Seasons & episodes
S30 · E38March 25, 2025 - Michelle Wu 2025-03-25 · 37 min
Ronny Chieng tackles Republicans' desperate attempts to defend Trump administration officials accidentally adding a journalist to their Signal group chat for planning missile strikes on Yemen. Ronny Chieng and Jordan Klepper face off in a March Madness edition of Sports War, where the two debate the McNeese student manager's rise to fame, fans' upset over a lack of upsets, and the NCAA tournament's link to vasectomy season. Plus, a special Sports War halftime report from Grace Kuhlenschmidt. "We're the safest city because we are safe for everyone." Boston Mayor Michelle Wu sits down with Ronny Chieng to discuss blazing a trail as Boston's first female and first Asian-American elected mayor. They talk about winning over Boston's passionate and diverse constituency by focusing on solving their everyday challenges, valuing immigrants for a safer environment, investing in affordable housing, and why Boston remains the safest big city in America.
S30 · E39March 26, 2025 - Steve Coogan 2025-03-26 · 39 min
Ronny Chieng dives into the churn of Signal-gate as Pete Hegseth downplays the war chat, Michael Waltz makes excuses, and journalist Jeffrey Goldberg brings receipts. Chris Distefano jumps in to solve America's issues, from export tariffs to immigration to DOGE cuts to Canada and Greenland sovereignty. Comedian and actor Steve Coogan joins Ronny Chieng to discuss his expansive career and new film, "The Penguin Lessons." They talk about their experiences at Edinburgh Fringe, his West End run portraying four roles in a "Dr. Strangelove" adaptation, why comic characters like his infamous Alan Partridge speak to both political parties, and his experience on-set with real and robotic penguins.
S30 · E40March 27, 2025 - Bill Murray 2025-03-27 · 34 min
Ronny Chieng covers the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election, including Elon Musk's $20 million intervention in Republican Brad Schimel's campaign, attack ads against the wrong Susan Crawford, and alternating pro-paedophilia smear campaigns. Also, Grace Kuhlenschmidt sees how billionaires are turning elections into games. Ronny Chieng on JD and Usha Vance's big trip to Greenland, where native protesters are chanting "MAGA: Make America Go Away". Bill Murray sits down with Ronny Chieng to discuss his latest film, "The Friend", as well as his legendary career in TV and film. Murray talks about his philosophy of trying to stay in the moment, why he moved to France with his family after starring in a string of comedy blockbusters like "Ghostbusters", his pivot to working with independent filmmakers like Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, and Sofia Coppola, and what he gained from being a part of comedy institutions at The Second City and "Saturday Night Live".
S30 · E41March 31, 2025 - Oren Cass 2025-03-31 · 52 min
Jon Stewart checks in on the state of democracy after Trump considers an unconstitutional third term in office, then takes a look at how all the national security officials involved in Signalgate have managed to skirt any accountability and keep their jobs, all while thousands of hard-working government employees lose theirs in DOGE layoffs. Oren Cass, chief economist at American Compass, who writes the "Understanding America" newsletter, sits down with Jon Stewart to discuss conservative economic policies of the New Right, which will be outlined in his forthcoming book, "The New Conservatives." Cass describes a conservative shift from faith in markets, using tariffs as incentives to pursue profit that supports society, how livable wages are the key to a strong economy, and the U.S.'s ideal economic and security alliance that includes balanced trade, owning defense burdens, and keeping China out.
S30 · E42April 1, 2025 - Gianna Toboni 2025-04-01 · 31 min
Michael Kosta breaks down the Trump administration's disregard for the Constitution: Trump's plan for a third term that even Republicans think is an April Fool's joke, omitting due process on ICE deportations, and a mistaken deportation to El Salvador that can't be undone. Also, Josh Johnson lays out the difference between Kid Rock's tattoos and deportation tattoos. Lenard McKelvey (aka "Charlamagne Tha God") has had enough of Chuck Schumer and Gavin Newsom's stale brands of politics and calls on the struggling Democratic Party to rebrand and match the energy of people like Cory Booker and Jasmine Crockett. "If we are going to have this practice carried out in our name and on our dime… then I think we need to face what we are actually doing". Gianna Toboni, an Emmy-winning journalist, joins Michael Kosta to share findings from her new book, "The Volunteer: The Failure of the Death Penalty in America and One Inmate's Quest to Die With Dignity".
