The Free Press
361 episodes listed below
Bari Weiss interviews and moderates debates on politics, religion, tech, and free speech.
Honestly with Bari Weiss favors long, direct conversations about questions that do not resolve cleanly. Recent episodes move from Christianity’s Jewish roots and medical aid in dying to gun rights, embryo screening, political violence, and pop-culture prediction.
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Honestly with Bari Weiss is primarily an interview show, with the host — a former New York Times and Wall Street Journal journalist — conducting extended one-on-one conversations that typically run 60 to 80 minutes. A recurring secondary format is the moderated two-person debate, where Weiss puts advocates with opposing views (such as Alan Dershowitz and Dana Loesch on gun rights) against each other on a single contested question. The show also occasionally airs live journalistic events, including a CBS News town hall with Erika Kirk following the assassination of her husband Charlie Kirk. Guests skew toward authors, journalists, academics, and public intellectuals — Jonathan Haidt on adolescent mental health and phones, Paula Fredriksen on the historical origins of Christianity, Casey Neistat on internet fame and the creator economy — alongside advocates and activists on hot-button policy debates. Recurring themes include political violence, antisemitism, free speech and campus culture, gun policy, the effects of smartphones and social media on children, and questions of media ethics and personal integrity in public life. Conversations frequently return to real-world case studies and statistics (court cases, state laws, international comparisons) to ground abstract debates. The tone is discursive and adversarial-but-civil, with Weiss frequently pressing guests to defend tradeoffs rather than restate talking points. Listeners drawn to the show tend to be interested in centrist-to-heterodox commentary on American politics and culture rather than a single ideological lane. Production is polished long-form audio/video interview and panel format, consistent with The Free Press's broader editorial output. The show benefits from Weiss's journalism background, with segments often referencing her own reporting and network of sources.
Made for: Listeners interested in long-form political and cultural debate, free speech and campus issues, and heterodox commentary on American public life.
What sets it apart: Combines standard long-form interviews with moderated adversarial debates between opposing advocates and occasional live journalistic events, rather than sticking to a single interview format.
The most interesting conversations in American life happen in private. This show brings them out of the closet. Stories no one else is telling and conversations with the most fascinating people in the country, every week from The Free Press, hosted by former New York Times and Wall Street Journal journalist Bari Weiss.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Bari Weiss turns contentious public questions into sustained interviews and debates that expose the premises beneath political disagreement.
Honestly with Bari Weiss treats public argument as something to test in conversation. Weiss moves between one-on-one interviews and staged public formats, pressing on definitions, evidence, moral responsibility, and the practical consequences of political ideas.
Bari Weiss puts guns, screen-addled childhood, and early Christianity within arguing distance of your own assumptions.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A candid creator-economy interview that favors concrete stories over mythology.
Susie Weiss’s first Second Thought conversation with Casey Neistat keeps its focus on creator life and the pressure points around integrity, monetization, and staying public.
An origin story about Christianity's break from Judaism, and the tensions that shaped it.
The conversation frames Christianity as an origin problem: how a Jewish movement in Judea, centered on Jesus as Messiah, became distinct from Judaism over the first few centuries.
A tense civic conversation that keeps grief, politics, and public disagreement in the same room.
The CBS town hall with Erica Kirk gives the episode its shape: a live, uneasy conversation about Charlie Kirk's death, political violence, anti-Semitism, and the conspiracies gathering around it.
A serious gun debate episode that treats the Second Amendment as a question, not a slogan.
This episode treats the Second Amendment as a live question about what America is protecting when guns sit inside ordinary life and mass shootings keep happening.
A clear warning about phones, AI, and childhood.
Jonathan Haidt is framed as the one turning a broad complaint about smartphones and social media into a practical argument for change. The episode stays close to what families, schools, and tech companies can do: bring back play, keep phones out of schools, and ask for…
Sam Harris interviews scientists and journalists on AI risk, religion, and US politics.
