Fresh Air

Fresh Air

Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll enjoy bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening - all while you support NPR's mission. Learn more at plus.npr.org/freshair And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air Weekly, to get interview highlights, staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and the week's interviews and reviews all in one place. Sign up at www.whyy.org/freshair

Episodes

Ryan Coogler Paid A Steep Price For The Films He Made

April 23, 2025 • 43 mins
The director of Black Panther and Creed talks about his new genre-bending vampire movie that takes place in the Jim Crow South. It's called Sinners and it stars Michael B. Jordan as twins working a juke joint in Mississippi. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about blues music, the supernatural, and why he wanted to own the movie outright after 25 years.

Also, book critic Carolina Miranda reviews The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami.<...
Mark as Played

America's Path To 'Competitive Authoritarianism'

April 22, 2025 • 45 mins
Harvard professor of government Steven Levitsky studies how healthy democracies can slip into authoritarianism. He says the Trump administration has already done grave damage: "We are no longer living in a democratic regime."

David Bianculli reviews season 2 of Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Mark as Played

Noah Wyle Is At Home In 'The Pitt'

April 21, 2025 • 45 mins
After 11 seasons on ER, Noah Wyle thought he was finished with medical dramas: "I spent 15 years avoiding — actively avoiding — walking down what I thought was either hallowed ground or traveled road." But then COVID happened, and he felt compelled to tell more of these stories. He spoke with Dave Davies about the making of The Pitt, the medical jargon, and his mom's feedback on the show.

Also, book critic Maureen Corriga...
Mark as Played

Best Of: Richard Kind / Melinda French Gates

April 19, 2025 • 48 mins
You've seen Richard Kind on countless TV shows and films during his 40-year career — Only Murders in the Building, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Spin City, and A Serious Man, just to name a few. He's now the announcer and sidekick on Everybody's Live with John Mulaney. He spoke with Terry Gross about the new gig and why he's glad he's not that famous.

Melinda French Gates also joins us to talk about her new book, The Next Day, wh...
Mark as Played

A Love Story At The Center Of The Civil Rights Movement

April 18, 2025 • 45 mins
MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid tells the story of Medgar Evers and his wife Myrlie. Medgar was the NAACP field secretary in Mississippi, a state that lynched more Black people than any other. The risks of the job created a lot of tension in their marriage — and after Medgar's 1963 assassination, Myrlie's fury drove her to be an activist herself.

And film critic Justin Chang reviews Sinners, the new supernatural thriller by direct...
Mark as Played

Starvation In American Jail Cells

April 17, 2025 • 44 mins
New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman says she's discovered dozens of cases where people in county jails across the U.S. have died of starvation, dehydration, or related medical crises. Many were people with mental health issues arrested for minor crimes who languished behind bars without treatment, unable to make bail.

Also, we remember renowned jazz critic and Terry Gross' husband, Francis Davis.

Learn more abo...
Mark as Played

The Real-Life Russian Spies Who Inspired 'The Americans'

April 16, 2025 • 45 mins
In The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West, journalist Shaun Walker shares how agents were trained to blend into a target country and posed as citizens. Walker tells the story of Andrei Olegovich Bezrukov, aka "Donald," and Elena Vavilova, aka "Tracey," who were embedded in Cambridge, Mass. until a 2010 FBI raid. Even their two children didn't know their parents' true identi...
Mark as Played

Melinda French Gates On Giving Away Her 'Absurd' Wealth

April 15, 2025 • 45 mins
In a new memoir, billionaire Melinda French Gates writes about the end of her marriage to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and her ongoing philanthropic work, directing funds and attention to women's health initiatives. Her book is The Next Day.

Also, David Bianculli reviews the new season of Black Mirror.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Mark as Played

Richard Kind Is Glad He's Not That Famous

April 14, 2025 • 46 mins
Kind is the announcer and host sidekick on the Netflix show Everybody's Live with John Mulaney. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing. You must understand — it's anarchy," he says of the show. He spoke with Terry Gross about having ego but no confidence, working with Sondheim, and working in his father's jewelry store as a teen.

Ken Tucker reviews Kendrick Lamar and SZA's single "Luther."

Learn more about sponsor...
Mark as Played

Best Of: Jason Isbell / David Tennant

April 12, 2025 • 48 mins
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Isbell sings about his split from musician Amanda Shires on his latest album, Foxes in the Snow. "What I was attempting to do is document a very specific time where I was going through a lot of changes," he tells Terry Gross.

