Here We Go Again With Kal Penn

Bonus: Matt Dinniman Discusses Dungeon Crawler Carl with Kal Aug 4, 2026 2323 Earsay goes live at Audible Story House in New York for an episode about Dungeon Crawler Carl, the global phenomenon that started as a single line in a middle school notebook ("Alien Game Show") and grew into an eight-book franchise with a TV adaptation in the works. Kal was joined by author Matt Dinniman, and Jeff Hays, the narrator who brings this immersive world and all its characters to life i

Who’s With Me? with W. Kamau Bell | Ted Danson on Cheers, Activism, and Owning His Worst Moment Jul 28, 2026 5619 Comedian and activist W. Kamau Bell has a new show, Who’s With Me?, and today we’re sharing an episode from it featuring Ted Danson. On Who’s With Me?, Kamau addresses what’s caught his attention in the current cultural or political landscape and sits down with someone he deeply admires to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and discuss how to make the

Entrepreneurs & OnlyFans with Art Bezrukavenko Jul 21, 2026 2603 It's a newfound era for content creators, sex workers, and video bloggers; one spearheaded by the rising popularity of the platform OnlyFans. This week's guest, Art Bezrukavenko, sheds some light on what it takes to become a modern entrepreneur in an adult-forward world. What are the benefits and misconceptions? Is it all it's cracked up to be?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fighting the Oligarchy with Casey Michel Jul 14, 2026 2622 Ever wonder how dictators use global, financial, and legal systems to move and hide money, influencing politics and altering democracies? If you answered 'no', then you may be an oligarch in hiding, and if you are, you may want to steer clear of this week's guest: Casey Michel, an oligarch combatant. Casey is an American investigative journalist, author, and anti-kleptocracy researcher. He examine

Anything Goes with Tan France Jul 7, 2026 2569 What happens when you spend over a decade talking about one distinct topic? You kind of want to talk about ANYTHING else. This week’s guest, the illustrious Tan France, has drifted into that exact cycle with fashion. So, Kal and Tan go on a much-needed tangent about…everything but fashion. This week, it’s all on the table. They explain exactly why diversifying conversation about

"The Pitt" and Medical Drama Endurance with Simran Baidwan Jun 30, 2026 2408 Why do we as Americans flock to Medical Dramas like rabbits to aromatic herbs? We can’t get enough! Since 1951, starting with City Hospital, there have been 140 medical TV shows on air, which is insane. Some have even gone on for over 21 years, "Greys Anatomy" we’re looking at you. This week, Kal sits down with Simran Baidwan, executive producer and writer of the Emmy-winning TV show "

Reframing Tragedy Through Comedy (and Tattoos) with Daniel Sloss Jun 23, 2026 2825 Opening up the can of worms that is one’s trauma can be heavy. It's especially daunting when you're unpacking it through the lens of stand-up comedy, a seemingly dichotomous medium to use. This week, Kal speaks with one of his dearest friends, comedian Daniel Sloss, to talk about where power exists in comedy and how it also exists in tragedy and in silence. How do comedians unravel stories i

Nuclear Dread with Jeffrey Lewis Jun 16, 2026 2513 Every time a new international conflict breaks out, it feels like we might very well be on the brink of World War III. With that comes a low grade sense of anxiety over nuclear weapons. Embroiled in a new war with Iran, suddenly the risk of nuclear war feels very real once again. But that doesn't mean it ever really went away. Jeffrey Lewis is one of the country's leading experts on nuclear weapon

The Politics of Comedy with Vir Das Jun 9, 2026 2521 Comedy is often political. In fact, it's been landing comedians in hot water for years. Take the warrant for George Carlin's arrest after those seven memorable words he said on television. In 1973, a year after Carlin's arrest, the US Supreme Court made it much harder to throw performers in jail for their offensive language, but that doesn't mean comedians in plenty of places don't still end up in

Stolen Artifacts with J.P. Labbat Jun 2, 2026 2339 It's no secret that during acts of war, artifacts get stolen as an old act of dominance. But you may not realize that it's still happening today. In 2024, the Metropolitan Museum of Art physically returned 14 statues to Cambodia when they discovered that they had been looted during decades of civil war. And in 2023, the CEO of Hobby Lobby was indicted when he was found to be at the center of stole

