Description
Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.
Episodes
- 2026 / 9 / 26898: An ArgumentNikole Hannah-Jones made an argument 10 years ago in The New York Times Magazine that became famous. She wrote about choosing a public school for her daughter, Najya, in one of the most racially and...
- 2026 / 9 / 21897: Intergenerational Space TravelPeople braving the true final frontier — the gap between people born at slightly different times. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.(00:00:00) Prologue: Last...
- 2026 / 8 / 31896: I Know What You NeedMoments when it seems obvious what to do for someone else, so of course you jump in and try to help — and what happens after that. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium...
- 2026 / 8 / 17895: Label Maker!Labels are powerful. They can distill you down to a single word. They can get stuck on you without your permission. And sometimes, when they get taken away, they can upend your entire life. On this episode:...
- 2026 / 8 / 2894: I Couldn't Help but NoticePeople dealing with new, glaring, massive changes happening right where they live. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Rick Cole, a city councilmember in...
- 2026 / 7 / 26893: TestosteroneDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered everyone over 30 in the military to have their testosterone tested. That inspired us to rerun this classic episode where everyone at This American Life tested their...
- 2026 / 7 / 19892: Trapped on a BusPeople on journeys they did not intend! Or agree to! Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: A woman on a nighttime bus ride wakes up to discover the bus...
- 2026 / 7 / 12891: The Test CaseSome people in this country think Antifa is a dangerous domestic terror organization. Some think that’s a complete myth. This week we go to the federal trial where, for the first time, the government sets...
- 2026 / 7 / 5890: Maximal AmericannessOn this country's 250th birthday, we bring you stories about the most American people, places, objects, and social norms that make this country what it is. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to...
- 2026 / 6 / 21889: There’s Something About Hail MaryWe spend an hour in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, behind and desperate, with people trying any damn thing they can think of. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium...
- 2026 / 6 / 7888: Not Today, Hades!Regular people trapped inside Greek myths. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: When a mysterious, ripped-open package arrives on Pablo's doorstep,...
- 2026 / 5 / 17887: Two Is One, One Is None!One family faces the Trump administration’s ban on trans people serving in the military, and responds with a surprising secret weapon. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium...
- 2026 / 5 / 3886: BlackoutSince the war began in Iran, we've heard very little from people inside the country — and there's a reason for that. The entire country has been under an internet blackout. We worked with reporters...
- 2026 / 5 / 1Ira (Reluctantly) Gives a Graduation SpeechIra always hated commencement speeches. Then he felt like he had to give this one. thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners
- 2026 / 4 / 12885: Bless This MessAt a time when the U.S. government is trying to make American history tidier, we try to learn from the mess. Including the untold, messy story of Paul and Essie Robeson. Visit...
- 2026 / 3 / 29884: The IdiotM. Gessen returns to our show with a true-crime story that takes place entirely within their own family. This story comes to us from the producers at Serial Productions—who invented the true-crime podcast...
- 2026 / 3 / 8882: Give a Little WhistleTwo lawyers who work for ICE step forward and lift the curtain on what is really happening inside our immigration system right now. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium...
- 2026 / 2 / 22881: I Want What I WantPeople deciding to do things that most of us do NOT choose to do. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: A new documentary called The Boys and the...
- 2026 / 2 / 1880: What Is Your Emergency?911 calls unlike any we’ve heard before, and other stories about immigration agents sweeping through America. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: A...
- 2026 / 1 / 18879: A Christian and a Muslim Walk Into a BarWhen a joke could get you killed, should you say it anyway? A group of Syrian comedians test the limits of their newfound freedom, a year after the fall of the brutal Assad regime. Visit...
- 2026 / 1 / 12The Americans Outside My WindowIn this special mini-episode – an extra episode this week! – we hear from someone in Venezuela with a very specific take on last week's U.S. attack.
- 2026 / 1 / 9New Lore DropPeople discovering information about their own lives that they did not know, and suddenly everything looks very different.
- 2025 / 12 / 24Christmas and CommerceStories about the intersection of Christmas and retail, originally broadcast in 1996 when our show was only a year old. Including David Sedaris's "Santaland Diaries" about the seasons he spent working as...
- 2025 / 12 / 7876: Bigger Than MeWhen history comes knocking, you have to figure out what to do. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Brittany’s job is to answer anonymous calls and texts...
- 2025 / 11 / 9873: Got You PeggedShalom Auslander goes on vacation with his family, suspects the beloved, chatty old man in the room next door is an imposter, and sets out to prove it. This and other stories about the pitfalls of making snap...
