Choice Words with Samantha Bee

Host of The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle and former Wall Streeter Stephanie Ruhle, joins Sam to talk about why it’s important to teach your kids use cash if you care about financial literacy. They talk about trying to lower the political temperature and why sometimes going viral is the worst thing for us. Stephanie explains why she doesn’t let herself get tired or sloppy and needs to “keep it tight” in her reporting so no one can attack her and the importance of fact checking, and why the best part of Donald Trump’s day is when he’s talking to the press. They bond over a shared love for Takis but agree it’s best to not know what’s in them, and why everyone should work in customer service at some point. Catch Stephanie at the upcoming MSNBCLIVE ‘25: This Is Who We Are event on Saturday, October 11. 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.

Comedian Cristela Alonzo joins Sam to talk about her new Netflix special Upper Classy, and how before her career took off she made the life-changing decision to leave LA to become her mom’s full-time end of life caretaker. She explains that she started standup as a way of dealing with the grief of losing her mom, and how she didn’t even know it could be a real job before then. Cristela talks about how when you grow up below the poverty line you learn that  part of privilege is having the power to get people’s attention and how you might as well make the decision you’re faced with because tomorrow is coming either way. They gush over a shared love of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and “very special episodes” and learning to ride bikes later in life, and why it’s never too late to learn to experience joy. 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.

Casey Johnston, the author of Sam’s favorite new book A Physical Education, joins Sam to talk lifting and leaving diet culture. Casey explains why initially she—and many others—felt lifting wasn’t for women who wanted to be seen as attractive, and why people are afraid to question the status quo of health industries. Casey explains the importance of resting your muscles, the dangers of the manosphere, and why Don Jr. did the worst deadlift she’s ever seen. Sam explains why she always lies on airplanes when they ask if she can open a 35 pound door and they agree that the perfect gym would be a library with weights. 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.

Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois joins Sam to talk about what to do when the president declares war on one of your cities—totally normal stuff! The Governor explains why people need to finally decide if they’re going to be bystanders or upstanders and why he thinks people usually try to be upstanders. They talk about how President Trump talks a big game but also the federal government conveys nothing to the actual states they’re talking about, and why Illinois is always ready to go to court against Trump and will always try to call Trump’s bluffs. They discuss how if the government actually cared about crime they’d try to collaborate with Governor Pritzker to take illegal guns off the streets and how Trump is actually the one defunding the police. Governor Pritzker reminds Sam that Dr. Phil—yes, that Dr. Phil—joined an ICE raid in Chicago, and why he’s disappointed in some Democratic elected officials. They get into inviting the Texas delegation to Illinois, if Illinois will redistrict, and why compromise right now gets you nothing. 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 Martha Plimpton joins Sam to talk about how she became a trained animal tracker in Africa, how she ended up living in the same apartment for 42 years, and at the risk of turning this into a total real estate podcast, Martha shares that for the first time in her entire life she won’t have a homebase in New York. She tells Sam about living in London and how people are less grossed out by menopausal women (and women in general) there, and why hot flashes were actually kind of fun for her. Then they talk about her new show, Task on HBO, and if her new role is based on Kash Patel (it’s not). They get into the current stage in the fight for reproductive rights, and finally settle why women their age are obsessed with birdwatching. 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.

Advice columnist extraordinaire and author of the new book Not My Type: One Woman vs a President, E. Jean Carroll joins Sam to talk about why she decided to write her book in secret even going to the length to edit it over Signal. Because Sam grew up reading E. Jean’s column, E. Jean also pauses to take credit for all of Sam’s success. They talk about the unwritten rules of jury trials like why you’re not allowed to entertain the jury with interesting stories and why E. Jean says it almost killed her. E. Jean regales Sam with the details of recreating her signature 1996 bobbed hair so the jury would believe she was fuckable (her words!), and the evidence she wasn’t encouraged to submit. Then she tells Sam about the Hideous Men Tour she used to run, and the year she spent as a writer at SNL. They had a gas! 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.

Writer, executive-producer, and co-creator of Hacks Jen Statsky joins Sam to discuss her particular brand of hopeful pessimism, and their shared obsession with Jean Smart, who she says is one of the greatest nappers of all time. Jen explains that she is decisive if it’s a decision that only involves herself, but as soon as she brings in other people, there’s a big problem. Which is why she’s fortunate to have two amazing co-showrunners of Hacks, because they make most of the decisions together and she loves it—from hiring to writing assignments to what kind of office birthday cake to buy. They lament the lack of respect male comedians have traditionally held for female comedians who have come before them, and why six years may not sound like a lot but it’s an eternity in TV years. comedians have written off way more successful female comedians for eternity. They talk about what it’s like to go from being a staff-writer to being in charge of all the writers, and how the late night landscape has changed to be almost unrecognizable since Hacks began and how Jen kind of wants to leave her career to become a couples therapist. 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 Piper Perabo joins Sam to talk about the importance of listening to those who need help before speaking out on their behalf. Piper schools Sam on all the choices voters do actually have before 2028 (hello midterms!) and is the first guest to ever tell Sam that she is better at making decisions in the morning. Piper explains that she’ll probably never run for office because then she wouldn’t be able to keep saying exactly what she wants when she wants to, and why she prefers print news to online journalism. Plus they talk about Piper’s new show Butterfly, and why she’s thrilled to finally get to pay a villain. 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.

