Dear Prudence

By Slate Podcasts

What's Dear Prudence about?

Slate's premier advice column, featuring Jenée Desmond-Harris, helps you navigate the thorniest questions of relationships, work, and life.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Dear Prudence episodes:

05.03.2024
My Brother Is a Budding Alex Jones. Help!
In this episode, Heben Nigatu (HBO’s Game Theory with Bomani Jones and BuzzFeed podcast Another Round) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about what to do when a group chat explodes over allegations about offensive humor, when to cut a...
04.26.2024
My love language with friends is touch, but it makes my partner jealous. Help!
In this episode, Gina Cherelus (New York Times’ weekly dating column Third Wheel) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how much physical affection is appropriate with people who aren’t your partner, believing you are with your...
04.19.2024
My Wife’s Bipolar Diagnosis Is Creating A Rift in Our Marriage. Help!
In this episode, Bassey Ikpi (New York Times bestselling essay collection, I’m Telling the Truth but I’m Lying) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about an international sisters’ trip gone awry, a husband’s struggle to live with his...
04.12.2024
I Lost a Lot of Weight and Now I Enjoy Being a Mean Girl. Help!
In this episode, Anna Sale (host of Death Sex and Money) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to navigate being the friend who always initiates plans, how to handle entitled stepdaughters moving into your home,...
04.05.2024
From Choice Words: Live in Fear or Love? (with Karamo)
We’re bringing you an episode of Choice Words with Samantha Bee from our friends at Lemonada Media. In this episode, Sam speaks with Queer Eye’s Karamo about the biggest choices he’s made in his life, his unconventional journey to fatherhood,...
03.29.2024
My Partner Sticks Her Finger in Food to Taste Test It. Help!
In this episode, Dan Pashman (The Sporkful and Anything’s Pastable) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to handle a person who tastes food in an unsanitary fashion and deeply annoys you while you’re trying to cook in...
03.22.2024
My Parents Are Flaunting Their Wealth While I’m Drowning in Debt. Help!
In this episode, Joel Anderson (host of Slow Burn and writer of Emotional Investment) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about when to stop funding a “train wreck” daughter’s lifestyle, how to deal with watching your parents take expensive vacations...
03.15.2024
My Ex Had Sex With My Brother. Help!
In this episode, Michael Arceneaux (I Can’t Date Jesus and I Finally Bought Some Jordans) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about an interracial couple’s debate over African-centered home decor, how to cope with homesickness for a place you...
03.08.2024
I Want People to Shut Up! Help!
In this episode, Aubrey Gordon (who you may also know as “Your Fat Friend”) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to handle unwanted comments about Ozempic-fueled weight loss, how to get people to stop talking...
03.01.2024
Am I a Bad Father If I Don't Want to Acknowledge My Kid Publicly? Help!
In this episode, Jay Smooth (Underground Railroad and Think Twice: Michael Jackson) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to find empathy for deeply unreasonable people who are totally wrong, how to navigate becoming a parent...
02.23.2024
My Friend Has a Master’s Degree in Lying. Help!
In this episode, Jenny Hagel (Jenny Hagel Gives Advice and Late Night Trash Can with Jenny Hage) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to react to tacky gifts from your ex-husband’s girlfriend, what it means when your...
02.16.2024
How Do I Get Over Someone I Never Dated? Help!
In this episode, Jenna Wortham (Black Futures and Still Processing) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to get over a crush, what to do about a fiancé’s sneaky candy bar habit, and how to cope...
02.09.2024
Is My Work Husband Keeping Me A Secret From His Wife? Help!
In this episode, Gia Peppers (Healed Girl Era and More Than That) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to set boundaries with your friend now boss, how to help a friend who won’t help herself,...
02.02.2024
Am I a Bigot If I Don’t Want to Date Foreigners? Help!
In this episode, Michael Hobbes (If Books Could Kill and Maintenance Phase) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to tell a friend they’re a horrible boss, whether a husband who won’t open the bathroom shades to give...
01.26.2024
My Husband Stopped Using Soap and He Stinks. Help!
In this episode, Cheryl Strayed (Dear Sugar and Tiny Beautiful Things) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about whether it’s a good idea to offer to be your platonic best friend’s housewife, how to handle a husband’s...
01.19.2024
I Spend Hours a Day Having Intense Romantic Daydreams. Help!
In this episode, our first-ever married couple, Liz Neeley and Ed Yong, join Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about what to do when you discover your birthday gift and hate it, how to avoid losing respect for...
01.12.2024
A DNA Test Revealed a Secret Sibling. Help!
