Fresh Air
NPR
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. Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll enjoy bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening - all while you support NPR's mission. Learn more at plus.npr.org/freshair And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air Weekly, to get interview highlights, staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and the week's interviews and reviews all in one place. Sign up at www.whyy.org/freshair
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 4, 2026 • 49min
Best Of: John Lithgow / Sondheim’s tumultuous life
John Lithgow, veteran actor known for stage and screen, discusses playing Roald Dahl and the play’s handling of controversy. Daniel Okrent, author and journalist, explores Stephen Sondheim’s life and musical craft. They dig into moral complexity, artistic motivation, musical structure, and how personal history shapes creative work.
Apr 3, 2026 • 45min
Julio Torres spins immigrant stress into satire
Julio Torres, a Salvadoran-born comedian, writer, and filmmaker known for surreal satire and Color Theories, talks about turning immigrant stress into the film Problemista and his attraction to difficult people. Justin Chang, a film critic, offers a concise review of The Drama. They explore bureaucracy, visa struggles, and surreal comedy through short, vivid conversations.
9 snips
Apr 2, 2026 • 45min
John Lithgow
John Lithgow, veteran actor and author known for stage, film, and TV, discusses playing complicated figures from Roald Dahl to Churchill. He talks about bringing Dahl’s dark impulses to life, the play Giant’s timely controversies, dialect and prosthetic work for The Crown, comedic craft from Third Rock, and creating music and books for children.
29 snips
Apr 1, 2026 • 44min
An exposé of the plastic industry
Beth Gardiner, investigative journalist and author of Plastic Ink, uncovers how Big Oil turned to plastics for profit. She discusses industry tactics, microplastics in our bodies, regulatory gaps, and the toll on Gulf Coast communities. Short, urgent reporting on who pays the price and why reducing plastic production matters.
34 snips
Mar 31, 2026 • 46min
Inside the training camps for “alpha males”
Charles Bethea, New Yorker writer who investigated alpha-male camps, describes mud, ice baths, and the loneliness driving men toward performance. Maureen Corrigan, book critic and literature professor, gives a brisk review of Tana French’s The Keeper. They discuss social media influencers, therapeutic rituals turned macho theater, political posturing, and the cultural currents fueling a resurgence of hypermasculinity.
64 snips
Mar 30, 2026 • 45min
Former Infowars employee on Alex Jones' conspiracy machine
Josh Owens, a former Infowars video editor and field producer who wrote a memoir about his time there. He recalls staged stunts like fabricated ISIS scenes and a faux radiation road trip. He discusses how cinematic editing, headlines and product sales drove the operation. He explains the fear-filled workplace, why young men are drawn in, and why he ultimately left.
Mar 28, 2026 • 48min
Best Of: Jill Scott / Riz Ahmed
Riz Ahmed, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated actor and writer, talks about creating Bait and reimagining Hamlet with roots in his life. Jill Scott, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and poet, reflects on her new album To Whom This May Concern and musical influences. They explore identity, performance, artistic origins, and the cultural threads that shape their work.
10 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 46min
Remembering Action Hero Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris, martial-arts champion turned action star, reflects on his karate roots, fight choreography, stunts and screen persona. Augie Meyers, Tex-Mex keyboardist and Vox-organ pioneer, recalls crafting his signature sound, Beatles phone call, and writing bilingual hits. Short, vivid conversations about craft, performance, risk, and musical innovation.
51 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 46min
America's first AI-fueled war is unfolding. How'd we get here?
Katrina Manson, Bloomberg journalist and author of Project Maven, digs into the rise of AI in modern warfare. She traces how an AI targeting system was built and deployed, explains failures from bad data to rapid fixes, and explores escalation risks, classified-cloud politics, and why international regulation is lagging.
17 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 1h 11min
Bryan Stevenson says facing our racist past is a path, not punishment
Bryan Stevenson, human rights lawyer who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, advocates preserving painful history through museums and archives. He discusses why confronting slavery and lynching is necessary for truth and healing. He traces Montgomery’s role in segregation, reframes Rosa Parks’ activism, and explains how documenting racial terror supports democratic repair.
