Choice Words with Samantha Bee

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey joins Sam to talk about trading her career as a (yes) professional basketball player in Austria for law school and later to serve as Attorney General and Governor of Massachusetts. They talk about how Governor Healey happily works across the aisle with non-crazy Republican colleagues, and why some of them are voting for Kamala Harris. They talk about struggling with small decisions like choosing household items, her stint as a cocktail waitress, and of course, there is an unprompted mention of Dunkin Donuts. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jon Cryer joins Sam to talk about how he chooses his acting roles when he knows saying yes to one job means having to turn down another, and tells Sam about a huge role he passed up. They also get into it about a raccoon that steals his delivery food, why he gets recognized at the Frankfurt airport, and being a seat-filler at the DNC. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actor Mackenzie Davis joins Sam to talk about how she took a semester off from college to model–hated it–and ultimately decided to go back to school and fast track her degree so that she could start acting. They bond over seeing baking directions as meditational, learning lines while cooking, and how making lists and keeping lists are two different skills. Check out Mackenzie’s new film, Speak No Evil, which is out now. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actor Shailene Woodley joins Sam to talk about a pivotal decision she made to move to Europe and live out of a carry-on suitcase for ten years amid a blossoming Hollywood career. Shailene tells Sam that she would pick up dishwashing shifts when she needed money and how living in Europe taught her to see how Americans and Europeans talk about sex and bodies differently. Plus they talk about needing to make decisions even when you’re terrified by them, being a climate activist despite not loving the title, and exchange a few stories about the weird things their cats (and all cats??) do.  Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carrie Coon joins Samantha Bee to discuss being a classic midwestern middle child, almost attending a naval academy, how the first decision she ever made in her life was to go to graduate school, why comedians are the darkest people, and how when she was younger she would collect boyfriends and leave the country rather than break up with them (didn’t we all??). Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crooked Media’s Jon Lovett joins Sam to debrief the DNC and why Chicago is the perfect combination of sweatpants and sandwich town. They discuss his decision to go on Survivor and why it’s the best way to see how democracy works up close. Plus, Sam and Jon get into why movies are too long, the best way to moderate debates, and the power of young people persuading other young people to vote.  Go to votesaveamerica.com to see how you can help.  Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend and former senior advisor to Vice President Harris Symone Sanders Townsend joins Sam for DNC week! Sam and Symone talk about how as kids they both hosted fake news shows, where she was when she heard President Biden was ending his campaign, why Symone had to make a pro/con list when deciding to leave the White House, being a risk-taker, and why voters like making history—and hopefully will again soon.  MSNBC will host MSNBC Live: Democracy 2024 on September 7, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It’s MSNBC’s inaugural audience-focused, live event featuring more than a dozen of your favorite hosts, including Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki, Joy Reid, Symone and more. Tickets are available at https://www.msnbc.com/democracy2024. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actor and activist Tony Goldwyn joins Sam and talks about how he rides the waves of success—sometimes people want you and sometimes they don’t—and how he’s learned to be ok not chasing roles that weren’t right for him. They also talk about how at a pivotal moment in his career Tony decided to stay in New York and do a small Off-Broadway play rather than chase the LA scene. He tells Sam that since playing a president on Scandal people have come to him for presidential advice, how he actually has spent time lobbying Congress, and what his rewatch policy is. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In her new essay, “Stand Your Ground: A Black Feminist Reckoning with America’s Gun Problem,” Roxane Gay details her decision to become a gun owner and why she doesn’t think the US has missed its window on meaningful gun control. Sam and Roxane also discuss why you never want to peak in high school, the shift to writing for TV, and how the worst four words in the English language are “hop on a call.” “Stand Your Ground: A Black Feminist Reckoning with America’s Gun Problem” is available now. It’s the capstone to “Roxane Gay &,” a curated series of ebooks and audiobooks, available exclusively on subscription hub Everand. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When comedian Nick Kroll decided to end his hit show “Kroll Show” he wasn’t totally sure what he would do next. But it was important to him to decide something was done rather than drag it out. Sam asks Nick about how he’s so good at zeroing in on what he genuinely wants, finding the funniest people in the room to make Big Mouth, and how to decide if he should keep his family out of his standup material. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.