Fresh Air

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Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll enjoy bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening - all while you support NPR's mission. Learn more at plus.npr.org/freshair And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air Weekly, to get interview highlights, staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and the week's interviews and reviews all in one place. Sign up at www.whyy.org/freshair

  • 48 minutes 56 seconds
    Best Of: Jodie Foster / Tessa Thompson

    Jodie Foster has been acting since she was 3. At 12 she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver.’ This year marks the 50th anniversary of that film. Foster spoke with Terry Gross about her early acting career, including getting mauled by a lion on set. Her new film is ‘A Private Life.’  

    Tessa Thompson stars in the new Netflix murder mystery limited series ‘His & Hers’ and in Nia DaCosta’s adaptation of Ibsen’s ‘Hedda.’ She spoke with Tonya Mosley about navigating her biracial identity and why she has both “yes” and “no” tattooed.

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    17 January 2026, 5:05 am
  • 46 minutes 48 seconds
    Remembering Grateful Dead Founding Member Bob Weir

    We remember Bob Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead, who died last week at 78. The guitarist spoke with Fresh Air Executive Producer Sam Briger in 2016 about working on a ranch, learning to ride, and getting to know cowboys. Also, we remember jazz singer Rebecca Kilgore, who was known for her interpretations of the Great American Songbook. She died at age 76. Kilgore often performed and recorded with pianist Dave Frishberg. We listen to excerpts of their in-studio concerts with Terry Gross. 

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    16 January 2026, 6:40 pm
  • 43 minutes 32 seconds
    Novelist Julian Barnes Faces Mortality Without Fear

    The Man Booker Prize-winning writer says his new book, ‘Departure(s),’ will be his last. He spoke with Terry Gross about blending genres, moving through grief after his wife died, and the fallibility of memory. 

    TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new series ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.’ 

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    15 January 2026, 8:34 pm
  • 44 minutes 53 seconds
    Marco Rubio’s Shift From Trump Critic To Champion

    Marco Rubio once called Trump a "con artist." He’s now among his most loyal defenders. New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins describes Secretary of State Rubio's character, political transformation and ambition. Filkins also spoke with Tonya Mosley  about Venezuela and what he thinks will happen next. 

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    14 January 2026, 7:01 pm
  • 44 minutes 12 seconds
    Jodie Foster

    Foster was just 12 years old when she starred in Scorsese’s 1976 film ‘Taxi Driver.’ "What luck to have been part of that, our golden age of cinema in the '70s," she says. She talks with Terry Gross about the 50th anniversary of that movie, getting mauled by a lion on a set, and why she kept her sexuality private for most of her career. Foster’s latest film, ‘Vie Privée’ (‘A Private Life’), is in French, which she speaks fluently. 

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    13 January 2026, 7:30 pm
  • 45 minutes 17 seconds
    ‘The God of the Woods’ Author Liz Moore

    Moore says writing is mostly labor, but "2% of the time, usually at the very beginning of a book and the very end of a book, it feels like flying." She's also the author of ‘Long Bright River,’ which was adapted into a series on Peacock starring Amanda Seyfried. Her latest bestseller, ‘The God of the Woods’ centers on a missing girl at a summer camp in the Adirondacks. Moore spoke with contributor Dave Davies about her writing process and adapting her work for TV. 

    Also, John Powers reviews the thriller series ‘Hijack’ and ‘The Night Manager,’ both of which are returning for their second seasons.


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    12 January 2026, 6:41 pm
  • 49 minutes 11 seconds
    Best Of: Will Arnett / ‘Song Sung Blue’ Director Craig Brewer

    Will Arnett stars in the new film ‘Is This Thing On?’ about a man going through a divorce, who finds himself onstage doing stand-up. He spoke with Terry Gross about trying out stand-up under a fake name, and his voiceover work.  

    Also, director Craig Brewer talks about his film, ‘Song Sung Blue.’ It’s based on the true story of a Milwaukee couple who became local legends performing as a Neil Diamond tribute band.

    Plus, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the roadtrip novel ‘The Rest of Our Lives,’ by Benjamin Markovits. 

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    10 January 2026, 6:05 am
  • 46 minutes 25 seconds
    Neil Diamond / Noah Wyle On ‘The Pitt’

    The new film ‘Song Sung Blue’ is about a Neil Diamond tribute band and stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. Before Diamond began recording his own hits like “Solitary Man,” “Cherry, Cherry,” “America,” and “Sweet Caroline,” he wrote songs for other musicians, including The Monkees. Diamond spoke with Terry Gross in 2005. 

    Also, the hit HBO medical drama ‘The Pitt’ is back for season two. Noah Wyle plays the veteran attending physician in a Pittsburgh emergency room. The actor/producer spoke with Dave Davies about his tenure on ‘ER’ and putting scrubs back on for ‘The Pitt.’ 

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    9 January 2026, 6:48 pm
  • 44 minutes 55 seconds
    Tessa Thompson

    Thompson is nominated for a Golden Globe for her starring role in ‘Hedda.’ She spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley about her collaboration with director Nia DaCosta, navigating her biracial identity, and why she almost quit acting before ‘Dear White People.’ She stars as a news anchor investigating a suspicious death in the new Netflix limited series ‘His & Hers.’ 

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    8 January 2026, 6:52 pm
  • 44 minutes 7 seconds
    The Growing Power & Influence Of White Supremacy In America

    Journalist Eric Lichtblau says President Trump's incendiary rhetoric has stoked a "new age of hate." His book, ‘American Reich,’ centers on a murder committed by a young neo-Nazi in Orange County, Calif. He spoke with Dave Davies.

    Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews ‘Marty Supreme.’ 

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    7 January 2026, 6:54 pm
  • 44 minutes 10 seconds
    Marjorie Taylor Greene's Puzzling Political Turn, Explained

    Once a fierce advocate for Trump and his MAGA base, Marjorie Taylor Greene has broken with the president and resigned from Congress. ‘New Yorker’ staff writer Charles Bethea discusses Greene's past — and what may lie ahead. He spoke with Fresh Air contributor Dave Davies. 

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    6 January 2026, 6:43 pm
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