Jennifer Welch, host of the podcast “I’ve Had It”  joins Sam to talk about taking a midlife gap year in Manhattan and how the country is led by people with no shame, and you just can’t shame the shameless. They talk about how she navigates the daily shitstorm (by starting her day at 5am with four shots of espresso), staying on Twitter despite the Elon Musk factor, how growing up atheist in Oklahoma taught her how to dissociate from craziness around her, fellow Oklahoman Markwayne Mullin at DHS, and how to reckon with leaders who don’t value human life. But, Jennifer also somehow gives Sam a little optimism talking about the problems with strongmen leaders, and why Democrats need to stop chasing the elusive “reasonable Republican” voter. Plus, they unpack some potential 2028 candidates and rage over why democratic leaders can’t speak extemporaneously.

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Television host and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi joins Sam to talk about her new show, America’s Culinary Cup and how she’s a triple threat on it serving as creator, executive producer, and host. She reveals if she brought anyone from Top Chef with her, why it is important to set the contestants up for success, and why we crave shows where we can witness expertise. Padma talks about ten years of working with the ACLU, why her book is the antidote to Stephen Miller, and what it will take for food consumers to understand the effects of immigration raids on the food ecosystem. They commiserate on the problems of food waste and “day old” food laws, the newly inverted food pyramid, and engaging in estrogen wars with your teenage daughters. Plus they delve into why Padma really doesn’t think of herself as a chef, her comedy career and why there’s nothing better than a live audience.

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actress Sarah Chalke joins Sam and they revel in having both been married to Jason Jones—Sam in real life and Sarah on How I Met Your Mother (which people still yell at her in airports for). They have a quintessentially Canadian interview swapping stories of current border angst, going to the US just to go to Trader Joes, playing in a mom’s hockey league and why there isn’t actually enough hockey in Heated Rivalry for real Canadians. They talk about how decision making is not her strong suit even though she’s picked great shows throughout her career and how she’s moving away from pro/con lists. Sarah talks about the no-brainer decision to come back for the Scrubs revival which was her favorite show of her life, and how she learned everything about comedy from Bill Lawrence.

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reporter and author Jacob Soboroff joins Sam to talk about his new book Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster and the debate between the native communities’ historic practice of controlled burns and the alternative of worsening fires year after year. Jacob talks about how covering the fires was actually the last thing he wanted to do but sometimes you just have to go with the assignment. He talks about seeing his childhood home burn down and not processing the trauma until he started writing the book, how local media was as heroic as the first responders, and how he responded when Katie Miller called him to check on Stephen Miller’s parent’s house. They talk about what justice looks like for people who lost everything, and if he thinks many people will just leave LA, and if he feels safe reporting as the country begins to arrest journalists. 

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actor Christa Miller joins Sam to talk about the new season of Shrinking and her other role where she serves as music supervisor. Christa talks about how she loves giving new artists their big break on TV and how TV really is the new radio. They talk about the never-ending seasons of 90s sitcoms, choosing spending time with her kids over certain jobs and why it’s always risky to turn something down. She talks about her real life therapist being the inspiration for Shrinking and how she used to have a hard time making decisions until he helped her learn that the act of making the decision is the important part, not the outcome. Sam and Christa agree you really are only ever as happy as your unhappiest child, and they do some shared mom-gushing over Christa’s daughter, musician Charlotte Lawrence. Christa amazes Sam by talking about being Susan Saint James’ niece, growing up in NYC the daughter of a super model, and how in high school she would DJ at clubs after the real DJ was done for the night.

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author George Saunders joins Sam to talk about his new book Vigil and why people are so obsessed with turning him into a secular saint (and his childhood role of church guitarist). George explains that even though he’s not on social media he still finds ways to doom scroll, how the current government could have learned empathy if they bothered to read a few books, and how he found inspiration for Vigil without sounding too preachy. They talk about the importance of “vomit drafts” and the process of revisions, how his writing approach is about minimizing his anxiety, the choice to turn on or off some of the voices in your head, early rejection from The New Yorker, and choosing not to get killed just to be a great writer. They explain how they both put their choices up against the deathbed test, and how being compassionate doesn’t always mean being nice.

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actress Emilia Clarke joins Sam to talk about her new show PONIES and how for the first time ever she was given the choice of which main character to be, Bea or Twila. They compare stories of traveling with hot plates, and the need to have “an evening” of making dinner and watching a cooking show even if they get home late. They talk about reading cookbooks like novels, the correct amount of newspapers to get every weekend (four), sliding into Alison Roman’s DMs, the never-ending loyalty of Game Of Thrones fans and their unique fan fiction. Emilia talks about the decision to finally reveal her experience undergoing brain surgery in the New Yorker and trying to figure out how to thank the NHS for saving her life.

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Financial journalist and author of the new book 1929, Andrew Ross Sorkin, joins Sam to talk about the parallels between 1929 and now and, and how while history does repeat itself, there are some comparisons that don’t work. Sam explains Soul Cycle vs. Peloton, they rehash the Gamestop frenzy, why the lottery is a “tax on the stupid,” and get rich quick schemes. They unpack what Venezuela means for the American economy, and Sam begs Andrew to make a period piece out of his new book even though it would break the bank. 

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Yorker editor David Remnick joins Sam to talk about if The New Yorker is the “slow food movement” of news and how today’s current events remind him of living in Moscow at the end of the Soviet Union. They talk about how the industry changed when Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post and why his ownership is different in the second Trump administration than in the first, and how David is currently being sued by the president. They discuss how you can’t say the quiet part out loud anymore since there’s no quiet part, why David has been listening to Joe Rogan in the middle of the night, why teenagers are consuming so much fitness content, and how the two best decisions he’s ever made are marrying the right person and not signing up for social media when he first had the chance.

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economist and author Emily Oster joins Sam to ring in the New Year and talk about why so many people try to reset in January and if they believe in New Year’s resolutions. They unpack why some important people eat the same thing every day in order not to exert energy on unimportant decisions and why Emily has the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day (but gets to alternate between carrots and grapes). They talk about structured decision making, contentious co-sleeping with kids, and why parenting advice can be so controversial. They agree Canadians make decisions in a slightly different way, why the scientific community doesn’t do a good job explaining uncertainty, why people just want to be told what to do, and why everyone is asking Emily about Botox these days. Plus, the RFK Jr. of it all and why people are convinced that every moment is an opportunity to mess up.

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.