We make a lot of choices, every single day. Some explode, some implode, most we barely remember. Each week on Choice Words, Samantha Bee sits down with people she admires to examine the biggest choices they’ve made in their lives and the ripple effects those decisions have had. What’s a story a journalist took a chance on that changed history? A vote that a politician never should have cast? A song lyric a musician came up with in the shower that made them instantly famous? Sam’s made a lot of choices, too. She may have to interview herself about starting this podcast.
Comedian Matteo Lane joins Sam and reveals that there may not be a single language he doesn’t speak? They talk about his new comedy cookbook “Your Pasta Sucks,” and if you’re even allowed to write a cookbook if you’re not a writer or a chef (he proves the answer is yes). Matteo explains he makes decisions for his personal life in a completely different way than his business life (in one he’s super sensitive and in one a total asshole), and saying no to projects where he’s not allowed to say what he wants and how he knows what lines he won’t cross. They talk about what to do when venues become political but your material isn’t, the indignity of one pot pasta, and being best friends with your grandpa.
Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
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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This week we're excited to share an episode of Pantsuit Politics. In today's episode, hosts Sarah Steward Holland and Beth Silvers are discussing the Signal controversy, in which Jeffrey Goldberg (editor-in-chief of The Atlantic) was accidentally added to a group chat discussing war plans among top US officials. They discuss the national security implications and what this tells us about the second Trump administration's approach to governance.
If you like this episode and want to hear more, search for Pantsuit Politics or head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/pantsuitpoliticsfd
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Actress and host of the podcast Squeezed, Yvette Nicole Brown, joins Sam and admits she’s better at making decisions for other people than for herself because she wants to be perfect even though she knows she never can be. Yvette shares a regret about not being able to attend her dream school Howard University and how she hopes they might give her an honorary degree someday. She also talks about taking "dumb risks" like moving to LA with only $500 to try to be a singer, and being a legal secretary in the entertainment industry just to be near it. They talk about why this country can’t find a good way to talk about death, and why they're both kind of morbid--and love it. Plus, they talk about why no one likes fellow Ohioan JD Vance, and finally get to the bottom of billionaires and the caretaking crisis.
Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
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.
Tarana Burke, founder of the Me Too movement joins Sam to celebrate Women’s History Month and talks about how she’d rather be with good people in a dark place than bad people in a bright place and how Tesla cybertrucks are the only things that make them laugh these days. Sam and Tarana discuss how so many people in the administration are credibly accused of sexual violence and what to do when funding and policies for life-changing work are in jeopardy. They commiserate over the chokehold Amazon Prime has over them, what it’s like to run a global organization when the US acts like it doesn’t care about the rest of the world, and how we can do more together than apart.
Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
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.
Actress and activist Sophia Bush joins Sam and they quickly crank it all the way up to a 15 on the rage chart and talk about how much better it would be if moms were in charge instead of bros. They talk about our current state of fascism and why we can’t even imagine how bad things are going to get because our imaginations have never had to work this hard. Sophia explains to Sam why she doesn’t use her phone for an hour after she wakes up, learning how to “unpretzel” and how she became an investment fund manager.
Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
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.
Congressman Maxwell Frost joins Sam to talk about what it’s like to be the first member of Gen Z in Congress, and why it’s so important for Democrats to choose to see themselves as the opposition party, not the minority party. They talk about how to make decisions that impact millions of people and why the Kennedy Center coup was more significant than people think, and that he has been reading a lot about Elon Musk because it’s important to know your enemies. Sam learns that Congressman Frost is a “no notifications guy,” that he subscribes to even more newsletters than she does, and that the phone calls to Congress are actually working.
Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
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.
Actor and fellow Daily Show alum Josh Gad joins Sam to talk about why it’s harder to do political satire now than in the early aughts (hint: it’s the fascism). They also talk about his new book, In Gad We Trust, lying to your therapist, experiencing imposter syndrome even after years of success, and why he tried to say no to the Book of Mormon. Plus they talk about why Trump impersonations are bad for comedy and hurt more than they help.
Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
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.
Actor Kathryn Hahn joins Sam from her “she shed” to talk about how important it is to try a decision on for size before you make it and how she’s very good at getting rid of stuff (except for her kids’ art projects). They talk about taking jobs to pay off student loans, the distinct wetness of pre-packaged hardboiled eggs, why moving to LA was never part of her plan, and watching their moms go through menopause.
Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
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.
Brooke Shields joins Sam to talk about her new book “Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old” and why it was so important to her to go to college despite her already booming career. They talk about aging and making new friends in your fifties, warding off overzealous doctors, learning to accept compliments, and unwinding the internet for their teenage daughters even if sometimes their kids hurt their feelings.
Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
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.
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes joins Sam and drops the most intimate choice yet—the decision to kiss his now-wife for the first time! Chris talks about how he is perhaps *too* decisive, what the right level of fame is, how his life improved when he stopped reading his mentions and Donald Trump’s pathological and genuine need for attention. They talk about Chris’ new book The Sirens’ Call and why they agree Trump might actually be funny.
Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
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.
Amanda Skinner, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England joins Sam to talk about how running a Planned Parenthood is like landing a plane while gassing it up at the same time. They talk about what it’s like working in an “access state” while getting surges of patients from other states, and how the crux of what they do is providing preventative care to keep people stay healthy. They also talk about how they’re probably the only healthcare organization that gets positive patient comments, why STI testing is so expensive and so in demand, and why the need for the care they provide will never go away—especially over the next four years.
Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
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.