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It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders Each week, Sam Sanders interviews people in the culture who deserve your attention. Plus weekly wraps of the news with other journalists. Join Sam as he makes sense of the world through conversation.
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It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

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Each week, Sam Sanders interviews people in the culture who deserve your attention. Plus weekly wraps of the news with other journalists. Join Sam as he makes sense of the world through conversation.

Most Recent Episodes

James McBride on Race, Religion and Why He's Hopeful

Author James McBride's new book is Deacon King Kong. Chia Messina hide caption

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Chia Messina

James McBride on Race, Religion and Why He's Hopeful

James McBride is the National Award-winning author of The Good Lord Bird and the best-selling memoir, The Color of Water. His latest book is Deacon King Kong, which is set against the backdrop of 1960s Brooklyn and tells the story of how one man's decision upended an entire neighborhood. Sam talks to McBride about race, religion and community, the parallels he sees to the world we're living in today, and why he's still optimistic, despite protests and a pandemic.

James McBride on Race, Religion and Why He's Hopeful

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Lessons About Racism from 'Cops' and 'Gone With The Wind'

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 12: Black Lives Matter supporters are seen on the roof of a van during a rally in Trafalgar Square on June 12, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images) Peter Summers/Getty Images hide caption

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Peter Summers/Getty Images

Lessons About Racism from 'Cops' and 'Gone With The Wind'

The killing of George Floyd has inspired global protests against police brutality, and it seems like everyone has something to say, including the entertainment industry. Sam's joined by NPR television critic Eric Deggans and Tonya Mosley, co-host of NPR/WBUR's Here & Now and host of the KQED podcast Truth Be Told. They talk about the cancellation of the long-running reality TV show Cops, the removal of Gone With the Wind from HBO Max, and what it all says about this moment. After that, Sam chats with Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister at Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan, and Rev. angel Kyodo williams, a Zen priest. They talk about what Black people and white people should be doing differently now and give Sam a bit of sermon.

Lessons About Racism from 'Cops' and 'Gone With The Wind'

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Trump v Nixon on Race: Why 2020 Isn't Quite 1968

Republican Party members wave placards bearing the name 'Nixon', in support of Richard Nixon, at the 1968 Republican National Convention, in Miami Beach, Florida. Archive Photos/Getty Images hide caption

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Archive Photos/Getty Images

Trump v Nixon on Race: Why 2020 Isn't Quite 1968

2020 is '68 all over again. But not the '68 you think. Yes, 1968 also saw protests, racial divisions and political polarization. Adam Serwer covers politics for The Atlantic, and he says you can certainly draw comparisons between Trump and Nixon – in that Trump is actually a backlash to the policies that came out of 1968. But Serwer says 1868 is a better point of comparison – it was a moment of hope, when white Republicans had been fighting for black rights for years, before ultimately abandoning them to pursue white voters. Serwer sees Americans coming together in this moment, as they have in the past, but as a student of history, he says the backlash always comes eventually.

Trump v Nixon on Race: Why 2020 Isn't Quite 1968

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Not Just Another Protest

Demonstrators raise their fists in downtown Los Angeles on June 3, during a protest over the death of George Floyd. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP hide caption

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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Not Just Another Protest

There is so much to unpack in this current moment. Sam has a candid conversation with Aunt Betty about how history has shaped her view of the current protests, and he walks around downtown Los Angeles to get the perspective of people he meets. Sam also talks to BuzzFeed News reporter Melissa Segura on her recent reporting about police unions and what they mean for reform, and Morning Edition executive producer Kenya Young about being a black parent during this time.

Not Just Another Protest

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Hasan Minhaj On Faith And Seeking Answers

Hasan Minhaj hosts Patriot Act on Netflix. Mark Seliger/Netflix hide caption

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Mark Seliger/Netflix

Hasan Minhaj On Faith And Seeking Answers

Comedian Hasan Minhaj is not afraid of talking about his faith, even when it gets him in trouble. He's a two-time Peabody Award winner and host of the Netflix show Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, which has just begun its second season. He talks to Sam about being an Indian American Muslim, how he finds joy in family and what his faith means to him today.

