Choice Words with Samantha Bee

Choice Words with Samantha Bee

We make a lot of choices, every single day. Some explode, some implode, most we barely remember. Each week on Choice Words, Samantha Bee sits down with people she admires to examine the biggest choices they’ve made in their lives and the ripple effects those decisions have had. What’s a story a journalist took a chance on that changed history? A vote that a politician never should have cast? A song lyric a musician came up with in the shower that made them instantly famous? Sam’s made a lot of choices, too. She may have to interview herself about starting this podcast.

Episodes

May 23, 2024 47 mins

As the author and podcast host of “Freakonomics,” Stephen Dubner spends a lot of time thinking about and studying what goes into good decision-making. In one of our favorite episodes from the vault, he gives Sam tips on balancing logic with emotion, offers ways to use your imagination to help you make a choice, and defends the coin-flip method.

Follow Stephen Dubner @Freakonomics on X.

Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Ins...

Mark as Played

When Laura Dern found out that her mother, Diane Ladd, had scarring on her lungs, the doctor told her to be gentle with her mom because she’d be dead in 6 months. Laura chose to challenge that diagnosis by taking her mother on regular walks to expand her lung capacity. Not only did it work, but it turned into a new book co-written by the two award-winning actresses. In one of our favorite episodes from the vault, Sam asks the mothe...

Mark as Played

We’re bringing you an episode of A Slight Change of Plans from our friends at Pushkin. Named by Apple as the Best Show of the Year 2021, host Dr. Maya Shankar blends compassionate storytelling with the science of human behavior to help us understand who we are, and who we become, in the face of a big change.

In this episode, psychologist Dr. Marisa Franco argues that it's a mistake to prioritize romantic and familial relationships...

Mark as Played

When actor David Duchovny was teaching his daughter to ride a bike, he made the questionable choice of taking her to the top of a grassy hill at Pepperdine University in Malibu and pointing her straight downhill toward Highway 1. Luckily she learned (quickly) how to brake, but he realized not all of his ideas are good ones. In fact, some are failures. Sam asks David how to view failure through a positive lens, why it’s so hard for ...

Mark as Played

When actor Kerry Washington’s parents told her a massive family secret five years ago, it shook her entire world. And despite being an extremely private person, Kerry decided to reveal this shocking information in her memoir, “Thicker Than Water.” In one of our favorite episodes from the vault, Sam and Kerry discuss how learning this truth helped Kerry know herself for the first time in her life and what made her want to share her ...

Mark as Played

When actor Rob Delaney’s two-and-a-half-year-old son Henry died, Rob decided to share his family’s experience with Henry’s illness and death with the world. What emerged was the deeply personal memoir, “A Heart That Works.” In this best-of episode from 2023, Sam asks Rob about how his approach to his career shifted after Henry passed away, a seemingly small choice he made at a recovery meeting that ultimately changed the trajectory...

Mark as Played

When Rosie O’Donnell chose to step away from her talk show after six successful seasons, her actor friends thought she was out of her mind. In one of our favorite episodes from the vault, Sam asks Rosie what went into that professional choice as well as a personal one: celebrating her 50th by adopting a baby. Rosie relives moments like drunk-dialing Oprah, fighting with Eileen Fisher, and uttering a sentence that’s never been said ...

Mark as Played

Sam wants to introduce you to another great show from Lemonada Media. Last Day is about the moments that change us fundamentally and forever. Each week, host and Lemonada co-founder Stephanie Wittels Wachs sits down with a new guest to explore happy/sad stories of survival, resilience, and transformation.

In this episode, Stephanie speaks with Christine Blasey Ford, whose life changed forever when she raised her hand in the U.S. S...

Mark as Played

When actor Nick Offerman first got together with actress Megan Mullally, she had just won her first Emmy for Will and Grace and he was living in a dirt basement in Silver Lake. They bought a fancy house, he jumped into his new swimming pool and got through about a song and a half before realizing he couldn’t lay around smoking weed and listening to Neil Young all day. Sam asks Nick how he brings purpose into his life no matter what...

Mark as Played

We’re dropping in your feed to let you know that Julia Louis-Dreyfus has returned for Season 2 of her award-winning podcast, Wiser Than Me™! Each week, she has funny, touching, personal conversations with iconic older women who are brimming with the kind of unapologetic attitude and wisdom that only comes with age. Julia sits at the feet of some extraordinary teachers this season, and of course her 90-year-old mom, Judy. Tune in to...

