Shows / Wild Card with Rachel Martin
Wild Card with Rachel Martin
Life’s too short for small talk. Rachel gets right to the questions that matter most. Once a week, famous guests pull questions from a deck of cards and open up about the kind of stuff we all think about but rarely say out loud. Actors, authors, and thinkers are prompted to talk about everything from their insecurities and dreams to grief and God. Named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by The New York Times, Wild Card stands out among celebrity interview podcasts. When modern life feels…
Episodes
Wild Card with Rachel MartinEsther Perel
Esther Perel’s warning is clear: “We are more and more sleepwalking into isolation.” Her work as a psychotherapist is, in part, an attempt to build connections…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinZadie Smith (Encore)
London today is very different from the one Zadie Smith grew up in and the one she wrote about in her debut novel “White Teeth.” That is just one of the things…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJesse Eisenberg (Encore)
Jesse Eisenberg plays characters who spend a lot of time in their heads grappling with anxiety, fear and insecurity. You can see it in “The Squid and the…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinPádraig Ó Tuama
“I think joy and melancholy have a lot to say to each other,” Pádraig Ó Tuama tells Rachel. In his poetry, he allows that conversation between joy and…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinTrixie Mattel
Trixie Mattel is so many things: a musician, entrepreneur, TV host, and one of the most beloved drag queens out there. But it all began with a deep love of…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinWillem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe sees acting as a form of service – both to the audience and to his coworkers making a movie. That selfless approach means he’s also on guard for…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJohn Dickerson
John Dickerson made a name for himself as an anchor at CBS News. Last year, he left the world of broadcast news to pursue stories that put his values of…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinGillian Anderson
“How am I complicit in not getting what I say that I want?” This is the question Gillian Anderson wants you to ask yourself. She has read many accounts from…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinSara Bareilles
“Being a human is so complicated for so many reasons,” Sara Bareilles tells Rachel. That’s why she’s trying to show more grace for both herself and others…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinBrittany Howard
“We’re all gentler and we’re more sensitive,” Brittany Howard tells Rachel about reuniting with her band, Alabama Shakes. The band is back with their first…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJohn Leguizamo
“Being so vulnerable was really difficult,” John Leguizamo says of his role as Eumaeus in The Odyssey. It’s an opportunity he relishes, though, having come up…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinSuleika Jaouad (Encore)
Suleika Jaouad has written extensively about what it means to live in the in-between — the space between sick and healthy. She’s dealt on and off with cancer…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinBrett Goldstein (Encore)
Don't be fooled by Brett Goldstein's grumpy exterior – he can't resist a big, open-hearted story. You see it in the TV shows he's acted in and helped create…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinShania Twain
“You cannot rely on somebody else to push you out of the plane — you have to jump,” Shania Twain tells Rachel. For someone who has lived a life marked by so…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinHrishikesh Hirway
“I still feel like I'm wondering what I'm gonna be when I grow up,” Hrishikesh Hirway tells Rachel. That might be because he’s drawn to so many things: he’s an…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinTracee Ellis Ross (Live)
"Are you willing to be responsible for your own happiness?" Tracee Ellis Ross asks in this episode, recorded with a live audience at LAist. Tracee is all about…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinTerry Tempest Williams
Terry Tempest Williams often writes about what is easy to overlook – the “holy ordinary” as she calls it. Whether it's the beauty and plight of the natural…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinDanny McBride
For Danny McBride, success in Hollywood has taken patience, hard work, and a little bit of delusion. That sense of delusion is also present in the characters…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJohn Cena
John Cena didn’t become a WWE megastar and Hollywood leading man by accident, he worked at it, and he takes none of his big breaks for granted. He tells Rachel…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinDavid Sedaris
Writer David Sedaris tells Rachel he doesn’t mind being humiliated, because he knows it will wind up as great material. David’s new book, “The Land and Its…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinDave Eggers
Dave Eggers isn’t about rushing creativity. His latest novel, "Contrapposto," has been on his mind for about two decades. And he tells Rachel he believes many…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinMaya Hawke
Maya Hawke is such a natural fit for Wild Card that she had several answers for many of the questions. The self-described “verbose” musician/actor talks to…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJohn C. Reilly
From "Step Brothers" to “Chicago,” John C. Reilly imbues every one of his roles with humor, empathy, and heart. In his latest project, a vaudeville stage show…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinNoah Kahan
Noah Kahan's breakthrough album, Stick Season, made him known to millions of fans. But he tells Rachel that experience left him feeling like he knew himself…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinRita Wilson
Rita Wilson tells Rachel that she was tired of always being cast in the same kind of “nurturing” roles. And so she decided to explore a totally different…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinAnne Lamott
Anne Lamott says she felt drawn to writing almost like it was a call to become a monk. She has also felt called to teach others how to write, to help them…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinAmy Grant
After decades of releasing new albums every few years, Amy Grant went mostly quiet for the past decade. In the time since her last album of original songs in…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinLena Dunham
Get your tickets for Wild Card live in Los Angeles with special guest Tracee Ellis Ross on May 7! Lena Dunham tells Rachel that for much of her 20s and 30s…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinBob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk says he was never supposed to be an action hero, but he’s grateful for the way his career has turned out. Starting out as a sketch comedian, he…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinTim Blake Nelson
