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.
Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.
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. He currently co-hosts Vibe Check.
Most Recent Episode
Are We Living in a Feminist Dystopia?
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.
More Episodes
What’s Worth Watching (and Skipping) in 2025 So Far?
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.
Can Atsuko Okatsuka Turn Family Trauma Into Comedy Gold?
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.
Woodstock '99: Mosh Pit at the Apocalypse with Sam Sanders and Lindy West (From The Big Flop)
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.
Is Allison Williams Afraid of Her Own Movies?
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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A United Nations of Red Flags (From Normal Gossip)
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.
Jeff Hiller: Can Faith And Queerness Coexist?
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.
Who’s On Your Queer Hollywood Mount Rushmore?
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.
What happened to Britney Spears and the Millennial Dream?
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.
Zainab Johnson: Is It Still Radical Just to Exist?
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.
Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.
Can Hollywood Learn from Its Biggest Bombs?
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?
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 Pop Culture in a Recession? Hot Takes Round 2
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.
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.
Has Marvel Lost Its Magic?
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?
Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.
Are Spoilers Actually Bad? And More Pop Culture Hot Takes
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.
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 Entertainment Moving to the Right?
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.
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.
How Did Marsai Martin Conquer Child Stardom?
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.
The Dark Side Of The Perfect Playlist
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.
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.
Why Do We Love Bad TV?
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.
Is Gender Just a Story?
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.
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 Movie Stars Dead?
Are movie stars a thing of the past? Paul Scheer (actor, comedian) and Amy Nicholson (LA Times film critic) – co-hosts of the Unspooled podcast – join Sam to break down why Hollywood stopped making true stars. Gone are the days of Denzel, Julia, and Tom – now it’s all about franchises, streaming, and social media clout. So who’s to blame? Studio execs afraid to take risks? IP-obsessed filmmakers? Too many TikTok dance challenges? Sam, Amy, and Paul get into it all – and then put on their Hollywood exec hats to pitch their own foolproof plan to revive the capital-M Movie Star.
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 Reality TV Falling Apart?
Is reality TV in trouble? Seasons are shorter, fresh stars are hard to find, and production is down. Sam digs into the drama with Rachel Lindsay (former Bachelorette, host of Morally Corrupt and Higher Learning) and Ryan Bailey (host of So Bad It’s Good). They break down whether the reality TV bubble is bursting, how social media changed the game, and why execs keep making the same mistakes. Plus, they dish on contestant horror stories and debate whether unionizing could save the industry.
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.
Why Are Movie Wigs So Bad?!
This Oscars weekend we have a bonus episode on a topic that really irks Sam – bad wigs on the big screen. Here to break down what’s going on is Hollywood hairstylist and wigmaker Dawn Dudley. Her work has been seen in A Star is Born, Rob Zombie’s The Munsters, HBO’s Westworld and tons more. She breaks down what’s really happening on Hollywood sets and says it’s often not the hairstylist’s fault.
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 Hipster Grifter Speaks: Kari Ferrell on Scamming & Redemption
Kari Ferrell became a viral sensation in 2009 after her small time cons gained international attention. She was living in Brooklyn, working at Vice News when she was exposed and dubbed “The Hipster Grifter.” Sam chats with Kari about what led her to become a scammer, why the media became so obsessed and her road to redemption. Kari Ferrell’s new memoir You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist 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.
Escaping Heartbreak with Musician Caroline Rose
Caroline Rose makes music that cuts deep, and their latest album, year of the slug, is no exception. Sam talks with the indie singer-songwriter about why this album isn’t on Spotify, the struggle of working-class musicians in today’s industry, and how rejecting major platforms is an act of artistic defiance. Plus, Caroline opens up about their past breakup album The Art of Forgetting, how it helped Sam process his own grief, and what it means to truly move on. They also share exclusive acoustic performances of “conversations with shiv (liquid k song)” and “Tell Me What You Want.”
Check out year of the slug on Bandcamp.
Listen to 10% Happier with Dan Harris to hear more about Sam’s journey with grief.
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.