S30 · E43April 2, 2025 - Melissa Arnot Reid 2025-04-02 · 29 min
Michael Kosta recaps surprising wins for the Democrats, including a victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race despite Elon Musk's financial interference, and a record-breaking 25-hour speech by Cory Booker. Plus, Trump launches his "Liberation Day" tariffs, and Republicans scramble to supply cover. In the first installment of "Mysteries of Donald Trump's Very Very Large A-Brain" Trump explores the word "groceries," a concept he calls "old-fashioned." Then, Grace Kuhlenschmidt educates New York shoppers on the new Trump-era food store lingo. "We can be flawed and still be deserving of achieving great things." Melissa Arnot Reid, the first American woman to summit and descend Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, talks to Michael Kosta about her new memoir, "Enough: Climbing Toward a True Self on Mount Everest." She opens up about using high-level climbing as a sometimes unhealthy coping mechanism and why her journey to inner peace is a "forever climb."
S30 · E44April 3, 2025 - Scott Glenn 2025-04-03 · 28 min
Michael Kosta recaps Trump's tariffs fallout, from a stock market crash to cabinet officials taking to the airwaves to cheerlead the move. Also, Grace Kuhlenschmidt checks in on the penguins who now find themselves in a trade war. Jordan Klepper profiles Brian Glenn: Chief White House Correspondent of Real America's Voice, boyfriend of Marjorie Taylor Greene, and the man famous for exposing his shocking and crass lack of awareness by asking Zelenskyy, "Why don't you wear a suit?" in the latest "News To Meet Ya!". Legendary actor Scott Glenn sits down with Michael Kosta to discuss playing the mysterious Jim Hollinger on HBO's "The White Lotus." Glenn talks about turning down the role before falling in love with the hit show, preparing for the rhythm of Thailand by learning Thai martial arts, how Off-Broadway opening night is scarier than skydiving, and why he's uninspired by the "slash" career mentality in Hollywood. Glenn also advises Kosta on motorcycle safety.
S30 · E45April 7, 2025 - Rahm Emanuel 2025-04-07 · 45 min
Jon Stewart on the fallout from Trump's tariffs, a stock market in a near-recession free fall, and the GOP's spin of the economic turmoil as "no biggie". "Nobody will ever trust us. In eight weeks, he's destroyed 80 years of reputation that America built". Rahm Emanuel, former ambassador to Japan under Biden and a current advisor at investment-banking firm Centerview Partners, joins Jon Stewart to talk about the United States' international trade predicament in the wake of Trump's tariffs. They discuss why it's one of the most reckless things done by a president, why he thinks these policies gave China a "get-out-of-jail-free" card, his experience under the Obama administration, and why he believes a Democratic governor could be the one to turn the party around.
S30 · E46April 8, 2025 - Mallory McMorrow 2025-04-08 · 33 min
Desi Lydic covers the ongoing economic crisis from Trump's trade war, which has created tension between Trump's two favorite goons, Peter Navarro and Elon Musk. Meanwhile, Fox News's journalistic integrity is front-and-center with their top story: "Look over there!" Also, Michael Kosta reports on how the tariff pile-on with China could have American manufacturers like his grandfather screwed. In the latest edition of Everything is Stupid, Ronny Chieng reveals the perverted trend ruining art history across the globe: fondling the breasts of female statues to find love, luck, and second base. "We can all write our own future together and not have hateful people decide it for us". Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow talks to Desi Lydic about her book "Hate Won't Win", which originated from her viral speech after being slandered by a political rival, and her desire to inspire others to find their own voices.
