Episodes

  • When the Bookie Is in Your Pocket

    When the Bookie Is in Your Pocket
    Mar 26 2026
    One man’s journey from suburban dad to self-described “degenerate gambler.” The Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins joins Audie to recount how he spent $10,000 of his employer’s money betting on the NFL over the course of a season. They discuss how online sports gambling reshaped his habits, what it reveals about a rapidly expanding industry, and how betting has seeped into everyday culture. Plus, the manosphere of it all. Producers: Jesse Remedios & Lori Galarreta Senior Producer: Matt Martinez Technical Director: Dan Dzula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • From JFK to RFK Jr.: How the Kennedys Track American Culture

    From JFK to RFK Jr.: How the Kennedys Track American Culture
    Mar 19 2026
    From Camelot-era glamour to RFK Jr.’s viral moments, the Kennedys have a way of reflecting the cultural mood of any given time. That pattern is resurfacing again—with a buzzy FX series on JFK Jr. and a fresh wave of online fascination. Audie Cornish sits down with comedian and The United States of Kennedy co-host George Civeris to unpack how the family evolved from political dynasty into cultural barometer—and what their latest chapter reveals about where America is right now. Produced by Jesse Remedios and Lori Galarreta Senior Producer: Matt Martinez Technical Director: Dan Dzula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • Oscars 2026: Chalamet, Sinners ... and Our Predictions

    Oscars 2026: Chalamet, Sinners ... and Our Predictions
    Mar 12 2026
    This year’s Oscars race has been great for film and weird for discourse. There’s the friendly Best Picture duel between two crowd-pleasing films from the same studio. The acting categories are stacked with talent. And yet the final week of campaigning has been dominated by talk about Timothée Chalamet’s apparent disrespect to opera and ballet. Audie sits down with film critic and influencer Megan Cruz (aka @j.stoobs) to talk about the biggest night in movies at a moment when Hollywood is worried about its future. This episode was produced by Lori Galarreta and Jesse Remedios Senior Producer: Matt Martinez Technical Director: Dan Dzula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • Why Work Spouses Can Be a Secret Weapon | Engagement Party

    Why Work Spouses Can Be a Secret Weapon | Engagement Party
    Mar 5 2026
    Are work spouses actually a thing? And what turns a desk-mate into a ride-or-die? In this special episode of The Assignment, Audie Cornish reunites with former work husband and longtime co-host of NPR’s All Things Considered, Ari Shapiro. They dive into the stories that defined their careers, the push and pull of competition in the newsroom, and the ways creative collaborators develop shared languages—from Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Taped live at On Air Fest in Brooklyn, New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • Ken Leung on Playing One of TV’s Most Toxic Bosses

    Ken Leung on Playing One of TV’s Most Toxic Bosses
    Feb 26 2026
    Actor Ken Leung is no stranger to the toxic male archetype. He embodies it as Eric Tao, the ruthless baseball-bat-carrying trading floor bully he plays on HBO’s “Industry.” Leung talks with Audie about what pushes characters like Eric—on screen and in real life—over the edge from family man to a name you could see in the Epstein files. They also discuss why women of color don’t get the “anti-hero” treatment, and how “Industry” has evolved into a portrait of the greed, corruption, and class conflict defining this moment. -- This episode was produced by Lori Galarreta and Jesse Remedios Senior Producer: Matt Martinez Technical Director: Dan Dzula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • Behind the Sex Scenes...with an Intimacy Coordinator

    Behind the Sex Scenes...with an Intimacy Coordinator
    Feb 19 2026
    Let’s talk about professional sex. Audie sits down with Yehuda Duenyas, a SAG-AFTRA Hollywood intimacy coordinator, to go behind the scenes of how physical romance is choreographed, why stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Sean Bean are skeptical of the position, and what depictions of sex on screen reveal about our culture. -- This episode was produced by Sofía Sanchez. Senior Producer: Matt Martinez Technical Director: Dan Dzula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • Did Bad Bunny Win the Culture War?

    Did Bad Bunny Win the Culture War?
    Feb 12 2026
    Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show is still resonating as fans celebrate his history-making rise from Puerto Rico to global dominance. Audie is joined by journalist Suzy Exposito to talk about the power of Benito's unique brand of authenticity--and how he's wielding it in the culture war. Exposito has covered Bad Bunny from the beginning. She is an editor at De Los, the Latin culture wing of the LA Times. -- This episode was produced by Sofía Sanchez. Senior Producer: Matt Martinez Technical Director: Dan Dzula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    25 mins
  • It’s Super Bowl Season... for Fashion

    It’s Super Bowl Season... for Fashion
    Feb 5 2026
    The fashion season is officially underway. Celebrities are strolling the award show red carpets and models are strutting the runways in Paris and Milan. CNN Senior Style Reporter Rachel Tashjian joins Audie to talk about the complicated politics in the fashion world, fashion vs style, and which designers are getting the most notice for dressing celebrities. Producer: Lori Galarreta Senior Producer: Matt Martinez Techincal Director: Dan Dzula Executive Producer: Steve Lickteig Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    26 mins