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
23 snips
Mar 24, 2026 • 45min
Will President Trump act on his threat to take Cuba?
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker staff writer and veteran Latin America correspondent, sketches a debilitated Cuba and why it is vulnerable now. He narrates the economic collapse, healthcare and power failures, Castro family influence, and foreign levers shaping possible change. He warns against simplistic, humiliating talk of takeover and urges learning from past regime-change mistakes.
Mar 23, 2026 • 44min
Riz Ahmed is chasing acceptance in 'Bait'
Riz Ahmed, actor/writer/producer/musician known for The Night Of and Sound of Metal, talks about chasing an unattainable ideal through his character auditioning for Bond. He digs into his inner critic and early MC days on pirate radio. He also discusses reimagining Hamlet, blending genres, and working with Patrick Stewart.
Mar 21, 2026 • 48min
Best Of: Harrison Ford / Novelist Francis Spufford
Harrison Ford, veteran actor known for Star Wars and Indiana Jones, discusses playing a therapist with Parkinson's and his career choices. Francis Spufford, British novelist, talks about Nonesuch, wartime London, mythic Blitz themes, and writing a female protagonist navigating politics and time-traveling fascists. Multiple candid conversations explore memory, identity, and creative process.
5 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 46min
‘Jury Duty’ star James Marden / Remembering Roy Book Binder
James Marsden, actor known for The Notebook and Westworld, talks about playing a satirical version of himself and the improvisational risks of Jury Duty. Roy Bookbinder, veteran acoustic blues guitarist and storyteller, appears via a 1987 interview and live performances. Justin Chang, film critic, reviews Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary, discussing its tone, derivations, and alien buddy-comedy elements.
Mar 19, 2026 • 44min
Jill Scott is in her ‘auntie’ era
Jill Scott, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, poet and actor, reflects on her new album and creative rebirth. She talks about the lead single "Pressure" and making music after a decade. Nikki Giovanni’s poetry and a ninth-grade audition shaped her voice. She shares stories from acting in Botswana and embracing an "auntie" role mentoring younger artists.
23 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 46min
The Blitz, romance, and time-traveling fascists
A time-travel plot imagines fascists trying to erase Churchill and change history. The Blitz’s daily terror and survival form the backdrop. A young woman navigates romance, sexism, class barriers, and musical life in 1940s London. Alternate histories, jazz scenes, and the stakes of resisting authoritarianism appear throughout.
46 snips
Mar 17, 2026 • 45min
Could the Iran war lead to WWIII?
Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment with deep Tehran experience, breaks down Iran's power struggles and how the Revolutionary Guard really runs the country. He outlines succession risks, Iran's asymmetric attacks on Gulf infrastructure and the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. policy priorities, and why global escalation to World War III is unlikely.
18 snips
Mar 16, 2026 • 46min
The tumultuous life of Stephen Sondheim
Daniel Okrent, author and former New York Times public editor, discusses his new biography of Stephen Sondheim. He explores Sondheim’s musical techniques, recurring motifs like revenge and epiphany, influences from mentors and rivals, struggles with alcohol and family dynamics, and the two major arcs of his life from alienation to connection.
Mar 14, 2026 • 48min
Best Of: Delroy Lindo / Tayari Jones on ‘Kin’
Tayari Jones, novelist of Kin and An American Marriage, talks about the 1950s origins of Kin and the personal history behind her characters. Delroy Lindo, veteran actor with a fifty-year career and an Oscar-nominated turn in Sinners, discusses preparing Delta Slim, blues research, and his family and memoir work. They explore performance, memory, and how personal pasts shape storytelling.
14 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 46min
Benicio del Toro
Benicio del Toro, a Puerto Rican-born actor known for complex, morally ambiguous roles, discusses working with Wes Anderson and creating layered characters. He recalls early choices like the mumble in The Usual Suspects and training with Stella Adler. He reflects on childhood loss, discovering acting in college, and how Traffic changed Latino representation in Hollywood.
