As the presidential administration turns over, it feels like an important time to revisit the family dynamics that brought about Donald Trump. His niece, Mary Trump, has long lived in the shadow of her family’s name. And as she writes in her memoir, Who Could Ever Love You, the darkness of that shadow affected generations of Trump children long before it took hold of the world. We talk about her grandfather, Fred Trump, the business-minded, manipulative patriarch who molded his son Donald in his own sociopathic image. It’s a vivid family portrait, explaining so much about the systems and ideologies that created a man so reluctant to fail.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

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Throughout his long and varied career, Rob Lowe has become an expert at reinventing himself. He left behind his bad-boy image from iconic 80s movies to work on a clever mix of dramatic and comedic TV roles. But I’ve known Rob for a while, and he’s a very layered individual. We look back at how Rob has pursued his passions and how he and his wife, Sheryl, have used practical techniques to keep their marriage strong for 34 years and counting. Plus, we discuss the difference between humility and humiliation, and why Rob is always down to be the butt of the joke.

Please note: David and Rob recorded this episode before the Los Angeles wildfires began. Their hearts are with the rest of their LA community.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m no self-help guru. And while I don’t think Gretchen Rubin would identify as one, she’s dedicated her work to figuring out just what the hell it means to live a full life. As a writer and former lawyer, Gretchen has spent years trying to understand happiness, the ways she can access it herself, and how to bring others in on the wisdom she’s gained. We talk action-led thoughts and aphorisms — anything in pursuit of leaving a conversation feeling happy (or at least, as Gretchen would say, happier).

Gretchen’s podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, is now part of the Lemonada Media network and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

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As 2024 comes to a close, I’m feeling grateful for the conversations this show has allowed me to have, including the one that started it all. In honor of the growth (and growing pains) since the show launched earlier this year, I’m sharing the first episode of Fail Better, featuring the one and only Ben Stiller. It was my first-ever interview, and it unlocked something that I’ve continued to explore with every other generous guest who’s come on. I hope you enjoy.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

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We’re taking a break for the holidays, and if you are, too, you might enjoy another show to fill your time: Boneheads. Emily Deschanel and Carla Gallo are not only Bones cast members but real-life best friends, and they’ll be rewatching all 246 episodes of Bones, Fox TV’s longest-running drama series. Join Emily, Carla, and guests each week to laugh, cry, and cringe as they revisit their younger selves and relive the glory of Bones.

In the episode, Emily and Carla are joined by none other than the creator of Bones himself, Hart Hanson. Get the insider scoop as Hart dives into everything that brought the iconic show to life, including the “I can be a duck” scene from the pilot.

For more episodes of Boneheads, listen wherever you get your podcasts or head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/Boneheadsfd

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The actor Alec Baldwin has spent a lot of time at life’s intersections. He came of age with challenging circumstances on one side and larger-than-life role models on the other. And when you look at how he works or how he parents (he’s now a father of eight), you’ll see that the duality has stuck around. He and I talk about how it’s possible to feel regret and gratitude in one breath, the specific things he’s learned from writing, and how much more we both hope to gain in the years ahead. It’s a personal conversation, and it feels necessary — though we both hesitate to use the word “therapeutic.” Let’s leave that to the experts.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy is dedicated to keeping the public healthy and safe. But these days, that involves much more than just cigarette warning labels. Dr. Murthy knows health should be looked at holistically, and he’s used his position to spotlight topics you might not think of as health crises, like gun violence, loneliness, and social media. We discuss his values, the harrowing confirmation process when he first became Surgeon General, and how he defines success and fulfillment, no matter what lies ahead.

Please note: This interview was recorded prior to the Presidential election. In the time since, President-elect Trump has selected Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as his choice to be the next surgeon general of the United States. Dr. Murthy is still the current U.S. Surgeon General. 

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jack Halberstam, the author of The Queer Art of Failure, is someone I’ve wanted to talk to since I first started this podcast. As a professor and scholar, Jack has dedicated his career to dissecting the often-radical undertones of popular cultural media. Together, we look at how animated kids’ movies like Shrek, Finding Nemo, and Chicken Run offer critiques of a system that fails so many of us. We also talk about Jack’s experience as a queer child in England, since where we come from always informs where we go. It’s a wide-ranging conversation that calls into question the very essence of this podcast, as we examine what it means to be a failure in this world — and why Samuel Beckett’s phrase “fail better” isn’t all that inspiring when read in context. 

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, Fail Better listeners. It’s Thanksgiving week, and I’m sharing a show that trades in some of the same themes of this holiday: family, hardship, and reunion. The show is called Pack One Bag, featuring Stanley Tucci and the documentarian David Modigliani, and it tells the true story of how David’s Italian family was split apart by war and Fascism. They uncover the romance on the run that made so many things possible — like for David’s grandfather to win the Nobel prize and for the family he left behind to face the Nazi occupation. This limited series from Lemonada is a must-listen, and you can find the rest of the episodes here: https://lemonada.lnk.to/packonebag 

EPISODE 1 -- In 1939, Franco Modigliani escaped Fascist Italy for the United States. He'd go on to win a Nobel Prize, but his grandson, David, is most interested in the romance-on-the-run that made it all possible. When David digs into his grandparents' fairytale escape, he uncovers a darker side of the story - and a romance of his own.

For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a real magic moment to connect with Aimee Mann, a musician I’ve listened to for decades. She indulges my curiosities about lyric choices and instrumental training, and I learn how much goes on behind the scenes of an Aimee Mann production. We talk about the traumas of her past, which hardships do and do not influence her work, and why there feels like a creative imperative to turn pain into art. Then, to lighten things up (at least a little) we bond over some of our favorite artists of years past, like the sneakily somber Steely Dan. 

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gillian Anderson and I share a connection unlike any other. The Dana Scully to my Fox Mulder, we are the only ones who understand what the other was going through during those X-Files years. But so much was left unsaid — until now. We got a chance to open up about the ways we might have failed one another during that wild ride, and we both examine the ways we’ve grown since. Gillian also caught me up on all her ventures and adventures — her work, her writing in the sexual fantasy compilation Want, and her cheeky new “unconventional wellness” line of soft drinks. It’s good to rediscover an old friend.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. And this week you can hear even more from my conversation with Gillian! But only with Lemonada Premium. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. And if you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, join the My Lemonada community at https://lemonadamedia.com/mylemonada/

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.