Death, Sex & Money

By WNYC Studios

What's Death, Sex & Money about?

Death, Sex & Money is a podcast about the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation. Host Anna Sale talks to celebrities you've heard of—and to regular people you haven't—about the Big Stuff: relationships, money, family, work and making it all count while we're here.

WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, On the Media, The Experiment, The New Yorker Radio Hour and many others.

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LAST EPISODE

Ellen Burstyn at 90 Today

09.27.2023

Anna and Ellen Burstyn check in 9 years after they first spoke. Ellen talks about the relationships that make up her life in this moment, her dog, and finding novelty in the everyday. You can listen to the original interview ...

Death, Sex & Money episodes:

09.27.2023 Ellen Burstyn at 90 Today Anna and Ellen Burstyn check in 9 years after they first spoke. Ellen talks about the relationships that make up her life in this moment, her dog, and finding novelty in the everyday. You can listen to the original interview ...
09.20.2023 Revisiting Ellen Burstyn at 81 We’re listening back to one of Anna’s favorite episodes, when actor Ellen Burstyn invited us into her apartment for a sprawling interview about her past and present. In next week’s episode, you’ll hear a new conversation between Anna and Ellen, ...
09.13.2023 I Did Surrogacy For Money And Now I’m Starting Over Anna follows up with Sarah Short, the mom who became a surrogate to pay off debt. They discuss her divorce, starting her own business, and why this chapter of her life feels “freeing.” And if you're a Maria Bamford fan, ...
09.06.2023 A Headline Stays Static Even As A Life Transforms Lawrence Bartley was first on the show in 2014 while he was still in prison. In this new episode, he talks about becoming an award-winning journalist and the negative impact of a headline from our show. Watch Inside Story here: ...
08.30.2023 Why Ezra Klein Thinks “We're Living Through A Mistake” The New York Times journalist talks about the difficulties of early parenthood, the lure of communal living, and why he loves Burning Man. Want more from Ezra on the topics in today’s episode? We recommend the following: This episode of ...
08.23.2023 A Trans Elder’s ‘Final Act’: Musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland The 79-year-old musician tells Anna about coming into his gender identity, “being cared for” by his bandmates, and the joys–and pitfalls–of finding success later in life. Listen to "Transmissions" here (https://open.spotify.com/album/6X7rxq4bKcwPTKRFgIzR30?si=BfLeHGcKRS-uC0O5T9irBA), and you can stream his new album “The Ones ...
08.09.2023 Secrets, Turn-Ons, and Fantasies: Your Stories About Porn We revisit our most popular episode, featuring your stories about secret hard drives, fantasy plot lines, illegal downloads, titillating Tumblr feeds, and giving porn up completely. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & ...
08.02.2023 Bells and Bills: The Price You Paid For Your Wedding In this episode we asked listeners if they were currently planning a wedding, and if money had become a sticking point. We heard from couples with vastly different ideas of what they wanted to spend, about opinionated parents and in-laws, ...
07.19.2023 The Crude Reality of Debt from This is Uncomfortable Kate Beaton was determined to work her way out of debt. But nothing could have prepared her for the experience of toiling in the Canadian oil sands. This episode is from This is Uncomfortable, a podcast from Marketplace about life ...
07.12.2023 Why Writer Brandon Taylor Likes Being “A Little Bit Lonely” The author talks about arguing in high school English classes, learning to manage money, and his evolving relationship with the Internet. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we ...
07.05.2023 I Still Love My Dad, But I Don't Love Guns Two years after Anna’s first conversation with a listener named Jack, she called him back for an update on his relationship with his dad, and his relationship to firearms. You can take our 10th anniversary survey here (https://forms.gle/27xgjCXLcW33dMZZ7), and listen ...
06.28.2023 Can You Help Your Kid’s Anxiety By Changing Your Behavior? Kids look to their parents to keep them safe and to show them how much risk they can handle, but parents are often winging it as they walk that line. In this episode, Anna talks to Alexis, a parent of ...
06.14.2023 ‘It Just Denies Reality’: Abortion Access and the Law After Dobbs Mississippi-based reproductive justice activist Laurie Bertram Roberts updates Anna on life after Dobbs. Plus, a story from the podcast More Perfect on two legal scholars’ reimagining of abortion law. You can hear Anna’s original conversation with Laurie here (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/episodes/abortion-dobbs-v-jackson-mississippi-death-sex-money), and ...
06.07.2023 Ocean Vuong on Telling Lies, Building Family and Loving the Knicks The acclaimed poet talks about falling in love with poetry in New York basements, caring for his brother, and mastering — and walking away from — writing. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex ...
