Choices We Made: Wealthy or Wise? (with Michael Lewis)
Author Michael Lewis joins Sam to celebrate the 15th anniversary of The Big Short and talk about if we’ve learned any lessons since its publication—like why we so often conflate wealth and wisdom. They discuss why they don’t think anyone would actually prefer to go back 30 or 60 years if they had the choice, why cutting interest rates mean house prices will go up, and why Michael wouldn’t bet against Bitcoin but Sam refuses to take most financial risks. They talk about the tragedy of the CPFB being gutted, why Americans treat the government like the enemy, and if there’s a Canadian “deep state.” 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.
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Act or Direct? (with Michael Showalter)
Comedy legend turned director extraordinaire Michael Showalter joins Sam to talk about how he made this career shift and how he now realizes he hates acting. Michael tells Sam that he’d ultimately like to direct a film in every genre and he hopes horror is next. They talk about how they love traveling at this time of year to see how other countries celebrate Christmas, and why it’s better than staying home. Michael talks about fanning out when actors he loves are in his movies, how he fulfilled his one goal of college of being in a comedy troupe, why he had to write parts for himself when he couldn’t get cast in anything, and the last time he saw movie-magic. His new film, Oh. What. Fun is out now. 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.
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Outraged or Engaged? (with Patton Oswalt)
Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt joins Sam to catch up where they left off during the first Trump administration and how they simply can’t believe we’re doing round two of this shit. They discuss how there’s money in outrage and how it drives engagement, and how news channels take advantage of your cortisol levels to keep you engaged with constant alerts of BREAKING NEWS. Patton explains why he no longer interacts with people on X but still can’t leave his followers behind, and why they both now mostly use social media to self-soothe, while others are left to raw-dog their boredom. They talk about the need for young nerds to go into politics and what Trump would be doing if Sam was still on TV. A girl can dream! Check out Patton’s new special, Black Coffee and Ice Water, available on Audible. 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.
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Choices We Made: Mother or Father? (with Atsuko Okatsuka)
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–like when Atsuko fulfilled 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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City or Country? (with Leslie Bibb)
Actress Leslie Bibb joins Sam while Mercury is fully in retrograde and they quickly agree that their shoulders only fully relax when they’re in the country despite both living in the city. They talk about being subject to the winds of planetary forces, not being gamblers (they both abide by a strict “only 20 dollars at a time” rule) because they’ve worked too hard for their money, and their shared hatred of wasting stuff including chicken carcasses. Leslie talks about how watching Bob Villa as a kid has inspired her own home renovation projects and teaching other women how to do renovation on Tik Tok and why she’s going to have spores in her sourdough that predate the country. They gush over The Great British Bake Off and agree it’s appointment television, taking cooking classes in foreign countries, people who have recipes they won’t even share with their kids, and how we can learn to disagree with our parents as they get older. 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.
We make a lot of choices, every single day. Some explode, some implode, most we barely remember. Each week on Choice Words, Samantha Bee sits down with people she admires to examine the biggest choices they’ve made in their lives and the ripple effects those decisions have had. What’s a story a journalist took a chance on that changed history? A vote that a politician never should have cast? A song lyric a musician came up with in the shower that made them instantly famous? Sam’s made a lot of choices, too. She may have to interview herself about starting this podcast.