Wild Card with Rachel Martin
NPR
Life’s too short for small talk. Rachel gets right to the questions that matter most. Once a week, famous guests pull questions from a deck of cards and open up about the kind of stuff we all think about but rarely say out loud. Actors, authors, and thinkers are prompted to talk about everything from their insecurities and dreams to grief and God. Named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by The New York Times, Wild Card stands out among celebrity interview podcasts. When modern life feels chaotic or overwhelming, listen to Wild Card for a joyful, grounding reminder of our shared humanity. Want to listen to Wild Card sponsor-free? Support NPR by subscribing to Wild Card+. Learn more at plus.npr.org/wildcard.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 14, 2026 • 42min
Rita Wilson
Rita Wilson, actor turned musician who released her album Sound of a Woman, reflects on family, immigrant roots, and starting a music career later in life. She shares memories of Greek cooking and parents’ courage. She talks about unlearning people-pleasing, setting boundaries, and how aging deepens creativity and love.
15 snips
May 7, 2026 • 42min
Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott, best-selling author and beloved writing teacher, reflects on writing as a vocation and the lifelong rituals that sustain her. She talks about unlearning others' opinions, finding literary community, coauthoring Good Writing, and how fear and mortality shape creativity. Short, candid, and warm conversation about craft, vulnerability, and the small practices that keep a writer going.
13 snips
Apr 30, 2026 • 39min
Amy Grant
Amy Grant, singer-songwriter known for bridging contemporary Christian and pop music, chats about her new album The Me That Remains and life events that shaped it. She recalls health crises that changed her rhythm. She describes returning to songwriting slowly, leaning on collaborators, and finding surprising joys in aging and everyday kindness.
Apr 23, 2026 • 50min
Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham, writer, director, and actor known for creating Girls and author of Fame Sick, reflects on fame, chronic illness, and returning to her childhood self. She recounts sudden stardom, on-set friendships and tensions, reclaiming creative solitude, and how illness reshaped her view of mortality and love.
Apr 16, 2026 • 37min
Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk, actor and writer known for Saul Goodman and a sketch comedy past, reflects on his surprisingly action-filled career and new film Normal. He revisits childhood independence, family dynamics, training beyond his comfort zone, a life-changing on-set heart attack, and how drama found him later in life. Short, candid stories and unexpected turns.
Apr 9, 2026 • 44min
Tim Blake Nelson
Tim Blake Nelson, actor and novelist known for O Brother, Where Art Thou and Superhero, shares tales from a Tulsa meatpacking job to studying classics at Brown. He describes solitary fishing in Jamaica, why writing gave him control, the Hollywood spark behind his novel, and how marriage and artistry reshaped his risks and priorities.
Apr 2, 2026 • 57min
George Saunders
George Saunders, award-winning author of empathetic, imaginative fiction. He talks about his new novel Vigil and its tug-of-war between mercy and accountability. He explores liminal spaces like life-afterlife settings and why they sharpen human neuroses. He also reflects on ambition, work ethic, parenting pressures, and the longing to quiet the self.
6 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 38min
Julio Torres
Julio Torres, comedian and filmmaker known for surreal, whimsical work like Color Theories, chats about inventing interior lives for colors, letters, and numbers. He reflects on childhood math fears, turning rejection into material, curious beliefs shaped by family lore, and the stylish outfits he imagines wearing in old age.
13 snips
Mar 19, 2026 • 41min
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate, actress and author known for her film and TV work and memoir You with the Sad Eyes. She reflects on life shaped by sets, dancing and Broadway highs. She talks about parenting a teen, naming painful past relationships, living with illness and finding joy in small comforts like Bravo. The conversation balances resilience, memory and the gift of motherhood.
10 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 52min
Chris Fleming
Chris Fleming, a comedian and physical performer known for manic movement and vivid observations, shares stories about his career, dance roots, and creative rituals. He talks about pushing past industry skepticism, the theatrical choices behind his stage persona, and why certain symbols like birds keep showing up in his work. Short, lively, and full of eccentric charm.