05.27.2023 Hold On: Should I Tell My Boss I’m Depressed? In the final episode of Hold On, a national call-in show about our mental health, Anna talks to organizational psychologist Melissa Doman, author of Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work...Here's Why (And How To Do It Really ...
05.24.2023 Hold On: When Shame Keeps You From Therapy In this episode of Hold On, our live national call-in series about mental health, we asked listeners to call in if the idea of getting therapy was something they felt excluded from, either because of how they were raised, what ...
05.20.2023 Hold On: Let’s Talk About Psych Meds 1 in 5 American adults are taking medication to treat their mental health, that’s more than the number of people in therapy. Anna talks to sociologist Daniel Tadmon, and psychiatrist Dr. Kali Cyrus, about how the field of psychiatry is ...
05.17.2023 Hold On: My Diagnosis, My Self Anna talks to psychology professor and researcher Dr. Craig Rodriguez-Seijas, about his work studying bias in mental health diagnostics, and takes listener calls about how a diagnosis has shaped their sense of identity, for better or worse. Plus, Aneri Pattani, ...
05.13.2023 Hold On: How to Support our Teens' Mental Health Anna takes calls from teenagers, and people who love teenagers, about adolescent mental health, along with psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour. Find resources here (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/articles/hold-mental-health-resources). Hold On will be in your podcast feeds all month long, but you can also listen ...
05.10.2023 Hold On: How Therapists See the Mental Health Crisis Anna takes calls from mental health professionals along with psychiatrist Dr. Kali Cyrus, and you offer your tips for accessing care. Find resources here (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/articles/hold-mental-health-resources). Hold On will be in your podcast feeds all month long, but you can also ...
05.03.2023 Leaving the Extreme Right, and a Marriage, Behind Anna and Micah Loewinger, correspondent for On the Media, travel to Montana to talk to Tasha Adams about her decades-long marriage with Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right Oath Keepers. Plus, Tasha sits down with Kelly Jones, ex-wife of far-right ...
04.26.2023 The Voice of NYC's Subways Comes Out as Trans Voiceover artist and journalist Bernie Wagenblast shares her journey to coming out as a trans woman. Listen to our episode with Jane Fonda here: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/episodes/death-and-divorce-gave-jane-fonda-strength Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money ...
04.12.2023 John Green on OCD, Writing, and Loving Middle-Age The writer talks about longing to fall in love, his life with mental illness, and why adulthood is underrated. This episode originally aired in 2018, and contains a description of suicidal ideation. If you find yourself in a moment of ...
04.05.2023 The Movies That Taught Us What Sex Could Be Your stories about the beloved – and complicated – movies you saw that taught you about sex. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out a note ...
03.29.2023 Alice Wong On Medicaid, Rage, and “Good Care” Anna first talked with disability rights activist Alice Wong in 2020 about self-advocacy, as well as how she manages money, Medicaid, and her and her parents' futures. But after a health crisis, Alice shared an update. You can read more ...
03.22.2023 Kate Bowler on Shame, Productivity, and Living with Chronic Pain The professor and Everything Happens podcast host talks about growing up in a Mennonite community, living with chronic pain, and the small things that bring her joy. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex ...
03.15.2023 How to Face Your Fears With Steve-O, Laurel Braitman, and Rev. angel We asked you to tell us about the fears in your life that are holding you back. In this episode, we share your stories and questions with Steve-O, Laurel Braitman, and Rev. angel Kyodo williams. Each of them, in one ...
03.08.2023 A Trans Parent’s Adoption Journey Anna first talked with Liam and Marisa about their love story back in 2014. Nine years later, we hear about the next chapter of their relationship: becoming parents. Update: We changed the title of this episode after publishing to be ...
03.01.2023 My Sex Life Became A Screenshot. Then I Lost My Job. Erick Adame was a TV weatherman. Then someone sent pictures to his employer, his mother, and his boyfriend of him performing sex acts on a webcam. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & ...
02.27.2023 Introducing La Brega Season 2, the Puerto Rican Experience in Eight Songs Anna talks with La Brega host Alana Casanova-Burgess about the new season of her dual-language podcast that explores the culture, history and spirit of Puerto Rico through its iconic music Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for ...
02.22.2023 How to Say Goodbye to Your Pets Your stories of loving—and losing—your beloved animal companions. Plus, an end-of-life veterinarian offers advice on knowing when to say goodbye. Some of you also shared resources for dealing with the loss of a pet. Here are a few of those ...
02.15.2023 Your One Night Stand Stories, Revisited Today, we're celebrating the very short-term romance: the one night stand. Those moments in life when someone appeared in a flash, you connected, and then you went your separate ways. *This episode originally ran in 2021. Did you know we ...