How to Combat Brain Rot with Manoush Zomorodi (Part II) May 26, 2026 2487 Last week, you heard about brain rot and its neuroscience. So this week, we wanted to tackle how to combat it. Manoush Zomorodi is a journalist and host of TED Radio Hour. Mostly, she's trying to figure out how technology is changing your body, your brain, and your behavior. She and Kal sit down to talk about how movement and boredom can be vital parts of warding off the more negative effects of s

Is Brain Rot Real? with David Eagleman (Part I) May 19, 2026 2383 Brain rot is a slang term for the cognitive decline we're experiencing these days due to screentime, social media, and the like. But is it a real thing? And is technology making us dumber? Kal sits down with neuroscientist David Eaglemann to delve into the relatively new idea of brain rot -- and whether it's so new after all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New NASCAR with Bubba Wallace May 12, 2026 2359 Despite its massive popularity, the culture of NASCAR has shifted -- from banning the Confederate flag at races to settling an antitrust lawsuit. Kal sits down with legendary NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, who just celebrated his first "crown jewel" victory. How is the sport evolving? How has it stayed the same? And, what's next?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Your Water Safe to Drink? with Mara Hoplamazian May 5, 2026 2720 Are there harmful chemicals in our drinking water? Climate change and environmental reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio, Mara Hoplamazian, is on a mission to find out. On their new podcast, SAFE TO DRINK, Mara wades through the depths of what PFAS/PFOA Chemicals have been doing to us. Just how much is in our water, and how can we protect ourselves? And how come this same issue keeps repeating a

Disrupting the Taxi Industry with Bhairavi Desai Apr 28, 2026 2539 Need a ride? This week, Kal speaks with co-founder, president, and executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, Bhairavi Desai, about the ongoing disruption of the taxi industry. Bhairavi has fought alongside more than 21,000 drivers to raise the base income, create a cap on the number of ride-sharing vehicles permitted to drive in New York City, and relieve drivers of hundreds of tho

Digital Shorts with Jorma Taccone Apr 21, 2026 2695 Short form video is everywhere today. But if you rewind back to 2005, comedy trio The Lonely Island had only just released Saturday Night Live's first digital short: "Lazy Sunday." It went viral, transforming the lives of its members Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer. The Lonely Island would go on to produce hit after hit for SNL, from "I'm On A Boat," to "Dick in a Box." Kal and Jor

The Tennis Rally with Andy Roddick Apr 14, 2026 2546 When COVID told us we all needed to be six feet apart, some people became addicted to TikTok and other people picked up a racket. Since 2019, tennis participation in the U.S. has grown by 54 percent. And that's excluding all the avid pickleball lovers who keep stealing their courts. So, why are we just becoming obsessed with a game that Andy Roddick has been obsessed with his whole life? Kal talks

Nithya Raman on running for Mayor of Los Angeles Apr 7, 2026 2590 LA City Council Member Nithya Raman is running for mayor. On this episode, she joins Kal for a candid conversation. She opens up about how she got into politics, LA's homelessness crisis, and being compared to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. What does being a democratic socialist mean to her? And, what does it take to implement real change in her city?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spacecraft Failures with Bobak Ferdowsi Mar 31, 2026 2493 Bobak Ferdowsi is more than just the NASA Mohawk guy. He's a Systems Engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory with an incredible aptitude for studying spacecraft failures so we can learn from them. Kal breaks down Bobak's career through the spacecrafts that defined them, from the Mars Curiosity Rover to a brand new satellite. Plus, why our failures aren't always bad and how to keep the worst

