Emmy-nominated actress and singer Lea Michele has spent more than 30 years performing, from her Broadway debut in Les Misérables at the Imperial Theatre when she was just 8-years-old to starring in hits like Spring Awakening, Glee, Funny Girl and Scream Queens. Michele sits down with Willie Geist backstage at the Imperial Theatre to discuss her full-circle return to the theater where it all began, how Chess has brought joy and creative spark back to her life, and why feeling fulfilled as a mother and wife has made this chapter feel especially meaningful. Plus, she steps back into the dressing room she used during Les Misérables and reflects on the confidence that first led her from an open call in Englewood, New Jersey, to the Broadway stage.

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Sunday is Hollywood’s biggest night: the 98th Academy Awards. “Sinners” may have broken a record with 16 nominations, but many of the top categories still seem to be wide open. Senior Hollywood Reporter Rebecca Keegan and Entertainment Correspondent Chloe Melas give their Oscar predictions, discuss what to expect from Conan O’Brien’s monologue, explain how the Academy Awards are evolving in the age of AI and industry consolidation, and share their own behind-the scenes experiences covering the event over the years.

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Comedian Leanne Morgan spent more than 25 years building a loyal stand-up audience before breaking through with viral clips, Netflix comedy specials I’m Every Woman and Unspeakable Things, and her hit sitcom Leanne. In this conversation from November 2025, Morgan sits down with Willie Geist to discuss her long road in stand-up, the family stories and Southern humor that shape her comedy, and the whirlwind of starring in a Netflix sitcom after decades on the road. Plus, she reflects on the breakthrough that changed her career, balancing newfound success with motherhood and grandmotherhood, and why the timing of her rise makes it even more meaningful.

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Benicio Del Toro is an Academy Award-winning actor and current nominee for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in One Battle After Another. In this conversation from June 2025, Del Toro joins Willie Geist to discuss leading director Wes Anderson’s film The Phoenician Scheme and how winning his first Oscar reshaped his life and career. Plus, he reflects on growing up in Puerto Rico and the first role that made him feel he had truly arrived in Hollywood.

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Kate Hudson is a Golden Globe-winning actress who is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Song Sung Blue at this year’s Oscars. In this conversation from December 2022, Hudson sits down with Willie Geist to discuss her role in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, overcoming her fear of singing in public, and balancing her creative career with running Fabletics and raising a family.

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Paul Mescal has quickly become one of the most compelling actors of his generation and stars in Hamnet, which is nominated for Best Picture at this year's Oscars. In this conversation from November 2025, Mescal joins Willie Geist to discuss playing young William Shakespeare in Hamnet, working alongside industry legends on Gladiator II, and how he approaches crafting complex characters. Plus, the Normal People and Aftersun star reflects on his journey from school musicals to Hollywood.

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Michael B. Jordan is an actor, producer, and director who is nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Sinners at this year’s Oscars. In this conversation from May 2021, Jordan sits down with Willie Geist to discuss starring in Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, why he prefers doing his own stunts, and stepping into a major action franchise. Plus, he reflects on his friendship with the late Chadwick Boseman and navigating fame.

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As a bonus for Sunday Sitdown fans, we’re sharing the trailer for Trace of Suspicion, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Josh Mankiewicz.  

After seemingly healthy 23-year-old Marine Todd Sommer dies unexpectedly, his widow Cindy’s lavish spending, cosmetic surgery, and wild partying raise investigators’ suspicions. They accuse her of poisoning him with arsenic for his life insurance, setting off a criminal case that takes a stunning turn... Josh Mankiewicz sits down with the woman at the center of it all in Dateline’s newest podcast.   

If you like what you hear, just search Trace of Suspicion to listen to the first two episodes now, completely free. Or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or DatelinePremium.com. Subscribers get early access to new episodes and can listen to all Dateline podcasts ad-free.

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Hey, Sunday Sitdown fans! As a bonus, we’re giving you a special preview clip of our new podcast series, Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin. In the podcast’s debut episode, basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal sits down with Craig for an honest conversation about the moments that shaped his life on and off the court. He opens up about the mistakes he made as a husband, the lessons that came from fame and fortune, and why, despite being one of America’s most beloved athletes, he considers himself a glass-half-empty guy.

To listen to the full conversation now, just search ‘Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin’ wherever you’re listening. Follow now for new episodes every Tuesday: swap.fm/l/ghfew

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Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Charlie Puth has spent the last decade topping charts with hits like “See You Again,” “Attention” and “We Don’t Talk Anymore” and recently performed the national anthem at the 2026 Super Bowl, drawing inspiration from Whitney Houston's iconic rendition. Puth sits down with Willie Geist at a New York City jazz club to discuss his fourth studio album, “Whatever’s Clever,” an orchestral pop record influenced by late 1980s and early 1990s yacht rock, while reflecting on the pivotal moments that shaped his rise from accidental pop star to global headliner. Plus, he opens up about a recent conversation with former President Barack Obama about the importance of music education, how Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” lyric pushed him to be more vulnerable and how marriage and impending fatherhood have reshaped his songwriting.

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Over the last 20 years, Nick Jonas has grown up in front of the world, selling millions of records, headlining stadium tours with the Jonas Brothers and building a career that spans music, Broadway and film. Jonas sits down with Willie Geist at New York City’s Tavern on the Green, a special place for him, his wife Priyanka Chopra Jonas and their daughter, to discuss his new solo album, “Sunday Best,” including the early days in church that shaped its soulful sound and how becoming a father has changed his songwriting. Plus, he looks back on being dropped by a record label, stepping away from the Jonas Brothers to find his own identity and why coming back to the band feels different this time around.

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