Fail Better with David Duchovny

Steve Burns is best known for being the host of a beloved 90s children’s show, Blue’s Clues, so I didn’t expect this interview to be about Samuel Beckett. But it turns out that Steve and I share a deep admiration for the writer, as well as a lot of other common ground. Steve went quiet for about two decades after rumors of his death took over the internet, and now he’s back with a podcast (Alive, which just dropped September 17). The two of us talk about listening, what people didn’t appreciate about Pee-wee Herman, and the deep, lasting importance of Sesame Street. Steve has a lot of perspective, having stood both at the center and on the outside of important, formative media that influenced so many adults today. This is a conversation about the past, for the future. Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/FAILBETTER.  Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

A decade ago, the actor Tom Pelphrey couldn’t have imagined the shape his life would take today: a father to a two-year-old daughter, starring in the new HBO series Task alongside Mark Ruffalo, and engaged to actress Kaley Cuoco. He was gripped by alcoholism and dissociation, having spent years working long, demanding days on the soap opera Guiding Light and ignoring his feelings to keep up with the grind. Then, he broke loose and started to heal. We talk about the realizations and practices that helped him get here (and to projects like Ozark) — including, at first, acquainting himself with the uncomfortable thoughts he’d been trying so hard to avoid. It’s clear from our conversation that Tom is tremendously grateful, and it’s inspiring to see him on the other end of these struggles. Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/failbetter! #squarepod Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

If Gene Simmons’ hard exterior scared you off, it did its job. As a founding member of the band KISS, Gene has spent decades putting on what he calls a persona, and today it comes off — at least a little. We talk about Gene’s journey, including being raised by a single, adoring mother, the origins of KISS, and why Ozzy Osbourne’s down-to-earth demeanor had such an impact on Gene. The man in the chair across from me seems to fluctuate between Gene — a father, husband, and son — and The Demon — a protective layer for the public eye. It’s perhaps in the brief moments of switching from one to the other that the real magic happens, when we get to see all the ways that they connect.  Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 — here’s a great show I think you should know about: Legacy Talk, hosted by the Emmy-winning writer, actor, and producer Lena Waithe. It’s a part of the Lemonada network, and it’s kicking off a second season of incredible episodes featuring trailblazing Black artists and makers. You’re about to hear the first episode of season 2, featuring the actress and singer Tisha Campbell. When you’re done, search for Legacy Talk wherever you’re listening right now or head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/LegacyTalkWithLenaWaithefd to find more episodes. And if you want to watch, head over to YouTube for the video version. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Knox was a young student in a foreign country when she was thrust into an international media firestorm, accused — and then ultimately acquitted — of the murder of her roommate. Now an author and public speaker, she’s the executive producer of the new scripted drama “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox”, an attempt to finally tell her story on her own terms. She has spent years grappling with the profound psychological impact of her imprisonment and exoneration, and she isn’t afraid to open up about her intentions in retelling this story once again in the public eye, or why she decided to face her Italian prosecutor years later. She joins me to discuss how she's made sense of it all, the contradictions she's observed in the systems she was caught in, and how she explains it all to her young daughter. Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 should’ve known I was in for a revelatory conversation when I met with the family therapist Terry Real. He pioneered a book on male depression in the ‘90s, and he’s been helping countless people break through mental and relational barriers in the years since. I start the conversation by inquiring about how Terry knew he would be good at this work, and before I know it we’re talking about my mother — so I guess that answers that question. Terry is an excellent listener, and he has an impulse to make advice clear and accessible, extracting something universal from even the most specific of stories, including mine. Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/FAILBETTER. Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

