The Gist
For thirty minutes each day, Pesca challenges himself and his audience, in a responsibly provocative style, and gets beyond the rigidity and dogma. The Gist is surprising, reasonable, and willing to critique the left, the right, either party, or any idea.
2001
The Incredible Lucas Brothers
Why twins should avoid mushrooms and other life lessons from stand-up comedy duo Keith and Kenny Lucas.
27 min
2002
When Did Late Night Stop Being Fun?
Comedian Guy Branum on the “controlled fun” of late night, and how Talk Show: The Game Show promises to fix that.
27 min
2003
The Populists Cannot Win
Slate columnist and Harvard lecturer Yascha Mounk on what we can learn from the rise of populism in Europe.
27 min
2004
The Clinton Campaign Tell-All
In the book, Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign, Jonathan Allen and his co-author, Amie Parnes, detail an organization beset by infighting, fatalism, and a fundamentally weak candidate.
26 min
2005
Moshe Kasher Is Not an Activist
Comedy Central’s Problematic is part talk show and part town hall, tilting at a variety of incendiary topics and urging candid discussion. Can it also be funny?
29 min
2006
When the ’80s Went Pro
In 1987, the big acts got bigger. Hair metal got hairier. Slick pop stars got slicker. And Michael Jackson was Bad as ever.
28 min
2007
The Secrets of S-Town
Host and producer Brian Reed takes us inside his hit podcast.
32 min
2008
Up With Eggheads
Are experts taking the fall for decisions made by people in power?
24 min
2009
What Happened to the Crack Epidemic?
In 100:1 The Crack Legacy, Christopher Johnson draws a line between the ’80s epidemic and overpolicing today.
21 min
2010
Ariel Levy Was Here
In her memoir, The Rules Do Not Apply, Levy ponders the price of her own plucky, third-wave feminism.
31 min
2011
The Gist Presents the Grift
A special presentation of Maria Konnikova’s new podcast, about long cons and the characters who perpetrate them.
26 min
2012
The Handmaid’s Fail
Is The Handmaid’s Tale really the most fitting dystopian novel we could be reading right now? Guest host Alexandra Petri talks to Slate’s Mallory Ortberg.
19 min
2013
Improv is Hard, Writing is Harder
Jake Johnson and Joe Swanberg on the hectic process behind the new poker comedy Win It All
29 min
2014
Why David Letterman Still Matters
In his book, The Last Giant of Late Night, reporter Jason Zinoman explains how The Late Show was like nothing else on TV.
25 min
2015
When Protesters Pull the Fire Alarm
Does your right to free speech entitle you to silence the speech of someone else? Mike Pesca debates Slate’s Osita Nwanevu.
26 min
2016
Shots Fired. What Now?
How does President Trump’s attack on a Syrian air base fit into U.S. policy toward the Assad regime?
24 min
2017
Lovable Losers With Scott Simon
The NPR host on the changing nature of his fandom for the Chicago Cubs
25 min
2018
A More Human Kind of Sci-Fi
Charlie McDowell imagines a world where the afterlife is scientifically proven in his film The Discovery.
27 min
2019
An Outsider’s Take on America’s Game
For 15 years, Tabitha Soren followed a group of baseball minor league draft picks with a camera. The results are stirring.
23 min
2020
Where Is the Republican Resistance?
GOP strategist Mike Murphy on why Democrats won’t get an “Aaron Sorkin moment” where the whole party righteously turns on Trump.
26 min
2021
The Return of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Creator Joel Hodgson and head writer Elliot Kalan on the return of the iconic movie-riffing show that changed comedy.
24 min
2022
Russia Doesn’t Have Any Friends
What are we missing in all the coverage of the Kremlin’s election skullduggery?
23 min
2023
What is Homeopathy, Exactly?
Resident myth-debunker Maria Konnikova returns to trace the spotty history of homeopathic remedies.
28 min
2024
How Political Parties Collapse
The Whigs were destroyed in the 1850s by divisions over nativism, free trade, and government spending. Sound familiar?
26 min
2025
Step Away From the Screen
Should your favorite video game or Netflix show come with a surgeon general’s warning?
29 min