Podcasts by Still Processing
Wesley Morris and J Wortham are working it out in this weekly show about culture in the broadest sense. That means television, film, books, music — but also the culture of work, dating, the internet and how those all fit together.
Listen to this podcast in New York Times Audio, our new iOS app for news subscribers. Download now at nytimes.com/audioapp
Further podcasts by The New York Times
Podcast on the topic Gesellschaft und Kultur
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Introducing Still Processing from 2023-12-13T14:14:10.448271
The first episode of Still Processing will drop on Thursday, Sept. 8, and Wesley and Jenna will be back every Thursday after that. Here’s a quick taste of what’s to come.
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Best of the Archives: Aretha Franklin (2018) from 2023-12-13T14:14:09.340577
Next month we’re starting a whole new season of shows! Yes, in March! We’re thrilled. While we’re getting ready, we selected four of our favorite past episodes for you to enjoy. This first one i...
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No Country for Any Men from 2023-12-13T14:14:09.273415
“Promising Young Woman” is one of this year’s major Oscar contenders. It’s a dark revenge fantasy that asks a sweeping moral question: What if there are no good men? Wesley and Jenna go deep int...
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40 Acres and a Movie from 2023-12-13T14:14:09.269365
Disney owns a piece of every living person’s childhood. Now it owns Marvel Studios, too. Jenna and Wesley look at depictions of racist tropes and stereotypes in Disney’s ever-expanding catalog. ...
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And a Britney Song Was On … from 2023-12-13T14:14:09.182898
"This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan is an unforgettable hip-hop relic, a jam whose opening six words alone make you want to party. Wesley has heard this 1995 hit countless times since he wa...
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When Your Neighbor’s the Highway from 2023-12-13T14:14:09.178878
Today, Wesley leaves the studio – and goes home. He embarks on a journey that involves a car named Khad'ija, a tireless 92-year-old activist and one Chinatown. Last year, President Biden signed ...
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Summer Renaissance from 2023-12-13T14:14:09.164506
Donna Summer’s 1977 hit “I Feel Love” is the inspiration for the final track on Beyoncé’s new album, “Renaissance.” Summer became the queen of disco in the ’70s, but her catalog goes much furthe...
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I'm That Girl from 2022-11-22T21:00
Beyoncé’s latest album, “Renaissance,” showcases a pop star letting go of all expectations. Wesley and J go deep into the album and this new era of Beyoncé. It’s an era of play, freedom, comedy ...
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Can Athletes Ever Be Movie Stars? from 2022-05-19T20:00
What happens when athletes decide to act? And what doesn’t happen? Wesley Morris and Bill Simmons, sportswriter and founder of The Ringer, break down the history of athletes in movies. They star...
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Where'd All the Method Acting Go? from 2022-04-28T20:00
In the 20th century, method acting was everywhere. Actors went to extreme lengths to inhabit the complicated psyche of a character, sometimes making audiences deeply uncomfortable. Think Robert ...
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Skip Intro from 2022-04-21T20:00
Wesley worries the “skip intro” button is killing the TV theme song. He takes his concern to his friend Hanif Abdurraqib, a poet, music critic and MacArthur “genius grant” winner. Together, they...
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American Top 40 from 2022-04-14T20:00
Wesley has been obsessed with lists since he was a child — think Casey Kasem’s American Top 40, the Academy Awards and Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time. Now, he wants to think more ser...
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Introducing Still Processing from 2022-03-07T03:34:26.792880
The first episode of Still Processing will drop on Thursday, Sept. 8, and Wesley and Jenna will be back every Thursday after that. Here’s a quick taste of what’s to come.
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Introducing Still Processing from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.560137
The first episode of Still Processing will drop on Thursday, Sept. 8, and Wesley and Jenna will be back every Thursday after that. Here’s a quick taste of what’s to come.
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First Date | Episode 1 from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.559301
In this inaugural episode, Wesley and Jenna work through their feelings about America's reaction to Colin Kaepernick and Leslie Jones, take a romantic stroll through Central Park, and talk to Tika ...
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A Journey to the 'Blacksonian' | Episode 5 from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.555204
This week our entire episode comes to you from inside the Smithsonian’s brand-new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. We talked to children. We talked to curators...
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Dancing in the Moonlight | Episode 9 from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.550791
To combat the stresses of an election we want to end and the onset of winter, we’re offering a whole episode dedicated to things that make us feel good. We talk to the Times film critic A.O. Scott ...
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Obama’s Last Cultural Statement | Episode 13 from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.501032
Jenna is off road-tripping across Southern Africa, so this week Wesley reunites with Alex Pappademas, his old co-host on Grantland’s podcast “Do You Like Prince Movies?” Wesley explains why he foun...
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Beyoncé vs. Adele? No Contest | Episode 14 from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.499828
Good news: Jenna’s back! And in the wake of this week’s Grammy nominations, she’s here to say that no matter how desperate the internet may be for a Beyoncé and Adele rivalry, it’s just not a compe...
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‘The Perfect Movie for Our Time’ | Episode 18 from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.494779
We’re kicking off 2017 with a movie speed round to prepare for this weekend’s Golden Globes. We talk through our feelings about “La La Land,” “Fences” and a couple of the other films we saw over th...
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‘You Only Leave Home When Home Won’t Let You Stay’ | Episode 22 from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.489774
We speak to three friends: Habab, a Muslim woman born in Sudan who was nearly detained after landing home at Dulles International Airport in Virginia this weekend; Rukmini Callimachi, our colleague...
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The Women of “Girls” | Episode 23 from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.488618
HBO’s “Girls” begins its final season this Sunday, and we discuss the show’s legacy before Jenna sits down for a live conversation with Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Zosia Mamet and Jemima Kirke. ...
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Season Finale with Jordan Peele | Episode 26 from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.484900
We’re not over what happened at the Oscars on Sunday. You probably aren’t either. But we’re ready to move onto next year’s Oscars, where we fully expect to see “Get Out,” currently the No. 1 movie ...
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We Feud About “Feud” from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.479767
The ruthlessness of Silicon Valley companies like Uber is out of control, but why do we expect more from the tech industry than from corporations like McDonalds or Exxon Mobil? We also discuss the ...
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We Love the Beach, We Hate the Beach from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.475499
Last week, the Baywatch franchise returned — this time on the big screen — with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Zac Efron leading a cast of tan, muscled lifeguards. But the film isn’t just a goofy ro...
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We Watch 'Wonder Woman' and Do a Taxonomy of the Summer Jam from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.474405
Summer is here, and so are the superhero movies and hit pop songs that define the season. We discuss the politics of “Wonder Woman,” the first female-fronted and female-directed superhero blockbust...
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We Seek “Authentic” BBQ from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.470856
It’s barbecue season! But let’s be clear: We aren’t talking about throwing burgers and veggies on a grill. We’re talking about the rich culinary tradition of slow-cooking meat over a dirt pit, a cu...
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We Discuss: Who Owns Stories About Blackness? from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.467493
It’s been a summer of outrage over the question of who can tell stories about black history and black pain. We reckon with this question by examining Kathryn Bigelow’s film "Detroit," Dana Schutz's...
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We Debate NPR’s Greatest Albums by Women from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.463940
Last month, NPR published a list of the 150 greatest albums by women. The list was debated. It was discussed. There were alternative lists of 150 additional albums not on the NPR list. But quibblin...
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We Get Biracial from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.460214
For months, the two of us have been trying to figure out a way to have a conversation about the experience of being biracial. This week we just go for it. First, we talk about the cultural and hist...
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We're Still Here For Janet from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.455650
This week, in light of Justin Timberlake’s upcoming Super Bowl performance, we revisit his infamous 2004 “wardrobe malfunction” halftime show with Janet Jackson. We dissect the public reaction to “...
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We Don't Know Where We Are from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.454428
This week, we take the Oscar-nominated film "Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri" as a starting point for a discussion about a new sense of placelessness in film and TV. Over the last year...
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We Want To Know What Love Is from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.401504
This week, we examine four of the Best Picture Oscar-nominated films—“Call Me By Your Name”, “Get Out”, “Shape of Water”, and “Phantom Thread”—to ask whether we are entering a new phase of romance ...
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We Paint the Town Obama from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.400612
We went to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. to look at the recently installed portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama. The paintings--Barack's by Kehinde Wiley, Michelle's by Amy Sh...
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We Celebrate the REAL MLK Day from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.396776
This week, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. While MLK’s birthday is celebrated on a national level, we spend time processing why his death holds a significant ...
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We Wouldn't Leave Kanye, But Should We? from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.389983
Almost one week after Kanye West released his eighth studio album, "Ye," we wonder what to do with artists who displease us. Going back to 2004, we take a closer look at Kanye, the artist, who ques...
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Asian-Americans Talk About Racism, and We Listen - Part 2 from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.386322
It’s the second installment of our two-part series on anti-Asian racism. Once again, we hand over the mics to our Asian-American colleagues, friends and listeners to hear about their experiences wi...
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We Blaxplain Blaxplaining from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.382132
This week, we trace the evolution of black American cinema from blaxploitation in the 1970s to what we’re calling "blaxplaining" in 2018. While blaxploitation sought to showcase black actors in dra...
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We Give You Our Summer Faves from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.381241
This week, we celebrate summer and present to you our 2018 Summer Faves. From tech to treats, tunes to TV, and of course, summer looks, we make some recommendations to help you live your best life ...
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Delicious Vinyl from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.354951
Not all reboots deserve to exist. Lots of them aren’t even things we want.
But the new "High Fidelity" on Hulu is the reboot we didn’t know we needed.
Discussed thi...
Frosted Flakes from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.303113
Lions, and tigers and barely suppressed glee at criminal weirdos, oh my!
What has big personalities, big issues and big cats? Netflix’s hit streaming show “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and M...
Fiona Ex Machina from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.300526
"Fetch the Bolt Cutters" is Fiona Apple's master class in channeling frustration and anger into what can only be called wisdom. Also, we hear from listeners all over the planet, sharing how they ar...
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Does This Phone Make Me Look Human? from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.299745
Covid-19 isn't "the great equalizer" – except when it comes to making us need our devices more than ever. Screens have revealed superstars as civilians, and turned sitcom grouches into teddy bears....
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So Y’all Finally Get It from 2022-02-21T04:13:49.297890
Excerpts from our June 12 live event, where we caught up about the uprisings and resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. This is the first of three special summer episodes.
Discusse...
'Before I Let Go' from 2021-05-20T20:00
When the three opening notes of the song hit, there’s only one thing to do: Find your people and dance. Today, we’re talking about “Before I Let Go,” by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, an...
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The People in the Neighborhood from 2021-05-13T20:00
A powerful — and revealing — aspect of the Derek Chauvin trial was the community it created out of strangers. Week later, we’re still thinking about the witnesses, and the way they were connecte...
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Cathy Park Hong from 2021-04-29T20:00
The Asian-American poet wants to help women and people of color find healing — and clarity — in their rage. Hong's book of essays, “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning," came out in Februar...
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Lil Nas X? Not Sorry! from 2021-04-15T20:00
Social media apologies have become the standard celebrity response to internet outrage. But why do they feel so deeply inadequate? Jenna and Wesley dissect a new spate of public apologies from t...
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Now That's What I Call a Bridge! from 2021-03-25T20:00
“Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo makes Wesley nostalgic for his favorite part of a song: the bridge. Bridges used to be a core feature of popular music, but they’ve become an endangered speci...
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The N-Word from 2021-03-18T16:04:45
It’s the episode we’ve been wanting to make for years. In our season premiere, we’re talking about the N-word. It’s both unspeakable and ubiquitous. A weapon of hate and a badge of belonging. Af...
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The Return of Still Processing from 2021-03-11T21:00
We’re back with a new season on March 18! Join culture writers Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris in the juiciest group chat, the coziest diner booth, the crowded kitchen at a house party with the ...
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Best of the Archives: Whiteness in America (2017) from 2021-02-18T21:00
When “Hillbilly Elegy” showed up on Netflix last November, it was just the latest in a series of media attempting to explain whiteness to its audience. We’re revisiting a better (though not perfect...
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Best of the Archives: Psychobros (2019) from 2021-02-11T21:00
Not long ago, Harry Styles graced the cover of Vogue magazine in a dress. It was just one example of how traditional ideas of masculinity have been expanding — on the runway and in culture. In our ...
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Sweet, Sweet Fantasies, Baby from 2020-11-12T21:25:10
There’s a difference between our dreams for America — and our fantasies.
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'Waiter, There's a Fly in Our Bubble' from 2020-10-29T20:00
Do we have enough breadcrumbs to get to the truth?
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Reparations for Aunt Jemima! from 2020-07-16T16:35:12
When Quaker decided to take Aunt Jemima off the red pancake box after 131 years, did it also try to scrub the legacy she represents? And what sort of compensation is appropriate — and to whom — fro...
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New Loop, America from 2020-05-14T20:43:17
In our final episode from our living rooms, we visit the dystopia of “Westworld” and the utopia of “Hollywood” to see if we can glean anything about what might be in store on the other side of this...
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Halle Berry? Hallelujah. from 2020-04-23T21:57:22
We come to terms with Halle Berry's "Catwoman."
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How to Learn From a Plague from 2020-04-16T18:15:07
Activists stood up against the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s, but the tools they used to make themselves heard are unavailable during our coronavirus pandemic. Still, many of that era’s stra...
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A Pod From Both Our Houses from 2020-03-26T17:08:53
From our living rooms to yours, “Still Processing” is back.
During this unprecedented time in our lives, we talk routines, dreams and what’s on our screens — or at least what will be on ou...
Got That WFH Setup Set Up from 2020-03-21T01:17:31
New episodes coming March 26! You’ve got a lot of time on your hands, and so do we. Let's spend it together <3.
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Psychobros from 2019-10-24T10:00
We revisit "Fight Club" on the 20th anniversary of its release, and consider how the trope of the "psychobro" is showing up onscreen — in the new blockbuster “Joker” and HBO’s critically acclaimed ...
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Back Next Week! from 2019-10-10T10:00
We'll be back with a new episode next Thursday, October 17th.
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Circular(s) from 2019-03-14T10:00
Why conscious consumption isn't enough to combat climate change
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Kaepernick from 2019-01-17T11:00
What does it mean for Nike to align itself with Colin Kaepernick?
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We R-E-S-P-E-C-T Aretha Franklin from 2018-08-30T10:00
This week we pay our respects to the late, great Aretha Franklin. A legendary singer, writer, arranger, pianist, performer and more, Ms. Franklin channeled both the difficult and beautiful aspects ...
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We Spy Two BlacKkKlansmen — and One is Omarosa from 2018-08-23T10:00
This week, we realize we have two black klansmen on our hands — one on the big screen in the form of Spike Lee's new film "BlacKkKlansman," and one on the small screen in the form of America's most...
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We Got Goop'd from 2018-08-16T10:00
This week, our friend and colleague, Taffy Akner, chats with us about her viral article, "How Goop’s Haters Made Gwyneth Paltrow’s Company Worth $250 Million." We trace some similarities and differ...
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We Heard Lauryn Hill, But Did We Listen? from 2018-07-26T10:00
It’s the 20th anniversary of the release of Ms. Lauryn Hill’s 5-time Grammy-winning debut solo album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” Still very much a part of our contemporary musical landscape...
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We Can't Burn It All Down (Even Though Sometimes We Want To) from 2018-07-19T10:00
Jenna's back in New York after spending last week at the Tin House Summer Workshop in Portland, Oregon. An explosive moment at the workshop prompted us to consider what it means for an institution ...
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We Choose Our Own Families from 2018-07-12T10:00
This week, we take a deep dive into "Pose," Ryan Murphy's new show on FX, and unpack the role of queer chosen families in pop culture. We dissect some of our favorite scenes — featuring Blanca Abun...
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Asian-Americans Talk About Racism, and We Listen - Part 1 from 2018-06-28T08:00
This week and next, we’re doing something different. After witnessing an awful instance of anti-Asian racism at a movie theater, we couldn’t stop thinking about how this type of racism is rampant i...
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We Louvre The Carters from 2018-06-21T10:00
Beyonce and Jay-Z. Donald and Melania. Kim and Kanye. Harry and Meghan. We're compelled by the performance of marriage in culture. And with The Carters' new surprise album, "Everything Is Love," we...
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We Need Bad Women from 2018-06-14T10:00
After watching the blockbuster hit "Ocean’s 8" and BBC America’s cat-and-mouse drama "Killing Eve," we noticed some similarities in these leading women - they’re all “bad.” They’re indulgent and dr...
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We're Here For Your Anger, Jessica Walter from 2018-05-31T10:00
When actor Jessica Walter said fellow co-star Jeffrey Tambor verbally harassed her on the set of "Arrested Development," the show’s lead, Jason Bateman, jumped to Tambor’s defense -- and we noticed...
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We’re Queer - and Apparently So Is Everybody Else from 2018-05-24T10:00
With Rita Ora, Janelle Monáe, Kehlani – and even fictional characters like Lando Calrissian – embracing bisexuality, pansexuality, queerness, and more, we wonder: what does it mean to publicly decl...
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We Unpack Black Male Privilege from 2018-05-17T10:00
This week, shortly after multi-hyphenate artist Donald Glover blew up the internet with the video for his song "This is America," Wesley and guest host Rembert Browne (New York Magazine, Grantland)...
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We Watch Whiteness from 2018-04-26T08:00
This week we're talking about white culture, and what it is trying to tell us about itself on TV, at the movies and in books. We're noticing that white people are anxious--consciously and unconscio...
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We Talk BeyChella from 2018-04-19T08:00
We were so blown away by Beyoncé’s performance at the Coachella music festival that we decided to scrap our previous plans and dedicate this week’s entire episode to it. We think her performance wi...
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We Get It On (With Ourselves) from 2018-04-12T08:00
As a break from the onslaught of traumatic news, this week we're talking about what makes us feel good about ourselves. Really good. We start by exploring what has been lost with the recent closure...
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We’re Maxed Out, You’re Maxed Out, Everybody Is Maxed Out from 2018-03-29T08:00
This week we're talking about why we're stressed out, why the country is stressed out, and whether anxiety has become a permanent condition. We consider the role technology has played in driving us...
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We Love Aunties from 2018-03-22T08:00
This week we pay homage to aunties, in our own lives, in politics, and in pop culture. But first we have to define what an aunty is, so we play a little game called "Aunty or Nah-nty," naming aunty...
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We Don’t Love Everything Made By Black People and That’s OK? from 2018-03-15T08:00
This week, we discuss "A Wrinkle in Time," Ava DuVernay's attempt to take the audience on a magical adventure with Meg Murray as she searches for her father through multiple universes. Our time tra...
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We Take the 15:17 All the Way to Pyeongchang from 2018-02-22T09:00
This week we're looking for a thread running through three seemingly disparate moments: the release of Clint Eastwood's new film "The 15:17 to Paris," the Olympics in South Korea, and the tragic de...
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We Sink Our Claws Into "Black Panther" with Ta-Nehisi Coates from 2018-02-16T09:00
It's going to be one of the biggest opening weekends in movie history. But "Black Panther" is about so much more than the box office. This week we're putting Ryan Coogler's new film in the full con...
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We'll See You Tomorrow from 2018-02-15T14:47:20
There's no episode of Still Processing today, but Wesley and Jenna are cooking up something special — a whole show on "Black Panther" with special guest Ta-Nehisi Coates. Check your feed Friday mor...
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We Have a Right To Be Mad from 2018-01-25T09:00
This week, we examine the outrage that is expressing itself in all corners of the culture. In the process, we found unexpected connections between events and ideas that might seem unrelated: Ed She...
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We Have a Theory About Oprah from 2018-01-18T09:00
The wait is finally over - we’re back for Season 3! This week, we look at the movie “Proud Mary” starring Taraji P. Henson as a jumping off point for the cultural moment that black women are having...
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We Back! (On Thursday) from 2018-01-16T23:18:48
The wait is (almost) over: Jenna and Wesley will be back with a new season of "Still Processing" starting Thursday, Jan. 18th. It’s O.K. to cry, even if you’re wearing glitter.
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We Are Tired of Sexual Harassment (and Sequels) | Season Finale from 2017-10-12T08:30
It’s our season finale! We’ve spent our second season keeping a critical eye on the unreality of America and dissecting the systems of power that uphold the status quo. Last week, a series of news ...
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We Take a Knee from 2017-09-28T08:00
Another day, another rant from Donald Trump. This time, the president took aim at Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who spent the majority of last season sitting or kneel...
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We Assess the Outrage over "Bodega" and Mother! from 2017-09-21T08:00
Last week, a Silicon Valley startup called Bodega instigated an internet meltdown after a Fast Company profile made the company’s intentions clear. “Eventually, centralized shopping locations won’t...
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We Bow Down to Rihanna and Venus from 2017-09-14T08:55
Last week, we witnessed two extraordinary events: Venus Williams playing some of the best tennis in the last decade of her career (she lost in the U.S. Open, but with grace and style), and the roll...
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We Have a Chappelle Show from 2017-08-31T08:58
This summer, Dave Chappelle returned to the stage for an ambitious, monthlong residency at Radio City Music Hall in New York. We saw the show independently, on separate nights. What we witnessed in...
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We Care For Ourselves and Others in Trump’s America from 2017-08-24T12:53:53
The events of the last few weeks have shown us that we are fully living in Trump's America, with a president who is slow to condemn the actions of white supremacists. The realization has been exhau...
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We Grieve Charlottesville from 2017-08-15T20:48:25
What happened in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend was the largest public melee during a presidential administration that includes men with white nationalist ties. Three people were killed, do...
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We’re Freaking Out About O.J. and Girls Trip from 2017-07-27T09:58
The country was barely on the other side of a period of deep thought about the cultural meaning of O.J. Simpson, and then last week we found out that O.J. will be a free man this October. We explor...
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We Pick Science Fiction for Mitch McConnell from 2017-07-20T09:58
2017 feels sort of like the End Times, and we’re leaning into science fiction TV shows and movies to imagine the outcome of our current political and geological climate. If science fiction function...
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We Get Bodied Talking Jay-Z and Beyoncé from 2017-07-13T08:44
“4:44” is Jay-Z’s first album since Beyoncé turned their marital trouble into a masterpiece called "Lemonade." On “4:44,” Jay-Z expresses regret for his infidelity and ruminates on the socioeconomi...
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We Revive Tupac and Side-Eye Sofia Coppola from 2017-06-29T09:58
What responsibility does a movie have to the details of history? In Sofia Coppola’s new film, “The Beguiled,” a remake of Don Siegel’s 1971 psychological thriller set in the American South during t...
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We Celebrate Gay Pride — The Highs and Lows from 2017-06-22T10:00
June is Gay Pride month: four weekends of parades, pageantry, and partying, all over the country. But now, a year after the Pulse nightclub shooting, people are asking whether Pride celebrations ar...
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We Said, He Said, She Said from 2017-06-15T09:58
In a live-stream to promote her new album, “Witness,” Katy Perry put on an elaborate performance, giving a series of confessional interviews about her cultural missteps. We analyze all the reasons ...
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We're Going Black(er) AKA Dear Woke People from 2017-05-25T09:58
In the last 30 years, blackness has migrated from the margins of American popular culture to its center. Right now, a bounty of television, movies, and music engages with the question of how people...
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We Watch Trump TV with Emily Nussbaum from 2017-05-18T09:58
Donald Trump has changed the way we watch TV, whether it’s the reality show within the White House, or the scripted dramas we can’t help but compare to our political situation. New Yorker televisio...
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We Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston from 2017-05-11T10:00
It has been five years since Whitney Houston died. She was one of the biggest pop stars of her time and a glorious singer — but we don’t properly remember her for that. Instead, she is considered a...
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We Relive the Oscars with Barry Jenkins from 2017-04-27T10:01:42
A conversation with the director of "Moonlight" about his cinematic style, his forthcoming adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s "Underground Railroad," his love of science fiction and, yes, that crazy ...
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We Listen to Kendrick Lamar & Talk to Valerie Jarrett from 2017-04-20T10:25:15
We discuss Kendrick Lamar’s new album, “DAMN.,” and listen closely to “XXX,” one of our favorite tracks. Is his latest project a breakup with America, or with an older version of himself? Then we s...
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We Go To S-Town from 2017-04-13T10:45
We’re back! And we’re picking up right where we left off: thinking about “Get Out.” Jordan Peele’s instant classic is the lens through which we’re seeing everything these days, from the hit podcast...
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Oscars Preview with A.O. Scott | Episode 25 from 2017-02-23T10:56:23
“La La Land” is probably going to win a lot of Oscars on Sunday. Perhaps even for best picture. But it’s O.K. Truly. We are joined by A. O. Scott, a chief film critic for The New York Times, to dis...