Comedian Jena Friedman welcomes Sam back from her summer hiatus and talks about what it was like to work together at The Daily Show. Jena talks about how the Ben and Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard taught her about mortality and how she similarly is a “great flavor that people don’t appreciate.” Sam hears about Jena’s new show, Motherfucker, which she’s now working on at Edinburgh (though they can’t quite get the pronunciation down) Fringe and why criticism is her love language, which is why Edinburgh is the best place to workshop material. Sam tells Jena that Jena’s book is Sam’s dad’s coffee table book and then they unpack the Colbert cancellation and the way online insults change as you evolve into an older woman. 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.

Elie Mystal, author of Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America, joins Sam to unpack how America could choose just ten laws to get rid of, and how you actually go about repealing laws—spoiler, it’s actually pretty easy. They commiserate over watching Democrats squander power when they have it, and how at best they’re a part of wet blankets, and why it’s their obligation to continually shout about what’s happening so that people finally pay attention. They talk about the utter importance of reaching young voters where they are—even if that means getting politicians to make videos of themselves at the gym and learn to forget about “gaffe culture.” Plus, Elie talks about the hope he has that the 2026 midterms will be the Democrats’ Tea Party moment and why Trump’s breakup with the Federalist Society gives him glimmers of hope. Wet Blanket/Xanax 2026! 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.

Chef and restaurateur Nancy Silverton joins Sam to talk about being one of the first American chefs to bring sourdough to the masses. They talk about Nancy opening a new diner with longtime friend Phil Rosenthal and how to decide what gets to be on the menu (not yogurt, yes cottage cheese). They talk about how to run more than one restaurant at a time, and protecting her immigrant kitchen workers at her Los Angeles restaurants from ICE. They discuss earliest memories of dining at home, the cookie that changed her life (peanut butter), why menus these days are obsessed with buzzwords like “yuzu” and “chili crisp” and how she is completely addicted to popcorn. 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.

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka joins Sam to talk about her new special “Father” and why in her relationship she is “father” and her husband is “mother.” They talk about recalibrating your goals once you’ve reached them, which is what Atsuko had to do after accomplishing her only childhood goal of working at an ice cream parlor. They discuss Atsuko being unknowingly undocumented as a child after her grandmother brought her to Los Angeles, and why they both prefer the company of senior citizens. They talk about the decision to pivot her comedy from hobby to career, and why she only started making choices recently. Atsuko tells Sam about the online shows she does with other comedians who are children of moms with schizophrenia, how she thinks it takes ten years to find your voice in comedy, and why Sam is the kind of adult Atsuko hopes to be.  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.

Senator Elizabeth Warren joins Sam to explain that the most important thing individuals can do right now to fight back is to pick their path of resistance and be loud about it—and sometimes that means being the most annoying person at the party until you get your way. They dive into the corruption of the infamous memecoin dinner, how her former employer Harvard University is demonstrating exactly how to fight back, and how the Overton Window has gone…literally out the window. 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.

Cofounder of Run For Something and Author of When We’re In Charge Amanda Litman joins Sam to talk about the gerontocracy running our country and her call for politicians over 70 to stop running for re-election. They talk about how to be a better boss and why that includes creating better parental leave programs and the importance of a four day work week. Sam asks Amanda if we’ll ever have “normal” boring politicians again, and why sometimes it’s ok to make enemies if it’s in service of a greater good. Plus they discuss that there’s really no such thing as a waste of resources in politics, and what would you do if you were 30% braver. 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.

Chef, author, activist and restaurateur Tom Colicchio joins Sam to talk about big life decisions like joining Top Chef almost 20 years ago and how it’s one of the only times he hasn’t followed his wife’s advice. They reminisce over meeting while Sam was dressed as a flight attendant and having kids that only eat bread. Tom explains his “shoot from the hip” decision making process and the occasional procrastinating for big decisions. They debate whether it’s “too creepy” for him to join TikTok and what it’s done for viral foods. Plus what he grows in his garden, filling your car with compost, and why the Republican cuts to SNAP highlight that cruelty is the point. 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.