Advertise on podcast: The Sam Sanders Show

Sam is feeling sooo nostalgic this episode. Flashback to 2012. Monoculture is omnipresent. ‘Scandal’ is on every Thursday night. Twitter is ablaze with reactions to the iconic Olivia Pope, played by Kerry Washington. Sam never misses an episode. Flash forward to today, and Kerry now has a lot in common with Sam. She just launched a new podcast called Street You Grew Up On. The show revolves around one simple question — Can you tell me about the street you grew up on? Kerry explores the people, places, family stories, and defining moments that made them who they are. She tells Sam all about launching the show and how interviewing relates to acting. Plus, they get into all their memories of the Scandal era, today’s political climate and her favorite pop culture scriptures.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

John Cho has portrayed plenty of lovable characters in Hollywood, but never a villain.  In the new action thriller ‘Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother,’ John finally steps into that role as a violent evangelical pastor. His character is equipped with a cowboy hat, gold grills and huge guns. John spoke with Sam about preparing for the role, the importance of connection and how becoming a father changed the way he approaches his craft. Plus, a decade after the viral #StarringJohnCho online moment, he gets real about diversity and representation in Hollywood today. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Today we’re excited to share a special episode of Reaching Out, a new podcast from Futuro and KCRW.   Hailed by Ira Glass as the “best new show I’ve heard in years,” Reaching Out is a story about fathers, sons, and the distance between. The story begins on the eve of twin brothers’ Sayre and Connor’s 30th birthday, when they set out to find the biological father who abandoned them before they were born. Their search pulls them through desert raves, drunken nightclubs, and across borders of time and language, forcing the brothers to confront the truths they’ve hidden from each other and themselves. And it’s not long before the twins discover that their birth father is closer than they ever could have imagined. Follow Reaching Out on your favorite podcast app. New episodes drop every week.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

From The Real Housewives to The Jerry Springer Show, today’s episode is all about conflict through the lens of pop culture. Author and conflict facilitator Priya Parker joins Sam to explain why conflict is so vital to building healthy communities and relationships. She also breaks down the tactics we often see in the media, and how they can teach us to fight in healthier ways. Priya even encourages something we do on this show a lot…Sharing and defending Hot Takes! Priya’s new book The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict is available now. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Orville Peck bares his soul in his music, but chances are you wouldn’t be able to pick him out of a crowd.  For the entirety of his country music career he has been wearing a literal mask, on and off the stage. For Orville, the mask gives him the strength to be vulnerable. In his new album, Mule, he opens up even more while singing songs about his darkest moments with addiction, his time in rehab, and his path to sobriety.  Orville tells Sam about hitting rock bottom, how he stays authentic even while wearing a mask, his country music influences, and how he’s queering the genre in his own way. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Books are bringing people together this year in ways Sam has never seen before. There have been a handful of times in the last few months alone when it felt like he was in one giant book club with his friends, reading the same books, and having deep conversations. It made Sam ask himself … are books actually hot this year? Or should we believe the headlines that Western society is moving toward a post literate society?  To figure it out, Sam turns to his favorite book people Traci Thomas (The Stacks) and Greta Johnsen (Happy to Be Here). Together they get into the books everybody is reading this year, discuss why reading literacy is in danger, and make a case that there’s a book out there for everyone.  Plus, Traci and Greta share a few book recommendations to add to your reading list.  Books mentioned in this episode:  'John of John' by Douglas Stewart  'Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage' by Belle Burden 'Yesteryear' by Caro Claire Burke 'Kin' by Tayari Jones 'The Disappearers' by Marlon James  'The Great Wherever' by Shannon Sanders  'Sunrise' by Téa Obreht 'Unreasonable Women' by Justine van der Leun 'American Hagwon' by Min Jin Lee   Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

David Archuleta shot to fame while competing on American Idol when he was just 17 years old.  During his time on the show he was a poster boy for his Mormon faith, but behind the scenes he was forced to hide his sexuality and queerness. He describes all of this in his memoir Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself. David talks to Sam about learning to accept himself, why his time on American Idol was terrifying, and the surprising ways he’s found community after leaving his religion.  David Archuleta’s new holiday album Warm Me Up is out this fall. Check out his website for tour dates. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

