This American Life

This American Life

Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.

Episodes

The Americans Outside My Window

January 12, 2026 • 19 mins

In this special mini-episode an extra episode this week! we hear from someone in Venezuela with a very specific take on last week's U.S. attack./p

Mark as Played

878: New Lore Drop

January 11, 2026 • 60 mins
pPeople discovering information about their own lives that they did not know, and suddenly everything looks very different. /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_id=lifepartnersutm_source=rssutm_medium=shownotesthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription./pulliPrologue: When Pete turned 18, his dad took him on a drive to reveal a family secret he was finally old enough to know. ...
Mark as Played

850: If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Hold This Thread as I Walk Away

January 4, 2026 • 65 mins
pThe tiny thing that unravels your world. /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_id=lifepartnersutm_source=rssutm_medium=shownotesthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription./pulliPrologue: Ira talks to Chris Benderev, whose high school years were completely upended by an impromptu thing his teacher said. (8 minutes)/liliAct One: For Producer Lilly Sullivan, there’s one story abo...
Mark as Played

801: Must Be Rats on the Brain

December 28, 2025 • 72 mins
pThe one animal we can’t seem to live without, even when we really, really want to. /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.comthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription/pulliPrologue: At the announcement of New York City’s inaugural rat czar, we meet Darneice Foster, who despises the rats outside her apartment. And host Ira Glass introduces two special co-hosts for today’s show. (11 min...
Mark as Played

Christmas and Commerce

December 24, 2025 • 62 mins
pStories about the intersection of Christmas and retail, originally broadcast in 1996 when our show was only a year old. Including David Sedaris's Santaland Diaries about the seasons he spent working as an elf at Macy's./p
Mark as Played

877: The Making Of

December 21, 2025 • 61 mins
pHow one block in Portland, Oregon became a movie-set war zone that lots of people think is a real war zone. /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.comthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription — or to give one as a gift!/pulliPrologue: What the movie Hearts of Darkness and right-wing influencers have in common. (8 minutes)/liliAct One: Producers Zoe Chace and Suzanne Gaber follow a bun...
Mark as Played

876: Bigger Than Me

December 7, 2025 • 60 mins
pWhen history comes knocking, you have to figure out what to do. /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.comthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription./pulliPrologue: Brittany’s job is to answer anonymous calls and texts from people in the military. This year, she’s gotten more than usual–most of them are wondering about what to do with orders they’ve been given. Or orders they’re afraid...
Mark as Played

875: I Hate Mysteries

November 23, 2025 • 62 mins
pWhat’s in the box? What’s in the $%amp;ing box?!? /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.comthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription./pulliPrologue: A class of second graders is handed a sealed box with a mystery object inside. They are supposed to guess what it is, but the lesson goes off the rails. (8 minutes)/liliAct One: A man is hired along with a crew to dig a mysterious hole o...
Mark as Played

874: Under One Roof

November 16, 2025 • 65 mins
pWhat’s great about living in a family is that everyone sees everything differently. Also, that’s what’s awful about living in a family. We go behind closed doors with two families.   /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.comthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription./pulliPrologue: When Heather Gay started taking steps away from Mormonism, she thought it was her secret. That her daugh...
Mark as Played

873: Got You Pegged

November 9, 2025 • 61 mins
pShalom Auslander goes on vacation with his family, suspects the beloved, chatty old man in the room next door is an imposter, and sets out to prove it. This and other stories about the pitfalls of making snap judgments about others. /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.comthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription./pulliPrologue: Amy Roberts thought it was obvious that she was an adu...
Mark as Played

872: Winners

November 2, 2025 • 57 mins
pAmerica loves winners—now more than ever. But how do you get to a win in 2025 America? We watch someone trying to score a win in a game whose rules are being made up as she plays.  /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.comthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription./pulliPrologue: Ira talks to producer Diane Wu about an informal survey she’s done with the staff of This American Life ab...
Mark as Played

871: The Thing About Things

October 26, 2025 • 59 mins
pThree stories about the strange power inanimate objects can hold over us. /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.comthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription./pulliPrologue: Nunzio gets caught in a kind of servile relationship—with a scooter. (8 minutes)/liliAct One: Ted was six when he first picked up a rock from the Petrified Forest National Park. Nearly 50 years later, he really wi...
Mark as Played

An Update from Ira

October 16, 2025 • 5 mins
pIra Glass shares some news about This American Life/p pTo sign up as a Life Partner, visit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_campaign=lifepartnersamp;utm_source=rssamp;utm_medium=shownotesthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a/p
Mark as Played

866: Watch Out for That Tree

September 5, 2025 • 67 mins
pSmall human plans that run into much larger obstacles. /ppVisit a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rssutm_medium=shownotesutm_id=lifepartnersthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a to sign up for our premium subscription./pulliPrologue: Angela's dad, an accountant, made a spreadsheet to prepare for their family trip to a national park. But there are things you never think to put in a spreadsheet. (7 minutes)/lil...
Mark as Played

Bonus: Nancy's Deep Cuts

July 17, 2025 • 26 mins
pIra Glass talks with longtime producer Nancy Updike about the most personal stories they have put on the radio. This is a sample of the bonus episodes we regularly release to our This American Life Partners./p pTo gain access to all the bonus episodes AND help us keep making This American Life, join at a href=https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rssamp;utm_medium=shownotesamp;utm_campaign=bonus-content-promoamp;utm_i...
Mark as Played

A Big Announcement

October 16, 2024 • 4 mins
pIra Glass has news to share about some things happening here at This American Life./p pTo sign up as a Life Partner, visit a href=https://www.thisamericanlife.org/lifepartnersthisamericanlife.org/lifepartners/a./p
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Stuff You Should Know

    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.

    Crime Junkie

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.

    NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal

    NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal

    Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.

    Dateline NBC

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Breakfast Club

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

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

Connect

Explore

iHeart

Live Radio

Podcasts

Artist Radio

Exclusives

News

Features

Events

Contests

Photos

Information

About

Advertise

Blog

Brand Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

Subscription Offers

Jobs

Get the App

Automotive

Home

Mobile

Wearables

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.