Memoirists do the generous work of letting us into their lives, and then there are ones like Melissa Febos who also graciously entertain all the new questions their work inspires. Melissa lets me in on the elements of her life and experiences that I’m curious about, from people’s reaction to her job as a dominatrix (as documented in her book Whipsmart) to her year-long trial of celibacy (the focus of her newest book, The Dry Season). Melissa is a writer both precise and elaborate, and I can’t help but compare her to many of the literary greats. We trace the roots of her compulsive behaviors and discuss how seeking new ideals for love and connection can help to find passion in the everyday — even in a conversation.  Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 coming to you live from Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, California, where I got to sit down with my friend, author Jess Walter. We chatted in front of a packed house (including a few friendly dogs) and now we’re sharing that event with the rest of you. Jess is not only my go-to buddy to text about all things basketball; he’s an accomplished novelist who can skewer the Hollywood elite just as easily as he can wryly observe the local inhabitants of his hometown of Spokane, Washington. We dissect his new novel, So Far Gone, a story rife with humor, heart, and perspective in uncertain times. Plus, Jess shares the wisdom he learned from his father and how fictional characters can do the often hard work of building empathy. Find Jess’s novel, So Far Gone, wherever books are sold: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/so-far-gone-jess-walter  Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 musician (-comedian-actor-composer-director-Californication guest star) Tim Minchin is an aspirational figure. He brings an unmatched level of precision and thoughtfulness to conversations, whether he’s discussing word play or the Catholic church. And he extends that scrutiny to his concepts of success and failure, which I welcome. Tim and I sit down to talk about the intricacies of his work, from the satisfaction of composing the successful Matilda: The Musical, to the pain of working on a big Dreamworks film that got canned. He’s poetic — and prophetic — about what we stand to learn from what we lose, and if that makes you never want to win again, well, so it goes. Tim’s new album “Time Machine” is out now! Find it at https://timminchin.lnk.to/TimeMachineLT  Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 spotlight has certainly taken its toll on Robert Downey Jr. over the years. But much like his beloved MCU character Tony Stark, there's an undeniably powerful force inside Robert that keeps him pushing forward. When we sat down over iced coffees, we found ourselves unpacking the fraught relationship Robert had with his father — the experimental, countercultural filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. — whose unconventional lifestyle created lasting ripples throughout the family. Their shared documentary, “Sr.”, stands as a powerful testament to the healing they found. Plus, we talk about sobriety, the belief it took to become Iron Man, and the full-circle moments spanning the decades since we first crossed paths on the set of Chaplin. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

Jake Clark is an unexpected hero. As the founder of the Save a Warrior program for veterans and first responders, he helps those suffering from post-traumatic stress uncover the core of their pain, which often stems from trauma that came before combat or violence. His work has led to surprising breakthroughs for many people, mirroring his own journey of self-discovery after years of self-destruction. Jake and I talk about the program’s core practices of meditation and reflection, as well as the community and outcomes that arise from Save a Warrior. And as if being a founder, a veteran, and a former agent for multiple federal agencies wasn’t enough, Jake is also a big X-Files fan. Naturally, we discuss what it’s really like to be in the FBI. Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

Emily Deschanel spent over a decade portraying the brilliant and meticulous forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan on the hit crime procedural Bones. Yet, what many viewers never knew about was her personal battle behind that confident performance: diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at a young age, Emily often struggled to master the intricate anatomical jargon week after week. Pushing through panic attacks on set and challenging moments with showrunner Hart Hanson, Emily persevered, going on to carry one of television's longest-running dramas. We look back at her career and unpack the very real demands of balancing constant filming with mental health, as well as raising a family, and we get into my experience directing her on Bones. I even toss my notecards aside to try to solve the true mystery of an authentic conversation. Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. You can watch and listen to Emily Deschanel and Carla Gallo rewatch and revisit episodes of Bones and interview past cast and crew members on Boneheads. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

For the Fourth of July holiday, we’re taking you on a getaway of sorts. It’s one that brings you to the beautiful mountains of New Zealand… but is decidedly less relaxing than a summer vacation. Today we’re sharing the first episode of a new podcast called Uinta Triangle, which documents the disappearance of a solo hiker named Eric Robinson. It’s a gripping and multifaceted story about exploration, the wilderness, and the tenuous relationship between the two. You’ll even hear the show’s host, Dave Cawley, follow in Eric’s footsteps to try and recreate Eric’s journey, in an effort to understand how he could have gone missing. After you listen, find the whole series by searching for Uinta Triangle on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch all our episodes here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

In his aimless youth, the author James Frey yearned to be the Sex Pistols of literature. Then he learned to be careful what you wish for. His memoir, A Million Little Pieces, shot to the top of bestseller lists, thanks in part to Oprah's endorsement. Then fact-checkers unmasked its fabrications, and James found himself being more of an outcast than he’d planned for. Nearly 20 years later, when the line between fact and fiction is more blurred than ever, Frey may seem like more of a pioneer than a pariah. Together, we reflect on what it was like to face and overcome this public pain, and the inspiration behind his new novel Next to Heaven, a provocative murder mystery skewering the wealthy New England town he calls home. Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

