Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

4.8 (1.1K)
SOCIETY & CULTURE

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Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso is a weekly series of intimate conversations with artists, activists, and politicians. Where people sound like people. Hosted by Sam Fragoso. New episodes every Sunday.

4D AGO

Jenny Slate in 2025

Jenny Slate returns today for her fourth appearance on the program. We discuss how this role in the new FX series Dying for Sex offered her ‘full wingspan’ as a performer (5:45), embodying best friend and caretaker of Molly, played by Michelle Williams (9:25), and what she extracted from herself to play a confrontational character (12:30). Then, Jenny describes her relationship to motherhood (17:30), her breaking point while making her 2019 film The Sunlit Night (22:32), and how some timeless words from her first story collection Little Weirds help make sense of this moment (28:56). On the back-half, we unpack Jenny’s journey to healing from social media (33:11), a token of advice from her father, poet Ron Slate (41:48), and, to continue our tradition—Slate’s personal and creative aspirations for the years to come (43:51). To close, a formative passage from Shakespeare’s The Tempest (51:57). Hear our previous talks with Jenny from 2022, 2020, and 2017. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

57 min
MAR 30

Hollywood Plays Itself in Seth Rogen’s ‘The Studio’

Actor, writer, director, and producer Seth Rogen came up in an age of abundance—a Hollywood that made big-budget comedies with box office success: The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express. That era recently inspired his new Apple TV+ show The Studio. On the heels of the series’ premiere, Rogen joins us to discuss its key influences (6:15), from Robert Altman’s The Player to The Larry Sanders Show (13:25), the evolving state of “show business” (15:36), and a life-changing piece of advice from director and producer Judd Apatow (25:00). On the back-half, we dive into his early years writing comedy in Vancouver (25:57), formative memories making Freaks and Geeks (33:19), and how This Is the End, the meta-comedy from 2013, was a precursor to this latest project (43:18) and solidified his enduring creative partnership with Evan Goldberg (58:30). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1h 10m
MAR 23

Ezra Klein’s Call for ‘Abundance’ in America

In their new book, Abundance, journalists Ezra Klein (The New York Times) and Derek Thompson offer a hopeful vision for what the future of the U.S. can look like. Ezra returns to the show to discuss how his ‘agenda of abundance’ (6:15) is a response to the hollowing out of the middle class (11:26) and the dwindling housing market (16:30). Then, Klein explains how these regulatory inefficiencies have impacted California’s high-speed rail project (27:56), what we can learn from international construction (32:15), and why it’s so difficult to build in Blue states (40:00). On the back-half, we discuss the future of AI in the workforce (48:48), whether “Abundance” can serve as a prescriptive text for the Democratic Party (1:00:56), the hope he aims to engender in readers (1:08:18), and our path to meaningful progress in 2025 and beyond (1:14:16). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1h 21m
MAR 16

Play It Again: Actor Amanda Seyfried

From Mean Girls to Mamma Mia! to First Reformed, Amanda Seyfried has repeatedly displayed her versatility as a performer. Today, we return to one of our favorite conversations with the illustrious actor. At the top, we discuss her Oscar-nominated portrayal of 1920s and '30s screen star Marion Davies in David Fincher's Mank (6:53), her early years working in the industry (13:13), and the joy of making Mean Girls (15:26). Then, she reflects on the parallels between 1930s Hollywood and today (36:08), how she found her footing (41:51), and where she'd like to go in the years ahead (45:32). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

48 min
MAR 9

A Portrait of the Artist Tyler Mitchell

What does photography need to do now? Artist Tyler Mitchell has been asking (and attempting to answer) that question since making history as the first Black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover back in 2018. Since then (he was only 23-years-old at the time) his work has been celebrated in museums around the world, featured in publications like Vanity Fair and W, and, ultimately, published in his debut monograph, I Can Make You Feel Good. He joins us this week around the opening of his revelatory exhibition, Ghost Images, now available at the Gagosian Gallery in New York City. View the works discussed in our virtual gallery here or visit talkeasypod.com/tyler-mitchell-gallery/. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1h 23m
MAR 2

Actor Monica Barbaro (‘A Complete Unknown’) Takes the Stage as Joan Baez

In celebration of Oscar Sunday, our conversation with actor Monica Barbaro. Her portrayal of Joan Baez in the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. At the top, we discuss how director James Mangold drew inspiration from Miloš Forman’s Amadeus (7:00), the vocal lessons Monica received in preparation for the role of Baez (10:15), and her affecting rendition of House of the Rising Sun (16:00). Then, we dive into Monica’s California upbringing (18:00), her pivot from dancing to professional acting (24:00), and the winding journey that led her to A Complete Unknown (29:00). On the back-half, we talk about her breakout role in Top Gun: Maverick (38:00), her evolving relationship to perfectionism (39:30), the deep, autobiographical research she did to portray Joan Baez (42:00), and what she hopes for in the years to come (54:15). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

59 min
FEB 26

Oscars Week with Jesse Eisenberg (‘A Real Pain’)

