This American Life
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223 episodes
What’s in the box? What’s in the $%&ing box?!? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/875/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What’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 thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/874/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Shalom 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 making snap judgments about others. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/ This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
America loves winners—now more than ever. But how do you get to a win in 2025 America? We get up close and follow someone trying to build a big win for herself and thousands of others like her. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/872/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Three stories about the strange power inanimate objects can hold over us. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/871/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ira Glass shares some news about This American Life To sign up as a Life Partner, visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners
What happens when people create alternate versions of themselves and release them into the wild? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/870/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When Zohran Mamdani won the primary race for New York mayor, the Democratic establishment's lukewarm response echoed the treatment of another charismatic, unconventional candidate decades earlier. This week, we bring you the story of Harold Washington, the greatest politician you've probably never heard of, and the backlash that ensued when he became Chicago's first Black mayor. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/869/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Stories of people who try simple mind games on others, and then find themselves way in over their heads. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/286/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A group of immigration judges, who almost never speak to the press, describes the dismantling of our immigration court system from the inside. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/ This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Things are different on college campuses this year. We see inside the drama, with students and staff. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/867/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Small human plans that run into much larger obstacles. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/866/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People starting over—sometimes because they want to, other times because they have to. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/233/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Since October 7th, while the world has focused its attention on Gaza, the Israeli government has tightened the screws on the three million Palestinians in the West Bank in all sorts of dramatic ways. We travel to the West Bank to see these changes in person. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/865/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What is it about them, our mean friends? They treat us poorly, they don't call us back, they cancel plans at the last minute, and yet we keep coming back for more. Popular bullies exist in business, politics — everywhere. How do they stay so popular? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/245/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The story of the most commonly performed surgery, and what goes wrong with it – terribly wrong – 100,000 times a year in the United States. We’re excited to bring you the first episode of The Retrievals, Season 2, the new show from longtime This American Life producer and editor Susan Burton. It’s from Serial Productions and The New York Times. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/864/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ira Glass talks with longtime producer Nancy Updike about the most personal stories they have put on the radio. This is a sample of the bonus episodes we regularly release to our This American Life Partners. To gain access to all the bonus episodes AND help us keep making This American Life, join at thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=bonus-content-promo&utm_id=lifepartners&utm_content=20250718-nancydeepcuts.
When you’re the only one who can see something, sometimes it feels like you’re in on a special secret. The hard part is getting anyone to believe your secret is real. This week, people trying to show others what they see—including a woman with muscular dystrophy who believes she has the same condition as an Olympic athlete. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/577/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summer is a time when change seems more possible than ever. But is that really how it happens? Can people actually reinvent themselves in the warmer months? This week, we present stories — and some comedy — about people and their summer selves. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/594/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People on a mission to achieve their goals before their window of opportunity closes. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/863/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On his first day in office, President Trump decided to freeze all U.S. foreign aid. Soon after, his administration effectively dissolved USAID—the federal agency that delivers billions in food, medicine, and other aid worldwide. Many of its programs have been canceled. Now, as USAID officially winds down, we try to assess its impact. What was good? What was not so good? We meet people around the world wrestling with these questions and trying to navigate this chaotic moment. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/862/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In honor of Father’s Day, stories of sons and daughters finding out the one thing they've always wanted to know about their father. The answers aren't always what they’d hoped for. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/289/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We got a tip about a meat plant selling pig intestines as fake calamari, wondered if it could be true, and decided to investigate. Doppelgängers, doubles, evil twins and not-so-evil twins, this week. Fred Armisen co-hosts with Ira Glass. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/484/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Conversations across a divide: Palestinians who are outside Gaza check in with family, friends, and strangers inside. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/ This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A show about people who are suddenly confronted with who they are. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_id=lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/860/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mike Birbiglia got used to strange things happening to him when he slept—until something happened that almost killed him. This and other reasons to fear sleep, including bedbugs, "The Shining," and mild-mannered husbands who turn into maniacs while asleep. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=bonus-content-promo&utm_id=lifepartners&utm_content=02501-pilot to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/361/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People immersed in chaos try to solve for what it all adds up to. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=bonus-content-promo&utm_id=lifepartners&utm_content=02501-pilot to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/859/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For Easter weekend — and the end of Passover! — stories of people struggling to follow the Ten Commandments. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=bonus-content-promo&utm_id=lifepartners&utm_content=02501-pilot to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/332/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A couple devises a strategy to get their daughter's killer prosecuted and to get attention for other Native families. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=bonus-content-promo&utm_id=lifepartners&utm_content=02501-pilot to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/858/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People tossing words out into the world impulsively to ignite and burn over decades. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners https://thisamericanlife.supercast.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=bonus-content-promo&utm_id=lifepartners&utm_content=02501-pilot to sign up for our premium subscription. __ __ Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org https://www.thisamericanlife.org/668/transcript This American Life privacy policy. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/page/privacy-policy Learn more about sponsor message choices. https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
