Choice Words with Samantha Bee

Comedian Jena Friedman welcomes Sam back from her summer hiatus and talks about what it was like to work together at The Daily Show. Jena talks about how the Ben and Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard taught her about mortality and how she similarly is a “great flavor that people don’t appreciate.” Sam hears about Jena’s new show, Motherfucker, which she’s now working on at Edinburgh (though they can&rsquo...

This week, we’re introducing you to Ask Iliza Anything. Comedian Iliza Shlesinger delivers brutally honest, hilarious advice you didn’t know you needed—covering everything from nightmare coworkers and psychotic bridesmaids to genuinely heartfelt life advice. Iliza loves nothing more than giving incisive life advice to total strangers, sometimes with a celebrity guest in tow. It’s always entertaining. 

I...

Actor and fellow Daily Show alum Josh Gad joins Sam to talk about why it’s harder to do political satire now than in the early aughts (hint: it’s the fascism). They also talk about his new book, In Gad We Trust, lying to your therapist, experiencing imposter syndrome even after years of success, and why he tried to say no to the Book of Mormon. Plus they talk about why Trump impersonations are bad for comedy and hurt mo...

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes joins Sam and drops the most intimate choice yet—the decision to kiss his now-wife for the first time! Chris talks about how he is perhaps *too* decisive,  what the right level of fame is, how his life improved when he stopped reading his mentions and Donald Trump’s pathological and genuine need for attention. They talk about Chris’ new book The Sirens’ Call and why they agree ...

Good Things from Lemonada Media is a podcast about the good people in the world who are rolling up their sleeves and working hard to make things better. Each week, we'll be talking about this country's most complex and confounding issues in an effort to affect systemic change, with a rotating cast of incredible guests and Lemonada hosts. From the dire condition of the American foster care system to the decline of Diversity, Equity ...

Weird Al Yankovic joins Samantha Bee to discuss their unique meet-cute, and how their interview came to be due to a scam gone right. Al tells Sam about how he’s actually happy with all the choices he’s made in life except (other than wishing he had bought Apple stock) and yet he agonizes over little decisions—especially when editing music videos. He reveals that the ultimate dig at him is when people say he’...

Elie Mystal, author of Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America, joins Sam to unpack how America could choose just ten laws to get rid of, and how you actually go about repealing laws—spoiler, it’s actually pretty easy. They commiserate over watching Democrats squander power when they have it, and how at best they’re a part of wet blankets, and why it’s their obligation to continually shout about w...

Chef and restaurateur Nancy Silverton joins Sam to talk about being one of the first American chefs to bring sourdough to the masses. They talk about Nancy opening a new diner with longtime friend Phil Rosenthal and how to decide what gets to be on the menu (not yogurt, yes cottage cheese). They talk about how to run more than one restaurant at a time, and protecting her immigrant kitchen workers at her Los Angeles restaurants from...

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka joins Sam to talk about her new special “Father” and why in her relationship she is “father” and her husband is “mother.” They talk about recalibrating your goals once you’ve reached them, which is what Atsuko had to do after accomplishing her only childhood goal of working at an ice cream parlor. They discuss Atsuko being unknowingly undocumented as a child after h...

Senator Elizabeth Warren joins Sam to explain that the most important thing individuals can do right now to fight back is to pick their path of resistance and be loud about it—and sometimes that means being the most annoying person at the party until you get your way. They dive into the corruption of the infamous memecoin dinner, how her former employer Harvard University is demonstrating exactly how to fight back, and how th...

As a bonus, we’re thrilled to share an episode of Happier with Gretchen Rubin, another standout podcast from Lemonada Media — and one that recently featured our very own Sam as a guest!

Happier is hosted by Gretchen Rubin, the #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before. Known for her insightful, practical advice, Gretchen brings her signature approach to building good habits and finding more j...

Cofounder of Run For Something and Author of When We’re In Charge Amanda Litman joins Sam to talk about the gerontocracy running our country and her call for politicians over 70 to stop running for re-election. They talk about how to be a better boss and why that includes creating better parental leave programs and the importance of a four day work week. Sam asks Amanda if we’ll ever have “normal” boring pol...

Chef, author, activist and restaurateur Tom Colicchio joins Sam to talk about big life decisions like joining Top Chef almost 20 years ago and how it’s one of the only times he hasn’t followed his wife’s advice. They reminisce over meeting while Sam was dressed as a flight attendant and having kids that only eat bread. Tom explains his “shoot from the hip” decision making process and the occasional pro...

Each week, comedians and best friends Jessica St. Clair and June Diane Raphael take a ‘deep dive’ into their real lives and discuss a wide range of topics including how to pursue joy amidst the insanity of motherhood and family, grief and loss, sh*t they put on their faces, and why they refuse to check their voicemails or unpack their suitcases. 

In this episode, June and Jessica petition to bring back the return o...

Connie Britton, creator and host of Hallmark’s new series The Motherhood, joins Sam to unpack parenting and talk about the importance of choosing community when raising kids, and how she is now helping other new single moms to do the same. They talk about why it’s hard for women to ask for help, how babies don’t respect working hours, why it’s important for kids to see a range of emotions from their parents,...

Weird Al Yankovic joins Samantha Bee to discuss their unique meet-cute, and how their interview came to be due to a scam gone right. Al tells Sam about how he’s actually happy with all the choices he’s made in life except (other than wishing he had bought Apple stock) and yet he agonizes over little decisions—especially when editing music videos. He reveals that the ultimate dig at him is when people say he’...

Renowned restaurant critic, food writer, and magazine editor Ruth Reichl joins Sam to talk about why taking a job as the editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine was such a hard decision, and how it ended up changing her life. They talk about getting paid to do a job you would do for free, her new documentary “Food and Country,” thoughts on meal kits, and their recurring waitressing nightmares.

Keep up with Samantha Bee @rea...

Iconic American fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi joins Sam and talks about choosing to honor a commitment to do costumes at the Kennedy Center despite its hostile conservative takeover. They talk about his Trump-induced “meat-mares”, how sometimes there’s nothing to do but “double Spanx” and learning to do female impersonations as a seven year old in Brooklyn. Isaac tells Sam about how he loves performin...

Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii joins Sam to talk about what it’s like to show up to work amidst all the chaos in DC and why the best preparation for being in Congress was growing up with three brothers. They discuss why the enormous dissatisfaction with President Trump still can’t paper over the real problems with Democrats, the importance of telling different types of people that they are welcome in the Democratic part...