Next Question with Katie Couric

Happy New Year, Next Question listeners! Since you're most likely forced indoors, recovering from or avoiding Omicron, we have a little treat for you: A special bonus episode of Next Question! While the podcast prepares for our next big season (coming March 3), Katie is giving her listeners a sneak peek of a new upcoming podcast hosted by the nation’s doctor, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. In this preview episode of “House Calls With Dr. Vivek Murthy,” Dr. Murthy interviews Padma Lakshmi, an Emmy-Nominated food expert, television host, producer and New York Times best-selling author. The pair discuss the weight of the pandemic, the country's polarization and how to better connect with ourselves, our community and our country during these historically tough times. Look out for “House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy” in 2022.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Next Question, Katie is sharing some interviews from her whirlwind, nine-city book tour, where she brought her memoir, “Going There,” to life and also shared the stage with some very special guests. On Nov. 13, Katie traveled to San Francisco and was joined at The Masonic by Leslie Jordan, actor, singer and another Instagram fave. Katie and Leslie talk about his childhood in Chattanooga, Tennessee, spending the pandemic with his mother, his surprise viral fame, and new music career. Follow all of Leslie’s activities and antics on Instagram. Also, find out more about that new duets album, “Company’s Coming.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Next Question, Katie is sharing some interviews from her whirlwind, nine-city book tour, where she brought her memoir, “Going There,” to life and also shared the stage with some very special guests. On Nov. 15, Katie traveled down to Nashville and was joined at the Ryman Auditorium by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley. The country music star and actor/activist talked with Katie about their meet-cute story, the ah-ha moments that set them on their paths, and their new joint non-profit that helps feed those in need, with dignity. Brad ends the conversation with a song! You can check out Brad and Kim’s enterprise — The Store — in Nashville or online. And there’s still time to catch Kim’s Hallmark movies this holiday season! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Next Question, Katie is sharing some interviews from her whirlwind, nine-city book tour, where she brought her memoir, “Going There,” to life and also shared the stage with some very special guests. On Nov. 8, Katie traveled down to Atlanta and was joined at the Atlanta Symphony Hall by Ina Garten, cook, Food Network host, author, and Instagram fave. Katie and Ina talk about Ina’s Instagram celebrity and how to use the social platform for good, especially during the pandemic. They also talk about Ina’s new projects, including a new show and a memoir (!), as well as how she comes up with new food recipes, the roast chicken that apparently sends couples into engagement, and meal Ina will never forget. Look out for Ina’s new show called “Be My Guest” in 2022 and follow Instagram for more comfort food and drink. Speaking of drinks, here’s the giant cosmopolitan recipe if you’re curious (and thirsty!) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Next Question, Katie is sharing some interviews from her whirlwind, nine-city book tour, where she brought her memoir, “Going There,” to life and also shared the stage with some very special guests. On Oct. 30, Katie traveled down to Washington, D.C. and was joined at The Anthem theater by Kara Swisher — tech journalist, podcast host, nuisance to all of Silicon Valley. Katie and Kara talk about the future of media, the public’s disintegrating trust in journalism, and all of those Facebook documents. Katie and Kara reference an interview Katie did with Sheryl Sandberg in 2019, where Katie held the Facebook COO’s feet to the flame. You can find that interview and episode here. Get more from Kara Swisher on Twitter, or her podcasts Sway from the New York Times, and Pivot from New York Magazine. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Next Question, the last of the season, Katie is sharing some moments from her whirlwind book tour. After “Going There” came out in late October, Katie criss-crossed the country to bring the book — and her personal and professional life — to in-person audiences (such a novelty!) in nine different cities. Katie shared parts of her childhood, her rise to “Today Show” host, the journey to media entrepreneur, as well as the loss of her husband Jay and her second chance at love. She also brought some famous friends along, from Ina Garten and Kim and Brad Paisley, to Kara Swisher and Leslie Jordan (more on those interviews in special bonus episodes to come). But on today’s episode, Katie is bringing conversations with some people you may not know, but should. These are people who Katie met along the way who were at the center of some of the biggest news stories of her career, from 9-11 and the Boston Marathon bombing, to the country’s gun violence epidemic. These are ordinary people who responded to extraordinary events in inspiring and life-changing ways. Find out more about the organizations mentioned in this podcast:50 LegsPurpose over PainAimee Copeland FoundationOral Lee Brown FoundationGet your copy of “Going There,” by Katie Couric. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie’s out for one more week and her former producer and co-host Brian Goldsmith is stepping in. Brian was a part of the team behind Katie’s iconic interview with Sarah Palin in 2008. And he’s just as obsessed with elections today as he was back then. So, on this episode of Next Question, Brian looks ahead at the political landscape and the 2022 midterms — who will be the key players, what are the forces shaping the election, and what about that Trump-shaped shadow looming in the distance? Brian is joined by two of the wittiest, smartest politicos he knows: Republican strategist Mike Murphy (who has worked on campaigns for John McCain, Mitt Romney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and more), and Lis Smith, a Democratic strategist whom Brian met when she was the senior communications adviser to then-presidential contender, Pete Buttigieg. It’s a lively and helpful conversation to prepare you for the big election year ahead. And make sure you’re registered to vote! Check out vote.gov to find out how in your state. Also, check out Mike Murphy’s podcast with David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs called Hacks on Tap. Katie returns to the podcast next week! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re not familiar with Huma Abedin, that was her intention. For two decades, Huma has been mostly in the background, as the long-time trusted aide of Hilary Clinton. She was reluctantly wrenched from the shadows thanks to the public downfall of her (now ex) husband Congressman Anthony Weiner who was embroiled in multiple sexting scandals, one of which sent him to jail. Now, Huma is choosing to step into the spotlight and tell her own story with the release of her memoir, “Both/And.” “When I started writing this book, my researcher said the two most common articles out there in the world about you, Huma, are, number one, what is wrong with her and, number two, what is she thinking?,” Huma tells Katie. “And so I chose to put exactly what I was thinking into this book.” On this bonus episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie talks with Huma about her career, her history, her intimate relationship with Hillary Clinton, and the heartache and humiliation of her first love. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The holidays are upon us, which means we’re all probably thinking about, talking to, and meeting up with more family members than at any other time in the year. And that’s not always easy. “Family by definition is complicated,” says photographer Gillian Laub, whose new book and exhibition called “Family Matters” explores the dynamics within her own tight-knit family, and the political rift they’re still trying to mend. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, while Katie takes a short break, special guest host Alison Roman (chef, cookbook author, “Dining In,” “Nothing Fancy”) steps in to talk with Gillian about the awkward intimacy of photographing her family and how the lessons of Gillian’s personal story transcend the specifics of her “live out loud” relatives. Katie will return in two weeks.Gillian Laub’s photography book “Family Matters” (Aperture) is out now. Her exhibition of the same name is at the International Center for Photography (ICP) in New York City through Jan. 10, 2022.Alison Roman is a New York-based cook, writer, and author of the New York Times bestselling “Nothing Fancy” and “Dining In” cookbooks. She is the creator of a bi-weekly YouTube series called Home Movies as well as a weekly newsletter not-so-cleverly titled A Newsletter. You can find her recipes, videos, recommendations and more, at alisoneroman.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Thanksgiving week, just a few days shy of what would have been Matthew Shepard’s 45th birthday, Katie considers his lasting legacy. In 1998, Matthew, a college freshman at the University of Wyoming, was the victim of a brutal hate crime. His death quickly became a national story and a clarion call for gay rights that inspired a whole new generation of LGBTQ activists. “Matthew Shepard was a huge turning point,” says Alan Cumming. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie revisits the interviews she has done with Matthew’s parents, Judy and Dennis, over the years and examines the impact they have had on gay rights legislation as well as the huge cultural shift society, in general, has experienced over the decades. Jeff Mack, a friend of Matt’s from university, who is now the executive vice president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation guides us through Matt’s impact, explains why his death is considered the “second Stonewall,” and why his friend changes the course of his life forever. “It just means so much to be doing what I’m doing,” Mack says, “life has come full circle for me.” Find out more about the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.