Hasan Minhaj On Faith And Seeking Answers

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Money and Coronavirus; Samantha Irby On Judge Mathis

A worker wears a protective glove as he takes money from a moviegoer at a ticket booth at Mission Tiki drive-in theater in Montclair, Calif., Thursday, May 28, 2020. Jae C. Hong/AP hide caption

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Jae C. Hong/AP

Money and Coronavirus; Samantha Irby On Judge Mathis

The coronavirus pandemic has us worrying not only about our health, but also about money. Sam talks to CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger, about the current economic crisis and how it's affecting different generations. Then, Sam talks to writer Samantha Irby about her newsletter "Who's On Judge Mathis Today?," which recaps the foibles of the syndicated daytime court show Judge Mathis.

Money and Coronavirus; Samantha Irby On Judge Mathis

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'Insecure' Star Yvonne Orji on Finding Comedy and God

Yvonne Orji plays Molly on the HBO series Insecure. James Anthony hide caption

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James Anthony

'Insecure' Star Yvonne Orji on Finding Comedy and God

Yvonne Orji plays the part of best friend Molly Carter on the HBO series Insecure, but Orji will soon headline her own stand-up special in June called, "Mama, I Made It." Orji talks to Sam about religion, getting her start in comedy at a Nigerian beauty pageant, growing up with strict immigrant parents and finding the humor in all of it.

'Insecure' Star Yvonne Orji on Finding Comedy and God

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Maya Erskine Takes The Lead In 'Plus One' And 'PEN15'

Maya Erskine (left) is co-creator and co-star of Hulu's PEN15 with Anna Konkle. Hulu hide caption

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Hulu

Maya Erskine Takes The Lead In 'Plus One' And 'PEN15'

Maya Erskine has come a long way from the NYU experimental theater department where she met her PEN15 co-creator Anna Konkle. In this encore episode, Erskine talks to Sam about her starring role in the genre-bending romantic comedy Plus One and how she wrote her own life experiences into the character she plays on Hulu's PEN15.

Maya Erskine Takes The Lead In 'Plus One' And 'PEN15'

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Saeed Jones On 'How We Fight For Our Lives' — And How He Fought For His

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - : Former "AM to DM" host Saeed Jones discusses "How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir" with BuzzFeed's "AM To DM." Roy Rochlin/Getty Images hide caption

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Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Saeed Jones On 'How We Fight For Our Lives' — And How He Fought For His

Sam revisits his 2019 conversation with poet and writer Saeed Jones. Saeed discusses his memoir, How We Fight For Our Lives, a vulnerable exploration of his coming of age as black and gay in suburban Texas. The former BuzzFeed editor sat down with Sam to give a glimpse of the stories behind his book, including those of his mother and grandmother, and one where he faced violence during a sexual encounter with another man. This episode contains graphic discussion of sex, sexuality and abuse.

Saeed Jones On 'How We Fight For Our Lives' — And How He Fought For His

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The Show Must Go On

Residents of the Living Memory Care and assisted living home of Vadnais Heights have a heroes work here sign put up for the health care workers that take care of them every day. (Photo by: Michael Siluk) Michael Siluk/Education Images/Universal Image hide caption

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Michael Siluk/Education Images/Universal Image

The Show Must Go On

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic began, we've become more accustomed to life closing down than opening up. But for many, putting life on pause isn't an option. This week, Sam talks to people whose lives were thrown off course, but who scrambled to keep doing what they were doing. A home health aide talks about the risk she now takes to do her work. A political organizer explains how door knocking and canvassing had to go digital. And an international student is determined to stay in the United States, despite losing her classes, her housing, and her job.

The Show Must Go On

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