Life’s too short for small talk. Rachel gets right to the questions that matter most. Once a week, famous guests pull questions from a deck of cards and open up about the kind of stuff we all think about but rarely say out loud. Actors, authors, and thinkers are prompted to talk about everything from their insecurities and dreams to grief and God. Named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by The New York Times, Wild Card stands out among celebrity interview podcasts. When modern life feels chaotic or overwhelming, listen to Wild Card for a joyful, grounding reminder of our shared humanity. Want to listen to Wild Card sponsor-free? Support NPR by subscribing to Wild Card+. Learn more at plus.npr.org/wildcard.
132 episodes transcribed“I think joy and melancholy have a lot to say to each other,” Pádraig Ó Tuama tells Rachel. In his poetry, he allows that conversation between joy and...
Trixie Mattel is so many things: a musician, entrepreneur, TV host, and one of the most beloved drag queens out there. But it all began with a deep lo...
Willem Dafoe sees acting as a form of service – both to the audience and to his coworkers making a movie. That selfless approach means he’s also on gu...
John Dickerson made a name for himself as an anchor at CBS News. Last year, he left the world of broadcast news to pursue stories that put his values...
“How am I complicit in not getting what I say that I want?” This is the question Gillian Anderson wants you to ask yourself. She has read many account...
“Being a human is so complicated for so many reasons,” Sara Bareilles tells Rachel. That’s why she’s trying to show more grace for both herself and ot...
“We’re all gentler and we’re more sensitive,” Brittany Howard tells Rachel about reuniting with her band, Alabama Shakes. The band is back with their...
A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: “Being so vulnerable was really difficult,” John Leguizamo says of his role as Eumaeus in The Odyssey. It’s...
A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: “Being so vulnerable was really difficult,” John Leguizamo says of his role as Eumaeus in The Odyssey. It’s...
Suleika Jaouad has written extensively about what it means to live in the in-between — the space between sick and healthy. She’s dealt on and off with...
Don't be fooled by Brett Goldstein's grumpy exterior – he can't resist a big, open-hearted story. You see it in the TV shows he's acted in and helped...
Don't be fooled by Brett Goldstein's grumpy exterior – he can't resist a big, open-hearted story. You see it in the TV shows he's acted in and helped...
“You cannot rely on somebody else to push you out of the plane — you have to jump,” Shania Twain tells Rachel. For someone who has lived a life marked...
“I still feel like I'm wondering what I'm gonna be when I grow up,” Hrishikesh Hirway tells Rachel. That might be because he’s drawn to so many things...
"Are you willing to be responsible for your own happiness?" Tracee Ellis Ross asks in this episode, recorded with a live audience at LAist. Tracee is...
Terry Tempest Williams often writes about what is easy to overlook – the “holy ordinary” as she calls it. Whether it's the beauty and plight of the na...
For Danny McBride, success in Hollywood has taken patience, hard work, and a little bit of delusion. That sense of delusion is also present in the cha...
John Cena didn’t become a WWE megastar and Hollywood leading man by accident, he worked at it, and he takes none of his big breaks for granted. He tel...
Writer David Sedaris tells Rachel he doesn’t mind being humiliated, because he knows it will wind up as great material. David’s new book, “The Land an...
Dave Eggers isn’t about rushing creativity. His latest novel, "Contrapposto," has been on his mind for about two decades. And he tells Rachel he belie...
