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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Margo Price After Cheating ...

02.01.2023

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 & ...

Death, Sex & Money episodes:

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 ...
10.12.2022 Conversations with My Dead Mother Rachel Matlow’s mother refused to get the surgery that could have saved her. That often left her and Rachel trying to love each other while bitterly at odds. You can listen to the full audio piece Rachel made here, and ...
10.05.2022 I Wanted To Be A 'Good Girl' Andrea grew up attending an evangelical church in Texas, where she was taught to abstain from sex until marriage and keep herself sexually "pure." That early sex education—and her decision to have premarital sex anyway—had long-lasting impact, well into her ...
09.28.2022 India Walton: I Knew It Was Gonna Be Tough, But I Didn't Expect it to Get Nasty In 2021, India Walton won, then lost, the Buffalo mayor’s race. She continues to work and grieve in her city. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send ...
09.21.2022 Inside John Waters' Home (But Not Inside His Colon) The delightful and rebellious writer-director welcomes us into his apartment to talk about money, family, friendships, and colonoscopies. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast ...
09.14.2022 How Clothes Help Us Find Our People and Ourselves Your stories about how your personal style has changed in the last few years, and the impact on not only what you wear, but how you see yourself and how you connect with others. You can check out Bill's art ...
09.07.2022 Lucinda Williams Says Whatever the Hell She Wants In her sixties, musician Lucinda Williams is more successful than ever. But with age has come a lot of loss. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send ...
08.31.2022 Big Freedia Bounces Back Big Freedia is a reality TV star and fixture on New Orleans' bounce scene. But days after Hurricane Katrina, she was sleeping on the street outside of the city's convention center. This episode originally aired in 2015. Did you know ...
08.24.2022 Finding Meaning After My Husband's Public Death In 2018, David Buckel died by self-immolation to protest climate change. His husband Terry talks about respecting David's message while grieving him, and finding new joy in his own life. For more Terry, listen to him on Vox’s Today Explained, ...
08.17.2022 Knock Knock, Who's There? Bob the Drag Queen The stand-up comedian and drag star tells me about growing up around her mom’s queer club, bringing drag to small American towns, and all the people who pushed her to succeed. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter ...
08.10.2022 What's Going On With Student Loans? We took some of your burning student loan questions to our favorite expert on the topic, Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors. If you have a question that was not answered in this episode, you can ...
08.03.2022 "This Isn't Just About Abortion": What the End of Roe Means to You Your reactions to the end of Roe, plus, a conversation with Mississippi-based reproductive justice activist Laurie Bertram Roberts about how their work has shifted, and what's remained the same. Over the years, we've featured many conversations about navigating change and ...
07.27.2022 Bottled Up: Your Stories About Alcohol We asked you about your relationships with alcohol—why you drink, or don't, the strategies you use to manage your consumption, and what alcohol brings you besides a buzz. Here's what you told us. If you or someone you know is ...
07.20.2022 The Highs and Lows of Being a Starbucks Union Organizer The Starbucks union is having a moment. We talked to three workers in three different states about the victories and the very real consequences of going up against a multi-billion dollar company. Did you know we have a weekly email ...
07.13.2022 “No Call Goes Unanswered”: A Lifeline in Wyoming As the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline becomes a 3-digit number, 988, I visit a call center in Wyoming, which had the highest suicide rate per capita in the US in 2020. If you or someone you love is at risk ...
06.29.2022 The Very Hot Marriage of Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts Actress Niecy Nash and her wife, R&B; singer-songwriter Jessica Betts, tell me about falling in love, learning to live together during the pandemic, and taking their relationship public. Want to hear more Niecy? Listen to our 2017 episode, "Life in ...
06.22.2022 Cut Loose: Your Stories of Breaking Up We asked for your stories about breakups. You told us about being left, doing the leaving, and the times when you're not exactly sure what happened. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & ...
06.15.2022 'I'm Done Kissing Your Butt': From Manager to Labor Activist When Mary Gundel spoke out about working conditions at Dollar General, she lost her job. She also gained TikTok celebrity, and started a national labor movement.
06.08.2022 How Harvey Fierstein's Bad Sex Led to Good Art The acclaimed actor and playwright tells me about coming of age during the gay rights movement, why a rubber band signifies financial stability, and how he thinks he'll be remembered. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for ...
05.25.2022 What Our Teachers Are Carrying Teachers across the country share their feelings about their profession, burnout, and how they're holding up at the end of another difficult pandemic school year. Hear more from Lillian in our episode "Skin Hunger: Part 1," here. Did you know ...
05.18.2022 Maria Hinojosa on Partying, Partnership, and Her New Pulitzer In honor of her Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting, I revisit my conversation with journalist Maria Hinojosa about building up her confidence in the world of media, and reaching a breaking point in her marriage that led her to reevaluate ...
05.11.2022 How Much Climate Anxiety Helps? I take a walk with Britt Wray who studies the mental health effects of climate change, and we talk about how she overcame debilitating climate dread without turning away from the crisis. Do you want to lessen your climate anxiety ...
05.04.2022 "There’s Never a Perfect Time to Say, 'I’m Blind'" I talk with a listener named Fey about her deteriorating vision, how and when to disclose her disability, and she gets a pep talk from EDM singer Lachi. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, ...
04.29.2022 Anna Sale Introduces Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery Anna talks with her WNYC colleague Nancy Solomon about her new podcast, Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery. New Jersey politics is not for the faint of heart. But the brutal killing of John and Joyce Sheridan, a ...
04.27.2022 Siblinghood After hearing from more than 200 listeners about their siblings, it's clear that the people we spend our childhoods with aren't the easiest ones to act like adults toward. This episode first aired in 2015. Did you know we have ...
04.13.2022 Hard: Softening Expectations "Sex is a much more copacetic and enjoyable experience when it is about the experience rather than results." This is the third episode of a three-part series about ED and Viagra. If you missed the previous episodes, about relationships impacted ...
04.06.2022 Hard: Little Pill, Big Pharma How Welsh coal miners and a pants-dropping presentation eventually led to the invention of Viagra. If you missed the first episode in our Hard series, go back and take a listen. And look out for the finale next week, when ...
03.30.2022 Hard: Erectile Disappointment In the first episode of a three part series, we focus in on people’s intimate lives and relationships that have been impacted by both erectile dysfunction—and Viagra—in ways that the cheeky public conversation about the drug has never quite captured. ...
03.16.2022 Why Lynn Nottage Cashed Out Her 401(k) The acclaimed playwright tells me why she left theater for a few years, and how quitting her day job and making an investment in herself helped her return. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, ...
03.09.2022 Affairs, Throuples, and Big Monogamy: Your Relationship Questions Answered Struggling to make a decision about your relationship? Panelists Heather Havrilesky, George Civeris and Tuck Woodstock take on your questions about everything from infidelity to gender transitions to getting married. Listen to the Straightiolab episode on cheating here, and the ...
02.23.2022 Inheriting Divorce I talk with producer Ian Coss about the many divorces in his family, and how learning about them inspired his podcast Forever is a Long Time. Listen to Forever is a Long Time here, and find The Experiment's SPAM series ...
02.16.2022 Where is Lisa Fischer's Backup? You've heard Lisa Fischer singing backup vocals for everyone from the Rolling Stones to Beyoncé. But after decades of touring with rock stars, Fischer lives in a far more humble reality. Find our Breakup Survival Guide here. Did you know ...
02.09.2022 This Elvis Impersonator Does It For Love… And Money Elvis impersonator Brendan Paul marries as many as 75 people a day in the Las Vegas wedding chapel he owns. But while his portrayal of Elvis generally leans into kitsch, his view on The King's life goes deeper. "A lot ...
01.26.2022 André De Shields On Living With His Shadow André De Shields shares his wisdom from 50 years on the stage, and 76 years on this earth. You can find our original conversation from our Opportunity Costs series with Ramal Johnson here. Find out more at deathsexmoney.org/class. Did you ...

