Comedian Zainab Johnson joins Sam for a smart, funny, and unfiltered conversation about identity, comedy, and power. 

They dive into her standup special Hijabs Off (now on Prime Video), where Zainab explores what it means to be Black, Muslim, and a woman in America — and why that trifecta still feels radical. She opens up about performing in a post-DEI Hollywood, navigating Islamophobia, and finding freedom in standup. They also unpack the rise of crowd work, the hustle of comedy today, and what it really takes to be heard. 

Plus: Zainab shares the surprising story of how the Wayans family helped kick start her career.

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Some movies are so bad, they become iconic. Think Cats, Joker: Folie à Deux, Madame Web, and The Flash—massive flops that cost studios millions and spark endless debate. 

Sam breaks down why these high-profile films failed – and whether Hollywood is learning anything from its most embarrassing box office bombs. Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer of the What Went Wrong podcast join him to explore VFX disasters, star power misfires, and the curse of franchise fatigue. Why do these flops keep happening – can Hollywood learn anything from these box office disasters? 

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

The ice bucket challenge is back, Lady Gaga’s making dance-pop again, and everyone’s hoarding tinned fish. Could it all mean… a recession?

Comedians Zach Zimmerman and Eliot Glazer join us to unpack the internet’s funniest (and eeriest) recession indicator memes — from “recession blonde” to layaway coachella tickets to the return of vampire movies.

Then, the hot takes fly: Zach argues that daytime TV needs to be mean again (bring back the mess!), while Eliot questions the cult of Kylie Minogue and calls for Joy Behar to take over The View.

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

After almost 20 years of box office dominance, is the Marvel Cinematic Universe starting to fall apart? 

Sam dives deep into the highs and lows of Marvel with two sharp pop culture minds, Kyle Buchanan (NY Times) and Tracy Brown (LA Times), exploring what’s gone wrong in recent years — and whether Thunderbolts* marks a real reset or just more of the same. They dig into Marvel’s pivot to TV, the fatigue of endless interconnected stories, and what the MCU could learn from newer hits like Sinners. Plus, will video game adaptations become Hollywood’s next big hit?

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This episode is nothing but hot takes!

In a world drowning in opinions, Sam and friends serve up their spiciest ones — the kind that spark debate, start drama, or are just too real to admit out loud.

TV writer and producer Kara Brown (Swarm, She-Hulk, Grown-ish) joins to argue that spoilers aren’t actually bad — and she means it. But not so fast: Sam’s own team member and resident contrarian Beau Delmore steps in with the rebuttal.

It’s heated. It’s hilarious. It’s your safe space for bad opinions.

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

How is entertainment changing with our current political moment? 

Hollywood networks are scrapping trans storylines, DEI pipelines set up after 2020 are shutting down, and the conservative universe is thriving online. Are big studios chasing Donald Trump voters like the last time he was elected? Or is the chokehold of social media influencing how everyone else does business? Sam unpacks it all with two journalistic all-stars, Taylor Lorenz of User Mag and Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw. 

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

Marsai Martin became a star at just 9 years old on Black-ish. Now 20, she’s holding her own opposite Viola Davis in the new action thriller G20. Sam talks with Marsai about growing up in Hollywood, why she avoids “Black pain” roles, and how her Texas upbringing keeps her grounded. Plus, her mom Carol joins the conversation to share the family values that helped Marsai thrive in the spotlight.

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.

For millions of people, the soundtrack of their lives is curated by Spotify. The streaming giant has made it easier than ever to listen to music, but journalist Liz Pelly argues that it’s also devalued music in our culture and the artists who make it. Her new book is called Mood Machine: The Rise Of Spotify And The Costs Of The Perfect Playlist. Liz breaks down how the streaming service changed the music industry. Then, KCRW DJ and host Novena Carmel shares how she thinks about music in a world dominated by algorithms. 

Catch Novena’s sets everyday on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic.

Liz Pelly’s book Mood Machine: The Rise Of Spotify And The Costs Of The Perfect Playlist is out now. 

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

The Star Wars Holiday Special, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, and Rob Lowe singing with Snow White at the Oscars have gone down in history as some of the worst TV ever made. Bruce Vilanch is the man behind them all. He recounts his biggest TV flops in his new book It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time. Sam chats with Bruce about how those infamous TV moments were made, how writing TV comedy has changed, and what it’s like to write for awards shows. Plus, Bruce shares advice for aspiring writers.

It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time is out now. 

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.

With her debut novel Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters made history as the first openly trans writer to be published by a major publishing house. Now, she’s back with a new book that makes the case that we’re all living the trans experience. It’s called Stag Dance, and it challenges how we think about gender and explores transness not as an identity, but an invitation. Torrey and Sam dive into trans representation, the power of writing things that make people uncomfortable and how trans art can flourish, even in today’s political climate.

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