Shows / Fresh Air
Fresh Air
Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.
Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including weekly bonus episodes and curated playlists of archive interviews from Fresh Air.
And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air…
Episodes
- Fresh Air
Are ICE Agents In Minneapolis Breaking The Law?
As protestors clash with some 3,000 federal immigration agents in the Twin Cities, we look at the legal issues with law professor Emmanuel Mauleón and Brennan…
- Fresh Air
Poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths On Love, Tragedy & ‘Survivor Mode’
On the day Griffiths married author Salman Rushdie, her long time best friend died unexpectedly. Eleven months later, Rushdie was stabbed multiple times while…
- Fresh Air
How Racism Costs Everyone
Four years ago, Heather McGhee examined a question at the heart of American life: Why do so many Americans believe that progress for one group means loss for…
- Fresh Air
Best Of: Jodie Foster / Tessa Thompson
Jodie Foster has been acting since she was 3. At 12 she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver.’ This year marks the 50th…
- Fresh Air
Remembering Grateful Dead Founding Member Bob Weir
We remember Bob Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead, who died last week at 78. The guitarist spoke with Fresh Air Executive Producer Sam Briger in 2016…
- Fresh Air
Novelist Julian Barnes Faces Mortality Without Fear
The Man Booker Prize-winning writer says his new book, ‘Departure(s),’ will be his last. He spoke with Terry Gross about blending genres, moving through grief…
- Fresh Air
Marco Rubio’s Shift From Trump Critic To Champion
Marco Rubio once called Trump a "con artist." He’s now among his most loyal defenders. New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins describes Secretary of State…
- Fresh Air
Jodie Foster
Foster was just 12 years old when she starred in Scorsese’s 1976 film ‘Taxi Driver.’ "What luck to have been part of that, our golden age of cinema in the…
- Fresh Air
‘The God of the Woods’ Author Liz Moore
Moore says writing is mostly labor, but "2% of the time, usually at the very beginning of a book and the very end of a book, it feels like flying." She's also…
- Fresh Air
Best Of: Will Arnett / ‘Song Sung Blue’ Director Craig Brewer
Will Arnett stars in the new film ‘Is This Thing On?’ about a man going through a divorce, who finds himself onstage doing stand-up. He spoke with Terry Gross…
- Fresh Air
Neil Diamond / Noah Wyle On ‘The Pitt’
The new film ‘Song Sung Blue’ is about a Neil Diamond tribute band and stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. Before Diamond began recording his own hits like…
- Fresh Air
Tessa Thompson
Thompson is nominated for a Golden Globe for her starring role in ‘Hedda.’ She spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley about her collaboration with director Nia…
- Fresh Air
The Growing Power & Influence Of White Supremacy In America
Journalist Eric Lichtblau says President Trump's incendiary rhetoric has stoked a "new age of hate." His book, ‘American Reich,’ centers on a murder committed…
- Fresh Air
Marjorie Taylor Greene's Puzzling Political Turn, Explained
Once a fierce advocate for Trump and his MAGA base, Marjorie Taylor Greene has broken with the president and resigned from Congress. ‘New Yorker’ staff writer…
- Fresh Air
Investigating The Great Los Angeles Fires
MS NOW journalist (and Palisades native) Jacob Soboroff says covering the 2025 wildfires was the most important assignment he's ever undertaken. His new book…
- Fresh Air
Ben Stiller / Pedro Pascal
Ben Stiller talks about his new Apple TV+ documentary about his actor/comedian parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, they were famous as…
- Fresh Air
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
The WWE superstar considered pursuing a career in mixed martial arts before realizing, "I don't like getting punched in the face." Johnson plays MMA fighter…
- Fresh Air
