The Nod

By Gimlet

What's The Nod about?

Luther Vandross ballads. Oil sheen spray. ‘Twice as good.’ What do these things have in common? They are each, in their own way, essential to some facet of the Black experience. In The Nod, a new podcast from Gimlet Media, co-hosts Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings gleefully explore all the beautiful, complicated dimensions of Black life. It is a fun, yet poignant examination of both the biggest moments and most underexplored corners of Black art, media, and culture.

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The Man Who Beat the NCAA

07.16.2019

Eric talks with Ed O’Bannon, a former professional basketball player whose landmark lawsuit forced a national conversation on whether the NCAA should pay college athletes. It’s a conversation with massive implications for the thousands of unpaid Black athletes whose work ...

The Nod episodes:

07.16.2019 The Man Who Beat the NCAA Eric talks with Ed O’Bannon, a former professional basketball player whose landmark lawsuit forced a national conversation on whether the NCAA should pay college athletes. It’s a conversation with massive implications for the thousands of unpaid Black athletes whose work ...
07.02.2019 Conscious Rap: The Birth and the Backlash The turbulence and violence of the late 1980s pushed hip-hop away from its party music roots, giving birth to a new subgenre: conscious rap. Groups like and Public Enemy and artists like KRS-One became stars, creating music that emphasized pro-Black ...
06.25.2019 The Last Black Man in San Francisco Brittany talks to Jimmie Fails, star and co-creator of the award-winning film, “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”, about about the meaning of home, starring in his first movie, and what it was like to grow up in “the ...
06.18.2019 How to Show Up Rachel Wilkerson Miller is a lifestyle writer who has made it her mission to help people find ways to take better care of themselves—whether through meal prep, DIY projects, or learning how to use a dot journal to track mental ...
06.04.2019 Six Degrees: Music Edition June is Black Music Month, so Brittany and Eric decided to celebrate with a music-themed edition of Six Degrees of Black Separation… with a twist: the loser has to write and perform a song on a topic of the winner’s ...
05.27.2019 The Vindication of Snap Music Vindication Court is where we decide whether to redeem people or things that are reviled and ridiculed by the culture. On today’s docket: snap music. Eric tries to prove that snap music was falsely accused of being a stain on ...
05.21.2019 Oprah’s Legends Ball: Endgame Following the release of the biggest superhero film to date, Avengers: Endgame, Brittany makes the case that Oprah has already made a superhero movie that puts ALL others to shame. The Nod goes deep into Oprah’s Legend’s Ball, which features ...
05.06.2019 The Rise and Fall of Black TV (feat. Erika Alexander) Erika Alexander, who found fame as Maxine Shaw on the classic sitcom Living Single, details what it was really like to rise to fame with the Cosby Show in the 80s, ride the crest of the Golden Era of Black ...
04.29.2019 How to Stay Southern Food writer Nicole A. Taylor introduces Eric to a simple yet fancy dessert that helps her stay connected with her Southern roots. And Brittany tells a story about a little known woman from history who had the freshest collection of ...
04.22.2019 Jordyn Woods vs. The Kardashians Good for the Blacks returns! This week, we take a fresh look at the latest Kardashian feud with Jordyn Woods, a trusted family friend accused of fooling around with Tristan Thompson, Khloe Kardashian’s boyfriend. The Kardashians tried to destroy Jordyn’s ...
04.09.2019 The Greatest Biopic That’s Never Been Made? Della Reese deserves a showstopping biopic for the ages, packed with drama and triumph-- and maybe a fistfight or two-- but one has never been made. This week, Eric gives Brittany three reasons why the real life story of everyone’s ...
04.02.2019 My Black Robot Friend A woman tries to befriend a robot, but when things don’t go as planned, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
03.26.2019 One-on-One Growing up, a young woman and her dad bonded over their love of basketball. But there was one game she knew they could never talk about. And for years she never asked. But when his health took a turn for ...
03.12.2019 Chidi and The Good Place This week Eric talks with Cord Jefferson, a writer for NBC’s The Good Place, about how Blackness is depicted in the afterlife (Eric’s Chidi Anagonye standom is also discussed). Later, Eric tells Brittany the legendary story of a little-known Black ...
03.05.2019 A Madea Homegoing We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of sister Mabel Madea Simmons. The iconic character, created and played by Tyler Perry, is being retired after 20 years of captivating and aggravating audiences on stage and screen. Join us ...
02.25.2019 Six Degrees: Black History Month Edition This Black History month has been whack, but The Nod is still ready to celebrate with an epic game of Six Degrees of Black Separation. Will Eric and Mack embarrass the ancestors or will they redeem BHM for us all?
02.12.2019 What’s Wrong with A Little Romance? (Feat. Jasmine Guillory) Romance novels usually conjure images of blonde Fabio wannabees and pale, busty princesses. But Brittany recently discovered a steamy, sensual world of romance novels that center Black women. What can these books offer Black women that other media can’t? Brittany ...
02.05.2019 Can MDMA Treat Racial Trauma? A new kind of treatment for PTSD, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, may be just a few years away from legalization. What could it do for Black patients struggling with trauma? Brittany speaks to one woman about her experience with MDMA in therapy.
01.29.2019 The Cult of Father Divine Eric walks us through the life of Father Divine, a Black man who believed he was God, amassed thousands of followers all over the world, and became the biggest cult religious leader you’ve likely never heard of.
01.14.2019 Brittany's Choice: Sister, Sister Producer Simone Polanen thought she knew her little sister well, until she discovered a major part of her sister’s identity that she knew nothing about. When Simone confronts her sister, the conversation gets heated.This month, we're sharing some of Brittany ...
01.07.2019 Eric's Choice: On That Lo Life $hit Eric's always had an affinity for Polo Ralph Lauren. But he discovers a group of boosters in Brooklyn that took their love for Polo to another level.This month, we're sharing some of Brittany and Eric's most memorable episodes of The ...
12.31.2018 2019 Glow Up Every New Year, Brittany makes a list of intentions for how to live her life in the coming year. Last year, Eric was skeptical of the process. This year, he is a willing participant. In this week's BONUS, Brittany and ...
12.24.2018 How We Failed Brittany and Eric were recently guests on The Upgrade podcast's first ever live show, where the theme for the night was "How to Fail". In this week's BONUS, we are sharing an excerpt from that show, where they discuss each ...