In this episode, Jamelle Bouie (New York Times opinion columnist) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to turn down gifts that make you cringe, what to do when you discover a sibling was given up...
01.05.2024
I Don’t Want to Cancel My Retirement Plans to Babysit. Help!
In this episode, Nicole Chung (author of A Living Remedy and All You Can Ever Know) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers dilemmas about a husband who wants to give up travel for grandpa duty, a partner...
12.29.2023
Outward: We’re Here, We’re Queer, Here’s Some Advice!
On today’s episode brought to us Slate’s Outward, hosts Jules Gill-Peterson and Bryan Lowder, are joined by advice expert Danny Lavery to talk through some relationship issues. They share their thoughts on expectations around divorce as queer people, low self-esteem, and why...
12.22.2023
My Mother-In-Law Doesn’t Wash Her Hands After Using The Bathroom. Help!
In this episode, Josie Duffy Rice (host of Crooked Media’s What a Day) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers discussing racially charged Next Door drama, a man who asks his girlfriend to butter his dinner rolls, and...
12.15.2023
I Rejected A Friend’s Sexual Advance—Now He’s Being Weird. Help!
In this episode, Brittany Luse (host of NPR’s’ It’s Been a Minute) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers who are dealing with friends who hold grudges when their sexual advances are rejected, unsupportive coffee shop bosses, and...
12.08.2023
My Friend Won’t Stop Buying Me Gifts. Help!
In this episode, the co-hosts of Forever 35, Kate Spencer and Doree Shafrir, join Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about whether it’s okay to reject holiday gifts, how to cope when participating in a charity turkey giveaway...
12.01.2023
I Want to "Cancel" My Bad Boss But I'm Having Doubts. Help!
In this episode, Elie Mystal (attorney and writer) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters about what to do when you're wary of "cancel culture" but want to hold a bad boss accountable, what to do when it feels like...
11.24.2023
Revisiting Advice from LeVar Burton
We’re listening back to one of Jenée’s favorite episodes when award-winning actor, director, and educator LeVar Burton joined Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer your letters from readers about stealing from abusive parents, sharing snacks with children, and how to cope...
11.17.2023
My Family Won't Let Me Host for the Holidays. Help!
In this episode, Dan Kois (writer at Slate) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters about dilemmas around holiday celebrations: what to do when no one will come to yours, what to do when people are trying to force you...
11.10.2023
My Coworker Keeps Kissing Me on the Cheek. Help!
In this episode, Alison Green (author of Ask a Manager) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters about workplace dilemmas: what to do when you can’t stop crying at the office, whether it makes sense to share an autism diagnosis...
11.03.2023
My Friend Tried to Bring Her Kids to A Winery. Help!
In this episode, the co-hosts of Slate’s ICYMI, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim, join Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about whether the following categories of people are unreasonable: moms who bring their kids to wineries, boyfriends who...
10.27.2023
I’m Making Bitchy Comments to A Dog! Help!
In this episode, Maeve Higgins (author of Maeve in America: Essays by a Girl From Somewhere Else) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to respond when everyone thinks your toxic ex is brave and amazing,...
10.20.2023
Is It Okay to Ghost A Friend? Help!
In this episode, Roxane Gay (best-selling author of Bad Feminist and Opinions) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to decline a colleague’s invitation to dinner, when it’s okay to ghost a friend for good reasons, and whether it’s...
10.13.2023
Is It Too Early in the Relationship to Say "I Love You"? Help!
In this episode, Tracy Clayton (co-host of Pineapple Street Studios’ Back Issue) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about coworkers who beg for baked goods, a husband who has a troubling amount of fun with his friends,...
10.06.2023
My Girlfriend Is Always Late! Help!
In this episode, Ashley C. Ford (author of the bestselling memoir Somebody’s Daughter) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about whether conflicting ideas about children should end a relationship between two twenty-somethings, what to do when a...
09.29.2023
Should I Donate Sperm To My Ex? Help!
In this episode, Amy Aniobi (best known for her work on HBO's Insecure) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about donating sperm to their ex, whether you should decline to be a bridesmaid because you feel ugly,...
09.22.2023
I Don't Want My Dad to Give Me Away at My Wedding. Help!
In this episode, Caroline Moss (writer, editor, and author) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to break it to your dad that he’s not invited to walk you down the aisle, what to do with...
09.15.2023
My Partner’s Relationship With His Ex Makes Me Feel Like the Third Wheel. Help!
In this episode, Tia Williams (bestselling author of The Perfect Find) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to cope with excessive Facebook photos of your partner’s ex, how to mourn a racist in-law’s death, and...
