas. She shares intimate stories about the legendary artist: from spontaneous photo shoots in burned out buildings to late nights after sold-out concerts.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines abounds on social media, but there's more to it than meets the eye. Sam talks to Max Fisher, international reporter for the New York Times, about "disinformation for hire" and what social media platforms are doing to combat it. Plus, Sam talks to actress Hannah Waddingham, one of the stars of Ted Lasso. They're also joined by fellow cast member Jeremy Swift to play Who Said That.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The "Mother of Dragons" is out with a new comic book, Mother of Madness. Actress Emilia Clarke talks with guest host Ayesha Rascoe about superpowers in real life and fantasy, her career-launching role in Game of Thrones and how Hollywood has changed since her first season as Daenerys.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Black Hair Experience is a pop-up visual exhibit dedicated to the beauty, history and nostalgia of Black hair. Guest host Ayesha Rascoe takes a trip there and chats with its co-founder, Alisha Brooks. Then, Ayesha is joined by NPR's Susan Davis and Asma Khalid about the two huge economic priorities for the Biden administration.— Read Ayesha's essay: "The Black Hair Experience Is About The Joy Of Black Hair — Including My Own"You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Actress Sonequa Martin-Green has made a career of otherworldly roles. She survived a zombie apocalypse in The Walking Dead, she explores space — the final frontier — in Star Trek: Discovery, and she's the wife of NBA star LeBron James in Space Jam: A New Legacy. She talks to guest host Ayesha Rascoe about her career, her hair and identity, and why she felt called to speak up about her internalized racism after the murder of George Floyd.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Americans are quitting their jobs in record numbers. Guest host Ayesha Rascoe brings on CBS MoneyWatch editor Irina Ivanova to break down some of the reasons why. Then, The New Republic staff writer Jo Livingstone joins Ayesha to discuss the current state of horror movies and why nothing's better than a good scare. Author and Big Mood, Little Mood podcast host Daniel Lavery joins them to play Who Said That.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Cruelty Is The Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump's America, is journalist Adam Serwer's new book, based on a popular essay he wrote for The Atlantic. Serwer talks with guest host Ayesha Rascoe and lays out the ways in which Donald Trump came to power, the historical roots of his vision of law and order, and how he managed to build a loyal political following on the basis of cruelty.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

With Sha'Carri Richardson's recent disqualification, and the controversy surrounding the banning of natural hair swimming caps, there's a lot to talk about the treatment of Black women in the Olympics and across the sports world. Guest host Ayesha Rascoe brings on ESPN producer and podcast host Terrika Foster-Brasby and The Athletic's Kavitha A. Davidson to discuss. Then, she talks to We Are Lady Parts creator Nida Manzoor about the intersection of art, faith and representation.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Tiffany Haddish has had a busy year. From starring in prank film Bad Trip, to hosting Kids Say the Darndest Things, to voicing a self-confident toucan in animated series Tuca & Bertie, it seems like she's everywhere. Sam talks to Tiffany about her many projects, her hopes and dreams for the entertainment industry, and she tells a wild story about Nicolas Cage.— Watch the full extended version of this interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YMESf6UUQx8You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam sits in the guest seat at Pop Culture Happy Hour to discuss the glue that holds this nation together — The Fast and the Furious franchise. Alongside NPR White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, as well as PCHH hosts Linda Holmes and Aisha Harris, the group talks about the legacy of the decades-spanning series, why we love to hate it, and how action films of this caliber could be considered "hetero camp."You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, the Trump Organization and its Chief Financial Officer were charged with fraud and tax related crimes by the Manhattan District Attorney as a result of a years-long investigation. In light of these new charges, Sam revisits his conversation from last fall with Andrea Bernstein, co-host of the WNYC & ProPublica podcast Trump, Inc. They talk about Trump's business operations, debts, and how the biggest lesson from both is "we pay, he wins." You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam interviews Riley Keough, one of the stars of Zola— a new movie adapted from a viral 148-tweet thread story full of sex work, guns and plot twists. They talk about how Riley prepared her character's "blaccent," why she tends to play unlikeable characters, and how she became a death doula. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The furor over critical race theory fits into a longer history of culture wars in schools. Sam talks to Adam Laats, a professor of history and education at Binghamton University, about what the past can teach us about today's fight. Plus, Sam talks to Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, writers and creators of the HBO Max series Hacks. They discuss what inspired them to write the show, as well as the overlooked legacies of many trailblazing women comedians. They also play Who Said That. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Where do you come from? It's a question that immigrant communities of color get asked constantly. But the answer is often not simply about a place on a map. It can be tied to identity, immigration, career, family... and even food. In this episode from NPR's audio and video series Where We Come From, New York Times food writer Priya Krishna tackles this question with her mother, Ritu. They explore assimilation through food and why dal represents comfort for their family. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Forty years ago this month, the CDC reported on patients with HIV/AIDS in the United States for the very first time. The disease was understudied, under-reported and deeply stigmatized. ACT UP united a diverse, non-partisan group of individuals committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. In her new book, Let The Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993, Sarah Schulman draws from nearly 200 interviews with ACT UP members to document the movement's history and explore how the group's activism transformed the way the media, the government, corporations and medical professionals talked about AIDS and provided treatment. She and Sam discuss this transformation and its relevance to social movements today.We've love your feedback! If you have a few minutes, please complete this survey: npr.org/PodcastSurveyYou can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam sits in the Fresh Air host chair to talk to actor John Boyega. Since finishing his star-making role in the Star Wars franchise in 2019 and after the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd last year, Boyega has been outspoken about his treatment as a Black actor in Hollywood, and in the Star Wars franchise itself. He talked to Sam about why he was ready to talk about the "elephant in the room" that is racism in Hollywood and what he's doing to change things.We've love your feedback! If you have a few minutes, please complete this survey: npr.org/PodcastSurveyYou can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We've witnessed plenty of historic moments with Joe Biden as president: widespread COVID-19 vaccinations, the reunion of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Mare of Easttown. But Arizona Republicans are attempting to prove otherwise with an unprecedented vote recount of the 2020 election. Sam talks to Jessica Huseman, editorial director at Votebeat, about the ongoing election audit in Arizona and what it means for the future of elections and voting rights. Plus, Sam talks about summer movies to look forward to with NPR's Aisha Harris and Bob Mondello. We've love your feedback! If you have a few minutes, please complete this survey: npr.org/PodcastSurveyYou can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Zakiya Dalila Harris was working as an editorial assistant at a New York publisher when she ran into another Black woman for the first time on her office floor. That's when she got the idea for her book, The Other Black Girl. What's it like when you're used to being the only one, but now there's another one like you? And what if things get weird? Like, really weird. Sam and Zakiya talk about how her book subverts the office drama and what lessons it has for a still very white publishing industry.We've love your feedback! If you have a few minutes, please complete this survey: npr.org/PodcastSurveyYou can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When Pride comes around every June, the same arguments start up again— should there be kink, cops and corporations at Pride? And who is Pride for? Sam talks to writer and author Roxane Gay about why the queer community has the same conversations year after year and what they mean for what Pride is today. Plus, actress and filmmaker Natalie Morales on directing the new teen buddy comedy, "Plan B."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam revisits his chat with best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell about his book, Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know. The book explores examples such as the arrest of Sandra Bland and the Stanford rape case as to why interactions with strangers often go so wrong. This episode was taped in front of a live studio audience at The George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium in September 2019.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's almost summer, and whether you're at a beach, at a park, or at home, it's a great time to get lost in a book. Sam is joined by Barrie Hardymon, senior editor of NPR's Weekend Edition, and Traci Thomas, host of the podcast The Stacks. They give advice on how to get back into the habit of reading and recommend a few great summer reads: Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi, How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith, Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins and Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor. They also play a special edition of "Who Said That?"You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam previews this summer's Supreme Court rulings with Slate's Mark Joseph Stern and why some of those cases could potentially have big repercussions on daily life. They also discuss the future of the Court, including its decision to take up two of the most controversial issues of today — abortion and gun rights — and why the drama between justices can sometimes equate to a Real Housewives–style argument over dinner (with table flip).You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. unemployment rate is still high... so why are we in a labor shortage? Sam chats with Stacey Vanek Smith, host of NPR's The Indicator, and Cardiff Garcia, former co-host of The Indicator, about the American job market and why businesses are having such a hard time hiring. Then, as vaccines have become more widely available and pandemic restrictions lift across the country, people are wandering back out into the world, having experiences they haven't had in over a year. We drop in on a few of these: a dance party, a first date, a game with friends — the small pleasures folks have missed that now feel monumental.