12.18.2018 A Star Is Born On Beale Street "If Beale Street Could Talk" and "A Star Is Born" are two of the biggest films out this year, and they’re both dramatic romance epics. Eric and Brittany dig into a spoiler-free conversation about how these movies get viewers to ...
12.10.2018 Good For The Blacks: Cardi vs. Nicki The beef between rap titans Cardi B and Nicki Minaj consumed the news this year. Shoes have been thrown, emails leaked, political candidates endorsed, and Harriet Tubman’s queenhood questioned. We consult comedian Nore Davis and associate editor at Vulture Hunter ...
12.03.2018 The Fugitive A little-known story of how one woman stood up to one of the most powerful men in American history. Her story comes to us from Uncivil, a history podcast from Gimlet where they go back to the time our divisions ...
11.26.2018 Black in Fashion In this week's BONUS, we have a conversation with Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Teen Vogue's newest editor-in-chief. Last summer, Wagner wrote Everywhere and Nowhere: What its really like to be black and work in fashion, where she interviewed more than 100 ...
11.19.2018 To All the Boys in Rom-Coms Who Suck Brittany schools Eric on the true nature of romantic male leads, from Marcus in "Boomerang" to Lance in "The Best Man." And she pays special tribute to a prince charming from "Living Single" who’s never gotten his due.
11.12.2018 How to Make Free People Writer and thinker Casey Gerald reflects on what we lose when we buy into the promise of the American dream. In his new book, “There Will Be No Miracles Here,” Gerald unravels his origin story, which was previously held up ...
11.06.2018 Nobody Looks Like Me You’ve heard of the Little Rock Nine, but what about the Memphis 13? Eric talks to a man whose parents put him on the front lines of the battle for public school desegregation.... when he was only five years old.
10.29.2018 Eric Goes Full Witch In this week's bonus outtakes, Brittany explains why Disneyland is the best place to get drunk, and Eric dabbles in the occult.We are back next week with a new episode!
10.22.2018 Ethiopian Lasagna and the Alchemy of Being Black Writer Hannah Giorgis grew up eating lasagna the Ethiopian way, and she shows Brittany why that is the BEST way. Plus, author Michael Arceneaux describes his new book I Can't Date Jesus as "learning how to ho without the fear ...
10.08.2018 Six Degrees of Black Separation Eric has a story about the biggest celebrity wedding you’ve never heard of. And Brittany plays a game that brings together Trina, WB sitcom stars, Tyler Perry, wig lines and Whitney Houston’s goddaughter.
10.01.2018 We Went to See Beyoncé (and Jay-Z) BONUS: This week, Brittany and The Nod's producer Mack sit down to talk about a life-changing event… seeing Beyoncé in concert.
09.24.2018 Kunta Thinks You’re Funny (feat. LeVar Burton) Kunta Kinte, Geordi LaForge, and Reading Rainbow. LeVar Burton has given the world so much. On this episode, Brittany and Eric give him something back.
09.17.2018 Saving Grace Autumn loves to play The Sims. The life simulation game gives the 15-year-old an escape from her difficult home life. But after something terrible happens, the line between the game and real life starts to blur. Producer Wallace Mack brings ...
09.10.2018 Bleeding and Healing For years, KalaLea experiences painful periods that keep her in bed for days at a time. As she tries to figure out what’s happening to her body, she discovers that she has a condition that disproportionately affects Black women. This ...
09.03.2018 An Interview with Boots Riley Brittany and Eric sit down for a conversation with Boots Riley to discuss his first feature film, the critically acclaimed Sorry to Bother You.
08.27.2018 The Nod Bureau of Investigation A woman comes to the Nod Bureau of Investigation (NBI) with a mystery that only a Black person could have. Brittany and her team of detectives embark on a search for a long lost childhood memento and become entangled in ...
08.20.2018 Beignets In, Breathe Out What foods do you associate with Black culture? Eric’s friend makes him a sugary treat with surprising connections to the Congo. Plus, Brittany talks to a woman who helps breathe new life into people… literally.
08.13.2018 #WhyNotKenan: Give Kenan Thompson His Emmy Kenan Thompson is the longest-tenured cast member in Saturday Night Live’s history, and one of the funniest. But his acting hasn’t landed him an Emmy nomination… until now. Eric makes an impassioned plea for Emmy voters to recognize Kenan’s mastery ...
08.06.2018 Best of the Nod: The Hairstons Every year, descendants of both enslaved people and slave owners come together for a family reunion. The darker side of their shared past remains hidden underneath the celebrations and pleasantries. Until one year, when Ever Lee Hairston says two words ...
07.30.2018 Best of the Nod: Cooperative Economics There was once a grocery store in Chicago that Black folks LOVED. And that grocery store made one of the most iconic commercials the city has ever seen. We hear the story behind that commercial. Plus, what does it mean ...
07.23.2018 Best of the Nod: Black Excellence This week we have two stories about incredible Black trailblazers. First up, a story about a Black designer and a group of Black models that revolutionized the fashion world forever. Then, a story about a Black, queer icon that you ...
07.16.2018 Best of the Nod: YouTube Conspiracy Theories According to a certain conspiracy theorist, Beyoncé is hiding a secret from the world. He also has strong feelings about Big Sean and clones. To commemorate our 1 year anniversary, we’ll be playing the hits, as determined by you, all ...
07.10.2018 An Oral History of Knuck If You Buck We reunite members of Crime Mob to get the inside story of Knuck If You Buck, the club anthem that defined the crunk era and took them from high school kids to rap legends. All tea, no shade—straight from the ...
07.02.2018 Wyatt Cenac Exposes The Ultimate Cheetos Conspiracy Comedian Wyatt Cenac, host of the new HBO series “Problem Areas,” joins Brittany and Eric onstage at their recent live show in Brooklyn. Wyatt dishes on his favorite conspiracy theories, makes a case for why we should ban all babies ...
06.25.2018 The Deacons Eric tells a story about forgotten part of civil-rights history that is still very much alive. In 1965, a group of black men in Louisiana called the Deacons for Defense and Justice took up arms against the Klan. Now a ...
06.19.2018 BONUS: Introducing Arlan Hamilton Brittany and Eric talk to Startup podcast host Amy Standen about Arlan Hamilton--a gay Black woman who started a venture capital fund unlike any other in Silicon Valley.
06.12.2018 The Legend of RZA and The Last Airbender A young man named Eric embarks on an epic quest to figure out why so many Black folks love kung fu. He seeks the wisdom of two teachers, including RZA of The Wu-Tang Clan and the lead martial arts consultant ...