Distrust in Traditional Media with Mehdi Hasan Mar 24, 2026 2707 Does anyone completely trust the media landscape anymore? Mehdi Hasan, a broadcaster, journalist, and newly minted CEO & Editor-in-Chief of independent media company Zeteo, has a few insights that might shed light on how we've gotten to where we are, and how distrust has shaped his very specific, highly uncompromising style of reporting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The De-evolution of Late Night with Bill Carter Mar 17, 2026 2390 It's been a crazy year for late night TV -- from ratings on the decline and budget cuts to cancellations and political influence. Bill Carter, the journalist and author behind The Late Shift and The War for Late Night, joins the show to talk about the evolution (and de-evolution) of late night.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Battle of the Generations with Versha Sharma Mar 10, 2026 3061 Baby boomers, millennials, now Gen Z -- they all have their haters. Whichever generation is in their twenties is always walking around with older people rolling their eyes at them. As the former Editor in Chief of Teen Vogue, journalist and millennial Versha Sharma is here to help us understand the seemingly cyclical generational pecking order.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The State of Stand-up with Patton Oswalt Mar 3, 2026 2439 Though he's a comedic actor, Kal has always felt like the label "comedian" was a sort of stolen valor. That is, until this past year, when he started opening for some of his stand-up friends. This week, Kal calls up Patton Oswalt, a legend in stand-up comedy, to get some advice about getting on stage, what's changed in the comedy world, what hasn't, and what's next.See omnystudio.com/listener for

Sports Betting with Albert Chen Feb 24, 2026 2466 Since 2018, sports betting has been legalized in 38 states. Plus, sports betting apps have brought gambling right to our fingertips. It turns out this country has a pretty long and fraught history with gambling. Albert Chen, journalist and author of the book, Billion Dollar Fantasy, helps us answer: How dangerous is sports gambling? Is it tainting the games we love to watch? And, how is technology

Being Offline with Ann Friedman Feb 17, 2026 2454 Ann Friedman was running popular blogs, newsletters and podcasts before media people flocked to those mediums. But now that the industry is trapped in a rinse and repeat cycle of rising and falling and consolidating, she's getting off the social media content creator wagon and asking a much different question: What does the long game look like?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The American Dream with Rafael Agustin Feb 10, 2026 2514 Some historians trace this idea of the American dream back to the first European settlers and colonizers. American businessman, James Truslow Adams, popularized the phrase in his book: The Epic of America. But this notion of a single Americcan dream isn't so cut and dry. This week, Kal talks to Rafael Agustin, TV writer, film producer, and author of the memoir, Illegally Yours, about the weight of

The Caitlin Clark Effect with Sarah Spain Feb 3, 2026 2625 It's been coined, "The Caitlin Clark Effect." For the WNBA's last few seasons, it's translated to a surge in popularity, viewership, and revenue, sparked by one extremely talented, ever-watchabale player. But are women's sports at large suddenly having a moment? Where was that attention two or three decades ago? And what does the future look like for female athletes? Sports journalist, former coll

The Future Is Bilingual with Patty Rodriguez Jan 27, 2026 2381 Americans weren't always accepting of languages other than English. But nowadays, being bilingual is a huge asset. Kal talks to Patty Rodriguez, the founder of bilingual children's publishing company Lil' Libros, about transforming the narrative of multilingualism in the United States.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Technology Replace Us? with Jacob Goldstein Jan 20, 2026 2625 AI is automating thousands of jobs. But humanity's fear of technology replacing us is nothing new. Journalist and podcaster Jacob Goldstein tells Kal the story of the original Luddites during the early 1800s Industrial Revolution. They talk about how technology changes, how those changes reshape our work, and who historically gets protected and who gets left behind.See omnystudio.com/listener for

Non-Monogamy with Ruby Rare Jan 13, 2026 2933 Lately, it seems like throuples and open relationships are all the rage. But for many individuals, this way of life is more than a trend. Is non-monogamy suddenly back in style? Or is it something biological? Something that never really went away? Sex educator and author Ruby Rare has a lot to say about it all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the Dynasty Dead? with Alexis Coe Jan 6, 2026 2608 Kennedys, Clintons, Bushes, Trumps. For better of worse, their names are synonmous with American politics. We're rapidly approaching the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. But if we openly revolted against the monarchy that long ago, then why does America continue to prop up dynasty families? Or are there signs the dynasty is finally on its way out? Presidential historian Alexis Coe gui