02.08.2023 Gabrielle Union Completes Herself The actor talks about having agency over her body, her relationships and her career, even as she lives with the trauma of sexual assault and infertility. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & ...
02.01.2023 Margo Price After Cheating and Drinking The country musician talks candidly about loss—of a generational family farm and the death of her newborn—and coping with infidelity and an abusive relationship with alcohol. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & ...
01.25.2023 Your Estrangement Calls Answered Live This week, we bring our estrangement series to an end with a live call-in show co-hosted by Anna Sale and WNYC’s Kai Wright, host of the Notes from America podcast. Kai and Anna heard from listeners all around the country ...
01.18.2023 From Fan to Friend: The Unlikely Friendship Between Pico Iyer and Leonard Cohen Pico Iyer, author of "The Half-Known Life," reflects on deliberately walking away from his dream job, his decades-long friendship with Leonard Cohen, and surrendering to the unknown. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex ...
01.11.2023 Why the Creators of "Everything Everywhere All At Once" Treat Their Partnership Like a Marriage Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known as Daniels, on their friendship, learning to play to their strengths, and making their hit film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex ...
01.04.2023 Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp Talk About Their Divorce, Anxiety, and Slowing Down The co-creators of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On talk about collaborating while getting divorced, navigating grief, and finding joy in the everyday. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every ...
12.28.2022 Trevor Noah Talks Depression, Radical Honesty, and Braiding Hair The former host of The Daily Show sometimes struggles to get out of bed. But he's comfortable saying that with a smile. *This episode originally ran in 2019. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, ...
12.21.2022 Radiolab’s Lulu Miller Steals All Her Best Ideas From Her Kids Anna talks with Terrestrials host and creator Lulu Miller about becoming a parent and being inspired by her kids’ curiosities. Plus, a clip from Terrestrials’ “The Water Walker.” We recommend you check out the whole incredible series here. Did you ...
12.14.2022 Estrangement’s Alternate Endings In our last episode, we look at how estrangement changes shape over the course of a life: how it can bend or harden, and how it affects new relationships, old memories, and the idea of family. Did you know we ...
12.07.2022 Then I Blocked Them: How Estrangement Became Official When we first asked for your stories on estrangement, we wondered if it was like a slow pulling away, or like a flipped switch? In episode two of our three-part series, we talk to four listeners for whom estrangement might ...
11.30.2022 Estrangement Purgatory Brian is on the fence. On the one hand, he no longer believes in the religion he was raised in, “It’s high control,” he told us, “rules on everything from what to watch on TV," and "what you do in ...
11.23.2022 Fran Lebowitz’s Guide to Life (And Parties) The writer shares her thoughts on talent versus luck, her vendetta against hiking, and how she’s made and kept friendships over the years in a live conversation at the Berkeley Repertory Theater. Did you know we have a weekly email ...
11.21.2022 Estrangement: We Were Close, Now I Don’t Know You In Death, Sex & Money’s new three-part series about estrangement, we talk to listeners about cutting family ties, leaving religion, and ending friendships. We also talk to listeners on the other side of estrangement, still desperately wishing for contact, and ...
11.16.2022 Race and Friendship After 2020: An Update “Some conversations I’m just not willing to engage in anymore.” Check out Matt’s photo series of other Korean adoptees, Where are you really from?. And Chrishana and Sarah talked about reading Big Friendship, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman’s book – ...
11.09.2022 Between Friends: Stories About Race and Friendship "Friendship is our only social relationship that is purely voluntary. Someone can just walk away at any time." Today, we're sharing your stories about how race, identity, and racism have impacted your friendships. And listen to the episode from our ...
11.02.2022 An Update from the Sex Worker Next Door Emma was a single mom and supported her family with the income she made from sex work. The money was good. But she struggled with the secrecy, and the shame. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for ...
10.26.2022 Sandra Cisneros on Sex, Aging, and the Paranormal Sandra Cisneros has picked “some real doozies” as lovers. But at 67, she says she’d rather write a new book of poetry than waste her time with men who aren’t on her level. Did you know we have a weekly ...
10.19.2022 Singing in the Pain: Hrishikesh Hirway on his Mother, Grief and Creativity Musician and “Song Exploder” host, Hrishikesh Hirway, remembers his mother, Kanta, who died in 2020, and the music that’s helped him move through grief. You can listen to Hrishikesh Hirway’s new solo music inspired by Kanta here, the podcast, “Song ...