Older episodes

The Nod

What's The Nod about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Nod episodes:

The Man Who Beat the NCAA

Conscious Rap: The Birth and the Backlash

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

How to Show Up

Six Degrees: Music Edition

The Vindication of Snap Music

Oprah’s Legends Ball: Endgame

The Rise and Fall of Black TV (feat. Erika Alexander)

How to Stay Southern

Jordyn Woods vs. The Kardashians

The Greatest Biopic That’s Never Been Made?

My Black Robot Friend

One-on-One

Chidi and The Good Place

A Madea Homegoing

Six Degrees: Black History Month Edition

What’s Wrong with A Little Romance? (Feat. Jasmine Guillory)

Can MDMA Treat Racial Trauma?

The Cult of Father Divine

Brittany's Choice: Sister, Sister

Eric's Choice: On That Lo Life $hit

2019 Glow Up

How We Failed

A Star Is Born On Beale Street

Good For The Blacks: Cardi vs. Nicki

The Fugitive

Black in Fashion

To All the Boys in Rom-Coms Who Suck

How to Make Free People

Nobody Looks Like Me

Eric Goes Full Witch

Ethiopian Lasagna and the Alchemy of Being Black

Six Degrees of Black Separation

We Went to See Beyoncé (and Jay-Z)

Kunta Thinks You’re Funny (feat. LeVar Burton)

Saving Grace

Bleeding and Healing

An Interview with Boots Riley

The Nod Bureau of Investigation

Beignets In, Breathe Out

#WhyNotKenan: Give Kenan Thompson His Emmy

Best of the Nod: The Hairstons

Best of the Nod: Cooperative Economics

Best of the Nod: Black Excellence

Best of the Nod: YouTube Conspiracy Theories

An Oral History of Knuck If You Buck

Wyatt Cenac Exposes The Ultimate Cheetos Conspiracy

The Deacons

BONUS: Introducing Arlan Hamilton

The Legend of RZA and The Last Airbender

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