Union Busting with Sara Nelson Dec 30, 2025 2712 As long as unions have existed, so has the effort to undermine them. But why does union busting keep making headlines? And how can workers, even if they're not in a union, use that power to fight back and remake the system? Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants, talks past, present, and future of union busting in America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Star is Born... Again with Karina Longworth Dec 23, 2025 2158 Hollywood is all about remakes. So, it probably doesn't surprise you to hear that the 2018 film, "A Star Is Born," starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, was its fourth -- yes, fourth! -- iteration. Why do we stick to stories that work? And what is it about this particular story that makes it so quintessential? Kal sits down with film critic, author, and You Must Remember This podcast host, Karina

The Fashion Police with Alok Menon Dec 16, 2025 2887 Throughout history, certain moments have brought the fashion police and -- not to mention the acutal police -- around in full force. Why should schools, the government, our job, or anyone for that matter stay out of our closets? Kal talks to the poet, comedian, public speaker, and actor Alok Menon about the history of policing clothing as a way to control people's identity.See omnystudio.com/liste

The Youth Vote with Stacey Abrams Dec 9, 2025 2637 Voter turnout among young people is climbing, political affiliations are shifting, and the generation that grew up with social media is flexing their electoral muscle. Stacey Abrams is renowned for getting 800,000 people registered to vote in 2020. So, why is the youth vote so important? What's changed since 18 year olds gained the right to vote in 1971? And how have forces like Rock the Vote or T

Reinventing the Political Parties with Jon Favreau Dec 2, 2025 2413 These days, it can sometimes feel like the terms Democrat and Republican are confusing -- that they've lost meaning over time. Former Speechwriter and Pod Save America host, Jon Favreau, actually wrote his college thesis about a concept called "realignment." Or, the idea that political parties frequently reinvent themselves and their values. But why do the parties keep changing their identities? I

Another Economic Crash with Michael Lewis Nov 25, 2025 2507 Back in 2008, it seemed like everyone was talking about the financial crisis. And then came The Big Short, Michael Lewis' book-to-screen story that exposed the corrupt subprime mortgage industry and its impact on the 08 crash. Now, it seems like everyone's wondering: Are we heading towards another big recession? Who would you trust if you were that very man who exposed that broken system in the fi

The Need to Secede with Ed Helms (SNAFU Crossover) Nov 18, 2025 2584 In this joint episode of HERE WE GO AGAIN and SNAFU, Ed Helms tells Kal the story of a small town that decided to secede from America, only to realize a strong desire to buy beer and party would win out in the end. Then, Ed and Kal call up U.S. historian Richard Kreitner to learn about secession movements in America today, such as Calexit, Texit, and the Greater Idaho Movement.See omnystudio.com/l

The Creator Hustle with Lilly Singh Nov 11, 2025 2694 “Content creator” is not a term they taught me in acting school, yet, the creator economy is turning Hollywood on its head. Internet content was once a springboard to the world of entertainment. It’s now its own billion-dollar industry. Is this just a phase, or are we headed for a future where Clooneys and Pitts are permanently replaced by Rizzlers and Beasts? To find out, we&rsq

Indigenous Theft with Jana Schmieding Nov 4, 2025 2412 As any indigenous community might tell you, many of this country’s newest trends — from Ayahuasca to hot yoga — are not so new after all. Taking other cultures’ traditions may be as American as baseball, apple pie, and light tax evasion, but where’s the line between borrowing, reinvention, and outright theft? Lakota writer, actress, and comedian Jana Schmieding has so

Building the Future with Pete Buttigieg Oct 28, 2025 2534 The American Society for Civil Engineers gave the U.S. a C on its 2025 Infrastructure Report Card. From public transportation woes to bridge collapses and that pesky plane delays, why can't this country make the jump to straight-A infrastructure land? And will we ever be able to rely on the subway to not get stuck when we have to pee really bad?? Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg h

Racing to Space with Bill Nye Oct 21, 2025 2776 From the Cold War to today, space has always been about flexing power. So, why do we keep turning space into a race? What does that say about the future of space exploration -- and about humanity? To answer, only one guy would do: Bill Nye the Science Guy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing: Here We Go Again With Kal Penn Oct 13, 2025 109 Ever feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, watching the same things happen over and over again? Join Kal Penn on a quest to answer his burning questions about the patterns of the world: Why are we racing to space again? Are we heading towards another financial crash like in '08? And, is non-monogamy back in style?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episodes

Recommended