Here We Go Again With Kal Penn

What happens when you spend over a decade talking about one distinct topic? You kind of want to talk about ANYTHING else. This week’s guest, the illustrious Tan France, has drifted into that exact cycle with fashion. So, Kal and Tan go on a much-needed tangent about…everything but fashion. This week, it’s all on the table. They explain exactly why diversifying conversation about other skillsets and cultural touch...

Why do we as Americans flock to Medical Dramas like rabbits to aromatic herbs? We can’t get enough! Since 1951, starting with City Hospital, there have been 140 medical TV shows on air, which is insane. Some have even gone on for over 21 years, "Greys Anatomy" we’re looking at you. This week, Kal sits down with Simran Baidwan, executive producer and writer of the Emmy-winning TV show "The Pitt". She's also a writer and ...

Opening up the can of worms that is one’s trauma can be heavy. It's especially daunting when you're unpacking it through the lens of stand-up comedy, a seemingly dichotomous medium to use. This week, Kal speaks with one of his dearest friends, comedian Daniel Sloss, to talk about where power exists in comedy and how it also exists in tragedy and in silence. How do comedians unravel stories in a way that makes audiences relive...

Every time a new international conflict breaks out, it feels like we might very well be on the brink of World War III. With that comes a low grade sense of anxiety over nuclear weapons. Embroiled in a new war with Iran, suddenly the risk of nuclear war feels very real once again. But that doesn't mean it ever really went away. Jeffrey Lewis is one of the country's leading experts on nuclear weapons policy. How did we get stuck in t...

Comedy is often political. In fact, it's been landing comedians in hot water for years. Take the warrant for George Carlin's arrest after those seven memorable words he said on television. In 1973, a year after Carlin's arrest, the US Supreme Court made it much harder to throw performers in jail for their offensive language, but that doesn't mean comedians in plenty of places don't still end up in jail -- or at least with warrants ...

It's no secret that during acts of war, artifacts get stolen as an old act of dominance. But you may not realize that it's still happening today. In 2024, the Metropolitan Museum of Art physically returned 14 statues to Cambodia when they discovered that they had been looted during decades of civil war. And in 2023, the CEO of Hobby Lobby was indicted when he was found to be at the center of stolen Iraqi pieces that were for his Bi...

Last week, you heard about brain rot and its neuroscience. So this week, we wanted to tackle how to combat it. Manoush Zomorodi is a journalist and host of TED Radio Hour. Mostly, she's trying to figure out how technology is changing your body, your brain, and your behavior. She and Kal sit down to talk about how movement and boredom can be vital parts of warding off the more negative effects of scrolling and screentime. Check out ...

Are there harmful chemicals in our drinking water? Climate change and environmental reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio, Mara Hoplamazian, is on a mission to find out. On their new podcast, SAFE TO DRINK, Mara wades through the depths of what PFAS/PFOA Chemicals have been doing to us. Just how much is in our water, and how can we protect ourselves? And how come this same issue keeps repeating again and again across the country?

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Need a ride? This week, Kal speaks with co-founder, president, and executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, Bhairavi Desai, about the ongoing disruption of the taxi industry. Bhairavi has fought alongside more than 21,000 drivers to raise the base income, create a cap on the number of ride-sharing vehicles permitted to drive in New York City, and relieve drivers of hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. But in a...

Short form video is everywhere today. But if you rewind back to 2005, comedy trio The Lonely Island had only just released Saturday Night Live's first digital short: "Lazy Sunday." It went viral, transforming the lives of its members Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer. The Lonely Island would go on to produce hit after hit for SNL, from "I'm On A Boat," to "Dick in a Box." Kal and Jorma sit down to talk about digital s...

When COVID told us we all needed to be six feet apart, some people became addicted to TikTok and other people picked up a racket. Since 2019, tennis participation in the U.S. has grown by 54 percent. And that's excluding all the avid pickleball lovers who keep stealing their courts. So, why are we just becoming obsessed with a game that Andy Roddick has been obsessed with his whole life? Kal talks to the former number one player in...

Bobak Ferdowsi is more than just the NASA Mohawk guy. He's a Systems Engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory with an incredible aptitude for studying spacecraft failures so we can learn from them. Kal breaks down Bobak's career through the spacecrafts that defined them, from the Mars Curiosity Rover to a brand new satellite. Plus, why our failures aren't always bad and how to keep the worst ones from happening again.

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