S30 · E47April 9, 2025 - Olivia Munn 2025-04-09 · 35 min
Desi Lydic tracks Trump's "Tariff Day" roller coaster ride, from his shock announcement of a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, to slapping even more tariffs on China. Plus, Olivia Munn explains how Trump's tariff chaos is all just brushstrokes in the art of his deal. Could resurrecting the woolly mammoth be the fix for modern climate change? Troy Iwata sits down with leading scientists and paleontologists to determine if engineering woolly mammoths could be a problem or a solution. Former Daily Show correspondent and actor Olivia Munn sits down with Desi Lydic to discuss her new Apple TV+ series "Your Friends & Neighbors." They talk about Munn's first day as a correspondent 14 years ago, bending gender stereotypes as the "fun mom," opening up about her struggle with postpartum anxiety, how a health test saved her life from breast cancer, and the role alongside Jon Hamm that brought her back to acting.
S30 · E48April 10, 2025 - Bowen Yang 2025-04-10 · 31 min
Desi Lydic tackles Trump's cabinet of ass-kissers, his war on water pressure, and Kristi Noem's viral gun photo-op. Plus, Troy Iwata breaks down the White House's top issue: temperamental showers. Michael Kosta dives into America's mad money problems in the face of Trump's tariffs: panicked shopping on the rise, price hikes on everyday toys and goods, and the uncertainty around those precious iPhones. "Saturday Night Live" star and "Las Culturistas" co-host Bowen Yang sits down with Desi Lydic to discuss his new rom-com, "The Wedding Banquet." He shares the process behind his portrayals of hilarious "SNL" villains like JD Vance and George Santos, whether his pop-culture podcast has changed over the years, and why his new film feels like a "warm hug of a movie."
S30 · E49April 14, 2025 - Ramy Youssef 2025-04-14 · 37 min
Jon Stewart measures Trump's weight on the authoritarian scale. Between the president's refusal to correct the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to his incompetence on a variety of issues, Donald's dictatorship isn't looking very healthy. Award-winning actor and comedian, Ramy Youssef joins Jon Stewart to talk about the new animated series he co-created called "#1 Happy Family USA" and how the series, which follows a Muslim family trying to navigate post-9/11 America, resonates in Trump's second term. They also discuss his favorite parts about making an animated show, the family members who inspire some of the characters, and how the word "Islamaphobia" kind of lets Islamaphobes off the hook.
S30 · E50April 15, 2025 - Nimesh Patel 2025-04-15 · 28 min
Ronny Chieng tackles the Trump administration shirking responsibility for a Maryland father's mistaken deportation to El Salvador, their aggressive media tirade invoking Osama Bin Laden, and Harvard's defiance of Donald Trump. Also, Josh Johnson explains how Trump's power changes from Harvard to El Salvador. Trump promised that under his presidency, the rest of the world would fear and respect America "like never before". Desi Lydic takes a look at how other countries are responding to his massive trade war with a little less "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" and a little more "F-U". Emmy-nominated writer and comedian Nimesh Patel sits down with Ronny Chieng to discuss his upcoming stand-up tour. They chat about the first time they met in the New York comedy scene, the importance of crashing out on stage, why his daughter is "the biggest tariff" he's encountered thus far, and the well-known Indians of MAGA.
S30 · E51April 16, 2025 - Sen. Tammy Duckworth 2025-04-16 · 36 min
Ronny Chieng breaks down how JD Vance's comments calling Chinese people "peasants" have escalated both the shade war and the trade war with China, impacting American industries from automakers to Hollywood. Plus, Troy Iwata chimes in on the one thriving business of the trade war: TikTok luxury knockoffs. Michael Kosta checks in with Canadians to see how they feel about Donald Trump's aims to make them America's 51st state, including one ex-pat who immigrated to Canada when Trump first became president and a gun-loving member of Canada's silent MAGA minority. Iraq War veteran and Democratic Senator from Illinois Tammy Duckworth sits down with Ronny Chieng to discuss the work she is doing in Congress to improve care for veterans and how the Trump administration is setting back that progress by taking jobs away from thousands of veterans and making DOGE cuts to life-saving Veterans' Affairs programs.