Dr. Jason Giles is an addiction specialist and a helper and friend to many, including me. When the rigors of life in the ER became too much to cope with, Jason turned to the very narcotics he was trained to supply to patients as a trauma anesthesiologist. As his successful life disintegrated, he was forced to face his own doubts and delusions, and his journey through them is what made him who he is today. Now he’s working to help others understand and heal their addictions. Jason and I talk about accepting help, the power of forgiveness, and how closely the definition of insanity can resemble the act of persisting. I’m immensely grateful for Jason’s support over the years, and I’m excited that this week I get to bring his story and wisdom to you. Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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’ve known for years that the actor and filmmaker Justine Bateman had prescient thoughts about art and society. But now, we need her (and her complementary background in computer science) more than ever. Far-removed from her teen stardom on Family Ties, Justine and I talk about how artificial intelligence threatens the existence of movies, books, and even our creative souls. I knew there was something to opting for privacy, and it turns out that Justine specifically sees it as a way to protect art as we know it. Plus, we discuss how fickle fame can be and why she finds beauty and practicality in aging naturally. Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 X-Files was always about turning something mysterious and untraceable into something known — so what better time to capture the elusive podcast interview on camera? That’s right: Fail Better is now on video, and we’re kicking off this new chapter with the one and only Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files. And he came prepared, alien embryo and all. There’s so much to discuss about the show, and I even reveal my newfound theory about Mulder’s motivations. We also trace Chris’s labyrinthine career path from surfer to sculptor to writer, and he opens up about the critical response to the reboot — and why no one truly understood the ending, despite him leaving clues in plain sight. Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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, everyone. Today I wanted to share a special conversation from another Lemonada show: Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso. For those who aren’t already familiar with this great podcast, the show started all the way back in 2016 and airs every Sunday. The episode you’re about to hear is a recent one. It’s a great talk between Sam and the broadcast legend Ira Glass, from May 2025. Thirty years. Over 850 episodes. Nine Peabodys. One Pulitzer. And yet somehow, three decades in, This American Life (and its creator, Ira Glass) remains as innovative and timely as ever. We begin with a week in the life of Ira: a typical Monday at This American Life, the rigorous notes process, and how the team selects the stories it wants to tell that Sunday. Then, we unpack Trump’s ongoing threats to slash government funding for public media, Glass’ formative days as a teenage intern at NPR, and the radio mentors who shaped his ideas around narrative. On the back-half, we discuss how his taste and talent eventually converged, what makes a good interview, the guest he most identifies with, the episode he’s most proud of, and, naturally, the future of This American Life. To learn more about Talk Easy, visit talkeasypod.com and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Find Talk Easy on social: @talkeasypod and @samfragoso Follow David 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 shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 journalist Maureen Dowd has many notches in her belt, from feats like winning a Pulitzer Prize and writing pivotal profiles on some of the world’s most powerful people. She shone light on Elon Musk before DOGE and Uma Thurman’s emotional struggle with Quentin Tarantino, all of which is captured in her latest book, Notorious. Even for her, though, the process of writing remains fickle. Both Maureen and I want our writing to place readers in conversation with the greats who came before us, and whether we succeed is always up for interpretation. We never stop trying, though — and only occasionally read the comments. We also commune over a shared value of education once Maureen tells me I was the reason she decided to pursue graduate school. 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 shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

Lewis Hyde is one of those contemporary authors whose work I think about a lot. He’s spent years reflecting on and writing about topics of great interest to me, like forgetting and forgiveness, but the true trademark of his work is how he processes concepts and describes them. He approaches his work like chasing a butterfly (a lifelong hobby of his), following the dips and curves of an idea until he’s satisfied. We talk about his revered books The Gift and A Primer for Forgetting, and what artists do or do not owe the world. And now that I know he took undergrad classes with John Berryman — the first favorite poet I ever had — I’m going to be thinking about his work, and his beautiful writing, even more. 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 shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.