Fresh Air

By NPR

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Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.

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Best Of: Billy Porter / Cyn...

10.23.2021

Billy Porter has an Emmy for his starring role on 'Pose,' and a Tony for his lead role in the Broadway musical 'Kinky Boots.' Fourteen years after his initial diagnosis, Porter announced publicly that he is HIV-positive. He says being ...

Fresh Air episodes:

10.23.2021 Best Of: Billy Porter / Cynthia Erivo Billy Porter has an Emmy for his starring role on 'Pose,' and a Tony for his lead role in the Broadway musical 'Kinky Boots.' Fourteen years after his initial diagnosis, Porter announced publicly that he is HIV-positive. He says being ...
10.22.2021 Lenny Kravitz On His Early Years Kravitz talks about growing up the son of a Jewish father and Black mother, finding his musical style, and how Lisa Bonet changed him as a songwriter. His memoir about his life up until his breakout album is 'Let Love ...
10.21.2021 Oscar Isaac The actor is now starring in 'Dune,' 'The Card Counter' and 'Scenes from a Marriage.' We talk about his latest projects, grief and fatherhood, and his evangelical Christian upbringing. "We grew up with a very, very real sense of the ...
10.20.2021 Remembering YA Author Gary Paulsen The Newbery Award-winning author, who died Oct. 13, wrote over 200 books, many of which were tales of adventure aimed at young adults. In 1994, Paulsen talked about Alaska's Iditarod dog sled race. Also, John Powers reviews Todd Haynes' documentary ...
10.19.2021 Billy Porter On His New Memoir 'Unprotected' Porter has an Emmy for his starring role on 'Pose,' and a Tony for his lead role in the Broadway musical 'Kinky Boots.' Fourteen years after his initial diagnosis, Porter announced publicly that he is HIV-positive. He says being open ...
10.18.2021 Actress And Singer Cynthia Erivo / Remembering Colin Powell Erivo was nominated for an Oscar for playing Harriet Tubman in the film 'Harriet.' She played Aretha Franklin in the series 'Genius: Aretha.' She won a Tony for her performance in 'The Color Purple.' Now she has a debut album, ...
10.16.2021 Best Of: Questlove / Tuba Player Richard Antoine White In his new book, 'Music is History,' Roots co-founder Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson moves year-by-year through his life, writing about memories and turning points, and the songs he was listening to at the time. Richard Antoine White spent his early childhood ...
10.15.2021 'Maid' Author Stephanie Land Stephanie Land's memoir, 'Maid,' is about her struggle to make ends meet as a single mom while cleaning houses and relying on government assistance. Land, who left an abusive relationship and was homeless, talks about how she got out of ...
10.14.2021 Pandora Papers, Explained Dictators, oligarchs, drug traffickers, crooks, and others with ill-gotten fortunes can hide their money from public scrutiny, creditors, and from the law — while at the same time avoid paying taxes. How? By stashing the wealth in opaque, complicated financial ...
10.13.2021 Tubist Richard Antoine White's Unlikely Path To The Stage Richard Antoine White spent his early childhood in poverty in Baltimore, at times sleeping in abandoned houses. He's now principal tubist in the Santa Fe Symphony and the New Mexico Philharmonic. He recounts his triumph over adversity in a new ...
10.12.2021 Questlove On The Soundtrack Of His Life In his new book, 'Music is History,' Roots co-founder Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson moves year-by-year through his life, writing about memories and turning points, and the songs he was listening to at the time.
10.11.2021 Inside The Thailand Cave Rescue In June 2018, the world held its breath for 18 days as a group of elite cave divers risked everything to rescue 12 boys and their coach from an underwater cave in Thailand. The Oscar-winning filmmakers ('Free Solo') Jimmy Chin ...
10.09.2021 Best Of: The World Of Film Noir / Stanley Tucci Eddie Muller hosts the TCM series 'Noir Alley.' A new expanded edition of his book, 'Dark City,' chronicles film noir from the '40s and '50s. We talk about the sexiness of the genre and why film noir flourished in the ...
10.08.2021 Nick Lowe In Concert Lowe's 2001 album 'The Convincer,' considered by many fans and critics to be his best, has now been remastered and reissued. We listen back to his performances and interviews in our studio from 2001 and 2011. Lowe's best known songs ...
10.07.2021 Life In Afghanistan Now Award-winning Afghan British journalist Najibullah Quraishi is on the ground in Kabul where he has been interviewing Taliban leaders and fighters, women who have lost their rights, and citizens trying to escape. He believes that the country is on the ...
10.06.2021 Fiona Hill, Former White House Russia Expert & Key Witness Hill was a key witness at President Trump's first impeachment hearing. Now she's warning about the threat to American democracy that comes from within. We talk about her testimony, advising Trump on calls with Putin, and why she believes America ...
10.05.2021 Stanley Tucci Tucci's entire world, since childhood, has revolved around food. The actor was devastated when treatment for cancer put him on a feeding tube for six months. Now cancer free, his sense of small and taste is stronger than before. Tucci's ...
10.04.2021 The Lost World Of Film Noir Eddie Muller hosts the TCM series 'Noir Alley.' A new expanded edition of his book, 'Dark City,' chronicles film noir from the '40s and '50s. We talk about the femme fatale, the sexiness of the genre, and why film noir ...
10.02.2021 Best Of: Anita Hill / Ben Platt It's been 30 years since the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, where Anita HIll testified he'd sexually harassed her. We'll talk about the hearings, and how they changed her life.Her memoir is 'Believing.' Also we talk with Ben Platt, star of ...
10.01.2021 Remembering Melvin Van Peebles, Godfather of Black Film Melvin Van Peebles, considered the Godfather of Black cinema, died last week. He's best known for his 1971 film, 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.' We listen back to archival interviews with Peebles and his son Mario. And we remember Bishop John ...
09.30.2021 What's Happening At The U.S.-Mexico Border? 'Atlantic' immigration reporter Caitlin Dickerson talks about Haitian immigrants at the border, and explains how both Trump and Biden immigration policies are based on a racist system created by the Founding Fathers. "The story of the United States being a ...
09.29.2021 'Me Too' Founder Tarana Burke Burke says society often ignores Black girls' sexual trauma — and that the R. Kelly trial, coming after 25 years of allegations, highlights the "stark difference" in response to victims of color. "We are socialized to respond to the vulnerability ...
09.28.2021 Anita Hill In 1991, Anita Hill testified that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her. Thomas was confirmed regardless. Since then, another Supreme Court justice, Brett Kavanaugh, has joined the bench, despite Christine Blasey Ford's testimony that he sexually assaulted ...
09.27.2021 Ben Platt Platt stars in 'Dear Evan Hansen,' the film adaptation of the Broadway musical. He originated the role. We talk about anxiety, falling in love with another 'Evan Hansen' actor, and his upcoming project with Richard Linklater, filming a musical over ...
09.25.2021 Best Of: B.J. Novak / Colson Whitehead B.J. Novak played Ryan on 'The Office' and served as a writer and an executive producer of the series. His new FX/Hulu anthology show, 'The Premise,' deals with important cultural issues, like social justice, sex tapes, guns, and how we're ...
09.24.2021 Ray Charles On Country Music Last month, Ray Charles was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. That may sound odd to you since he's such a pivotal figure in soul music and rhythm & blues. But his 1962 album, 'Modern Sounds in Country ...
09.23.2021 The Facebook Files: What Leaked Documents Tell Us 'Wall Street Journal' reporter Jeff Horwitz says Facebook executives often choose to boost engagement at the expense of tackling problems like misinformation and mental health issues in teens that are rampant on their platforms.
09.22.2021 B.J. Novak B.J. Novak played Ryan on 'The Office' and served as a writer and an executive producer of the series. His new FX/Hulu anthology show, 'The Premise,' deals with important cultural issues, like social justice, sex tapes, guns, and how we're ...
09.21.2021 Who Is Tech Billionaire & 'Contrarian' Peter Thiel? Peter Thiel co-founded PayPal, invested early in Facebook, secretly funded the Hulk Hogan lawsuit that put the website Gawker out of business, and put more than a million dollars into Trump's campaign just after the appearance of the 'Access Hollywood' ...
09.20.2021 Evan Osnos On The 'Making Of America's Fury' How did Americans become so divided? And how did we come so close to overturning the results of a presidential election? These are some of the questions at the heart of the new book 'Wildland,' by 'New Yorker' staff writer ...
09.18.2021 Best Of: Banjo Star Béla Fleck / When Animals Break The Law Béla Fleck is one of the most famous banjo players in the world. He's taken that instrument out of its folk and bluegrass traditions to play pretty much any kind of music, including jazz and pop to classical and reggae. ...
09.17.2021 Jean Smart / Remembering Newport Jazz & Folk Festival Founder George Wein Jean Smart is nominated for two Emmys — one for her lead role in 'Hacks' and one for her supporting role in 'Mare of Easttown.' We're revisiting her May 2021 interview. Pioneering music impresario George Wein created the Newport Jazz ...
09.16.2021 The Battle To Keep Local Journalism Alive In the past 15 years, one in four newspapers has shuttered in the U.S. We talk with Art Cullen, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, editor, and co-owner of 'The Storm Lake Times' in the meatpacking town of Storm Lake, Iowa. He ...
09.15.2021 Colson Whitehead On His Crime Novel 'Harlem Shuffle' Whitehead's new novel 'Harlem Shuffle,' is about a furniture store owner in Harlem whose sideline is fencing stolen goods. Whitehead won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel 'The Underground Railroad,' about a 15-year-old enslaved girl who escapes a brutal Georgia ...
09.14.2021 The Weird World Of Animal Crimes Science writer Mary Roach ('Stiff', 'Gulp') explores scenarios where animals are the ones committing "crimes" — and how society deals with it. We talk about bear attacks, drunk elephants, and monkey thieves. Her new book is 'Fuzz: When Nature Breaks ...
09.13.2021 Banjo Player Béla Fleck Béla Fleck is perhaps the most famous banjo player in the world. He's taken that instrument out of its folk and bluegrass traditions to play pretty much any kind of music: from jazz and pop to classical and reggae. But ...
09.11.2021 Best Of: Michael K. Williams / Poet Laureate Joy Harjo Michael K. Williams was best known for playing Omar on 'The Wire' and Chalky White on 'Boardwalk Empire.' He died Sept. 6 of a suspected drug overdose. In 2008, Williams told Terry Gross the story behind the scar on his ...
09.10.2021 The Rise And Fall Of Osama Bin Laden As the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches, a new biography traces Osama bin Laden's path from a shy, religious teenager to the leader of a global jihadist group dedicated to mass murder. Journalist Peter Bergen, who met ...
09.09.2021 SCOTUS & The Future Of Roe V. Wade Ian Millhiser covers the Supreme Court for Vox. He says the Court's decision to uphold the recent Texas abortion law was a generational victory for abortion opponents: "They've spent many decades working for this moment." Maureen Corrigan reviews Sally Rooney's ...
09.08.2021 Remembering Michael K. Williams Williams was best known for playing Omar on 'The Wire' and Chalky White on 'Boardwalk Empire.' In 2008, Williams told Terry Gross the story behind the scar on his face and his background in dance. In 2016, he reflected on ...
09.07.2021 Poet Laureate Joy Harjo / Historian Tiya Miles The nation's first Native American poet laureate has a new memoir in which she tells her own story — as well as the story of her sixth-generation grandfather, who was forced from his land in the Trail of Tears. It's ...
09.06.2021 Mavis Staples / Gladys Knight We conclude our Summer of Soul series with Mavis Staples and Gladys Knight, two performers featured in Questlove's documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. As a teenager, Mavis Staples performed with her family in the Staple Singers, led by ...
09.04.2021 Best Of: Sandra Oh / Aretha Franklin Sandra Oh stars in the new comedy series 'The Chair,' as the newly appointed chair of the English department at a prestigious college-- the first woman and first person of color to hold the position. Oh co-starred in Grey's Anatomy ...
09.03.2021 Abbey Lincoln / Max Roach We're continuing our "Summer of Soul" series with archival interviews with singer Abbey Lincoln and drummer Max Roach. Both were featured in the Questlove documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Abbey Lincoln started out as a seductive nightclub singer ...
09.03.2021 B.B. King / Hugh Masekela We're revisiting archival interviews with some of the musicians featured in the documentary 'Summer of Soul.' The film is about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a series of free concerts which reflected changes in Black culture and politics. Today we'll ...
09.01.2021 Questlove Revives "Black Woodstock" With 'Summer Of Soul' Today we begin our series Summer of Soul, featuring interviews from our archive with some of the performers showcased in the documentary 'Summer of Soul,' about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The festival was a series of six concerts that ...
08.31.2021 Celebrating Aretha Franklin, Queen Of Soul To mark the debut of the biopic 'RESPECT,' we listen back to archival interviews with Aretha, as well as with Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler, and songwriter Dan Penn, who co-wrote "Do Right Woman." We'll hear about Aretha's upbringing in ...
08.30.2021 Sandra Oh Oh stars as chair of the English department at a prestigious university in the Netflix series 'The Chair.' The 'Grey's Anatomy' co-star joined us to talk about her upbringing in Canada, breaking barriers for Asian women in Hollywood, and the ...
08.28.2021 Best Of: 'Schmigadoon!' Co-Creator / How Dopamine Works Cinco Paul loves musicals — unlike his long-time writing partner, Ken Daurio, with whom he created the new Apple TV+ satire, 'Schmigadoon!' Their series centers on a couple who become trapped in a musical town. We talk with Paul about ...
08.27.2021 Remembering Chuck Close, Joe Galloway, Charlie Watts We remember an artist, a journalist and a musician, each of whom made significant contributions to their respective fields: Known for his giant hyper-realist paintings of faces, Chuck Close was one of the leading artists of his generation. After a ...

Older episodes

Fresh Air

What's Fresh Air about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Fresh Air episodes:

Best Of: Billy Porter / Cynthia Erivo

Lenny Kravitz On His Early Years

Oscar Isaac

Remembering YA Author Gary Paulsen

Billy Porter On His New Memoir 'Unprotected'

Actress And Singer Cynthia Erivo / Remembering Colin Powell

Best Of: Questlove / Tuba Player Richard Antoine White

'Maid' Author Stephanie Land

Pandora Papers, Explained

Tubist Richard Antoine White's Unlikely Path To The Stage

Questlove On The Soundtrack Of His Life

Inside The Thailand Cave Rescue

Best Of: The World Of Film Noir / Stanley Tucci

Nick Lowe In Concert

Life In Afghanistan Now

Fiona Hill, Former White House Russia Expert & Key Witness

Stanley Tucci

The Lost World Of Film Noir

Best Of: Anita Hill / Ben Platt

Remembering Melvin Van Peebles, Godfather of Black Film

What's Happening At The U.S.-Mexico Border?

'Me Too' Founder Tarana Burke

Anita Hill

Ben Platt

Best Of: B.J. Novak / Colson Whitehead

Ray Charles On Country Music

The Facebook Files: What Leaked Documents Tell Us

B.J. Novak

Who Is Tech Billionaire & 'Contrarian' Peter Thiel?

Evan Osnos On The 'Making Of America's Fury'

Best Of: Banjo Star Béla Fleck / When Animals Break The Law

Jean Smart / Remembering Newport Jazz & Folk Festival Founder George Wein

The Battle To Keep Local Journalism Alive

Colson Whitehead On His Crime Novel 'Harlem Shuffle'

The Weird World Of Animal Crimes

Banjo Player Béla Fleck

Best Of: Michael K. Williams / Poet Laureate Joy Harjo

The Rise And Fall Of Osama Bin Laden

SCOTUS & The Future Of Roe V. Wade

Remembering Michael K. Williams

Poet Laureate Joy Harjo / Historian Tiya Miles

Mavis Staples / Gladys Knight

Best Of: Sandra Oh / Aretha Franklin

Abbey Lincoln / Max Roach

B.B. King / Hugh Masekela

Questlove Revives "Black Woodstock" With 'Summer Of Soul'

Celebrating Aretha Franklin, Queen Of Soul

Sandra Oh

Best Of: 'Schmigadoon!' Co-Creator / How Dopamine Works

Remembering Chuck Close, Joe Galloway, Charlie Watts

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