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 Trump might actually be funny.
Amanda Skinner, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England joins Sam to talk about how running a Planned Parenthood is like landing a plane while gassing it up at the same time. They talk about what it’s like working in an “access state” while getting surges of patients from other states, and how the crux of what they do is providing preventative care to keep people stay healthy. They also talk about how they’re probably the only healthcare organization that gets positive patient comments, why STI testing is so expensive and so in demand, and why the need for the care they provide will never go away—especially over the next four years.
Brooke Shields joins Sam to talk about her new book “Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old” and why it was so important to her to go to college despite her already booming career. They talk about aging and making new friends in your fifties, warding off overzealous doctors, learning to accept compliments, and unwinding the internet for their teenage daughters even if sometimes their kids hurt their feelings.
Andy Slavitt, President Biden’s White House Senior Advisor for the Covid response and President Obama’s head of Medicare and Medicaid, joins Sam to breakdown the current world of healthcare and discuss the life-changing decision to call the White House and offer to help fix the ACA website. They talk about why powerful people are so compelling and how it makes making decisions even harder and how to even know who in the room should be making the decision, and being willing to listen to good ideas from the other side. Plus they talk about why it’s important to be nice to Siri, the difference between being entitled or honored to have a big job, and Sam gives an overdue apology for making fun of the ACA roll out while at The Daily Show.
Comedian and host of You Made It Weird Pete Holmes joins Sam for an impromptu relationship podcast. Pete talks about the importance of choice of partner, and how the real test is to see if you and your partner would edit a movie in the same way. They talk about choosing to be alone in order to learn how to later be in a relationship, why Pete chooses to tour just once a month, and how he knows when he’s ready to film a new standup special. They also talk about the magic of seeing yourself on the big screen and how it never gets old for Pete’s dad. His new film, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER, is available to Buy Today, Watch Instantly.
Actor Taran Killam joins Sam to talk about childhood decisions that changed his life—like deciding to go to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in order to get one more month of summer vacation. The two talk about the magic of live theater, being decisive but not in order to make good decisions, visiting the White House and seeing president Biden’s moon rock, and the ethics of singing in movie theaters.
This week we’re introducing you to Samantha Bee’s other podcast, The Daily Beast Podcast. Each week, Samantha and co-host Joanna Coles navigate the latest in politics, pop culture and everything in between. This week they talk about the Menendez Brothers and interview movie producer Richard Curtis.
Actor Kathryn Hahn joins Sam from her “she shed” to talk about how important it is to try a decision on for size before you make it and how she’s very good at getting rid of stuff (except for her kids’ art projects). They talk about taking jobs to pay off student loans, the distinct wetness of pre-packaged hardboiled eggs, why moving to LA was never part of her plan, and watching their moms go through menopause.
Comedian Heather McMahan joins Sam to talk about how she’s what you would get if Joan Rivers and Conan O’Brien had a baby, why she chose to self-produce her comedy special Breadwinner and the importance of being your own yes-man. They also talk about the joys of the human body, like ovarian cysts bursting on transatlantic flights, if there’s anything she doesn’t think her audience wants her to joke about (there isn’t), and why everyone is getting Plan B in their Christmas stockings this year. Plus, Heather talks about her red carpet coverage and living in the Deep South.
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.