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.

Choices We Made: Actress Leslie Bibb joins Sam while Mercury is fully in retrograde and they quickly agree that their shoulders only fully relax when they’re in the country despite both living in the city.  They talk about being subject to the winds of planetary forces, not being gamblers (they both abide by a strict “only 20 dollars at a time” rule) because they’ve worked too hard for their money, and their shared hatred of wasting stuff including chicken carcasses.  Leslie talks about how watching Bob Villa as a kid has inspired her own home renovation projects and teaching other women how to do renovation on Tik Tok and why she’s going to have spores in her sourdough that predate the country. They gush over The Great British Bake Off and agree it’s appointment television, taking cooking classes in foreign countries, people who have recipes they won’t even share with their kids, and how we can learn to disagree with our parents as they get older. 

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.

Bobbi Brown, Founder of Jones Road Beauty, joins Sam fresh off the plane from Paris to discuss her new book, Still Bobbi, and to explore her career trajectory from behind-the-scenes makeup artist to two-time cosmetic company CEO. Bobbi talks about how some of her most important choices were choosing men—both her husband, who she knew within weeks was “the one” and Leonard Lauder, who she decided to sell her eponymous makeup brand to when it wasn’t even for sale. They talk about the importance of knowing who you are and when to stop trying out other personas, why at their age it’s necessary to prioritize being able to lift your own suitcase, and the common sense of “no-makeup makeup.” Bobbi tells Sam she is a life-long “non-agonizer” and how her big regret in life not getting a photo with Tammy Faye Baker when she had the chance, and how in her 60s she’s become an accidental Tik Tok influencer. 

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 Tony Shalhoub joins Sam to discuss living out both their dreams while traveling the world eating bread for his new CNN show Breaking Bread. He talks about how bread is the “OG social media,” and while his bigger decisions have been pretty random, little decisions like ordering off a menu are easy for him—as long as he lets the menu speak to him. Sam tells Tony about how important his film Big Night is to her family, and Tony explains that he’s not a born foodie like co-star Stanley Tucci but is learning to be one. a seminal movie in her and her husband’s life, learning about bread from watching his dad eat it, he doesn’t consider himself a foodie but learned a lot about food from Stanley Tucci, They consider the challenging questions of the day like if young people over-hydrate, the best way to make oatmeal, merits of bougie butter and if bread baskets should be free. Watch Tony Shalhoub Breaking Bread on Sundays at 9pm ET/PT on CNN or stream the next day with CNN’s All Access subscription. 

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 Michael Lewis joins Sam to celebrate the 15th anniversary of The Big Short and talk about if we’ve learned any lessons since its publication—like why we so often conflate wealth and wisdom. They discuss why they don’t think anyone would actually prefer to go back 30 or 60 years if they had the choice, why cutting interest rates mean house prices will go up, and why Michael wouldn’t bet against Bitcoin but Sam refuses to take most financial risks. They talk about the tragedy of the CPFB being gutted, why Americans treat the government like the enemy, and if there’s a Canadian “deep state.”

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.

Comedy legend turned director extraordinaire Michael Showalter joins Sam to talk about how he made this career shift and how he now realizes he hates acting. Michael tells Sam that he’d ultimately like to direct a film in every genre and he hopes horror is next. They talk about how they love traveling at this time of year to see how other countries celebrate Christmas, and why it’s better than staying home. Michael talks about fanning out when actors he loves are in his movies, how he fulfilled his one goal of college of being in a comedy troupe, why he had to write parts for himself when he couldn’t get cast in anything, and the last time he saw movie-magic. His new film, Oh. What. Fun is out now.

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 and comedian Patton Oswalt joins Sam to catch up where they left off during the first Trump administration and how they simply can’t believe we’re doing round two of this shit. They discuss how there’s money in outrage and how it drives engagement, and how news channels take advantage of your cortisol levels to keep you engaged with constant alerts of BREAKING NEWS. Patton explains why he no longer interacts with people on X but still can’t leave his followers behind, and why they both now mostly use social media to self-soothe, while others are left to raw-dog their boredom. They talk about the need for young nerds to go into politics and what Trump would be doing if Sam was still on TV. A girl can dream! Check out Patton’s new special, Black Coffee and Ice Water, available on Audible.

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.

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka joins Sam to talk about her new special “Father” and why in her relationship she is “father” and her husband is “mother.” They talk about recalibrating your goals once you’ve reached them–like when Atsuko fulfilled her only childhood goal of working at an ice cream parlor. They discuss Atsuko being unknowingly undocumented as a child after her grandmother brought her to Los Angeles, and why they both prefer the company of senior citizens. They talk about the decision to pivot her comedy from hobby to career, and why she only started making choices recently. Atsuko tells Sam about the online shows she does with other comedians who are children of moms with schizophrenia, how she thinks it takes ten years to find your voice in comedy, and why Sam is the kind of adult Atsuko hopes to be. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actress Leslie Bibb joins Sam while Mercury is fully in retrograde and they quickly agree that their shoulders only fully relax when they’re in the country despite both living in the city.  They talk about being subject to the winds of planetary forces, not being gamblers (they both abide by a strict “only 20 dollars at a time” rule) because they’ve worked too hard for their money, and their shared hatred of wasting stuff including chicken carcasses.  Leslie talks about how watching Bob Villa as a kid has inspired her own home renovation projects and teaching other women how to do renovation on Tik Tok and why she’s going to have spores in her sourdough that predate the country. They gush over The Great British Bake Off and agree it’s appointment television, taking cooking classes in foreign countries, people who have recipes they won’t even share with their kids, and how we can learn to disagree with our parents as they get older.

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.

Comedian Cristela Alonzo joins Sam to talk about her new Netflix special Upper Classy, and how before her career took off she made the life-changing decision to leave LA to become her mom’s full-time end of life caretaker. She explains that she started standup as a way of dealing with the grief of losing her mom, and how she didn’t even know it could be a real job before then. Cristela talks about how when you grow up below the poverty line you learn that  part of privilege is having the power to get people’s attention and how you might as well make the decision you’re faced with because tomorrow is coming either way. They gush over a shared love of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and “very special episodes” and learning to ride bikes later in life, and why it’s never too late to learn to experience joy.

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.