From "O Brother, Where Art Thou" to "Watchmen" to "Poker Face,” Tim Blake Nelson is the actor you call when you want a character’s face to tell a lifetime of…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinGeorge Saunders
George Saunders isn’t sure what he believes about the afterlife, but he knows it’s fertile soil for a good story. In his latest novel “Vigil,” he explores…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJulio Torres
In his stand-up, films and TV shows, Julio Torres considers the beauty and absurdity of the structures that make up the world around him, and tries to make…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinChristina Applegate
Christina Applegate doesn't need anyone's pity or approval. That’s the takeaway from her new memoir, "You With the Sad Eyes." She looks back at some of the…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinChris Fleming
Chris Fleming takes his unique observations about the weirdness of everyday life and runs (and catapults and crawls and prances) with them. In his latest HBO…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinLena Waithe (Encore)
At 41, Lena Waithe already has an impressive legacy, with dozens of writing, acting and production credits. She was the first Black woman to win an Emmy for…
Wild Card with Rachel Martin'Weird Al' Yankovic (Encore)
When Weird Al’s debut single, “My Bologna,” came out, there wasn’t really a model for how a parody artist could have any longevity in their career. Yet Al's…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinDan Harris
In an ever-growing world of mindfulness teachers and wellness influencers, Dan Harris has remained grounded with modest goals. One of those goals is baked into…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinWagner Moura
Wagner Moura doesn’t compromise when it comes to doing work that feels meaningful and aligned with his values. That much is clear in the politically-charged…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinMelinda French Gates
Melinda French Gates has been through some painful and public transitions — ending her marriage of 27 years, stepping away from the foundation she built with…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinOprah
Oprah could never just ignore her weight. Everyone else was always talking about it – from tabloids to late-night shows. She talks to Rachel about her weight…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJennette McCurdy
In her early 20s, Jennette McCurdy left her childhood acting career and turned to writing. In both her memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” and her debut novel…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinTig Notaro
Tig Notaro knows all about how humor and grief can coexist. She's explored those topics in her stand-up comedy, TV shows, and podcasts. Her latest project is…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJonathan Goldstein
When Jonathan Goldstein sets out to help a guest on his podcast “Heavyweight,” he always hopes he can help them feel unburdened by the end. But it’s often on…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJohn Green (Encore)
John Green keeps busy – from authoring blockbuster young adult novels like "The Fault in Our Stars," to running a YouTube empire with his brother Hank, to…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinAnn Patchett (Encore)
Ann Patchett's 2001 novel Bel Canto was a huge hit. She's continued to have success with her later work, including The Dutch House, which was a Pulitzer Prize…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinKumail Nanjiani
Kumail Nanjiani is learning to embrace big feelings, he tells Rachel. Kumail’s projects are all about how we feel our way through living, including his new…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis never wanted to be an actor. She tells Rachel, despite having famous show business parents, she originally thought she’d become a police…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinMel Robbins
Mel Robbins tells Rachel that she was plagued by anxiety, trauma and “relentless self-hatred” when she was younger. Now she has a bestselling book (“The Let…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJason Reynolds (Update)
One of Apple’s top 10 podcast episodes of 2025. Jason Reynolds returns for another Wild Card question about the challenge of setting an example for children…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinSuleika Jaouad
Suleika Jaouad has written extensively about what it means to live in the in-between – the space between sick and healthy. She’s dealt on-and-off with cancer…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinMalala Yousafzai
When Malala Yousafzai went to college, the last thing she wanted to talk about was her Nobel Prize or the Taliban attack that put her on the world stage. She…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinPadma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi has always been deeply curious about food, and how it serves as a vehicle for celebrating the cultural diversity of America. In her new book…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinBrandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile sought out some alone time to work on her newest album, “Returning to Myself,” but she came out of the experience realizing she needed the…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinShonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes has created some of the most successful TV shows of the 21st century, but she says the secret to her success is not caring whether or not people…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinNick Offerman
Nick Offerman is an Emmy-winning actor, but that’s a small part of his identity. He’s also a woodworker, an author, and a devoted acolyte of the naturalist…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinJeff Hiller
Jeff Hiller never expected to win an Emmy. He was used to side roles like “Mexican restaurant waiter” and “frazzled salesman,” and then his big break came as…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinBrené Brown
As a researcher and professor, Brené Brown has always sought to understand and navigate the emotions that make us human – vulnerability, shame, courage. In her…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinMatthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey likes finding the rhythm in every role he takes – whether it’s delivering a monologue in “The Wolf of Wall Street” or a tearful goodbye in…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinBobbi Brown doesn’t listen to men in suits about makeup
At 68 years old, Bobby Brown still has a competitive spirit. She lives by the words “watch me,” which has led to her success as a makeup artist, business mogul…
Wild Card with Rachel MartinRaphael Bob-Waksberg doesn’t forgive, but he forgets
Raphael Bob-Waksberg says working in animation lets him get away with things. He’s able to dive into heavy topics, like grief and faith, without his stories…