David Bianculli reviews the FX/Hulu series Dying for Sex.

When Scottish actor David Tennant was three, he told his parents he wanted to grow up to pla...
Mark as Played

'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs

April 11, 2025 • 46 mins
The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedy series returns for a fourth season this week. It's about two women — a successful comic/TV personality in her 70s, and her 20-something comedy writer — and the generational clashes that ensue. We're revisiting interviews with stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, and Paul W. Downs who co-created the series and plays their manager.

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Warfare, a...
Mark as Played

The Dark Secrets Of Johnson & Johnson

April 10, 2025 • 44 mins
Johnson & Johnson recently lost a bid to settle lawsuits that claimed its talc powder products, including baby powder, caused cancer. Author Gardiner Harris says the company's defense "is beginning to crumble." His book is No More Tears.

Also, John Powers reviews the new Apple TV+ series Your Friends & Neighbors, starring Jon Hamm.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NP...
Mark as Played

Trump's Tariffs & The Radical Remaking Of The Global Economy

April 9, 2025 • 44 mins
President Trump's sweeping tariff policy has upended the global economy. Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief of The Economist, likens it to The Art of the Deal — on steroids.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Mark as Played

The 'Fog Of Delusion' In Biden's Inner Circle

April 8, 2025 • 44 mins
Author Chris Whipple says Biden's family and closest advisors operated in denial regarding his ability to serve another term: "There's no doubt that they were protecting the president." Whipple spoke with campaign insiders to get a behind-the-scenes look at what happened in 2024. His book is Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History.

Our book critic Maureen Corrigan shares an...
Mark as Played

At 3 Years Old, David Tennant Knew He Wanted To Be Doctor Who

April 7, 2025 • 45 mins
When David Tennant was three, he told his parents he wanted to grow up to play Doctor Who on TV. As a teen, he held onto that dream: "I was quite weedy and I wore glasses and I had a terrible haircut, so all those things still felt possible in the world of the Doctor. There was something about that character I could be," Tennant tells Sam Briger. He was Doctor Who for five years and, it turns out, he was suited for lots of other ch...
Mark as Played

Best Of: Amanda Knox / 'Adolescence' Co-Creator & Actor Stephen Graham

April 5, 2025 • 48 mins
Amanda Knox was convicted — and ultimately exonerated — for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher while studying abroad in Italy. Now in a new memoir, Knox explains why getting out of prison was not the end of her saga.

Also, we hear from British actor Stephen Graham. He stars in the Netflix miniseries Adolescence as the father of a 13-year-old boy arrested for murdering a girl from his school. He also co-created th...
Mark as Played

Celebrating 20 Years Of 'The Office'

April 4, 2025 • 47 mins
It's been 20 years since the debut of NBC's hit mockumentary sitcom The Office. To celebrate the anniversary, we're listening back to Terry Gross' archival interviews with some of the key players: Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling and executive producer Greg Daniels. We'll also hear from Ricky Gervais, who co-created and starred the original British version.

Learn more about sponsor me...
Mark as Played

Jason Isbell On Love, Heartbreak & Songwriting

April 3, 2025 • 44 mins
Isbell sings about his split from musician Amanda Shires on his latest album, Foxes in the Snow. "What I was attempting to do is document a very specific time where I was going through a lot of changes," he says.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Mark as Played

ICE Campus Arrests & The 'Struggle For The Soul' Of America

April 2, 2025 • 44 mins
As ICE agents arrest international students at campuses across the U.S., immigration law professor Daniel Kanstroom discusses the human cost. He says the round-ups are designed to "send a message... to scare people, and it's working."

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Mark as Played

Writer, Critic & Curator Hilton Als Looks For The Silences

April 1, 2025 • 44 mins
As a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker, Hilton Als's essays and profiles of figures like Toni Morrison, Joan Didion, and Richard Pryor have redefined cultural criticism, blending autobiography with literary and social commentary. Als is also a curator. His latest gallery exhibition is The Writing's on the Wall: Language and Silence in the Visual Arts, at the Hill Art Foundation in New York. The exhibit brings together the wor...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

    40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season

    40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season

    Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.

    Crime Junkie

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

    The Breakfast Club

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

Explore

iHeart

Live Radio

Podcasts

Artist Radio

Exclusives

News

Features

Events

Contests

Photos

Information

About

Advertise

Blog

Brand Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

Subscription Offers

Jobs

Get the App

Automotive

Home

Mobile

Wearables

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.