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
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
The Americans Outside My Window
Jan 12, 2026In this special mini-episode -- an extra episode this week! -- we hear from someone in Venezuela with a very specific take on last week's U.S. attack.
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This bonus episode explores the immediate aftermath of the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Through an interview with Teresa, a Venezuelan opposition organizer who participated in the 2024 election effort to oust Maduro, the episode reveals the complex emotions of witnessing the operation from her home near Caracas, followed by growing disappointment as the Trump administration negotiated with Maduro's vice president rather than installing the opposition leaders who won the election.
- Context: The 2024 Venezuelan Election and Grassroots Movement
- The Night of the Attack: Witnessing the Operation from Home
878: New Lore Drop
Jan 11, 2026People discovering information about their own lives that they did not know, and suddenly everything looks very different. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscri...
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Reporter Ben Austin receives a Facebook friend request from Eddie, a childhood acquaintance, which unexpectedly leads to a confrontation about decades-old bullying. What begins as reconnecting with old classmates transforms into a journey to understand whether Ben was a bully as a child, featuring stories about how new information can completely rewrite our understanding of the past.
- The CIA Parents Revelation
- Grandma's Secret Book Club
The tiny thing that unravels your world. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira talks to Chris Benderev, whose high school years were comple...
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This American Life explores how small, offhand comments and moments can fundamentally change how people see their world. The episode features stories ranging from a high school health teacher's prediction about friendship, to a family's contested memory of how the parents met, to a musician's haunting regret over a Weezer collaboration gone wrong, and finally to Syrians processing the sudden fall of the Assad regime.
- The Health Teacher's Prophecy About Friendship
- The Hitchhiker Love Story: Competing Memories
801: Must Be Rats on the Brain
Dec 28, 2025The one animal we can’t seem to live without, even when we really, really want to. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription Prologue: At the announcement of ...
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This American Life explores humanity's complicated relationship with rats through stories from New York City's war on rodents, the love life of a rat owner, Alberta's successful rat eradication program, and a glimpse into rat family dynamics. The episode examines why rats captivate our attention so intensely and how different communities handle the rodent problem.
- Mayor Adams Declares War on Rats
- A Harlem Resident's Rat Nightmare
Christmas and Commerce
Dec 24, 2025Stories about the intersection of Christmas and retail, originally broadcast in 1996 when our show was only a year old. Including David Sedaris's "Santaland Diaries" about the seasons he spent working...
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This American Life presents a Christmas special featuring two classic stories from the show's first year. The episode explores how people reveal their true selves during the high-stakes holiday season, from desperate last-minute shoppers at Toys R Us to David Sedaris's experiences working as a Macy's elf, concluding with David Rakoff's surreal stint impersonating Freud in a department store window.
- Last-Minute Christmas Shopping at Toys R Us
- Becoming an Elf at Macy's Santaland
877: The Making Of
Dec 21, 2025How one block in Portland, Oregon became a movie-set war zone that lots of people think is a real war zone. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription — or to g...
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255: Our Holiday Gift-Giving Guide
Dec 14, 2025The vexing difficulty of finding the perfect gift. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Host Ira Glass goes to a busy Target store one week be...
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In this holiday-themed rerun episode, three stories explore the complexities of gift-giving. A Toronto man and his brother attempt to give their difficult-to-please 88-year-old mother the perfect Christmas present by singing carols in harmony. Truman Capote's classic 1959 recording of 'A Christmas Memory' shares his childhood experience of making fruitcakes with his elderly cousin in 1920s Alabama. Finally, a story from rural Maine reveals how a reclusive Christmas tree farmer's generosity transformed lives in unexpected ways, though not without complications.
- The Impossible Task of Buying for Mom
- A Christmas Memory: Fruitcakes and Friendship
876: Bigger Than Me
Dec 07, 2025When history comes knocking, you have to figure out what to do. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Brittany’s job is to answer anonymous cal...
