This week, writer Anne Helen Petersen unpacks the idea of Feminist Exhaustion — a term she coined to describe the burnout, backlash, and disillusionment many women feel toward the hollow promises of modern feminism. Sam and Anne explore how pop culture shaped (and warped) our ideas of empowerment through shows like Scandal, Girls and basically every recent Nicole Kidman project. Plus, they dive into the evolution from girlboss to tradwife, and ask how future generations can redefine what feminism means.

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Anyone else exhausted? 

We’re halfway through the year, so it’s time for a pop culture check-in! 

Sam is joined by two of your faves  — Linda Holmes (Pop Culture Happy Hour) and Ronald Young Jr. (Leaving the Theater, Weight For It) — to break down the best and worst of the year so far. From Sinners to The Studio to Love Island and the online discourse that kept us all talking. Plus, an epic fix for The White Lotus season four (you’re welcome). 

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Atsuko Okatsuka’s comedy is bright and joyful, yet rooted in trauma. In this episode, she joins Sam to talk about her wild childhood, including being kidnapped by her grandmother, growing up undocumented in LA, and navigating her mother’s schizophrenia. They also talk about Atsuko’s new Hulu special Father, and what it reveals about marriage, mental illness, and emotional survival. Along the way, she explains why she calls herself the “father” in her relationship, how she tried to hire a sex worker for her mom, and what happened when she attempted to give her 91-year-old grandma a bath. 

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Today we’re sharing an episode from our friends at The Big Flop!

Every week, the show unpacks pop culture’s most fascinating flops, frauds, and fiascos. In this episode, host Misha Brown throws back to Woodstock '99 with Sam and Lindy West (Text Me Back!). The music fest was meant to commemorate the original 1969 festival with “three days of peace and music” but instead became "three days of rage and chaos." If you thought Fyre Fest was bad… At least it wasn’t actually on fire! 

Listen to The Big Flop on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

Allison Williams became a millennial icon as Marnie on HBO’s Girls — but her second act is even more thrilling. From Get Out to M3GAN, she’s carved out a new space as a horror star and unexpected scream queen. In this episode, Allison joins Sam to unpack what draws her to morally messy characters, and why she keeps playing women we love to hate. They dive into her newest film, M3GAN 2.0, and what it says about AI, parenting, and the eerie ways tech is shaping our lives. Plus, a look back at Girls and why Gen Z has rediscovered it with fresh eyes. Is Allison in on the joke? Absolutely. And she’s got stories.

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

We’re taking a little break from the show week, but very excited to share an episode from the Normal Gossip podcast. It’s a hilarious show with a simple premise: listeners send in the strangest, juiciest gossip they’ve heard, then host Rachelle Hampton dishes it all out. In this episode, Sam and Rachelle break down a case of “accidental” love-bombing at a Colombian hostel.

Enjoy!

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

Actor Jeff Hiller opens up about his journey from church kid in Texas to queer fame in Hollywood. Jeff and Sam swap stories of growing up gay in conservative Christian spaces, where church was both a sanctuary and a source of shame. They unpack the complicated ways faith and queerness collide. They also break down how Hollywood struggles to tell stories about people who are queer, religious, working class — and simply human. 

Jeff Hiller’s new memoir is called Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success. It details his breakout role on HBO’s Somebody Somewhere and why success approaching 50 feels better than he ever imagined.

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

This week, we’re building the ultimate Queer Hollywood Mount Rushmore. Who belongs on the mountain of the most iconic LGBTQ+ entertainers in history? 

Sam is joined by comedians Cameron Esposito and Jay Jurden for a fast, funny, and heartfelt debate covering everyone from RuPaul to Little Richard, Janelle Monáe to George Michael, and Abraham Lincoln. Yes, we put Lincoln on the list. No, we’re not taking it back. Along the way, they unpack what it really means to be a queer icon, reflect on Pride anthems, and make the case for queer space travel. 

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

We all know the saga of Britney Spears. Her meteoric rise, followed by a grim downfall and a troubling conservatorship. Her story captured a generation. But what does it say about America and ourselves?

Sam reflects on it all with journalists Andrea Domanick and Jeff Weiss. They break down Britney’s impact on music, the tabloids that encroached on her private life and how she became a symbol for America’s downfall. 

Jeff is the author of the new book Waiting For Britney Spears: A True Story, Allegedly. Andrea is a reporter and editor for KCRW and co-host of The Culture Journalist podcast. 

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.