The Sam Sanders Show
The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.
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Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.
Most Recent Episode
Orville Peck: How Do You Hide Rock Bottom in Plain Sight?
Orville Peck bares his soul in his music, but chances are you wouldn’t be able to pick him out of a crowd.
For the entirety of his country music career he has been wearing a literal mask, on and off the stage. For Orville, the mask gives him the strength to be vulnerable. In his new album, Mule, he opens up even more while singing songs about his darkest moments with addiction, his time in rehab, and his path to sobriety.
Orville tells Sam about hitting rock bottom, how he stays authentic even while wearing a mask, his country music influences, and how he’s queering the genre in his own way.
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.
More Episodes
Is 2026 The Year of Book Monoculture?
Books are bringing people together this year in ways Sam has never seen before.
There have been a handful of times in the last few months alone when it felt like he was in one giant book club with his friends, reading the same books, and having deep conversations. It made Sam ask himself … are books actually hot this year? Or should we believe the headlines that Western society is moving toward a post literate society?
To figure it out, Sam turns to his favorite book people Traci Thomas (The Stacks) and Greta Johnsen (Happy to Be Here). Together they get into the books everybody is reading this year, discuss why reading literacy is in danger, and make a case that there’s a book out there for everyone.
Plus, Traci and Greta share a few book recommendations to add to your reading list.
Books mentioned in this episode:
'John of John' by Douglas Stewart
'Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage' by Belle Burden
'Yesteryear' by Caro Claire Burke
'Kin' by Tayari Jones
'The Disappearers' by Marlon James
'The Great Wherever' by Shannon Sanders
'Sunrise' by Téa Obreht
'Unreasonable Women' by Justine van der Leun
'American Hagwon' by Min Jin Lee
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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.
David Archuleta Powered Through Mormon Shame
David Archuleta shot to fame while competing on American Idol when he was just 17 years old.
During his time on the show he was a poster boy for his Mormon faith, but behind the scenes he was forced to hide his sexuality and queerness. He describes all of this in his memoir Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself. David talks to Sam about learning to accept himself, why his time on American Idol was terrifying, and the surprising ways he’s found community after leaving his religion.
David Archuleta’s new holiday album Warm Me Up is out this fall. Check out his website for tour dates.
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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.
Not The Odyssey: Small Movies Had A Big Blockbuster Summer
We gotta admit, this summer felt great for movies!
From all the monoculture surrounding The Odyssey, to the successful sleeper hits like Backrooms and Obsession, the past few months felt like a magical comeback for the industry.
Joining Sam to break it all down is Jacqueline Coley, awards editor at Rotten Tomatoes and host of the Seen On The Screen podcast. Together, they unpack the biggest lessons for Hollywood and also give some movie recommendations for your watchlist.
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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.
Wyclef Jean: How To Write A Hit Song
Musician and rapper Wyclef Jean shot to fame in the ‘90s after founding the seminal hip-hop group Fugees. Since then, he’s had an impressive solo career with plenty of acclaimed projects. He’s also become an undeniable hitmaker, creating massive records for artists like Shakira, Santana, Whitney Houston and many more.
Wyclef joined Sam in the studio with his guitar, to play some songs that tell his life story. From his campaign to be president of Haiti, to his fondness for church music, he shares the many life moments that shaped his craft.
He also breaks down his new project 'Quantum Leap,' a seven-album project spanning seven different genres. So far, his jazz album ‘Q Theory’ and ‘Clef Notes,’ the hip-hop project, are 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.
Fred Armisen Revisits Portlandia
This episode, we’re going back in time for one of Sam’s favorite shows…‘Portlandia!’
For eight seasons, the sketch comedy show famously poked fun at the hipster culture, all while set in a fictionalized version of Portland. Creators and co-stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein played many of the show’s central characters. Now, they’re revisiting the episodes with a weekly rewatch podcast called ‘Podlandia: A-O Rewatch with Fred and Carrie.’
Sam got to chat with Fred about the show, their favorite sketches, and why hipsters were always ripe for spoofing.
“Podlandia: A-O Rewatch” is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard. New episodes air every Thursday.
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.
What Made Dolly Parton So Beloved?
We will always love Dolly Parton.
Sam unpacks Dolly’s immense legacy with Ann Powers, critic and correspondent for NPR Music. Together they spend time reflecting on her many hit songs, her brilliant roles in Hollywood and her everlasting philanthropic efforts.
They also break down the secrets to Dolly’s impeccable stardom, diving into what exactly made her so ubiquitous and beloved. Plus, they share some overlooked music from her catalog.
Also, make sure to check out Ann's moving tribute essay to Dolly Parton.
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.
Did Summer 2026 Bring Back Monoculture?
Whether it was big sporting events, or big blockbusters, or even celebrity weddings, Summer 2026 had a ton of pop culture that we all consumed together. For the first time in years, we even talked about it all together.
But was it actually a return of monoculture? Sam looks at how this happened (and if it will ever happen again) with Esther Zuckerman, culture reporter for The Wall Street Journal who recently wrote all about the monoculture phenomenon.
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.
Janelle James: What’s It Like To Embody A Diva?