09.08.2023
My Sister Is Lying to My Nephews About Their Father's Identity. Help!
In this episode, Gene Demby (co-host of NPR's Code Switch) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about crushes that are complicated by power dynamics, family secrets about racial identity, and whether loud talking is a cultural issue...
09.01.2023
Relationship Podcasts Are Ruining My Friend's Life. Help!
In this episode, Dr. Orna Guralnik (host of Showtime's Couples Therapy) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about what to do when a friend is obsessed with misogynistic love and relationship podcasts, when your husband just can’t...
08.25.2023
My Wife Goes Braless Around Our Teenage Sons. Help!
In this episode, Brian Lehrer (host of WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how roommates should handle mismatched levels of COVID caution, how to split a check when your friends forget they...
08.18.2023
I Told My Husband I May Have Postpartum Depression—He Did Nothing. Help!
In this episode, Lori Gottlieb (advice columnist and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about postpartum depression, wedding-planning anxiety, and what to do when you think neurodivergent people are getting away...
08.11.2023
My Co-Worker Won’t Stop Sending Me Friend Requests Online. Help!
In this episode, Joel Anderson (the host of the latest season of Slate’s Slow Burn) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters about persistent friend requests from colleagues, allegations of white supremacy surrounding graduation attire, and what to do when...
08.04.2023
My Sister Is Doing Everything She Can to Make Me Suffer at Her Wedding. Help!
In this episode, Jasmine Guillory (a New York Times bestselling author) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers who are obsessing about what happens when an affair partner becomes a coworker, girls’ trip drama, and friends with benefits...
07.28.2023
My Boyfriend Hid His Hobby From Me—Civil War Reenactments. Help!
In this episode, Damon Young (a writer, critic, and a self-proclaimed “professional black person”) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers who are obsessing about their lackluster high school tennis careers, their awkward interaction with their crushes, and...
07.21.2023
How Do I Disclose to My Kids That I've Had an Abortion–Twice? Help!
In this episode, Jessica Valenti (a feminist columnist and author) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer readers’ letters about whether it’s okay to ghost friends who don’t respect your reproductive choices, how to deal with a spouse who is a...
07.14.2023
My Friends Got Me a Terrible Birthday Gift. Help!
In this episode, Josh Gondelman (author, producer, and stand-up comedian) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer readers’ dilemmas about workplace coffee runs, unwanted birthday gifts, pets who steal food—and husbands who react really strangely when that happens. If you want more...
07.07.2023
I Hate My Fiancé’s Mustache—but He Refuses to Get Rid of It. Help!
In this episode, Meredith Goldstein (advice columnist and features writer for The Boston Globe) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer readers’ dilemmas about commitment, wedding locations, and whether you’re allowed to make demands about your partner’s facial hair. If you want...
06.30.2023
A Co-Worker I Dated is Spreading Rumors About Our Breakup. Help!
In this episode, Candice Lim (co-host of Slate’s ICYMI) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about whether to reject invitations from friends with filthy homes, how to cope when everyone at the office thinks you're a cheater,...
06.23.2023
How Do You Know When It’s Time to Break Up With a Friend? Help!
In this episode, Alisha Wainwright (actor and host of the new podcast series, When Science Finds A Way) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer your letters from readers about friends who don’t call you when they’re in your town, the...
06.16.2023
I Tested My Partner’s Parenting Readiness and He’s Upset. Help!
In this episode, Ophira Eisenberg (host of the new comedy podcast Parenting Is A Joke) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer your letters from readers about whether to make your partner pass a test before having kids, how to handle...
06.09.2023
I Think My Husband Is Quiet Quitting Our Marriage. Help!
In this episode, Shan Boodram (host of Lovers and Friends and Bumble's Sex & Relationship Expert) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer your letters from readers about what to do when your work crush starts ignoring you, when your spouse...
06.02.2023
I Think My Wife Is Cheating On Me—With A Robot. Help!
In this episode, the co-hosts of Stitcher’s Vibe Check, Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer your letters from readers about sharing food with ungrateful people, wanting to date a friend’s crush, and getting...
05.26.2023
I Saved My Neighbor’s Life And Now She Won't Leave Me Alone. Help!
In this episode, Kelsey McKinney (host of Radiotopia’s Normal Gossip and co-owner of Defector.com) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer your letters from readers about who to share random thoughts with after your spouse dies, what to do when you’ve...