- 2025 / 11 / 2872: WinnersAmerica loves winners—now more than ever. But how do you get to a win in 2025 America? We get up close and follow someone trying to build a big win for herself and thousands of others like her. Visit...
- 2025 / 10 / 26871: The Thing About ThingsThree stories about the strange power inanimate objects can hold over us. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Nunzio gets caught in a kind of servile...
- 2025 / 10 / 16An Update from IraIra Glass shares some news about This American Life To sign up as a Life Partner, visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners
- 2025 / 10 / 12870: My Other SelfWhat happens when people create alternate versions of themselves and release them into the wild? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks...
- 2025 / 10 / 5869: HaroldWhen Zohran Mamdani won the primary race for New York mayor, the Democratic establishment's lukewarm response echoed the treatment of another charismatic, unconventional candidate decades earlier. This...
- 2025 / 9 / 21868: The Hand That Rocks The GavelA group of immigration judges, who almost never speak to the press, describes the dismantling of our immigration court system from the inside. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our...
- 2025 / 9 / 14867: College DisorientationThings are different on college campuses this year. We see inside the drama, with students and staff. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: We go to...
- 2025 / 9 / 7866: Watch Out for That TreeSmall human plans that run into much larger obstacles. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Angela's dad, an accountant, made a spreadsheet to...
- 2025 / 8 / 24865: The Other TerritorySince October 7th, while the world has focused its attention on Gaza, the Israeli government has tightened the screws on the three million Palestinians in the West Bank in all sorts of dramatic ways. We...
- 2025 / 7 / 20864: Chicago HopeThe story of the most commonly performed surgery, and what goes wrong with it – terribly wrong – 100,000 times a year in the United States. We’re excited to bring you the first episode of The...
- 2025 / 7 / 18Bonus: Nancy's Deep CutsIra Glass talks with longtime producer Nancy Updike about the most personal stories they have put on the radio. This is a sample of the bonus episodes we regularly release to our This American Life...
- 2025 / 6 / 29863: Championship WindowPeople on a mission to achieve their goals before their window of opportunity closes. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Guest host Emmanuel Dzotsi goes...
- 2025 / 6 / 22862: Some Things We Don't Do AnymoreOn his first day in office, President Trump decided to freeze all U.S. foreign aid. Soon after, his administration effectively dissolved USAID—the federal agency that delivers billions in food, medicine, and...
- 2025 / 6 / 1861: Group ChatConversations across a divide: Palestinians who are outside Gaza check in with family, friends, and strangers inside. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue:...
- 2025 / 5 / 25860: Suddenly: A Mirror!A show about people who are suddenly confronted with who they are. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Guest host Aviva DeKornfeld tells Ira Glass about...
- 2025 / 4 / 27859: Chaos GraphPeople immersed in chaos try to solve for what it all adds up to. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: A scientist who is used to organizing data starts...
- 2025 / 4 / 13858: How to Tell a Dumb American StoryA couple devises a strategy to get their daughter's killer prosecuted and to get attention for other Native families. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium...
- 2025 / 3 / 30857: Museum of NowArtifacts and exhibits of this particular moment we are living through. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Exhibit One: Ira talks to producer Emmanuel Dzotsi, who...
- 2025 / 3 / 16856: You’ve Come to the Right PersonSometimes, life’s biggest mysteries require one very specific person to answer them. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: 7-year-old Miles has lots of...
- 2025 / 3 / 2855: That’s a Weird Thing to Lie AboutUnnecessary and outrageous lies that make you wonder — why lie about that in the first place? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Kasey, a woman who...
- 2025 / 2 / 23854: Ten Things I Don't Want to Hate About YouZach Mack and his dad try to mend a rift between them in a very unusual way. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Ira Glass introduces Zach Mack’s story....
- 2025 / 2 / 23854: Ten Things I Don't Want To Hate About YouZach Mack and his dad try to mend a rift between them in a very unusual way. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Ira Glass introduces Zach Mack’s story....
- 2025 / 1 / 19852: Pivot PointPeople living in that in-between moment before everything changes. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Kirk Johnson tells Ira about a strange choice he...
- 2025 / 1 / 12851: Try a Little TendernessIn the new year, stories of people trying a radical approach to solving their problems. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Ira meets two sisters who got...
- 2024 / 12 / 22850: If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Hold This Thread as I Walk AwayThe tiny thing that unravels your world. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Ira talks to Chris Benderev, whose high school years were completely upended...