S30 · E52April 17, 2025 - Nancy Kwan 2025-04-17 · 34 min
Ronny Chieng covers Elon Musk's mission to have babies over DM, Pete Hegseth's Air Force diversity purge, RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine coded attack on autism, and proof he has never seen "Love on the Spectrum." Michael Kosta & Ronny Chieng go head to head over Rory McIlroy's Masters Tournament takeover, brand-new Barbie Lebron James, Bryce Harper's on-field gender reveal, and Baltimore's oyster rebrand. "There will always be political clashes, that's what makes the world interesting." Hollywood icon Nancy Kwan sits down with Ronny Chieng to discuss her trailblazing career and new book, "The World of Nancy Kwan: A Memoir by Hollywood's Asian Superstar." They talk about an accidental screen test that brought her to Hollywood, a friendship with Bruce Lee that began in Hong Kong, and Kwan offers her perspective on what the West can learn from the East.
S30 · E53April 28, 2025 - Chris Hughes 2025-04-28 · 41 min
Jon Stewart takes a look at Trump's first 100 days: from plummeting approval ratings to unfulfilled promises on immigration, health, and the economy, to destroying his reputation as a shrewd negotiator with China and Ukraine. Chris Hughes, an economist and the author of "Marketcrafters," sits down with Jon Stewart to unpack the economy's fall under Trump and how understanding how politicians have shaped markets to work better could be its solution. They discuss how both parties have used marketcrafting to benefit Americans, whether the current economy requires an intervention, the need for institutions to help marketcrafting directly affect people over corporations, and his belief in a positive agenda for the future. Plus, as a co-founder of Facebook, Hughes weighs in on the company's involvement with the Trump administration.
S30 · E54April 29, 2025 - Katherine Maher 2025-04-29 · 27 min
On Trump's official second 100th day in office, Jordan Klepper delves into his lack of follow-through, including the division he's sown, his back-and-forth on tariffs and firings, and taunting Canada until they elected a liberal prime minister. Trump let Elon Musk take a chainsaw to the federal workforce in order to save taxpayers money, but after hearing from some of the government employees who lost their jobs, Desi Lydic is starting to think the real waste, fraud, and abuse was living inside DOGE this whole time. "We know that the existence of local news, and public radio in particular, contributes to lower rates of polarization, higher rates of civic engagement, and higher rates of civic trust." NPR CEO Katherine Maher joins Jordan Klepper to stress the important functions of public media that are under threat from the Trump administration, especially educational children's programming and local reporting in rural areas where public radio is often the only source for local news.
S30 · E55April 30, 2025 - Jon Meacham 2025-04-30 · 37 min
Desi Lydic covers Trump's 100th day celebrations: inviting ABC News into the White House to misunderstand the Declaration of Independence, grooving to his famous "YMCA" dance, and putting the economy on financial Ozempic. From the dark halls of Santa Monica to the caves of the Trump administration, Stephen Miller has been working in the shadows as the White House Chief of Staff. From influencing election denial to mass deportations, can Stephen Miller's vampiric bite kill American democracy? "If we get things right just enough of the time… that's what democracy is, because it's the fullest expression of all of us." Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential biographer Jon Meacham joins Desi Lydic to discuss the impact of Trump's presidency on democracy.
S30 · E56May 1, 2025 - Elissa Slotkin 2025-05-01 · 29 min
Michael Kosta continues TDS coverage of Trump's 100th day in office with reports from NewsNation's town hall, where the president racially slighted Stephen A. Smith, as well as details on Mike Waltz's exit and subsequent United Nations promotion, and Pam Bondi's ridiculous claims about fentanyl deaths. With anxiety-inducing news cycles and Trump Derangement Syndrome on the rise, it's easy to feel helpless with the current administration. But in these times of despair and uncertainty, the Hang In There poster will take all your Trump-related anxieties away! The perfect comforting distraction in these disturbing political times. "We don't have the right to tune out when previous generations fought and fought and fought." Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, the youngest Democratic female serving in the U.S. Senate, joins Michael Kosta to share her perspective on the current state of national security and the Democratic agenda moving forward.