Mark as Played

At the beginning of the pandemic, when wildfire ash was falling on actor Busy Philipps’ face, she and her family made the unlikely decision to move to New York City. The choice paid off in the form of a phone call from Tina Fey asking her to audition for a new TV show, Girls5eva. Now in its third season, Sam asks Busy about the choices she’s made since then, including a divorce sale, a large donation to support abortion access, and...

Mark as Played

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Sam joins Ilana Glazer, Pamela Adlon, and Michelle Buteau live from SXSW to talk about their new film, ‘Babes.’ The movie, which debuted in Austin and hits theaters on May 17, is all about female friendship and the truly insane surprises of pregnancy and childbirth. The writer/director/actor trio get real with Sam about motherhood, orgasms, and why certain people want to keep women in the da...

Mark as Played

When Roy Wood Jr. was arrested for stealing a credit card at 19 years old, he thought his life was over. While awaiting his sentencing and with nothing to lose, he decided to finally try standup comedy. He was a natural, and when the judge decided to give him probation over prison, he decided to pursue comedy for real. Roy talks about learning how to perform in the South, why he’d rather jump out of a window than be pushed, and his...

Mark as Played

We’re bringing you an episode of Dear Prudence from our friends at Slate. In this episode, Roxane Gay (best-selling author of Bad Feminist and Opinions) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to decline a colleague’s invitation to dinner, when it’s okay to ghost a friend for good reasons, and what to do when you’re burned out on dating apps. Follow Dear Prudence to never miss an episode: https:...

Mark as Played

Tech journalist Kara Swisher was five years old when her father died, teaching her from a young age that time is precious and she didn’t want to waste a single minute of it. Sam asks her how that lesson translates into her choices today, from abruptly leaving jobs to asking prominent people blunt and uncomfortable questions. Kara shares her opinion on Biden’s age, offers tips on cutting through bullshit, and commiserates with Sam o...

Mark as Played

At the height of comedian Chris Gethard’s career, he was hosting his own show and making more money than ever. Yet, his teeth were falling out from the stress and unhappiness of it all. Now, he plays dinosaurs with his son, volunteers with his local ambulance, and says his life is one hundred times less cool but a thousand times happier. Sam asks Chris about the choices he made to create a more well rounded life and how to define e...

Mark as Played

When Karamo was 15 years old, he came out as gay to his best friend. That didn’t stop her from convincing him to lose their virginity together and ten years later, he found out he had a son. In one of our favorite episodes from the vault, Sam asks Karamo about the choices he made to forgive his friend, take custody of his son, and stop living in fear. They talk about his experience as the first openly gay Black man on reality TV, h...

Mark as Played

When Tinder first came out in 2012, former Cosmopolitan sex and relationships’ editor Lane Moore knew she needed to turn it into a comedy show. Now, she tours the world riffing on ridiculous profiles, swiping right alongside a live audience, and sharing in the humor and misery of online dating. Sam asks Lane what to watch out for in dating profiles, when it’s time to end things with a friend, and how writing books like her latest, ...

Mark as Played

When comedian Eric André was boarding a flight in Atlanta, Georgia, he was “randomly” picked out of line by cops and searched for drugs. Instead of chalking the experience up to yet another racist day in America, he decided to sue the Clayton County Police Department for racial profiling. In one of our favorite episodes from 2023, Sam asks Eric what went into making that choice, why he no longer works in coffee shops, and how one p...

Mark as Played

Author Tara Schuster grew up in a neglectful, abusive household where “things came to die,” as she puts it. After a suicidal episode at age 25, she began a journey to reparent herself which led to two practical self-help books, “Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies,” and “Glow in the F*cking Dark.” Tara teaches Sam how to use a “values filter” to make choices, why unfollowing a friend on social media may be the best thing you can do for...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    The Nikki Glaser Podcast

    Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.

    White Devil

    Shootings are not unusual in Belize. Shootings of cops are. When a wealthy woman – part of one of the most powerful families in Belize – is found on a pier late at night, next to a body, it becomes the country’s biggest news story in a generation. New episodes every Monday!

    Start Here

    A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc.