Here's The Thing with Alec Baldwin

Daniel Weiss is President and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest museum in North America. An accomplished scholar and author who holds a PhD in art history and an MBA, Weiss was recruited to lead The Met in 2015 after serving as a college president, university dean, and professor of art history. He has steered the Museum through a series of historic challenges—including the covid crisis, a budget deficit and the removal of the controversial Sackler name from the building. Weiss is also the author of several books, ranging from art history to a soldier’s experience in the Vietnam War. Alec speaks with Daniel Weiss about navigating the Met through the pandemic, his role as a steward of priceless works of art, and his favorite museum to visit in the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hatice Cengiz is a Turkish academic and researcher in Middle Eastern studies, and the fiancée of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In 2017, Khashoggi fled Saudi Arabia for the United States, where he wrote columns often critical of the Saudi government for The Washington Post. He was murdered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by Saudi government officials in 2018. Four years later, Cengiz continues to fight for justice for her fiancée and hold accountable those who ordered and planned the killing. Alec speaks with Cengiz about how she and Jamal Khashoggi first met, the details of that tragic day, and the enduring legacy of her fiancée.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join award-winning actor Alec Baldwin in conversation with some of the most dynamic artists, policymakers, and performers working today. This season, Alec speaks with actors Ellen Burstyn and Estelle Parsons on the 75th Anniversary of the Actors Studio, fiancée of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Hatice Cengiz, on her fight for justice following his assassination, and Daniel Weiss, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on how he manages the historic institution, just to name a few. If you like listening as much as Alec likes talking with interesting people, subscribe now and never miss an episode. The new season begins January 24th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Huma Abedin has spent her entire career in public service, from her beginnings as an intern in First Lady Hillary Clinton’s office, to her time as senior advisor to then-Senator Clinton, as deputy chief of staff to the Secretary of State, vice chair of Clinton's presidential campaign, and now, as Clinton’s chief of staff. Abedin’s recent memoir, “Both/And,” details this time in government, as well as her personal struggles behind the scenes. Huma Abedin sits down with Alec to discuss the personal impact of the 2016 election, the lessons she learned from her late father, and the sliding doors that have offered her different paths in life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Montauk fisherman John Aldridge was thrown off the back of his lobster boat, the Anna Mary, he found himself alone in the middle of the ocean, watching his ship speed off into the distance. With his partner, Anthony Sosinski, sleeping below deck, it would be hours before Aldridge was even discovered missing. The U.S. Coast Guard and Montauk fishing community then mobilized a large-scale search-and-rescue mission off the coast of Long Island, but the needle-in-a-haystack operation missed Aldridge, again and again, while he fought for his life. Following the release of their book, A Speck in the Sea, that recounts this harrowing tale, Aldridge and Sosinski join Alec to share their story of perseverance, friendship, and the mindset it takes to survive the most challenging circumstances. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Curt Smith is one-half of the band Tears for Fears, along with childhood friend and bandmate Roland Orzabal. Smith and Orzabal met as teenagers in Bath, England and formed a band that would go on to release hit after hit, from “Mad World” to “Shout,” ultimately selling over 30 million albums worldwide. From their debut album in 1983, “The Hurting,” Tears for Fears created a synth-heavy and lyrically complex sound that still resonates with audiences four decades later. Following the release of their latest album, “The Tipping Point,” Alec speaks to Curt Smith about forming a creative partnership bourne out of differing voices, how they found the sound for “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” and what led to his departure from the group in the 1990s - and their eventual reunion that happened via fax. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actor, director, screenwriter, and producer Liev Schreiber co-founded the BlueCheck Ukraine initiative in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine. BlueCheck Ukraine identifies, vets, and fast-tracks financial support to a diverse portfolio of NGOs that provide life-saving aid on the front lines. Since its launch in March 2022, BlueCheck has swiftly financed emergency evacuations, food distributions, medical aid, shelter, and cash assistance to operations on the ground. Alec Baldwin speaks to Schreiber about his Ukrainian roots and what drove him to start the non-profit, what he has witnessed in his visits to the war-torn region and his extraordinary acting work, from Shakespeare to the Emmy-nominated “Ray Donovan.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amy Schneider is the most successful woman to ever compete on “Jeopardy!” The former engineering manager held a 40-game winning streak from November 2021 to January 2022, the second-longest in the show's history. Her winnings totalled $1.3 million, making her the fifth-highest earner of any contestant on the show. In advance of competing in the “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions,” Schneider joins guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss how she prepared to compete, how being the most authentic version of herself led to success, and how her life has changed since her historic “Jeopardy!” run. (Update: She won!)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Alec speaks with two powerful women working tirelessly to help those most in need of assistance navigating the complicated – and very often expensive – criminal justice system: Attorneys Susan Church and Renate Lunn. Susan Church is a trial and appellate attorney focusing on immigration law and criminal defense with her firm Demissie & Church. She successfully sued President Trump for his travel ban on Muslim immigrants and successfully defended the Occupy Boston protesters. Church is currently a pro bono lawyer for immigrants involved in the Martha’s Vineyard migrant case, where two planeloads of Venezuelan asylum-seekers were flown from Texas to the Massachusetts island under false pretenses. A graduate of Columbia law, Renate Lunn represented people accused of crimes in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx at The Legal Aid Society for over 10 years and clerked for Hon. Robert P. Patterson of the Southern District of New York. She is currently the Director of Training at New York County Defender Services, training and supervising public defenders that serve the city’s most vulnerable communities in Manhattan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every other week this fall, we’re airing some of Alec’s favorite episodes from our archives. This week, we feature two powerhouses of the political world: Katie Porter and Lorena Gonzalez in conversations from 2021. Democrat Lorena Gonzalez served in the California State Assembly from 2013 to 2022, representing her hometown of San Diego in the 80th Assembly District. The Stanford, Georgetown, and UCLA Law School graduate dedicated her career to labor organizing before taking office, where she fought for paid sick leave, overtime for farmworkers, and protecting janitorial workers against sexual assault. Today, Gonzalez continues to work for union causes as the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation. U.S. Representative Katie Porter (CA-45) was the first Democrat ever to be elected in the traditionally conservative Orange County district in 2018. Prompted to run by Trump’s 2016 win, Porter, a Yale and Harvard Law School graduate and single mom to three school-age children, quickly made a name for herself with her tough questioning of CEOs and administration officials, often using a whiteboard to lay out the facts. Porter, now in her second term, brings her experience as a law professor and consumer protection attorney to bear as she fights to end political corruption, increase government transparency, and hold leaders of both parties accountable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.