This American Life
Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.
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Recent Episodes
676: Here’s Looking at You, Kid
May 24, 2026Adults telling kids who they are, and kids wondering — are they right? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Host Ira talks with comedian Gary ...
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This American Life explores the profound impact adults have on shaping children's identities, featuring two compelling stories: Gary Goleman's transformation from a timid, artistic kid into a reluctant football player through the influence of charismatic coaches, and Nicole Klumper's decades-long struggle to understand the truth about childhood abuse allegations when experts offer conflicting interpretations of her own memories.
- The Jetsons Transform Gary: From Artist to Football Player
- The Rocky Montage: Gary's Physical Transformation
887: Two Is One, One Is None!
May 17, 2026One family faces the Trump administration’s ban on trans people serving in the military, and responds with a surprising secret weapon. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our pre...
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This episode follows two intertwined stories about planning for life-changing moments. The main story tracks Garrett, a trans Navy lieutenant commander, and her wife Chrissy as they navigate Trump's military ban on trans service members through meticulous planning and spreadsheets. The second story is a science fiction tale about two lifelong friends facing God's decree that all humans must transform into animals, exploring how they navigate the choice between staying together and following their individual desires.
- The Ban Arrives and Planning Begins
- Extreme Contingency Planning
318: With Great Power
May 10, 2026People who end up with far more power than they bargained for, and everything that comes with it. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira tel...
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This episode of This American Life explores stories of ordinary people grappling with extraordinary power and the weighty responsibility that comes with it. From missionaries who feel accountable for every soul they could save, to a woman whose knowledge could free an innocent man from prison, to neighbors engaged in psychological warfare, each story examines the burden of having power over others' lives and the difficult choices that follow.
- The Missionaries' Burden: Living Like Schindler's List
- The Woman Who Knew Too Much: Carla's 26-Year Secret
886: Blackout
May 03, 2026Since the war began in Iran, we've heard very little from people inside the country — and there's a reason for that. The entire country has been under an internet blackout. We worked with reporters Ro...
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This episode documents life inside Iran during a 63-day internet blackout imposed by Iranian authorities during the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. Through voice memos smuggled out of the country, Iranians describe their daily lives navigating both military attacks and extreme digital isolation, revealing how the blackout affects everything from basic communication to access to information, while also exposing deep political divisions within Iranian society.
- The Blackout Begins: When War Cuts Off Connection
- Dual Reality: Living Through War and Digital Isolation
Ira (Reluctantly) Gives a Graduation Speech
May 01, 2026Ira always hated commencement speeches. Then he felt like he had to give this one. thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners
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Ira Glass delivers his 2012 Goucher College commencement speech while reflecting on why graduation speeches are so difficult to make interesting. He explains his reluctance to give such speeches due to their predictable structure and tendency toward platitudes, but shares why he ultimately agreed to speak at Goucher - his personal connections to the college, including his former boss Sandy Unger who became president, his grandmother Frida who was a proud Goucher graduate and Phi Beta Kappa member, and a surprisingly personal story from his youth that he initially wasn't sure he should share.
- The Problem With Graduation Speeches
- Ira's Reluctant Agreement to Speak
466: Blackjack
Apr 26, 2026The casino game everyone thinks they can beat. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Host Ira Glass and producer Robyn Semien get a blackjack ...
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This American Life explores the world of blackjack through several interconnected stories: Ira Glass and producer Robin Semien learn card counting from MIT blackjack team member Andy Block and try it in Atlantic City; a team of Christian card counters who won $3.5 million from casinos while grappling with moral questions; and the troubling case of Angie Bachman, whose gambling addiction led to a lawsuit against Caesars casino over predatory marketing practices.
- Learning Card Counting with MIT Team Member
- First Casino Trip: Reality Check in Atlantic City
393: Infidelity
Apr 19, 2026Stories of cheating, cheaters, and the cheated. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira talks with Jessica Pressler about a phenomenon she no...
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This episode explores infidelity from multiple perspectives - the cheaters, the cheated on, and those caught in between. Through personal stories from England, Italy, and America, it examines the lies people tell themselves and others, the rationalization of affairs, and the devastating aftermath. The show reveals how affairs create competing narratives where each party experiences a fundamentally different reality, and how those left out of the love story become collateral damage with no voice in their own lives.
