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. 

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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. 

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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. 

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

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.