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Beyoncé to Baldwin and Back Again | Episode 24 from 2017-02-16T11:15
It’s been five days, and we’re still trying to make sense of Beyoncé’s loss at the Grammys. It’s been 50 years, and we’re still learning from James Baldwin. The new Baldwin documentary “I Am Not Yo...
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Wesley and Jenna’s Existential Fears | Episode 21 from 2017-01-26T11:36:37
It’s 50 degrees in New York in January, 2016 was the warmest year ever— and the words “climate change” no longer exist on whitehouse.gov. Time for a call to self-proclaimed climate hawk Eric Holtha...
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Show Me the (Read) Receipts! | Episode 20 from 2017-01-19T11:39:25
We start by debating one of the great questions of our time: should you or should you not use read receipts on your text messages? Jenna feels strongly one way, Wesley the exact opposite. So we cal...
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Batman vs. Joker | Episode 19 from 2017-01-12T11:40
We take a deep breath after President Obama’s farewell speech and talk about his future as the ultimate black dad. Next we call up our friend and New York Times media columnist Jim Rutenberg to hel...
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The Kanye-thon | Episode 17 from 2016-12-29T14:36:57
This week we devote the entire episode to one question: What is happening with Kanye West?
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The Lives They Lived | Episode 16 from 2016-12-22T11:47:57
This week, it’s our turn to take a look back on 2016 and share our picks for the most cultural moments that will stick with us. But before we do that, Ilena Silverman, an editor at The New York Tim...
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Best of 2016 with Bill Simmons, Heben Nigatu, Tracy Clayton and Ezra Edelman | Episode 15 from 2016-12-15T11:41:33
This week on the show we're talking to some of our favorite people on Earth about the culture from 2016 — the movies, the music, the moments — that will stick with them. We've got Bill Simmons, CEO...
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The Brilliance of Kerry James Marshall | Episode 12 from 2016-11-24T11:40:05
Join our field trip to The Met Breuer, the Metropolitan Museum’s new space in New York dedicated to contemporary art, where we give you an audio tour of the painter Kerry James Marshall’s astonishi...
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How to Survive Thanksgiving | Episode 11 from 2016-11-17T11:14
To nourish your souls this week, we’re serving up some serious comfort food live from the kitchen of the New York Times food editor Sam Sifton. Sam literally wrote the book on Thanksgiving, and he ...
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The Reckoning | Episode 10 from 2016-11-10T04:26:49
Through tears, and with the help of our oracle Margo Jefferson, we begin to process the election of Donald J. Trump.
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Nudity Clause | Episode 8 from 2016-10-27T10:19:50
This week we’re talking about penises. Specifically, penises on the big screen. There are more and more of them, but the penises deemed safe enough to see tend to be white ones. We talk about the r...
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Peak Black TV | Episode 7 from 2016-10-20T10:11:34
This week, we devote an entire episode to our favorite (and not so favorite) shows on TV, touching on “Queen Sugar,” “Westworld,” “Insecure,” “Empire,” and more. We give out superlatives, delve int...
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America, What You Doin’ Gurl? | Episode 6 from 2016-10-13T10:31:11
This week we’ve got some questions. What show could possibly hold your attention for 24 straight hours? (Wesley found it.) Should you still feel obligated to see “Birth of a Nation,” even though Na...
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Maintaining Higher Ground | Episode 4 from 2016-09-29T09:51:52
This week we catch up with Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, the husband-and-wife team behind “High Maintenance,” HBO’s new show (which was just renewed for a second season) about a weed dealer in ...
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RuPaul: 'Identity Is a Hoax, People!' | Episode 3 from 2016-09-22T10:45:52
While we are discussing the Emmys, which Jenna barely wanted to watch, something amazing happens: a call from somebody who actually has an Emmy! Yup, it’s RuPaul. He talks about both the importance...
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‘You Can’t Code Your Way Out of Racism’ | Episode 2 from 2016-09-15T10:02:07
This week, Wesley and Jenna meet for breakfast to talk through their conflicting feelings about the new film “When the Bough Breaks,” the No. 2 film in America — she loved it, he not so much. They ...
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