What's Dear Prudence about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Dear Prudence episodes:

My Brother Is a Budding Alex Jones. Help!

My love language with friends is touch, but it makes my partner jealous. Help!

My Wife’s Bipolar Diagnosis Is Creating A Rift in Our Marriage. Help!

I Lost a Lot of Weight and Now I Enjoy Being a Mean Girl. Help!

From Choice Words: Live in Fear or Love? (with Karamo)

My Partner Sticks Her Finger in Food to Taste Test It. Help!

My Parents Are Flaunting Their Wealth While I’m Drowning in Debt. Help!

My Ex Had Sex With My Brother. Help!

I Want People to Shut Up! Help!

Am I a Bad Father If I Don't Want to Acknowledge My Kid Publicly? Help!

My Friend Has a Master’s Degree in Lying. Help!

How Do I Get Over Someone I Never Dated? Help!

Is My Work Husband Keeping Me A Secret From His Wife? Help!

Am I a Bigot If I Don’t Want to Date Foreigners? Help!

My Husband Stopped Using Soap and He Stinks. Help!

I Spend Hours a Day Having Intense Romantic Daydreams. Help!

A DNA Test Revealed a Secret Sibling. Help!

I Don’t Want to Cancel My Retirement Plans to Babysit. Help!

Outward: We’re Here, We’re Queer, Here’s Some Advice!

My Mother-In-Law Doesn’t Wash Her Hands After Using The Bathroom. Help!

I Rejected A Friend’s Sexual Advance—Now He’s Being Weird. Help!

My Friend Won’t Stop Buying Me Gifts. Help!

I Want to "Cancel" My Bad Boss But I'm Having Doubts. Help!

Revisiting Advice from LeVar Burton

My Family Won't Let Me Host for the Holidays. Help!

My Coworker Keeps Kissing Me on the Cheek. Help!

My Friend Tried to Bring Her Kids to A Winery. Help!

I’m Making Bitchy Comments to A Dog! Help!

Is It Okay to Ghost A Friend? Help!

Is It Too Early in the Relationship to Say "I Love You"? Help!

My Girlfriend Is Always Late! Help!

Should I Donate Sperm To My Ex? Help!

I Don't Want My Dad to Give Me Away at My Wedding. Help!

My Partner’s Relationship With His Ex Makes Me Feel Like the Third Wheel. Help!

My Sister Is Lying to My Nephews About Their Father's Identity. Help!

Relationship Podcasts Are Ruining My Friend's Life. Help!

My Wife Goes Braless Around Our Teenage Sons. Help!

I Told My Husband I May Have Postpartum Depression—He Did Nothing. Help!

My Co-Worker Won’t Stop Sending Me Friend Requests Online. Help!

My Sister Is Doing Everything She Can to Make Me Suffer at Her Wedding. Help!

My Boyfriend Hid His Hobby From Me—Civil War Reenactments. Help!

How Do I Disclose to My Kids That I've Had an Abortion–Twice? Help!

My Friends Got Me a Terrible Birthday Gift. Help!

I Hate My Fiancé’s Mustache—but He Refuses to Get Rid of It. Help!

A Co-Worker I Dated is Spreading Rumors About Our Breakup. Help!

How Do You Know When It’s Time to Break Up With a Friend? Help!

I Tested My Partner’s Parenting Readiness and He’s Upset. Help!

I Think My Husband Is Quiet Quitting Our Marriage. Help!

I Think My Wife Is Cheating On Me—With A Robot. Help!

I Saved My Neighbor’s Life And Now She Won't Leave Me Alone. Help!

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