Comedian Janelle James became a star after playing the selfish, scamming, yet hilarious principal Ava Coleman in 'Abbott Elementary.'
She’s since been nominated for five Emmy awards for the role. But Janelle spent years grinding through the standup scene before finding television success. She told Sam about what inspired her to try comedy years ago, and what she’s learned about herself from playing a larger than life character in a sitcom. Plus, Janelle breaks down her forthcoming Hulu show inspired by her own childhood in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This conversation took place in front of a live audience at KCRW’s Annenberg Performance Studio in Santa Monica.
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.
Can Mamdani Save Broadway?
Sam recently experienced one of the best stage musicals he’s seen in years.
Cats: The Jellicle Ball reimagines the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber story with a ballroom twist. The show is filled with voguing, runway and Black, queer joy. It also won multiple Tony awards this year, which packed the theater night after night.
The whole show seemed like it was on the path to success, until it closed suddenly on August 8th.
Theater critic Naveen Kumar wrote about the fate of the production for The New York Times. He joined Sam to break down the major money problems facing Broadway. He also shares some ideas to fix them…Which may involve a certain charismatic mayor.
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.
Eliot Glazer: Spiritually Lesbian, Sexually Gay
Comedian Eliot Glazer feels like he “missed the first day of Gay 101.”
Even though he came out in college, he has always struggled to fit into gay culture. He doesn’t like the parties. He doesn’t wear the right clothes. Never listens to the right music. Can’t give off the right vibes.
He writes about all these feelings in his hilarious new book of essays ‘The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay.’ Eliot tells Sam about feeling like an outcast, yearning for connection, and how he learned to find peace with his style of queerness.
Check out Eliot on his book tour now through September.
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.
Is Culture Stuck? (From Decoder Ring)
Today we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Decoder Ring, a podcast that explores cultural mysteries.
In this episode, host Willa Paskin digs into one of Sam’s biggest critiques about culture right now. There is more of it than ever before, it’s more accessible than ever, but so little of it feels original. New movies are based on old stories, new songs are recycling old hooks, and fashion trends are cycling so fast that everything’s in. Has our culture grown stagnant?
Author and culture critic W. David Marx thinks so. His book, Blank Space, argues that there is a “blank space” in the 21st century where cultural innovation should be. David explains to Willa how culture change worked in the 20th century, what changed after the turn of the millennium, and what we might do about it.
Listen to Decoder Ring on your favorite podcast app!
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.
Hannah Einbinder on Comedy, Connection & Queer Art
Actor and comedian Hannah Einbinder has had an eventful past few years.
She burst onto the scene with the acclaimed HBO comedy ‘Hacks’ in 2021. She won an Emmy for her role last season, and is nominated again this year. Now, she’s starring in the new horror film, ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.’
Hannah tells Sam about the craft of transitioning from comedy to drama, television to film, and why her true love will always be standup. She also dives into the importance of queer art and her lessons for navigating Hollywood.
Plus, she tells Sam about her future passion project: An eventual stoner comedy made with her best friend.
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.
The Cyndi Lauper Conspiracy (From Switched on Pop)
Today we’re sharing Sam’s episode of Switched on Pop!
Sam believes in his heart that every song Cyndi Lauper has ever written is pop perfection.
Many fall for “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” but his favorite song is the slow burner “All Through The Night,” save for one moment: the synthesizer solo. For Sam, this solo never fit in. In this episode of Switched on Pop, co-host Charlie Harding helps Sam investigate the source of his musical malady and uncovers how the ‘80s got its groove.
You can find Switched on Pop on your favorite podcast app and now on Netflix!
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.
Are We All Nostalgic For Better Times?
If you could go anywhere back in time, where would you go?
That’s the premise of writer Jessica M. Goldstein’s new novel, Retro. Set in a fantastical time travel agency, the book follows wealthy tourists who take vacations to the past. Destinations include 1920s speakeasies, bachelor parties at Woodstock, or even just a day wandering through a Y2K shopping mall. Sam chats with Jessica about what inspired the book and what the time travel genre says about our obsession with nostalgia.
But first, Jessica unpacks a few modern hot topics…Like is smoking cool again? And why are movies so damn dark these days?
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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.
What Is Sam’s Guiding Philosophy? (From Well Said)
Today we’re bringing you Sam’s episode of the Well Said podcast.
The podcast explores all things public relations, communications, and the ever-evolving media landscape. Hosts Pia Arthur and Kelly Cheeseman talk to Sam about his career, his philosophy for interviewing, how he tries to break free from perfectionism and why he stopped covering politics.
Find Well Said on your favorite podcast app and on YouTube.
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.
Harvey Guillén Is Not An Overnight Success
You probably know Harvey Guillén from his breakout role as Guillermo in the FX vampire comedy 'What We Do In The Shadows.'
Working on the show was a masterclass in acting for Harvey, but he never lost sight of his childhood dream to perform on stage. That dream came true earlier this year when Harvey made his Broadway debut in the revival of 'The Rocky Horror Show.' He tells Sam about his road to the stage, which included collecting cans as a kid to pay for acting classes. Plus, he shares how his family always keeps him grounded, and his favorite pop culture scripture.