Jeff Hiller’s Big Break Came In His 40s
Hiller spent years scraping by in Hollywood by taking on various small roles and commercials. Then he landed the role of Joel on HBO's ‘Somebody Somewhere’ and…
- Fresh Air
Richard Kind Is Glad He’s Not Super Famous
Kind is the announcer and host sidekick on the Netflix show ‘Everybody's Live with John Mulaney.’ "I don't know what the hell I'm doing. You must understand —…
- Fresh Air
Malala Finds Her Way
After surviving the Taliban's 2012 attempted assassination, activist Malala Yousafzai didn't back down. She continued to advocate for girls' education across…
- Fresh Air
Comic Cristela Alonzo
For the first seven years of her life, Cristela Alonzo lived in an abandoned diner in a South Texas border town. She spoke with Terry Gross about ICE raids…
- Fresh Air
Bluegrass Star Billy Strings / Laufey
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Billy Strings has one foot in traditional bluegrass and another in improvisational jam music. He has a new album, ‘Live at the…
- Fresh Air
Jane Fonda
Early this year, Fonda made headlines for delivering a fiery critique of the Trump administration during a SAG-AFTRA award acceptance speech. "This is not the…
- Fresh Air
The Making Of ‘Born To Run’
Bruce Springsteen's groundbreaking album, ‘Born to Run,’ came out 50 years ago this year, marking a turning point for rock and roll — and for "The Boss."…
- Fresh Air
‘Morrie’ Writer Mitch Albom On Second Chances
Albom's 2025 novel, ‘Twice,’ asks a question most of us have daydreamed about: what if you could go back and relive any moment of your life? In the book, a man…
- Fresh Air
Will Arnett
Arnett stars in Bradley Cooper’s new film, ‘Is This Thing On?’ as a man who turns to the New York comedy scene as he grapples with his divorce. The ‘SmartLess’…
- Fresh Air
Dir. Craig Brewer Is Chasing ‘Purple Rain’ Magic
Director Craig Brewer has made a career of telling stories about dreamers and misfits chasing something bigger than themselves, from ‘Hustle & Flow’ to…
Fresh AirThe Stories Behind Your Favorite Christmas Songs
To celebrate the holidays, we’re looking back at four archive Fresh Air interviews discussing popular Christmas songs: First, jazz singer Mel Torme tells Terry…
- Fresh Air
Best Of: Lucy Liu / Zadie Smith
Lucy Liu joins Tonya Mosley to talk about her new film ‘Rosemead,’ where she stars as a terminally ill woman grappling with her teenage son’s escalating mental…
- Fresh Air
John Le Carré’s Son Revives His Late Dad's Spy
Writer Nick Harkaway grew up hearing his dad read drafts of his George Smiley novels. He picks up le Carré's beloved spymaster character in the novel ‘Karla's…
- Fresh Air
A Revealing Profile Of Trump Chief Of Staff Susie Wiles
'Vanity Fair' writer Chris Whipple interviewed Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles 11 times, getting her view on cabinet members, Trump's revenge tour…
- Fresh Air
Remembering Rob Reiner
The great filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were killed in their home Sunday. Their son Nick has been arrested on suspicion of murder. It’s a shocking…
- Fresh Air
Zadie Smith Asks, What Makes Us Feel Alive?
Zadie Smith returns to talk with Terry Gross about her new collection of essays, 'Dead and Alive.' She reflects on the "nonsense" of generational discourse…
- Fresh Air
Best Of: Michael Shannon / ‘Pluribus’ Star Rhea Seehorn
Michael Shannon understands he’s associated with some intense, menacing characters he’s played, like Agent Nelson Van Alden in ‘Boardwalk Empire.’ “I’m a big…
- Fresh Air
Remembering Architect Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry, whose steel and titanium curved structures seemed more like sculptures than buildings, died last week at age 96. His masterpiece was the…
- Fresh Air
A Courtside Look At NBA Legends, From Jordan To Kobe
Legendary NBA head coach Phil Jackson and sports journalist Sam Smith talk about the stars who helped define the sport, including Jordan, Kobe, and Shaq. They…
- Fresh Air
Can The Lessons Of 1929 Prevent Another Crash?
