Comedian Hasan Minhaj admitted to making up biographical stories involving racism and Islamophobia in his standup specials. Sam asks our BFF, comedian Jay Jurden, what the line is between comedic embellishment and lying, and how the revelations will affect other marginalized performers. Also this week, will one more teacup ride stem Disney’s streaming losses? Sam and Jay discuss Disney’s $60 billion bet on its theme parks, whether Taylor Swift’s latest puzzle stunt shows us that Swifties are getting a little old, and what American Horror Story could look like with an all-Black cast.

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Is it just us or has the Billboard Hot 100 felt... weird this year? It's the same chart that's seen Doja Cat's "Paint the Town Red" hit No. 1 — the first rap song to rise to the top spot in more than a year — as well as Oliver Anthony Music's controversial "Rich Men North of Richmond" and a remix of an old song by The Weeknd.

Is the Billboard Hot 100 actually measuring what people are listening to these days? Can we trust it to tell us about the most popular music? Sam talks with Switched on Pop's Charlie Harding and Reanna Cruz about how Billboard ranks the Hot 100 and the ways that artists, fandoms, and political actors have changed the game... and learned how to game the charts.

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This week, Drew Barrymore announced her daytime TV talk show would return despite the ongoing Hollywood strikes. That prompted a public outcry and a rescinded invitation to host the National Book Awards. Drew seems to be getting the most flack, but she isn't the only TV host coming back this fall. Sam checks in with Vox's Alex Abad-Santos and Rebecca Jennings about the latest on the writers' and actors' strikes and where the celebrities are turning now that the red carpets are off-limits. We also discuss the highs and lows of the VMAs, how to spot a drunk white woman dancing, and if we really need Beyoncé and Taylor Swift beat reporters.

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Rotten Tomatoes is the place you go when you want to figure out whether or not to see a movie. It aggregates reviews on its “Tomatometer” and tells you whether a film is “fresh” or “rotten.” But its math formula sucks, and it’s easily manipulated. New York Magazine’s Lane Brown did a deep investigation into how Rotten Tomatoes works and tells Sam all the ways studios game the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, how Hollywood publicity now revolves around the site, and highlights how the whole system has incentivized one company to pay critics and apparently withhold their negative reviews from Rotten Tomato counts.

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As Olivia Rodrigo releases Guts, we take stock of the singer-songwriter who seemed to come out of nowhere, fully realized as an artist, back in 2021. How did Olivia surprise us so much before, and can she repeat her success a second time? Sam chats with Lindsay Zoladz, pop music critic at The New York Times, about the dualities of Olivia Rodrigo: She's an artist who is both quiet and loud, young and old at heart, and a former Disney child star whose lyrics are a gut punch. We also trace her inspirations from Alanis Morisette to Taylor Swift and explore why we can't get enough of Olivia's music in a year that's seen the pop culture power of women and girls.

ICYMI, Sam is guest hosting on Vox’s daily news show Today, Explained this week. Listen at https://bit.ly/texwsam.

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Allegations and complaints about working conditions, fair pay, and even covering up acts of sexual violence could force a reality TV reckoning. OG Housewife Bethenny Frankel is calling on her fellow colleagues to unionize, and last month NBCUniversal — home to such reality heavy hitters as The Real Housewives empire, and Vanderpump Rules — was sent a letter from two very high-powered attorneys investigating the "grotesque and depraved mistreatment" of its reality stars. How did we get here? sam breaks down the recent drama with legal reporter Claudia Rosenbaum. Then, he talks to someone who's seen it all firsthand: Nick Thompson, a contestant on Season Two of Netflix's Love Is Blind, who compared his experience of being on the show and finding his one true love... to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

ICYMI, Sam is guest hosting on Vox’s daily news show Today, Explained this week. Listen at https://bit.ly/texwsam.

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Yes, the writers’ and actors’ strikes mean a lot of reality on TV and delayed releases for movies this fall. But there are some standouts. Sam talks with Vulture’s Jen Chaney and Chris Lee and learns that with shows like Lessons In Chemistry, starring Brie Larson, and films like May December, starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, you could want for nothing. Sam also gets recommendations of things you might have missed this summer from Sam Fragoso, host of the Talk Easy podcast, who explains that Project Greenlight reveals all the problems with Hollywood right now and is worth a hate-watch.

To hear Sam Fragoso interview Sam Sanders, check out Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso this Sunday, September 3rd.

And ICYMI, Sam Sanders is guest hosting Vox’s daily news show Today, Explained this week. Listen at https://bit.ly/texwsam.

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For our first Into It Book Club pick, Sam talks to Brandon Taylor about his latest novel The Late Americans. Set in Iowa City, the book follows a group of lovers and friends who are navigating the world of art, love, sex... and graduate school. We also ask about the broader discourse around books today: In the age of #BookTok and Goodreads, what should readers expect from writers? And —for Brandon, in particular — what's the line between reviewing an author's published work and the author himself?

ICYMI, Sam is guest hosting on Vox’s daily news show Today, Explained this week. Listen at https://bit.ly/texwsam.

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Justin Bieber. Demi Levato. Ariana Grande. Idina Menzel. All are reportedly dropping their manager, Scooter Braun. He’s one of the biggest players in the music industry, and Taylor Swift apparently hates him enough for owning her masters to be rerecording all her old music. Sam Sanders talks it over with comedian and TV writer Jay Jurden. Also, Jay and Sam decide if they’re into the Suits renaissance and marvel at the return of the Fyre Festival.

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"A rap game Ferris Bueller." "Fun and life affirming." That's what Pitchfork called the buzziest mixtape of 2013: Chance the Rapper's Acid Rap. The mixtape launched Chance's career and put him alongside some of the biggest artists in hip-hop. To commemorate Acid Rap's 10-year anniversary, Sam chats with Chance about his time touring with Mac Miller, Donald Glover, Eminem, and Macklemore after the mixtape's release; his relationship with Kanye West; and how hip-hop — and his own view of politics — has changed in the decade since.

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