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How do you bring up something that might be easier left unsaid? Anna Sale, host and creator of WNYC's Death, Sex & Money podcast, has answers in her new book, Let's Talk About Hard Things. She chats with Sam about how to talk to family, why we need to start having different conversations about money, and what it means to actually listen. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What does defunding the police really look like? Sam talks to Austin City Council Member Greg Casar about how decreasing the city's police budget has worked— and what they aren't getting quite right yet. Then, Sam talks to KUT reporter Audrey McGlinchy about how Texas, a Republican-led state, has responded and what that could mean for other cities trying to follow in the footsteps of Austin. Plus, Sam talks to actress and comedian Michelle Buteau about hosting the Netflix reality competition show The Circle and how she feels about being cast as the sassy best friend. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How transformative are President Biden's economic and infrastructure proposals? Depends on what gets passed. The comparisons to FDR and LBJ miss the vastly different political landscapes those presidents faced. Sam talks with presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin about how this moment compares to those past presidents' efforts at once in a generation legislation. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The housing market is booming— but who actually benefits? Sam talks to Jerusalem Demsas, politics and policy fellow for Vox, about what so many are getting wrong about housing. Plus, Sam revisits his 2020 conversation with Ziwe Fumudoh, whose comedy variety show Ziwe premieres on Showtime on May 9. Then, in honor of NPR's 50th anniversary, Sam plays "Who Said That?" with All Things Considered hosts Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As the groundbreaking series Pose comes to a close in its third and final season, Sam talks to Mj Rodriguez about the end of her role as Blanca, the loving and lovable house mother at the center of the show. They also chat about the start of her career as Angel in Rent, channeling grief into her character, and LGBTQIA+ perseverance. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Even as vaccine access expands in the the US, the pandemic is far from over globally. Sam talks to Aarti Singh, a resident of New Delhi, about what it's been like living there as India's COVID-19 cases skyrocket. Then, Sam talks to public health activist Achal Prabhala about why rich and poor countries have unequal access to vaccines. Plus, Sam chats with Invisibilia host Kia Miakka Natisse about the new season of the show and her episode on how a reparations effort in Vermont shed light on how people talk about money and racial justice.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Patti Harrison is known for bringing her absurd, caustic, yet charming comedy to supporting roles on shows like Search Party, Broad City and Shrill. But now she's in a starring role in the romantic comedy Together Together. In it, Harrison plays a young single woman who agrees to be a gestational surrogate for a single man in his 40s, played by Ed Helms. Sam talks to Patti about what it was like to play a role different from everything she's done before, why Together Together is even billed as a rom-com, and the quandary of representation as a trans woman.— Watch Sam's extended interview with Patti Harrison: https://youtube.com/nprYou can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam chats with NPR's TV critic Eric Deggans about constant images of Black pain in news and in entertainment. Then, he turns to comedian Ashley Nicole Black to talk about the new season of "A Black Lady Sketch Show" and Black joy.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam talks to actor and comedian Eric André about the evolution of the prank genre with his Netflix hidden-camera comedy Bad Trip. They chat about the complications of making a prank show while Black, who André would never prank, and why everyone could use a little absurdism to warp their realities. — Watch the full extended version of this interview on YouTube: youtu.be/n8KamK-9hxY You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What's it like to cover the Derek Chauvin trial against the backdrop of continued police violence? Guest host Ari Shapiro talks to Minnesota activist and journalist O'nika Nicole Craven. Then, he talks to Maurice Chammah, staff writer at The Marshall Project, about the origins and evolving symbolism of the thin blue line. Plus, Misha Euceph on the new season of her podcast Tell Them, I Am, and the many ways that Muslims find glimpses of God. Then, Mary Knauf, executive producer of Tell Them, I Am, joins Ari and Misha to play Who Said That.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Bowen Yang often plays delightfully weird characters on SNL. But recently he appeared as himself on the show to address the uptick of Asian American violence in the U.S. Sam revisits his conversation from last fall with the comedian, who discusses becoming the first Chinese American cast member on Saturday Night Live, what it was like to do the show during a pandemic, and why Adele Dazeem is the number one moment in the history of culture. — Watch Sam's extended interview with Bowen: https://youtu.be/1KMRAhxeDpA You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Corporations have spoken out against the new restrictive voting law in Georgia, but to what end? Sam talks to Slate writer Dahlia Lithwick about whether that tactic actually effects change—and whether it's just a performance. Plus, Sam talks to author and historian Jules Gill-Peterson about the historic flood of anti-trans bills in state legislatures and how these bills echo anti-gay rhetoric of the past. Then, friends of the show Saeed Jones and Zach Stafford join Sam to play Who Said That.