Death, Sex & Money

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Stories About Death, Sex and Money to Start the New Year Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

Anna hosted Selected Shorts, an evening where professional actors read short stories in front of a live studio audience at Symphony Space in New York. The theme for the night? Death, sex, and money.

Stories performed:

Cat Owner by Alissa Nutting performed by Phoebe Robinson
The Model Millionaireby Oscar Wilde performed by Peter Francis James
You Again by Seth Fried performed by Amy Ryan

Hear more readings on the Selected Shorts podcast.

There’s still time to join our “low-stakes” 30-day creativity challenge, listen here.

Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus.

And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Family Drama of Inheritance Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

Your stories about inheritance: Gwynn wrestles with her mother's will that would cut out her sister; Trevor inherited money from his father and questions about whether his death was planned; and Anna talks to two young people giving away their inherited wealth despite some family opposition.

Podcast production by Zoe Azulay

Sign up for a full year of Slate Plus for 50% off by using the code DSM50 at checkout: slate.com/dsmplus (offer available until Jan 1).

My Father is Worth $70 Million. I Disinherited Myself.

Anna and Husband Arthur Play the Not-So-Newlywed Game

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The Chaste Sexiness and Fantasy of Hallmark Holiday Rom-Coms Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

When screenwriter Russell Hainline first moved to L.A., his goal was to write high-budget monster movies and thrillers. Then one day, he was prompted to write a Hallmark holiday rom-com, and something clicked.

In this special holiday episode, Russell talks about his breakout Netflix hit Hot Frosty and how he found his groove writing movies for the Hallmark Channel. He also gets to the heart of why people connect to these movies and explains how he’s able to convey steamy sexual tension between chaste TV movie characters.

This episode was produced by Cameron Drews.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Samin Nosrat’s Recipe for Self-Compassion Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

After the blockbuster success of her first book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Samin Nosrat felt pressure to follow it up with something big. But when depression and grief hit, she was forced to slow down and accept help (and cooking) from people around her.

In this episode, Samin talks about getting "chef 911" texts from friends on Thanksgiving, new romance, and finding happiness outside of success.

Samin’s new cookbook is Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love

Listen to How to Face Your Fears With Steve-O, Laurel Braitman, and Rev. angel

Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at ⁠www.monarchmoney.com/DSM⁠

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What Hearing Aids and Anger Management Still Miss Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

The British poet Raymond Antrobus was six years old when his parents and doctors realized that his ears couldn’t recognize a whole range of sounds. He was fitted with hearing aids and began a life of straddling the Deaf and hearing worlds, going to speech therapy and reading lips, learning British sign language, and attending both Deaf and hearing schools. By necessity, Raymond became an expert in communication and miscommunication, which are recurring themes in his poetry.

This week, Anna talks to Raymond about his memoir The Quiet Ear: An Investigation of Missing Sound and what it was like growing up with a “panicky sensitivity to misunderstandings.”

This episode was produced by Cameron Drews.

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Go to slate.com/dsmplus and use the promo code DSM50.

If you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com.

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When Your Famous Dad Can Charm Anyone But Can't Pay the Bills Dec 02, 2025

Show notes

Sarah Amos says the best way to describe her childhood is as a “nepo-baby fever dream.” She grew up in a pink mansion in Hawaii where celebrities often dropped by, and the fridge was always stocked with cookie dough made from her father’s famous recipe.

Wally Amos founded Famous Amos cookies in 1975, but by the time Sarah was in middle school, he had sold the company and their house was in foreclosure. As Sarah grew up, her father never stopped chasing the success he’d once had with Famous Amos, a pursuit that pushed them apart.

Listen to Sarah’s new podcast about her father from Vanity Fair: Tough Cookie: The Wally “Famous” Amos Story

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“The Lord Is My Shepherd and He Knows I'm Gay” Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

When the Metropolitan Community Church was founded in the late sixties, it was one of the first gay positive churches in America. When AIDS hit, it became a refuge for people who were sick and those who were mourning them.

In this episode, Anna talks to researcher Lynne Gerber, about finding boxes of cassettes under the church floor in an MCC church in San Francisco, and how those recordings of sermons and songs became a podcast about finding community and comfort during a crisis.

Lynne Gerber is the host of the 10-episode series When We All Get to Heaven.

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Tig Notaro's Documentary About Her Friend's Death Is Also Really Funny Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

Even though the documentary Tig Notaro produced won the Festival Favorite Award at Sundance, she did not spend the festival hobnobbing with industry types. Instead she stayed holed up at the Airbnb she rented with friends and the film's crew. "We were calling it Snuggle Down because we were all sitting around the fire and having tea and just laughing so hard." Among the people at Snuggle Down was the subject of the documentary, poet Andrea Gibson, who was dying of ovarian cancer.

In this episode, Tig describes meeting Andrea, what made them click creatively, and how making a documentary about the end of Andrea's life brought an already tight-knit group of friends closer together.

Watch: Come See Me In the Good Light

And we also want to acknowledge the passing of disability activist Alice Wong. She died on Friday in San Francisco at age 51. Alice and Anna first talked in 2020.

Listen here: Alice Wong On Ruckuses, Rage And Medicaid

Podcast production by Andrew Dunn

Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at ⁠www.monarchmoney.com/DSM⁠

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Money on the Mind: How to Budget for Aging Parents…and Yourself Nov 15, 2025

Show notes

In a new, very special Death, Sex & Money and Slate Money crossover, Felix Salmon and Anna Sale are once again joined by Felix’s financial advisor Adrianna Adams from Domain Money to talk about…parents. They dig into the emotions of trying to take care of your aging parents while also growing your own wealth, the importance of setting goals, and how to deal with aging children AND aging parents at the same time.

For a visual experience, you can watch this episode on YouTube.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Video production by Micah Phillips.

Get more Death, Sex & Money with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of DSM and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Death, Sex & Money show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/dsmplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Raising A Country Musician Through Swagger and Psychosis Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

Country musician Luke Bell had swagger, talent, and a career on the rise, opening for Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam. Then mental illness took over. His mother Carol shares what it was like raising Luke, the fine line between his bold personality and paranoid delusions, and navigating his years of homelessness and psychosis before his death at 32.

Listen to his posthumous album, The King Is Back. Proceeds go towards mental health treatment for people in Wyoming who can't afford it.

Song List:

The Great Pretender

Rattlesnake Man

Where Ya Been (Music Video)

Guitar Man

Sometimes

On Our Own

The Bullfighter

River

The King Is Back (Music Video)

Podcast production by Zoe Azulay