We gotta admit, this summer felt great for movies! From all the monoculture surrounding The Odyssey, to the successful sleeper hits like Backrooms and Obsession, the past few months felt like a magical comeback for the industry. Joining Sam to break it all down is Jacqueline Coley, awards editor at Rotten Tomatoes and host of the Seen On The Screen podcast. Together, they unpack the biggest lessons for Hollywood and also give some movie recommendations for your watchlist. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Musician and rapper Wyclef Jean shot to fame in the ‘90s after founding the seminal hip-hop group Fugees. Since then, he’s had an impressive solo career with plenty of acclaimed projects. He’s also become an undeniable hitmaker, creating massive records for artists like Shakira, Santana, Whitney Houston and many more. Wyclef joined Sam in the studio with his guitar, to play some songs that tell his life story. From his campaign to be president of Haiti, to his fondness for church music, he shares the many life moments that shaped his craft. He also breaks down his new project 'Quantum Leap,' a seven-album project spanning seven different genres. So far, his jazz album ‘Q Theory’ and ‘Clef Notes,’ the hip-hop project, are out now.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

This episode, we’re going back in time for one of Sam’s favorite shows…‘Portlandia!’ For eight seasons, the sketch comedy show famously poked fun at the hipster culture, all while set in a fictionalized version of Portland. Creators and co-stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein played many of the show’s central characters. Now, they’re revisiting the episodes with a weekly rewatch podcast called ‘Podlandia: A-O Rewatch with Fred and Carrie.’ Sam got to chat with Fred about the show, their favorite sketches, and why hipsters were always ripe for spoofing.  “Podlandia: A-O Rewatch” is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard. New episodes air every Thursday. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

We will always love Dolly Parton. Sam unpacks Dolly’s immense legacy with Ann Powers, critic and correspondent for NPR Music. Together they spend time reflecting on her many hit songs, her brilliant roles in Hollywood and her everlasting philanthropic efforts.  They also break down the secrets to Dolly’s impeccable stardom, diving into what exactly made her so ubiquitous and beloved. Plus, they share some overlooked music from her catalog. Also, make sure to check out Ann's moving tribute essay to Dolly Parton. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Whether it was big sporting events, or big blockbusters, or even celebrity weddings, Summer 2026 had a ton of pop culture that we all consumed together. For the first time in years, we even talked about it all together. But was it actually a return of monoculture? Sam looks at how this happened (and if it will ever happen again) with Esther Zuckerman, culture reporter for The Wall Street Journal who recently wrote all about the monoculture phenomenon.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Comedian Janelle James became a star after playing the selfish, scamming, yet hilarious principal Ava Coleman in 'Abbott Elementary.' She’s since been nominated for five Emmy awards for the role. But Janelle spent years grinding through the standup scene before finding television success. She told Sam about what inspired her to try comedy years ago, and what she’s learned about herself from playing a larger than life character in a sitcom. Plus, Janelle breaks down her forthcoming Hulu show inspired by her own childhood in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  This conversation took place in front of a live audience at KCRW’s Annenberg Performance Studio in Santa Monica. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Sam recently experienced one of the best stage musicals he’s seen in years.  Cats: The Jellicle Ball reimagines the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber story with a ballroom twist. The show is filled with voguing, runway and Black, queer joy. It also won multiple Tony awards this year, which packed the theater night after night.  The whole show seemed like it was on the path to success, until it closed suddenly on August 8th.  Theater critic Naveen Kumar wrote about the fate of the production for The New York Times. He joined Sam to break down the major money problems facing Broadway. He also shares some ideas to fix them…Which may involve a certain charismatic mayor. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Comedian Eliot Glazer feels like he “missed the first day of Gay 101.”  Even though he came out in college, he has always struggled to fit into gay culture. He doesn’t like the parties. He doesn’t wear the right clothes. Never listens to the right music. Can’t give off the right vibes. He writes about all these feelings in his hilarious new book of essays ‘The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay.’ Eliot tells Sam about feeling like an outcast, yearning for connection, and how he learned to find peace with his style of queerness. Check out Eliot on his book tour now through September.   Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.