- The Wedding Pages and the Invisible Ex-Partners
- A British Love Triangle: When Best Friends Become Lovers
885: Bless This Mess
Apr 12, 2026At a time when the U.S. government is trying to make American history tidier, we try to learn from the mess. Including the untold, messy story of Paul and Essie Robeson. Visit thisamericanlife.org/...
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This episode of This American Life explores the untold histories of Black Americans through two powerful stories: Nicole Hill's deep dive into the lives of Paul and Essie Robeson, revolutionary superstars who were systematically erased from American history for their activism and communist sympathies, and Jordan Anderson's remarkable 1865 letter to his former enslaver. The episode examines how American history is curated, suppressed, and sometimes deliberately forgotten.
- Nicole Hill's Journey to Discovering Black History
- Paul and Essie Meet: A Harlem Love Story
212: The Other Man
Apr 05, 2026What happens when a new guy comes on the scene and changes the way everyone relates to each other? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira ta...
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This American Life presents three stories about what happens when an outsider arrives and disrupts the normal order of things. The episode explores how the presence of an unexpected person can fundamentally change family dynamics, political races, and romantic relationships, examining both the challenges and transformations that come with these intrusions.
- Sarah Vowell and Robert Redford: When a Star Disrupts Family Dynamics
- Introduction to Aaron: When Mom Starts Channeling an Ancient Spirit
884: The Idiot
Mar 29, 2026M. Gessen returns to our show with a true-crime story that takes place entirely within their own family. This story comes to us from the producers at Serial Productions—who invented the true-crime pod...
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M. Gessen presents a deeply personal true crime story about their cousin Alan, who was arrested for attempting to hire someone to murder his ex-wife Priscilla. What begins as a story about international child custody disputes escalates into a shocking murder-for-hire plot that tears apart Gessen's family. The episode serves as an introduction to Gessen's five-part Serial podcast, The Idiot, where they investigate how their charismatic but troubled cousin descended from family clown to convicted felon.
- The Elastic Family and Alan's Arrival
- Becoming a Double Agent for Priscilla
883: Call Your Parents
Mar 22, 2026In the early days of the radio show, Ira did a series of interviews with his parents that completely changed his relationship with them. This week, he returns to those interviews. Visit thisamerica...
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In this personal and introspective episode, Ira Glass shares interviews with his parents from the first year of This American Life, revealing how being on the show fundamentally healed and changed their previously distant relationship. Through conversations about adult children, his father's abandoned radio career, and even awkward discussions about sex advice, these recordings capture the power of including his parents in his work and the unexpected bond it created.
- Adult Children and Parental Expectations
- Discovering Dad's Secret Radio Past
628: In the Shadow of the City
Mar 15, 2026Stories that take place on the edge of civilization, just out of sight. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Every city's got a place like thi...
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882: Give a Little Whistle
Mar 08, 2026Two lawyers who work for ICE step forward and lift the curtain on what is really happening inside our immigration system right now. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premiu...
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This American Life presents detailed accounts from two ICE lawyers who became whistleblowers, revealing systemic failures in immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. The episode exposes inadequate training for new ICE agents, violations of constitutional rights, chaotic detention processes, and the overwhelming strain on the legal system as courts struggle to enforce release orders that ICE fails to follow.
- Ryan Schwenk's Decision to Become a Whistleblower
- The Secret Memo Authorizing Warrantless Home Entries
208: Office Politics
Mar 01, 2026Stories of high drama from America's workplaces — surprising, emotional places full of the greed, jealousy, and ambition of real politics. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our...
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This American Life explores office politics through three distinct stories: workplace sabotage at traditional companies, an assistant's frustration leading to physical confrontation, David Rakoff's satirical take on workplace holidays, and the surprisingly complex office dynamics among street vendors in New York City. The episode reveals how power struggles, hierarchies, and emotional intensity pervade all workplaces - from corporate boardrooms to literal street corners.
- Corporate Sabotage and Hierarchy Games
- Ira Glass Punches His Boss
881: I Want What I Want
Feb 22, 2026People deciding to do things that most of us do NOT choose to do. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: A new documentary called The Boys and ...