New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, a student of past financial calamities, talks about the likelihood the U.S. economy could be headed toward another…
- Fresh Air
Star Of ‘Pluribus’ Rhea Seehorn
The new Apple TV+ series was created by Vince Gilligan, who also created ‘Breaking Bad’ and co-created ‘Better Call Saul.’ He liked her work in ‘Saul’ so much…
- Fresh Air
Homelessness In The New Gilded Age
In New York City, 100,000 people sleep in shelters every night. Patrick Markee has spent decades fighting for them with the Coalition for the Homeless. He’s…
- Fresh Air
Best Of: George Clooney / Costume Designer Paul Tazewell
George Clooney stars in ‘Jay Kelly’ as a famous actor at a crossroads. He talks about his own relationship to fame and what drew him to the role. Also…
- Fresh Air
Remembering Steve Cropper / Playwright Tom Stoppard
We remember guitarist, songwriter, and producer Steve Cropper, who helped create the Memphis soul sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s. He died this week at age 84. Stax…
- Fresh Air
George Clooney
Clooney stars as an aging movie star who has neglected his family life in favor of his career in Noah Baumbach’s new film ‘Jay Kelly. ' He spoke with Tonya…
- Fresh Air
Was The U.S. Attack On A Venezuelan Boat A War Crime?
Washington Post reporter Alex Horton talks about the Sept. 2 US military strike on a boat with alleged "narco terrorists," in which a second strike was ordered…
- Fresh Air
War Photographer Lynsey Addario Still Has Hope
For 25 years, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario has covered conflicts and humanitarian crises across the globe, from Sudan to Syria. She’s…
- Fresh Air
‘Wicked’ Costume Designer Paul Tazewell
Tazewell made history as the first Black man to win the Oscar for costume design for the first installment of Wicked. He talks with Tonya Mosley about Wicked…
- Fresh Air
Best Of: Nutritionist Marion Nestle / Science Writer Mary Roach
Food policy expert and nutritionist Marion Nestle's 2006 book, ‘What to Eat,’ became a consumer bible of sorts when it came out, guiding readers through the…
- Fresh Air
Grand Ole Opry At 100: Earl Scruggs & Loretta Lynn
We mark the 100th anniversary of The Grand Ole Opry, country music’s biggest stage, and feature interviews with two of its members. First up, bluegrass banjo…
- Fresh Air
‘Merrily We Roll Along,’ From Flop To Hit
A filmed version of the live Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ will open in theaters on Dec. 5. We listen back to a 2024…
- Fresh Air
Michael Shannon Gets A Turn Playing Good Guys
Shannon's known for playing intense, menacing characters, like Agent Nelson Van Alden in ‘Boardwalk Empire.’ In two new projects, though, he plays good guys –…
- Fresh Air
A Manual For Keeping A Democracy
MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) legal analyst and former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance discusses recent impactful decisions by courts and the Justice Department, and how…
- Fresh Air
Brendan Fraser Has Everything & Nothing To Prove
In his new film, 'Rental Family,' Brendan Fraser plays an actor in Tokyo who takes a job with a rental family service. It's based on a real phenomenon in…
- Fresh Air
Best Of: Ben Stiller / Cynthia Erivo
Ben Stiller talks about his new Apple TV+ documentary about his actor/comedian parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, they were famous as…
- Fresh Air
A Look Back At Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’
Sixty-five years ago, Alfred Hitchcock shocked audiences with his film ‘Psycho.’ It broke Hollywood conventions about what a film should and should not do…
- Fresh Air
A Sleep Scientist Excavates The World Of Dreams
Michelle Carr has spent years researching what goes on in the brain while we dream. She explains dream engineering, including how sensory inputs like light…
- Fresh Air
How Kash Patel Is Changing The FBI’s Mission
‘New Yorker’ staff writer Marc Fisher says Kash Patel became FBI director without senior law enforcement experience because of his loyalty to Trump and…
- Fresh Air
Ben Stiller On His Parents’ Showbiz Marriage
After the deaths of his parents, comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Ben found a stash of their audio recordings. Those tapes are at the center of a new…
- Fresh Air
Cynthia Erivo's Road To 'Wicked'
Erivo speaks with Tonya Mosley about the parallels between her life and the experience of her ‘Wicked’ character, Elphaba. She also talks about singing as a…
- Fresh Air
Best Of: Ethan Hawke / Tim Robbins
Ethan Hawke stars in the new movie ‘Blue Moon,’ about lyricist Lorenz Hart, half of the Broadway duo Rodgers and Hart. It’s his ninth collaboration with…
- Fresh Air
The High Pressure Experiments That Made D-Day
What happens to the body in the deep sea? You need oxygen to survive, but too much oxygen can be deadly. If you rise to the surface too quickly, nitrogen…