— Read Dahlia Lithwick's Slate article, "The Problem with Boycotting Georgia"You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been a few years now since President Trump adopted (and then later reversed) his administration's zero-tolerance policy that separated parents and children at the U.S.-Mexico border. But what's happened to those families since? And what is President Biden doing now to help? Sam talks to Aura Bogado, senior investigative reporter and producer at Reveal, about how family separation, which has reaches back to the Obama administration, has affected a system that Aura says is not quite broken... but is unjust.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam talks to Kim Tran, an anti-racist author and consultant, about her article in Harper's Bazaar on how the diversity, equity and inclusion industry has strayed from its movement roots. Plus, what's an NFT? And why are people buying them? And what are they again? Sam breaks it all down with tech reporters Bobby Allyn and Erin Griffith to explain the phenomenon of the non-fungible token — and whether it can last. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hanif Abdurraqib's latest book is A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance. In it, Abdurraqib researches the impact of Black performers on American culture throughout the past several hundred years, touching on everything from minstrel shows to Soul Train, the concept of the "Magical Negro," and playing spades. Sam talks to Abdurraqib about lesser-known performers like Ellen Armstrong, the first Black woman magician, and they revisit the mythology of household names like Whitney Houston. Plus, they share aspects of Black performance they've missed most in this pandemic year.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It might have seemed like mass shootings were down last year, but 2020 was actually one of the deadliest years for gun violence in decades. Sam talks to Abené Clayton, reporter for The Guardian, about why some shootings get more coverage than others. Plus, Sam talks to Shirley Li, staff writer at The Atlantic, about Minari and the way stereotypes inform how white audiences view the performances of Asian actors. Then, Hannah Giorgis, also of The Atlantic, joins Sam and Shirley to play Who Said That.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

There are few paths to freedom for people serving life sentences in prison on federal drug charges. Guest host Ayesha Rascoe talks with Brittany K. Barnett, lawyer, entrepreneur and author of A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom, about her role in the fight to free incarcerated people from these sentences. They talk about high profile clemencies, how life sentences are handed down even without physical evidence of drugs, and the wealth of Black love. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In the wake of Tuesday's mass shooting in Atlanta, guest host Ayesha Rascoe talks to critical race theorist and professor Jennifer Ho about the history behind anti-Asian racism and what it means to be an Asian woman in America. Then, Ayesha chats about her latest obsession, the reality dating show Married at First Sight, with fellow devotees Delece Smith-Barrow, education editor at Politico, and Brittany Luse, former co-host and executive producer of The Nod.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A special episode from our friends at NPR's Planet Money: A show all about the things we're obsessed with. Sam joins Planet Money co-host Karen Duffin to dig into obsessions including the Beyoncé of economics, an actual musician, Lubalin, finding deep inspiration in shallow web posts, and curried chicken. Also, we stage an intervention, and, we bring you Planet Money's first ever meditation to help you breathe deeply and let go. Just let it go. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We take stock of a year that challenged us emotionally, culturally and politically. Sam talks to Hira Deol, a former contestant on Big Brother Canada, about what it was like to learn about the pandemic while sequestered away from the outside world. Plus, Sam chats with culture writer Anne Helen Petersen about the gradual return to our "normal" lives — and just how messy it's going to be. — Read the poem from this episode: "Small Kindnesses" by Danusha LamérisYou can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sohla El-Waylly called out her previous employer, Bon Appétit, during the magazine's racial reckoning last summer and resigned. The chef and food star is now a columnist at Food52 and star of the YouTube series Off-Script with Sohla. She and Sam talk about racism in the food media industry (and everywhere else), The Cheesecake Factory, and certain kinds of mushrooms. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sam joins the Pop Culture Happy Hour team to talk about the French Netflix series Lupin with culture writer Bedatri D. Choudhury and co-hosts Aisha Harris and Glen Weldon. They discuss the twisty caper's exciting (if implausible) plot, dissect its take on race and class, and gush over Omar Sy's performance. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A new case before the U.S. Supreme Court could jeopardize the power of the Voting Rights Act. Sam talks to Mark Joseph Stern, staff writer for Slate, about what's at stake and how so much of the current debate goes back to Reconstruction. Sam also chats with contributing writer for The Atlantic and podcaster Jemele Hill about how tv viewership across almost all sports has tanked during the pandemic.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy