Fresh Air

By NPR

What's Fresh Air about?

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: Ava DuVernay / Bil...

06.22.2019

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay's Netflix series 'When They See Us' tells the story of how five black and brown boys, known as the Central Park Five, were manipulated into confessing to a brutal rape they did not commit. DuVernay focuses on ...

Fresh Air episodes:

06.22.2019 Best Of: Ava DuVernay / Bill Hader Filmmaker Ava DuVernay's Netflix series 'When They See Us' tells the story of how five black and brown boys, known as the Central Park Five, were manipulated into confessing to a brutal rape they did not commit. DuVernay focuses on ...
06.21.2019 John Prine The singer, songwriter and guitarist was recently inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Prine spoke with Terry Gross in 2018 when his album 'The Tree of Forgiveness' was released. He described how his voice changed after neck cancer: "It ...
06.20.2019 Bill Hader On 'Barry' Hader, who became famous as a writer and performer on 'Saturday Night Live,' now stars in the HBO series 'Barry.' Hader plays a Marine who suffers from depression and PTSD ever since returning from Afghanistan. While working as a hit ...
06.19.2019 Ava DuVernay On 'When They See Us' DuVernay's Netflix series tells the story of how five black and brown boys, known as the Central Park Five, were manipulated into confessing to a brutal rape they did not commit. 'When They See Us' focuses on the boys' perspective ...
06.18.2019 Uncovering The Story Of Major Taylor, America's First Black Sports Hero At the height of the Jim Crow era, Taylor broke barriers by becoming the country's fastest and most famous cyclist. Author and 'Washington Post' journalist Michael Kranish tells his story in the new book, 'The World's Fastest Man.' "He really ...
06.17.2019 Rethinking 'Elderhood' Geriatrician Dr. Louise Aronson treats patients who are in their 60s — as well as those who are older than 100. "I need to be a different sort of doctor for people at different ages and phases of old age," ...
06.15.2019 Best Of: How Ordinary People Got Us To The Moon / Actor Damian Lewis This summer marks 50 years since the first Apollo moon landing. Journalist Charles Fishman's new book 'One Giant Leap' focuses on the untold stories of the ordinary men and women who worked behind-the-scenes on the Apollo missions. "Apollo was the ...
06.14.2019 'I Wrote This Book Because I Love You' Writer and cartoonist Tim Kreider admits unabashedly that the longest relationship of his adult life was with the stray cat that became his companion for 19 years. His collection of personal essays details his many unconventional relationships, which include the ...
06.13.2019 How Hackers Pose A Threat To Cities & Elections 'New York Times' cybersecurity correspondent Nicole Perlroth says hacking tools developed by the NSA were stolen, posted online and are now being used in cyberattacks, including one on the city of Baltimore.Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews 'The Last Black ...
06.12.2019 How Ordinary People Got Us To The Moon This summer marks 50 years since the first Apollo moon landing. Journalist Charles Fishman's new book 'One Giant Leap' focuses on the untold stories of the ordinary men and women who worked behind-the-scenes on the Apollo missions. "Apollo was the ...
06.11.2019 Inside Kim Jong Un's North Korea 'Washington Post' journalist Anna Fifield visited North Korea and interviewed many of its citizens — including members of Kim Jong Un's family — for her new book about the country and its leader. Her book is 'The Great Successor.' Also, ...
06.10.2019 Actor Damian Lewis The classically-trained British actor plays a ruthless hedge-fund manager on Showtime's 'Billions,' which recently ended its fourth season. Lewis describes his character as "the embodiment of the American dream." He also starred in the series 'Homeland' as Nicholas Brody, a ...
06.08.2019 Best Of: Christina Applegate / The Future Of Food Christina Applegate stars in the Netflix series 'Dead to Me,' opposite Linda Cardellini, as a woman grieving the sudden death of her husband. She speaks with Terry Gross about her own experience with grief and loss, her double mastectomy, and ...
06.07.2019 Remembering Musician Dr. John New Orleans musician Mac Rebennack, A.K.A. Dr. John, died yesterday at 77. He was known for his raspy voice and hits such as "Right Place, Wrong Time" and "Such A Night." Rebennack spoke with Terry Gross in 1986. Contributor Zahra ...
06.06.2019 Trump, M.B.Z. & The United Arab Emirates We talk with 'NYT' international correspondent David Kirkpatrick about how Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (M.B.Z.), the ruler of the United Arab Emirates, became one of the most influential foreign voices in Washington. He's urged the U.S. to adopt his increasingly ...
06.05.2019 Actor Christina Applegate Applegate stars in the Netflix series 'Dead to Me,' opposite Linda Cardellini, as a woman grieving the sudden death of her husband. She speaks with Terry Gross about her own experience with grief and loss, her double mastectomy, 'Married with ...
06.04.2019 The Case Against R. Kelly Nearly 20 years ago, reporter and pop music critic Jim DeRogatis broke the story that R&B; superstar R. Kelly was allegedly sexually abusing underage girls. It all started with an anonymous fax to his office at the 'Chicago Sun-Times.' Fourteen ...
06.03.2019 The Future Of Food Environmental journalist Amanda Little talks about efforts to create a global food supply for a world that will be hotter, drier and more crowded. Little writes about meat cultured in a lab, 3D printed food, and indoor vertical farming in ...
06.01.2019 Best Of: Why College Students Are So Stressed / How Eugenics Shaped U.S. Immigration As colleges and universities across the country report an explosion of mental health problems, a new book argues that college life may actually be more stressful than ever. Dr. Anthony Rostain and family therapist B. Janet Hibbs are the authors ...
05.31.2019 A Return To 'Deadwood' The HBO series about a lawless mining town in 19th century South Dakota is now the basis of a new film. TV critic David Bianculli shares his review and then we'll listen back to interviews with actor Timothy Olyphant, who ...
05.30.2019 SCOTUS And Abortion 'New York Times' correspondent Adam Liptak talks about how President Trump's two appointees might change the Supreme Court — including its direction on abortion: "It's not hard to write a decision striking down Roe," he says. "It's built on quicksand." ...
05.29.2019 Inside 'Sara Berman's Closet' The art installation 'Sara Berman's Closet' chronicles the life of a woman who grew up in a shtetl in Belarus, fled with family to Palestine, and then eventually moved to New York City to start a new life. Berman's daughter, ...
05.28.2019 The Mental Health 'Epidemic' On College Campuses As colleges and universities across the country report an explosion of mental health problems, a new book argues that college life may actually be more stressful than ever. Dr. Anthony Rostain, co-author of 'The Stressed Years of Their Lives,' notes ...
05.27.2019 Sir Elton John The new biographical musical film 'Rocketman' is based on Elton John's life story. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2013 about what he calls "Elton John excess," his fear of sex as a young man, and how Liberace's example encouraged ...
05.25.2019 Best Of: John Waters / Lizzo John Waters has made a career out of rebelling against the norm. The 'Pink Flamingos' and 'Hairspray' director returns to 'Fresh Air' to talk about what he was like as a kid, and how he still finds ways to break ...
05.24.2019 Michael Pollan On the 'New Science' Of Psychedelics Pollan discusses the history of psychedelic drugs, including LSD and magic mushrooms, and explains how they're currently being used experimentally in therapeutic settings to treat depression, addiction, and fear of death. The author experimented with psychedelics for research. "I had ...
05.23.2019 Lizzo The flute-playing pop star celebrates self-love on her latest album, 'Cuz I Love You.' About 10 years ago, "I made the decision that I just wanted to be happy with my body," she says. Lizzo talks to Terry Gross about ...
05.22.2019 The 'Power Struggle' Within The NRA 'New York Times' reporter Danny Hakim discusses conflicts within the NRA's leadership, its lawsuit against its advertising and PR company, and what leaked documents reveal about the organization.Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews 'The Secret Between The Shadow and the ...
05.21.2019 A New Approach To Dementia While caring for her mother, who had dementia, bioethicist Tia Powell began imagining a different way to approach the disease. Her new book, 'Dementia Reimagined,' looks at long-term care options and end-of-life decisions. Also, movie critic Justin Chang reviews 'The ...
05.20.2019 John Waters On Being A 'Filth Elder' The cult filmmaker, 73, has plenty of ideas about what older people should and shouldn't do. "You can't be trying too hard to rebel [when] you're older," Waters says. He talks about what he was like as a kid, why ...
05.18.2019 Best Of: Howard Stern / Phoebe Waller-Bridge Howard Stern talks about how therapy changed his radio show, what makes him cringe about his early shock jock style, and how being a misfit as a kid pushed him to find an audience. His new book is 'Howard Stern ...
05.17.2019 Novelist Explores Sexuality & Relationships In 'My Ex-Life' Stephen McCauley's novel, 'My Ex-Life,' is a comedy about a couple whose marriage ended years ago when the husband came out as gay. "All relationships evolve — even for people who stay together," he says. McCauley's book is now out ...
05.16.2019 The Dark Side Of Generic Prescription Drugs Journalist Katherine Eban says most of the generic medicine being sold in the U.S. is manufactured overseas — sometimes under questionable quality control standards. She talks about instances of fabricated data, sabotaged inspections, and drugs released onto the market before ...
05.15.2019 Howard Stern: Part 2 / Remembering Doris Day In the second half of our two-part interview, Stern talks about his 2017 cancer scare, his thoughts on retirement, and his mother's depression. His new book is 'Howard Stern Comes Again.'Also, we remember late Hollywood actress and singer Doris Day. ...
05.14.2019 Howard Stern: Part 1 The self-proclaimed "King of All Media" speaks with Terry Gross for the first time. Stern talks about how therapy changed his radio show, what makes him cringe about his early shock jock style, and how being a misfit as a ...
05.13.2019 Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Creator Of 'Killing Eve' & 'Fleabag' Waller-Bridge writes female characters who are flawed, reckless, unpredictable and real — women not typically seen onscreen. She's the creator and star of the Amazon Prime series 'Fleabag' and creator/producer of the BBC America series 'Killing Eve.' She talks about ...
05.11.2019 Best Of: How Kleptocrats Stash Fortunes / 'PEN15' Creators Journalist Oliver Bullough runs kleptocracy tours in London, in which he points out mansions bought by corrupt foreign leaders and oligarchs. His book 'Moneyland' describes their secretive transnational world.Ken Tucker reviews Lizzo's first major label album, 'Cuz I Love You.'From ...
05.10.2019 Celebrating HBO's 'Veep' After seven seasons, 'Veep' is ending this weekend. We listen back to archival interviews with showrunner David Mandel, star Julia Louis-Dreyfus and co-star Tony Hale. Also, Kevin Whitehead reviews the movie 'Bolden' about jazz's original hero, Charles "Buddy" Bolden, and ...
05.09.2019 Why Deutsche Bank Loaned Donald Trump Billions When No One Else Would The German bank was Trump's partner on countless investments at a time when most of Wall Street shied away. As a result, 'New York Times' finance editor David Enrich says, it has a trove of information about Trump. "Deutsche Bank ...
05.08.2019 The Law That Kept 2 Generations Of Immigrants Out Of The U.S. Journalist Daniel Okrent says that the eugenics movement — a junk science that stemmed from the belief that certain races and ethnicities were morally and genetically superior to others — informed the Immigration Act of 1924, which restricted entrance to ...
05.07.2019 Shedding Light On Domestic Violence An average of four women are killed by their partners every day in America. Crisis center CEO Suzanne Dubus and journalist Rachel Louise Snyder talk about identifying risk factors in abusive relationships, prevention, and how to set victims up with ...
05.06.2019 'PEN15' Revisits The Awkwardness Of Middle School From braces to bullies, crushes and drama, middle school is a period of adolescence that might best be described as cringe-worthy. In the Hulu series 'PEN15,' actors Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle play 13-year-old versions of themselves in the year ...
05.04.2019 Best Of: Patricia Arquette / Erin Lee Carr Patricia Arquette has won awards for her performances in 'Escape at Dannemora,' 'Boyhood' and 'Medium.' She currently stars in 'The Act' on Hulu, based on the real-life story of Dee Dee Blanchard, a woman who lied to her daughter, Gypsy ...
05.03.2019 Remembering 'Boyz N The Hood' Dir. John Singleton We remember film director John Singleton who died Monday at the age of 51. He made his debut in 1991 with the semi-autobiographical movie 'Boyz n the Hood,' about a group of kids growing up surrounded by drug addiction and ...
05.02.2019 John Bolton's Push For 'Aggressive Use' Of U.S. Power 'New Yorker' staff writer Dexter Filkins says President Trump's current National Security Adviser John Bolton has been hawkish his whole life. His aggressive world view often contrasts with Trump's isolationist tendencies. After President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, Bolton ...
05.01.2019 How Oligarchs, Kleptocrats & Crooks Stash Fortunes Journalist Oliver Bullough runs kleptocracy tours in London, in which he points out mansions bought by corrupt foreign leaders and oligarchs. His book 'Moneyland' describes their secretive transnational world.Also, Ken Tucker reviews Lizzo's first major label album, 'Cuz I Love ...
04.30.2019 Erin Lee Carr, Daughter Of David Carr Writer and documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr, daughter of the late 'New York Times' columnist David Carr, talks about her parents' drug addiction and what it was like to have her father as a mentor. Her new memoir is 'All ...
04.29.2019 Actor Patricia Arquette Arquette has won awards for her performances in 'Escape at Dannemora,' 'Boyhood' and 'Medium.' She currently stars in 'The Act' on Hulu, based on the real-life story of Dee Dee Blanchard, a woman who falsely convinced her daughter, Gypsy Rose, ...
04.27.2019 Best Of: 'Lear' Actor Glenda Jackson / Baseball History In 10 Pitches The 82-year-old British actor is currently playing Shakespeare's famed tragic figure on Broadway — a role traditionally played by a man. "As we get older, those absolute barriers that define gender begin to crack," she says. Jackson took a 23-year ...
04.26.2019 The Zombies & Roxy Music Head To The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame The 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees include the Zombies and Roxy Music. We listen back to archival interviews with Colin Blunstone of the Zombies, and Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno of Roxy Music. Also, John Powers reviews ...

Older episodes

Fresh Air

What's Fresh Air about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Fresh Air episodes:

Best Of: Ava DuVernay / Bill Hader

John Prine

Bill Hader On 'Barry'

Ava DuVernay On 'When They See Us'

Uncovering The Story Of Major Taylor, America's First Black Sports Hero

Rethinking 'Elderhood'

Best Of: How Ordinary People Got Us To The Moon / Actor Damian Lewis

'I Wrote This Book Because I Love You'

How Hackers Pose A Threat To Cities & Elections

How Ordinary People Got Us To The Moon

Inside Kim Jong Un's North Korea

Actor Damian Lewis

Best Of: Christina Applegate / The Future Of Food

Remembering Musician Dr. John

Trump, M.B.Z. & The United Arab Emirates

Actor Christina Applegate

The Case Against R. Kelly

The Future Of Food

Best Of: Why College Students Are So Stressed / How Eugenics Shaped U.S. Immigration

A Return To 'Deadwood'

SCOTUS And Abortion

Inside 'Sara Berman's Closet'

The Mental Health 'Epidemic' On College Campuses

Sir Elton John

Best Of: John Waters / Lizzo

Michael Pollan On the 'New Science' Of Psychedelics

Lizzo

The 'Power Struggle' Within The NRA

A New Approach To Dementia

John Waters On Being A 'Filth Elder'

Best Of: Howard Stern / Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Novelist Explores Sexuality & Relationships In 'My Ex-Life'

The Dark Side Of Generic Prescription Drugs

Howard Stern: Part 2 / Remembering Doris Day

Howard Stern: Part 1

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Creator Of 'Killing Eve' & 'Fleabag'

Best Of: How Kleptocrats Stash Fortunes / 'PEN15' Creators

Celebrating HBO's 'Veep'

Why Deutsche Bank Loaned Donald Trump Billions When No One Else Would

The Law That Kept 2 Generations Of Immigrants Out Of The U.S.

Shedding Light On Domestic Violence

'PEN15' Revisits The Awkwardness Of Middle School

Best Of: Patricia Arquette / Erin Lee Carr

Remembering 'Boyz N The Hood' Dir. John Singleton

John Bolton's Push For 'Aggressive Use' Of U.S. Power

How Oligarchs, Kleptocrats & Crooks Stash Fortunes

Erin Lee Carr, Daughter Of David Carr

Actor Patricia Arquette

Best Of: 'Lear' Actor Glenda Jackson / Baseball History In 10 Pitches

The Zombies & Roxy Music Head To The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

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