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This episode explores stories of people making unconventional choices that most would avoid. It features three distinct narratives: a filmmaker capturing a father helping his son get intentionally stung by a bee to become a 'real beekeeper,' British comedian John Tothill's near-death experience from appendicitis caused by his celebration of gluttony and refusal to cancel shows, and Evan Roberts's multi-year quest to reconnect with all his exes including one who sent him a card with the sentiment torn out. The episode also includes a courtroom drama where a federal trial ends in mistrial over a defense attorney's shirt depicting civil rights leaders.
- The Boys and the Bees: A Father's Unconventional Teaching Moment
- Edward Dando: The Celebrated Oyster Glutton
605: Kid Logic
Feb 15, 2026Kids using perfectly logical arguments and arriving at perfectly wrong conclusions. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira talks with Rebecc...
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This American Life presents a collection of stories exploring 'Kid Logic' - how children use perfectly logical reasoning to arrive at completely incorrect conclusions. The episode examines how children observe the world around them and construct elaborate theories based on limited data, sometimes carrying these misconceptions well into adulthood. From the Tooth Fairy being a neighbor's dad to believing unicorns are real, these stories reveal the charming and often hilarious gap between children's logical thinking and reality.
- The Tooth Fairy Discovery
- How Children Think: The Science of Kid Logic
75: Kindness of Strangers
Feb 08, 2026An episode from our show's early days: Stories about what happens when strangers are kind — and when they're not. Prologue: Brett Leveridge was standing on the subway platform when a man walked by,...
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This episode from This American Life explores the kindness of strangers through stories set in New York City. From a mysterious subway messenger deciding who stays and who goes, to a locksmith's misadventure helping a stranded driver, to a teenager finding refuge in Harlem, the episode examines how random acts of kindness—and unkindness—between strangers can lead to unexpected outcomes. The stories range from touching to absurd, showing both the beauty and complexity of human interactions in America's supposedly unkindest city.
- The Subway Oracle: A Stranger's Judgment
- Tarzan Finds a Mate: The Locksmith's Good Deed Gone Wrong
880: What Is Your Emergency?
Feb 01, 2026911 calls unlike any we’ve heard before, and other stories about immigration agents sweeping through America. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prolo...
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This American Life examines the escalating crisis of immigration enforcement through 911 calls from cities across America. The episode reveals people calling emergency services as ICE and Border Patrol agents conduct raids with increasing aggression and militarization. From Charlotte to Chicago to Los Angeles, the calls capture citizens, immigrants, hospital workers, and hotel managers encountering federal agents who operate with seeming impunity. The episode also follows those resisting: security guards protecting day laborers at Home Depot, and journalists documenting every raid to create a historical record of this unprecedented period.
- The New Reality of 911 Calls
- The Escalation of Federal Immigration Enforcement
851: Try a Little Tenderness
Jan 25, 2026In the new year, stories of people trying a radical approach to solving their problems. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira meets two sis...
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This episode explores the theme of tenderness and turning the other cheek in a world that often rewards aggression. Through stories ranging from young siblings resolving conflict to a noir-style detective tale, the episode examines moments when people choose compassion over anger, and when they struggle with that choice. The stories include a confrontation with vengeful crows, comedian Josh Johnson's thoughts on spanking and conflict resolution, and a bus driver's ideology about fairness versus mercy.
- Sisters and the Art of Conflict Resolution
- The Big Nap: A Noir Detective Story
879: A Christian and a Muslim Walk Into a Bar
Jan 18, 2026When a joke could get you killed, should you say it anyway? A group of Syrian comedians test the limits of their newfound freedom, a year after the fall of the brutal Assad regime. Visit thisameric...
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A group of Syrian comedians embark on their first nationwide tour since the fall of the Assad regime, testing the boundaries of free speech in the new Syria. Led by Sharif Homsi and Maliki Mardinalli, the comedy troupe Styria navigates government censorship, religious conservatism, and violent threats as they attempt to perform in 16 cities across 21 days. What begins as a hopeful experiment in post-revolution freedom quickly reveals the complex reality of expression under Syria's new Islamist-led government.
- Comedy Under Dictatorship and the Birth of Styria
- The Comedians and Their Mission