Older episodes

Death, Sex & Money

What's Death, Sex & Money about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Death, Sex & Money episodes:

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

Conversations with My Dead Mother

I Wanted To Be A 'Good Girl'

India Walton: I Knew It Was Gonna Be Tough, But I Didn't Expect it to Get Nasty

Inside John Waters' Home (But Not Inside His Colon)

How Clothes Help Us Find Our People and Ourselves

Lucinda Williams Says Whatever the Hell She Wants

Big Freedia Bounces Back

Finding Meaning After My Husband's Public Death

Knock Knock, Who's There? Bob the Drag Queen

What's Going On With Student Loans?

"This Isn't Just About Abortion": What the End of Roe Means to You

Bottled Up: Your Stories About Alcohol

The Highs and Lows of Being a Starbucks Union Organizer

“No Call Goes Unanswered”: A Lifeline in Wyoming

The Very Hot Marriage of Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts

Cut Loose: Your Stories of Breaking Up

'I'm Done Kissing Your Butt': From Manager to Labor Activist

How Harvey Fierstein's Bad Sex Led to Good Art

What Our Teachers Are Carrying

Maria Hinojosa on Partying, Partnership, and Her New Pulitzer

How Much Climate Anxiety Helps?

"There’s Never a Perfect Time to Say, 'I’m Blind'"

Anna Sale Introduces Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery

Siblinghood

Hard: Softening Expectations

Hard: Little Pill, Big Pharma

Hard: Erectile Disappointment

Why Lynn Nottage Cashed Out Her 401(k)

Affairs, Throuples, and Big Monogamy: Your Relationship Questions Answered

Inheriting Divorce

Where is Lisa Fischer's Backup?

This Elvis Impersonator Does It For Love… And Money

André De Shields On Living With His Shadow

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