This American Life

This American Life

This American Life
en
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 (27)

233: Starting From Scratch

233: Starting From Scratch

August 31, 2025 1h 0m Episode 233
People starting over—sometimes because they want to, other times because they have to.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks...
865: The Other Territory

865: The Other Territory

August 24, 2025 1h 14m Episode 865
Since 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....
831: Lists!!!

831: Lists!!!

August 17, 2025 1h 4m Episode 831
How they organize the chaos of the world, for good and for bad.

Prologue: Ira interviews David Wallechinsky, who wrote a wildly popular book in the 1970s called The Book of Lists, full of trivia and...
838: Letters! Actual Letters!

838: Letters! Actual Letters!

August 10, 2025 58m Episode 838
When the best—and perhaps only—way to say something is to write it down.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Ira goes out with a letter carrier,...
839: Meet Me at the Fair

839: Meet Me at the Fair

August 03, 2025 1h 3m Episode 839
Iowa has three million people and a million come to their State Fair, each with their own goals and dreams for the fair. We hang out with some of them, to see if they get what they hoped for.

Visit...
245: Allure of the Mean Friend

245: Allure of the Mean Friend

July 27, 2025 59m Episode 245
What is it about them, our mean friends? They treat us poorly, they don't call us back, they cancel plans at the last minute, and yet we keep coming back for more. Popular bullies exist in business,...
864: Chicago Hope

864: Chicago Hope

July 20, 2025 59m Episode 864
The 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...
Bonus: Nancy's Deep Cuts

Bonus: Nancy's Deep Cuts

July 17, 2025 26m
Ira 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...
863: Championship Window

863: Championship Window

June 29, 2025 58m Episode 863
People 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...
862: Some Things We Don't Do Anymore

862: Some Things We Don't Do Anymore

June 22, 2025 1h 6m Episode 862
On 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,...
861: Group Chat

861: Group Chat

June 01, 2025 1h 1m Episode 861
Conversations across a divide: People who are outside a war zone check in with family, friends, and strangers inside.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium...
860: Suddenly: A Mirror!

860: Suddenly: A Mirror!

May 25, 2025 59m Episode 860
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...
859: Chaos Graph

859: Chaos Graph

April 27, 2025 1h 7m Episode 859
People 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...
332: The Ten Commandments

332: The Ten Commandments

April 20, 2025 59m Episode 332
For Easter weekend — and the end of Passover! — stories of people struggling to follow the Ten Commandments.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Host Ira...
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story

858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story

April 13, 2025 1h 7m Episode 858
A 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...
668: The Long Fuse

668: The Long Fuse

April 06, 2025 1h 6m Episode 668
People tossing words out into the world impulsively to ignite and burn over decades.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Host Ira Glass plays a...
857: Museum of Now

857: Museum of Now

March 30, 2025 1h 5m Episode 857
Artifacts 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...
464: Invisible Made Visible

464: Invisible Made Visible

March 23, 2025 1h 0m Episode 464
The radio version of an episode we did live on stage and beamed to movie theaters. David Sedaris, Tig Notaro, Ryan Knighton, and the late David Rakoff in his final performance on the show. The other...
856: You’ve Come to the Right Person

856: You’ve Come to the Right Person

March 16, 2025 1h 1m Episode 856
Sometimes, 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...
535: Origin Story

535: Origin Story

March 09, 2025 1h 0m Episode 535
Little-known and surprising stories of how all sorts of institutions began.
Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to business...
855: That’s a Weird Thing to Lie About

855: That’s a Weird Thing to Lie About

March 02, 2025 1h 3m Episode 855
Unnecessary 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...
854: Ten Things I Don't Want to Hate About You

854: Ten Things I Don't Want to Hate About You

February 23, 2025 59m Episode 854
Zach 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...
853: Groundhog Day

853: Groundhog Day

February 02, 2025 55m Episode 853
People stuck in a loop, trying to find their way out.
Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to B.A. Parker about her birthday...
852: Pivot Point

852: Pivot Point

January 19, 2025 58m Episode 852
People 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...
851: Try a Little Tenderness

851: Try a Little Tenderness

January 12, 2025 59m Episode 851
In 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...
850: If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Hold This Thread as I Walk Away

850: If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Hold This Thread as I Walk Away

December 22, 2024 1h 5m Episode 850
The 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...
A Big Announcement

A Big Announcement

October 16, 2024 4m
Ira Glass has news to share about some things happening here at This American Life.

To sign up as a Life Partner, visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners.

About this Podcast

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Copyright 1995-2025 This American Life
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en