Older episodes

Death, Sex & Money

What's Death, Sex & Money about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Death, Sex & Money episodes:

Ellen Burstyn at 90 Today

Revisiting Ellen Burstyn at 81

I Did Surrogacy For Money And Now I’m Starting Over

A Headline Stays Static Even As A Life Transforms

Why Ezra Klein Thinks “We're Living Through A Mistake”

A Trans Elder’s ‘Final Act’: Musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Secrets, Turn-Ons, and Fantasies: Your Stories About Porn

Bells and Bills: The Price You Paid For Your Wedding

The Crude Reality of Debt from This is Uncomfortable

Why Writer Brandon Taylor Likes Being “A Little Bit Lonely”

I Still Love My Dad, But I Don't Love Guns

Can You Help Your Kid’s Anxiety By Changing Your Behavior?

‘It Just Denies Reality’: Abortion Access and the Law After Dobbs

Ocean Vuong on Telling Lies, Building Family and Loving the Knicks

Hold On: Should I Tell My Boss I’m Depressed?

Hold On: When Shame Keeps You From Therapy

Hold On: Let’s Talk About Psych Meds

Hold On: My Diagnosis, My Self

Hold On: How to Support our Teens' Mental Health

Hold On: How Therapists See the Mental Health Crisis

Leaving the Extreme Right, and a Marriage, Behind

The Voice of NYC's Subways Comes Out as Trans

John Green on OCD, Writing, and Loving Middle-Age

The Movies That Taught Us What Sex Could Be

Alice Wong On Medicaid, Rage, and “Good Care”

Kate Bowler on Shame, Productivity, and Living with Chronic Pain

How to Face Your Fears With Steve-O, Laurel Braitman, and Rev. angel

A Trans Parent’s Adoption Journey

My Sex Life Became A Screenshot. Then I Lost My Job.

Introducing La Brega Season 2, the Puerto Rican Experience in Eight Songs

How to Say Goodbye to Your Pets

Your One Night Stand Stories, Revisited

Gabrielle Union Completes Herself

Margo Price After Cheating and Drinking

Your Estrangement Calls Answered Live

From Fan to Friend: The Unlikely Friendship Between Pico Iyer and Leonard Cohen

Why the Creators of "Everything Everywhere All At Once" Treat Their Partnership Like a Marriage

Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp Talk About Their Divorce, Anxiety, and Slowing Down

Trevor Noah Talks Depression, Radical Honesty, and Braiding Hair

Radiolab’s Lulu Miller Steals All Her Best Ideas From Her Kids

Estrangement’s Alternate Endings

Then I Blocked Them: How Estrangement Became Official

Estrangement Purgatory

Fran Lebowitz’s Guide to Life (And Parties)

Estrangement: We Were Close, Now I Don’t Know You

Race and Friendship After 2020: An Update

Between Friends: Stories About Race and Friendship

An Update from the Sex Worker Next Door

Sandra Cisneros on Sex, Aging, and the Paranormal

Singing in the Pain: Hrishikesh Hirway on his Mother, Grief and Creativity

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