In the lead-up to Oscar Sunday, our conversation with actor, writer, and director Jesse Eisenberg. At the top, we unpack the journey that shaped his film A Real Pain (9:18), memories from his travels to Poland (15:40), and what he observed about his family growing up in East Brunswick (22:23). Then, Eisenberg reflects on his first jokes written on post-it notes (29:20), his breakthrough acting roles in Roger Dodger (31:35) and The Squid and the Whale (34:37), and formative visits to his aunt Doris in New York City (35:32). On the back-half, we talk about his transformation in The Social Network (41:15), the erotic dream that inspired his play The Spoils (42:48), the real anxiety he explored while writing A Real Pain (46:39), lessons on directing from Richard Ayoade and Greg Mottola (51:14), and why he cares so deeply about his art (1:00:10). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 hr
FEB 23

Director RaMell Ross (‘Nickel Boys’) is Redefining Cinema

One week from Oscar Sunday, we’re joined by Nickel Boys director RaMell Ross. At the top, RaMell describes the formal innovations of the new film (6:44), the naivete that allowed him to make this singular project (8:02), and how photography is shaped by race in ways we don’t consider (12:00). Then, we dive into RaMell’s Virginia upbringing (29:28), the hoop dreams that brought him to Georgetown (29:35), and the “question everything” mindset that took flight in his college years (30:30). On the back-half, Ross explains the cinematic lineage of his Oscar-nominated documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening (42:25), his aim to portray the American South in a new light (50:26), and why Nickel Boys is just the beginning of this next chapter in Black cinematic history (57:00). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1h 4m

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns for Season 3 of her award-winning podcast, Wiser Than Me™. Each week, she has funny, touching, personal conversations with iconic older women who are brimming with the kind of unapologetic attitude and wisdom that only comes with age. Julia sits at the feet of some extraordinary teachers this season, and of course her 90-year-old mom, Judith. Tune in to laugh, cry, and get wise. All Hail Old Women! Photo: Ryan Pfluger and August Image

4.8 (9472)

COMEDY
Are you living your best life now? Not always? This is a podcast for you. Duke Professor Kate Bowler is an expert in the stories we tell about success and failure, suffering and happiness. She had Stage IV cancer. Then she didn’t. And since then, all she wants to do is talk to funny and wise people about how to live with the knowledge that, well, everything happens. Find her online at @katecbowler. Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/

4.8 (4754)

SOCIETY & CULTURE
…Is this it? That’s the question our host Reshma Saujani asks herself daily. She’s the founder of two successful nonprofits, she’s married to a great guy, and she’s raising two beautiful children. She’s gotten everything she’s ever wanted, so why does she feel so unsatisfied? Is this a woman’s version of a midlife crisis? She’s determined to figure it out, and with the strength of her group chat behind her, she’s calling in reinforcements. From Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, to Emily Oster and Cheryl Strayed, to experts, friends, authors and more, Reshma’s going to help us all figure out how we stop trying to just get through this time of life… and actually start living it.

4.2 (119)

HEALTH & FITNESS
It’s time to travel back to the Jeffersonian – this time, with an insider tour from the squint squad who made “Bones” one of the longest-running primetime dramas in TV history. Emily Deschanel (Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan) and Carla Gallo (Daisy Wick) are besties who met on set and are ready to take you back to the beginning, episode by episode. How did the show start? Which first-season episode aired out of order? Why did the Angelator become the Angelatron? And shouldn’t Brennan have been wearing gloves or something when she was reconstructing that skull? (The answer is yes.) Emily and Carla will also interview the cast, the crew, the directors, and the producers who made the show so special. Whether you’re a new watcher or already King of the Lab, we promise this rewatch will save you from ever saying “I don’t know what that means” again.

4.6 (555)

TV & FILM
Scott Aukerman, Lauren Lapkus and Paul F Tompkins abandon their regular formats to focus on the basics of being funny with each other. Can’t wait to hear more episodes? For more info and archive episodes go to www.lemonadamedia.com. Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/

4.8 (3140)

COMEDY
"Compelling and thoughtful listening" - the New York Times Hosted by Kentuckians Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, Pantsuit Politics is an independent podcast that takes a different approach to the news and culture. Pay attention without the anxiety. New episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/

4.5 (4796)

NEWS

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4.8

out of 5

1,122 Ratings

Feedback on the podcast

Apr 2

izzioaklandca

Sam is the most incredible interviewer!! He asks such great questions and is truly a gifted listener as is reflected in his responses and interactions with his guests. My #1 favorite podcast, hands down.
Immersive and uplifting

Mar 23

357)?;6$

Sam is a skillful interviewer. He disarms his guests by asking a series of thought provoking questions to reveal perhaps their more private selves or at least their less public selves in a way that’s truly fascinating. With a bit of humor and wit he grabs your attention in such a way that you feel connected to the both host and guest. This show is a treat.
Excellent!

Mar 14

MyFeedback2U

Wow! I am late to this podcast but love it. Truly dynamic and engaging conversations. Both host and guests are well suited to each other. I feel like am listening to a lovely friendship develop with each episode. My favorite part is when a guest is blown away by the detailed research, often saying, “how did you know that?”
A Gem of a Show

Mar 2

jeydeb

I happened upon Talk Easy around the time of Nikki Giovanni’s transition and I have been listening non stop since then. Sam is a natural at this. He’s well researched, he’s kind, he’s thoughtful and I notice the ease with which open up to him. One of the best podcasts I have in my rotation!!!!!!!

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso is a weekly series of intimate conversations with artists, activists, and politicians. Where people sound like people. Hosted by Sam Fragoso. New episodes every Sunday.