It's Been a Minute
NPR
Want in on a secret? Your likes and dislikes didn't develop by accident. There are subtle and not-so-subtle forces around you, shaping what you think, how you act, and even who you think you are. Brittany Luse is here to break the spell and help you feel wiser in a society that makes things blurry.THE BEST POP CULTURE PODCAST AWARD WINNER AT THE 2025 SIGNAL AWARDSIt’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.It’s Been A Minute reaches millions of people every week. Join the community and conversation today.If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 7, 2020 • 29min
Regina King on Race, Policing and HBO's 'Watchmen'
Sam revisits his chat with Regina King from 2019 after the actress' recent Emmy nomination for her performance on the HBO series Watchmen. In this encore interview, King talks about why she gravitates toward work that deals with race and policing, why she's still proud to call herself an American and why that also means demanding things to get a lot better than they are now.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Aug 4, 2020 • 25min
Code Switch: What's In A 'Karen'?
"Karen" is not just a name. It's also a persona, an attitude, a label for a certain type of white woman determined to get what she wants—especially at the expense of Black people. Karens are part of a long lineage going back at least a couple centuries. This week we share an episode from Code Switch about the origins of "Karen" as an archetype, who her ancestors were, and why such a label even exists.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Aug 3, 2020 • 49min
Bonus Episode: Padma Lakshmi on 'Asian Enough'
A special bonus feed drop from The Los Angeles Times podcast Asian Enough: A conversation with Top Chef host, model and writer Padma Lakshmi about growing up Indian American in the San Gabriel Valley, cultural appropriation vs. appreciation in food, and her new Hulu show Taste the Nation.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jul 31, 2020 • 37min
Coronavirus Questions Answered, Plus A Chat About 'Indian Matchmaking'
Should I wear a mask while running? How often should I wipe down my phone? Can I say hello to other people's dogs? Our listeners had questions about coronavirus, we have answers. Sam is joined by Short Wave host Maddie Sofia to dig into the science behind some of the decisions we have to make about everyday encounters in this pandemic. Then, Sam is all caught up in the buzz around Netflix's Indian Matchmaking, and he calls up journalist and former It's Been a Minute intern Hafsa Fathima to break it down.Follow us: https://twitter.com/NPRItsBeenAMin Email us: samsanders@npr.orgLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jul 28, 2020 • 27min
Aminatou Sow, Ann Friedman And Their 'Big Friendship'
All relationships have a backstory, even friendships. Best friends Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, hosts of the podcast Call Your Girlfriend, are out with a new book called Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close. In it, they write about their friendship story and they share lessons for all of us about how to keep our own friendships strong. Sam chats with them about going to friend therapy and what it's like to have a deep friendship with someone of a different race.Follow us: https://twitter.com/NPRItsBeenAMin Email us: samsanders@npr.orgLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jul 24, 2020 • 34min
It's A Women's Recession
We're in a recession, and it's hitting women especially hard. So how does it compare to the last recession, and how much of it has to do with childcare? Sam is joined by Planet Money's Mary Childs and Stacey Vanek Smith to make sense of it all. Then Sam chats with Reverend Jes Kast, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, about how faith and scripture provide solace in moments of uncertainty like this.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jul 21, 2020 • 28min
'I May Destroy You' Star Michaela Coel
Sam revisits his 2019 conversation with actress and writer Michaela Coel, who is the star and creator of the new critically acclaimed show, I May Destroy You. Before that show, Coel made waves in the hit British sitcom Chewing Gum. Her work as the creator, writer, and lead actress on the show earned her a BAFTA. She tells Sam about the emotional transparency that comes from shaving her head and how she once embraced the Pentecostal faith. They also bond over their feelings about Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jul 17, 2020 • 35min
What's College Without A Campus? Plus Ziwe Makes Things Awkward
Colleges and universities are getting ready for a new year, but like everything else, coronavirus is complicating everything. Some are closing campus and moving online, others plan to bring students back with social distancing. Sam checks in with Tressie McMillan Cottom, associate professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and author of Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy, about the state of higher education and why not all colleges are created equal when it comes to prioritizing health over business. Then he chats with comedian and Desus and Mero writer Ziwe Fumudoh, whose recent interviews with white celebrities like Alison Roman and Rose McGowan have generated a lot of social media buzz for her frank questions about race. They talk about the art of the interview and her comfort with discomfort.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jul 14, 2020 • 43min
Reckoning With Race in Journalism
The newsrooms that covered the protests for racial justice are now being forced to confront racism and inequity within their own organizations. Black journalists and other journalists of color are sharing their experiences on social media and leading a public debate over what it means to be "objective," whose stories are told, and how whiteness still dictates newsroom practices, opportunities and compensation. Sam chats about this reckoning within newsrooms with The Undefeated's Soraya Nadia McDonald, Futuro Media president and founder and Latino USA host Maria Hinojosa and NPR public editor Kelly McBride. Thanks for listening to our show! We want your feedback. Please visit npr.org/ibamsurvey to submit your thoughts now.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jul 10, 2020 • 36min
Paying The Price Of Coronavirus
Four months into the pandemic, it seems like we're no better off in dealing with the coronavirus. There are still so many questions and few definitive answers about how this all ends, and for a lot of us, that's turned into anger and frustration. Sam talks to comedian Laurie Kilmartin about how she used Twitter and her iPad to process her mother's illness and death from COVID-19. Then he chats with Houston bar owner Greg Perez about how he's trying to keep workers and customers safe while also keeping his business afloat. And Sam asks Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo in Miami about how to make sense of all the mixed public health messaging on the coronavirus.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