You can see Harvey Guillén in The Rocky Horror Show at Studio 54 in New York City.
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.
Jane Wickline Is Weird. In All The Best Ways
You probably know Jane Wickline from her hilariously awkward songs on 'Saturday Night Live.' Her absurd lyrics about topics like time management and Sabrina Carpenter have made her one of the most talked about comedians currently on the show.
Jane now stars in the off-broadway play Dukes, a show she created with her comedy partner Liva Pierce. It’s part sketch comedy, part musical theater, and a whole bunch of raunchy humor. Jane spoke with Sam all about the inspiration behind the show and what she’s learned from her time on SNL.
Catch Dukes on stage in New York at the SoHo Playhouse through August 2nd.
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.
Does ‘The Odyssey’ Have A Woman Problem?
The summer’s most anticipated blockbuster is finally here...
‘The Odyssey,’ directed by Christopher Nolan, is a retelling of the ancient Greek epic of the same name. The movie has received rave reviews, but for Sam the movie fell short.
He caught up with film critic Angelica Jade Bastién to break down the movie's highs and lows, from lackluster performances to bad lighting to Angelica’s biggest critique — Christopher Nolan doesn’t know how to write women.
Plus, Angelica shares a shortlist of her favorite films of the last few years. You can catch all her film reviews in ‘Vulture’ and in her substack ‘Madwomen & Muses.’
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.
The Enduring Humanity of Wikipedia
Wikipedia might be the last good corner of the internet.
Just take a look at the Instagram account Depths of Wikipedia. It’s run by superfan Annie Rauwerda. In the height of the pandemic, Annie started the page as a way to share screengrabs of the most obscure, weird, and hilarious entries to ever exist on the website. Since then the account has racked up thousands of followers.
Annie chats with Sam about the Wikipedia page that started her obsession, how a small but dedicated group of people continue to power the website, and what Wikipedia has taught her about the internet and humankind.
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.
What Happened To Authenticity? w/ Ryan O’Connell
Writer, producer and actor Ryan O'Connell wants Hollywood to be more honest.
He first broke onto the scene after creating the Netflix comedy series 'Special' in 2019. The show was inspired by his own experiences as a gay millennial living with cerebral palsy. He tells Sam about his journey as a young writer in the 2010s, what it means to be authentic in this era of virality, and the reality of working in entertainment.
Ryan’s new book of essays is called 'Inspiration Porn.' It’s filled with his musings on disability, sexuality, family, and fame.
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.
Madonna’s Pop Matriarchy
Confession: After several hours of sitting with Madonna’s new album on repeat, Sam isn’t sure he likes it…
To him, 'Confessions II' felt like a Madonna impersonation, stripped of a lot of the Madonna energy he’s loved for years. The album also raised some big questions: what even is Madonna anymore? What kind of music should we expect from a pop star who always seemed eternally young and new?
Sam breaks down these big feelings with musicology professor Louis Niebur, an expert on queer dance and music culture. He teaches at the University of Nevada, Reno. His book is called 'Menergy: San Francisco's Gay Disco Sound.'
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.
The Ultimate ‘90s Nostalgia Party (Live Show!)
The ‘90s are surely having a moment: the clothes, the music, the pop culture! It’s everywhere, but what’s the BEST the ‘90s had to offer?
In this special live taping, Sam is joined by his friends Traci Thomas, Eliot Glazer and Franklin Leonard to debate the best of the decade in a live ‘90s Nostalgia Bracket showdown.
Recorded at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles, Sam and the gang muse over the most iconic moments of ‘90s pop culture. Plus, composer Derek Muro plays some of the decade’s biggest hits on the piano. Sam even gives his own rendition of a major throwback banger.
Listen to the end to hear which moment is crowned the ultimate piece of 90’s nostalgia!
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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.
The Homoerotic Spectacle of ‘Love Island USA’
‘Love Island USA’ is known for its very hot and very straight contestants. But two guys this season, Zach and Bryce, are getting a lot of attention for their own intimate connection on the show.
Jason P. Frank is a superfan and writer for ‘Vulture.’ He breaks down what’s behind their homoerotic behavior. He also tells Sam why all the frenzy just might be a good thing…Especially during pride month.
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.
What Happens When a Trans Comedian Tours America Alone?
EVENT ALERT! Join us LIVE on June 28 at Dynasty Typewriter in LA. Get tickets here.
Roz Hernandez is a comedian who approaches the craft unlike most other comics right now.
For starters, she is a trans woman, working in a world still largely ruled by bros, her comedy is always tailored for her queer fanbase, and last year Roz embarked on a stand-up tour across the country, but instead of hitting up comedy clubs, she performed at gay bars.
She tells Sam about the lessons she learned on the road and how the current political climate around trans issues has changed the way she thinks about jokes. Roz shares many of these lessons in her new audiobook: ‘Peeing in an Empty Bottle: And Other Glamorous Shenanigans of an Almost-Famous Transgender Comedienne on the Road.’
Plus, Roz explains how she became a ghost huntress and Sam argues that ghosts are actually very queer.
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.