Death, Sex & Money

Anna Sale explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.

About the Show

Anna Sale explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.

Host

  • Anna Sale is the creator and host of Death, Sex & Money, the podcast about “the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more.” After debuting at the top of the iTunes chart in 2014, Death, Sex & Money was named the #1 podcast of the year by New York Magazine in 2015. Anna won a Gracie for best podcast host in 2016 and the show won the 2018 Webby and 2021 Ambie for best interview show.

Money on the Mind: How to Budget for Aging Parents…and Yourself

Number one rule: you have to take care of yourself first.

Raising a Country Musician Through Swagger and Psychosis

Country musician Luke Bell’s career was taking off when mental illness derailed his life. His mother Carol talks about experiencing the thrill of his success and the devastation of his loss.

Bonus: S-Town Journalist Investigates Journalism Itself

Radio and podcast reporter Brian Reed talks about why people don’t trust the media and what the media can do about it.

Money on the Mind: Prepping for Retirement Without Losing Your Mind

In another crossover episode with Slate Money, Anna and Felix Salmon ask a financial advisor about one of life’s most emotional financial challenges.

After SNL, Ego Nwodim Has Her Weekends Back

Comedian Ego Nwodim on why she left SNL, and developing new Saturday night rituals that don’t involve “forking an entire cake.”

Money on the Mind: To Have Kids or Not to Have Kids

In a special Death, Sex & Money and Slate Money crossover, hosts Anna Sale and Felix Salmon discuss the financial and emotional implications of having children.

Her Boyfriend Was Killed in a Random NYC Attack. Right-Wing Trolls Mocked Her.

A Brooklyn woman explains how her partner’s death got distorted and politicized by online provocateurs.

Bonus: The Fear of Flying Class That Cost $1,800

After canceling trips because of her fear of flying, Alison P. Davis decided to confront her anxiety and take a course that promised to help her.

How a Former Polygamist “Sister Wife” Learned to Love Monogamy

Christine Brown Woolley, co-star of the TLC reality show Sister Wives, talks about the faith she grew up in—and raised her children in—and why she decided to break from it.

Nick Offerman’s Principled Hypocrisy

The actor and author talks about playing an anti-government extremist in his latest film Sovereign, the magic of teaching woodworking, and his less-than-perfect approach to making the world better.

Bonus: The Fantasy of Factory Work vs. Reality

Writer Franklin Schneider recounts his experience working on an assembly line: “It remains one of the worst experiences I’ve ever endured.”

 A War Photographer on the Limits of Bearing Witness

When Peter van Agtmael started taking pictures, he believed he could end wars by exposing their brutality. Decades later, the biggest change has been within himself.

Why Job Hunting Feels So Grim Lately, Especially for Gen Z

A.I. recruiters, endless online portals, and job openings that were never meant to be filled. Welcome to “Job Search Hell.”

From Brazilian Butt Lifts to Botox: Your Beauty Confessions

Listeners share stories about stopping or starting beauty interventions, from $43,000 in plastic surgery to choosing to go gray.

Kids Love Skincare. Do They Know What They’re Doing?

Dermatologists analyzed TikTok to see how teens were using skincare products and how much they were spending.

Private Equity Blew Up My Life

Megan Greenwell explains how a private equity takeover forced her out of her dream job and inspired her six-year investigation into the industry’s impact on American workers.

Why Filmmaker Jay Duplass Had to (Kind of) Break Up With His Brother

One half of the famous Duplass Brothers indie movie duo explains why he struck out on his own.

Sex-Positive Parents, Crass Grandparents, and a Weird and Wonderful Childhood

Comedian and writer Tamara Yajia reflects on her unique upbringing, its joys, and the things she wishes her parents had done differently.

Bonus: How to Help Your Kids Be Who They Are…Within Reason

Anna swaps parenting tips with her colleague Aymann Ismail, author of a new memoir about parenting and his upbringing in Newark, NJ.

Your Moving Stories

Why you’re boxing up and shipping out.

The Internet Taught Me to Diet, Then Saved Me With Weightlifting

Casey Johnston used to count every calorie and despise exercise. Then she started lifting weights and found a new want to relate to her body and the world.

Bonus: A Writer Took Ayahuasca to Ease Her Despair. It Kind of Worked?

Writer Sarah Miller talks about her attempt to alleviate her depression by traveling deep into the Peruvian rainforest and taking a powerful hallucinogenic drug.

He’ll Move Your Couch, and Keep Your Secrets

Adonis Williams has been a professional mover in New York City for over two decades. He’s seen a lot of humanity.

How the Ultra-Rich Think…and What They Fear

Writer Evan Osnos guides us into the bizarre world of the “haves and the have-yachts.”

Bonus: A Son Confronts His Rich Dad’s Tax Avoidance

Filmmaker Justin Schein discusses his new documentary about his wealthy father’s obsession with lowering the family’s tax bill.

The Real-Life Willy Wonka Who Built Tony Hawk a Secret Desert Train

N.D. Austin is an “experience designer” who creates custom-made rituals, for celebrities and the rest of us.

 Seth Rogen Has Empathy and Disdain for Bad Hollywood Execs (Talk Easy)

 Actor-writer-director Seth Rogen talks to Talk Easy host, Sam Fragoso, about finding humor in Hollywood’s dysfunction.