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This episode tells the remarkable story of Funmilayo Ransom Kuti, a Nigerian educator who led a revolutionary women's movement in the 1940s that successfully deposed a British-backed king. It explores how her political activism shaped her son Fela Kuti's anti-colonial views and reveals a largely forgotten chapter of African women's resistance to colonialism. The episode also examines contemporary challenges facing U.S. military personnel navigating potentially illegal orders under the Trump administration.
- Military Personnel Face Dilemmas Over Potentially Illegal Orders
- Funmilayo Ransom Kuti: From Elite Educator to Revolutionary Leader
513: 129 Cars
Nov 30, 2025We spend a month at a Jeep dealership on Long Island as they try to make their monthly sales goal: 129 cars. If they make it, they'll get a huge bonus from the manufacturer, possibly as high as $85,00...
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This American Life documents the intense final days of October 2013 at Town & Country Jeep Chrysler Dodge Ram dealership in Levittown, New York, as they scramble to sell exactly 129 cars to meet their monthly quota and earn a crucial $65,000-85,000 bonus from Chrysler. The episode reveals the chaotic reality of car sales, following individual salespeople as they navigate desperate negotiations, family sacrifices, and the messy seat-of-the-pants deals that drive billions in economic activity.
- The Stakes: Missing September's Goal
- Jason Macia: The Number One Salesman
875: I Hate Mysteries
Nov 23, 2025What’s in the box? What’s in the $%&ing box?!? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: A class of second graders is handed a sealed box with a my...
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This American Life explores the deeply human need to solve mysteries and grapple with the unknown. The episode takes listeners through three compelling stories: a second-grade classroom's lesson in tolerating uncertainty, a nearly decade-long investigation into a mysterious 60-foot hole dug on Mount Shasta, and one comedian's surreal misunderstanding in an Uber. Throughout, we see how people respond when confronted with unanswered questions—from seven-year-olds to journalists to entire immigrant communities living under the threat of ICE raids.
- Teaching Kids to Live with Uncertainty
- The Mystery Hole on Mount Shasta
874: Under One Roof
Nov 16, 2025What’s great about living in a family is that everyone sees everything differently. Also, that’s what’s awful about living in a family. We go behind closed doors with two families. Visit thisamer...
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This episode explores how family members living under the same roof can experience and remember the same events in drastically different ways. The main story follows the Rivera family—Jenny, Fidel, and their daughters Mackenzie and Bella—as they spend months debating whether Fidel, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, should self-deport under Trump's second administration. The episode opens with a shorter story about Heather Gay (from Real Housewives of Salt Lake City) and how she hid her departure from Mormon rules from her daughters, only to discover years later that they knew much more than she thought.
- Heather's Secret Coffee Habit and the Keurig Revelation
- The Rivera Family's Immigration Dilemma Begins
873: Got You Pegged
Nov 09, 2025Shalom Auslander goes on vacation with his family, and suspects the beloved, chatty old man in the room next door is an imposter—and sets out to prove it. This and other stories about the pitfalls of ...
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This episode explores how people make assumptions about others, often based on limited information or first impressions, and how these judgments can be both deeply flawed and unavoidable. Through personal stories ranging from museum misunderstandings to police racial profiling to vacation disasters, the episode examines the universal human tendency to pigeonhole others—and the consequences when we get it wrong.
- Museum Mistaken Identity
- Police Profiling on the Lower East Side
872: Winners
Nov 02, 2025America loves winners—now more than ever. But how do you get to a win in 2025 America? We watch someone trying to score a win in a game whose rules are being made up as she plays. Visit thisameric...
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This episode explores the concept of 'winners' through a deep investigation into white South Africans seeking refugee status in the United States under a Trump administration executive order. The story follows two competing visions: Afrikaners who want help staying in South Africa versus those who want to immigrate to America. It centers on Sam Busa, who independently interpreted the executive order, organized thousands of applicants, and eventually became an official referral partner for the U.S. government's refugee program—demonstrating how ordinary citizens can shape policy implementation through determination and initiative.
- The Winner Mentality at This American Life
- The Executive Order on South Africa