WSJ reporters unpack the Epstein files, surrogacy industry abuses, and true-crime court battles.
Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway argue through tech, media, and Trump-era politics twice weekly.
Dan Carlin's solo essays connecting executive power, historical collapse, and American democracy.
Sharp political debate with policy detail and real disagreement.
Casey Neistat still thinks in tradeoffs.
Bari Weiss reflects on the origins of Honestly, sharing a story about Majdi Wadi to highlight themes of free speech and American values.
Christmas supplies the frame.
Erica Kirk sits with a live audience for a heavy town hall.
This episode explores the heated debate over legalizing physician-assisted suicide (MAID) in New York, featuring opposing expert perspectives on its ethical, medical, and societal implications.
This episode explores the ethical implications of using advanced biotech for embryo screening and genetic optimization to create healthier, smarter children.
America has more guns than people.
Smartphones changed childhood.
This episode analyzes the political implications of Zohra Mamdani's mayoral win in New York City and explores where Senator John Fetterman fits into the Democratic Party's future, given his recent criticism of socialism despite his progressive background.
Bari Weiss interviews Paul Kingsnorth about his book 'Against the Machine,' arguing that modern anxiety stems from a thousand-year battle with 'the machine' and calling for a spiritual rebellion.
This episode explores how reading great books can address the crisis of purpose and mental health among young men, featuring Shiloh Brooks' advocacy for literature as an antidote to modern struggles.
This episode features an interview with Palmer Luckey, discussing his journey from virtual reality pioneer to defense industry leader and his vision for rebuilding American power and industrial capacity through his company Anderle.
This episode is a trailer for a podcast investigating the unsolved murder of Samantha Wohl, the president of a Detroit synagogue.
This episode features an interview with Katie Herzog about her new book challenging traditional approaches to alcoholism and exploring alternative paths to sobriety.
Bari Weiss recounts the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and her show's immediate coverage of the unfolding crisis.
This episode of Honestly interviews Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting democratic rights in Venezuela.
Barry Weiss interviews historian Niall Ferguson to analyze how the world has fundamentally changed since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, examining lessons learned and America's evolving global role.
Bari Weiss interviews Eli Sharabi, a released Israeli hostage, about his 491 days in Hamas captivity and the loss of his family.
Bari Weiss announces that The Free Press is joining Paramount and she becomes editor-in-chief of CBS News.
Bari Weiss interviews journalist Leland Vittert about his autism diagnosis and his memoir Born Lucky.
Bari Weiss interviews former Mossad director Yossi Cohen about his book detailing daring intelligence operations.
Bari Weiss interviews Woody Allen about his new novel and the themes of accusation and conviction in the age of cancel culture.
Bari Weiss discusses the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the societal response, focusing on free speech and political violence.
Bari Weiss discusses the ongoing war in Gaza, focusing on the hostage crisis and differing opinions on how to bring them home.
Bari Weiss interviews philosopher Agnes Callard about her unconventional marriage and divorce, exploring love and relationships with radical honesty.
Bari Weiss interviews Andrew Cuomo about his political downfall and potential comeback after scandals.
Bari Weiss replays an interview with Dr.
Bari Weiss interviews legendary basketball coach George Raveling about his extraordinary life and career.
Bari Weiss interviews Dana Perino about her career as White House Press Secretary, Fox News anchor, and author of a career advice book.
Bari Weiss interviews Douglas Murray about his recent debate on the Joe Rogan Experience covering Trump, Israel-Gaza war, and Ukraine-Russia war.
Bari Weiss discusses the polarized reactions to President Trump's first 100 days in office, featuring contrasting views from Brett Stevens and Victor Davis Hanson.
Bari Weiss interviews Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the State Department's major reorganization and U.S.
Bari Weiss interviews Jonathan Rauch about the role of Christianity as a political force in American democracy.
Bari Weiss discusses Trump's Liberation Day tariff announcement with economic historian Neil Ferguson, analyzing the competing narratives of protectionism versus demagoguery.