S30 · E57May 5, 2025 - Rutger Bregman 2025-05-05 · 41 min
Jon Stewart sorts Trump's latest barrage of bullshit into the "OK" and "NOT OK" piles, including telling kids to cut down on dolls and pencils, calling for Alcatraz to reopen, posting AI-generated images of himself as the Pope, and shrugging off the Constitution. Historian and best-selling author Rutger Bregman joins Jon Stewart to unpack his latest book, "Moral Ambition", which is a call to action for people, especially those with education and privilege, to devote their talent and resources to careers and causes that make the world a better place. He describes how the political left has often made the mistake of placing moral purity above political relevance, and what they can learn from conservatives about building small movements into a larger, results-oriented coalition.
S30 · E58May 6, 2025 - Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach & Amanda Doyle 2025-05-06 · 33 min
Desi Lydic recaps Trump's oblivious reaction to getting friend-zoned by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and prepares for a summer of shitty air travel as the Real ID deadline approaches and Newark Airport spirals into more chaos. Ronny Chieng breaks down how AI chatbot romances aren't as stupid as you might guess; they're stupid in some surprising ways, too. "This is not a time for self-help but for collective wisdom, where we learn from each other". "We Can Do Hard Things" podcast hosts Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle sit down with Desi Lydic to discuss their new guidebook "We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions". They share the experience of living life "off the menu" by deviating from regulated paths, cultivating an ordinary life at home to make room for extraordinary moments, sharing a breast cancer diagnosis to stop gatekeeping information on women's bodies, and finding a lane of activism to shift our perspective in grim political times.
S30 · E59May 7, 2025 - John Green 2025-05-07 · 27 min
Desi Lydic dives into Trump's ominous "big announcement," the president renames the Persian Gulf, another US fighter jet falls off an aircraft carrier, and kids swap tariff-priced Barbies for the promise of economic freedom. In honor of the conclave, Lewis Black sounds off on the Vatican's mysterious process to select a new pope, including this year's parlay options, the surprising number of cardinals taking lessons from the Oscar-nominated "Conclave" film, and the merch being sold to incompetent tourists. "This is the middle of the story, not the end of the story, and it falls on us to write a better end." John Green, an award-winning author and global healthcare reform advocate, sits down with Desi Lydic to discuss his No. 1 New York Times bestseller, "Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection."
S30 · E60May 8, 2025 - Michelle Buteau 2025-05-08 · 29 min
Desi Lydic has the latest from the Vatican after the announcement of the first American pope, Leo XIV, including the world's reaction to a Chicago-style pope and Fox News immediately yelling at him to speak English. Plus, Michael Kosta celebrates America's conclave win. Following Trump's ban on transgender people in the military, Jordan Klepper met with a panel of esteemed service members to discuss the president's rejection of their qualifications, which stand in stark contrast to Trump's own bone spur excuses. "It is not only the New York that I live in, but it's also the America that I want to live in." Comedian, writer, and actor Michelle Buteau sits down with Desi Lydic to share how the Netflix series that she created and stars in, "Survival of the Thickest," began as a book of essays written just after her twins were born.
S30 · E61May 12, 2025 - Gen. Stanley McChrystal 2025-05-12 · 39 min
After Trump teased an upcoming "big announcement" last week, Jon Stewart contemplates what news Americans are supposed to be so psyched for: the possible suspension of due process, Trump's appointment of Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as D.C. district attorney, Qatar's $400 million luxury jet "gift" for Trump, or lower prices on the "fat shot drug"? "Our character is the essential identity of us as people and us as a nation, and we've let it erode." Retired four-star general who served 34 years in the U.S. Army, General Stanley McChrystal, sits down with Jon Stewart to discuss his book "On Character: Choices that Define a Life." They talk about leading a national conversation on character, employing empathy in war to negotiate with ideological warriors and mercenaries, what upset him most about Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth's Signal chat leak, and how his wife taught him to live "with no use for the rear view mirror."