Stay ConnectedWelcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes.
After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture podcast. Party hopping between what you’re watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds.
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Capitol Hill has a new kind of journalist: TMZ, the tabloid news powerhouse known for its scoops and celebrity paparazzi coverage. Audie sits down with Jacob Wasserman, co-managing editor of TMZ DC, to discuss his first few weeks on the job—and why both government insiders and legacy media can’t look away.
Producers: Lori Galarreta, Jesse Remedios, Graelyn Brashear
Senior Producer: Dan Bloom
Technical Director: Dan Dzula
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Ramy Youssef has spent the past decade building a career that spans TV, stand-up, film and has even landed some big awards. Now, with the release of his third comedy special, In Love, he joins Audie to reflect on what it means to tell Arab American stories today vs seven years ago and why aiming to make everyone laugh is both a choice and a challenge.
Then, Audie’s longtime friend and soon-to-be-coworker Ari Shapiro stops by to talk about Ramy— and also what's ahead for The Assignment.
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Producers: Jesse Remedios, Lori Galarreta and Graelyn Brashear
Senior Producer: Dan Bloom
Technical Director: Dan Dzula
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Artemis II returns from its historic mission to the far side of the moon, inspiring millions during an otherwise tense news cycle. Astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi joins Audie to unpack the mix of awe, hope, and unease shaping this new era of space exploration.
Oluseyi is the author of ‘Why Do We Exist? The Nine Realms of Universe that Make You Possible.’
Producers: Lori Galarreta, Jesse Remedios, Graelyn Brashear
Senior Producer: Dan Bloom
Technical Director: Dan Dzula
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The manosphere isn’t fringe anymore. It’s mainstream, political and hard to ignore. Louis Theroux’s latest Netflix documentary “Inside the Manosphere” arrives after a decade-long rise, from the gamergate controversy to personas like Andrew Tate. Audie speaks with New York Times Opinion writer Jessica Grose, who’s followed the movement since its beginning. They explore the state of the manosphere, the downfall of “alpha-male influencers” and how women fit —or don’t— into this world.
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Producers: Elizabeth Corallo, Jesse Remedios, Lori Galarreta, Graelyn Brashear
Senior Producer: Dan Bloom
Technical Director: Dan Dzula
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From birth charts to astrology apps, we have an enduring fascination with what the stars can tell us. Audie sits down with Astrologers Jennifer Freed and Chani Nicholas to talk about why this obsession has turned into big business. And, what we’re really looking for when we look up.
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One man’s journey from suburban dad to self-described “degenerate gambler.” The Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins joins Audie to recount how he spent $10,000 of his employer’s money betting on the NFL over the course of a season. They discuss how online sports gambling reshaped his habits, what it reveals about a rapidly expanding industry, and how betting has seeped into everyday culture. Plus, the manosphere of it all.
Producers: Jesse Remedios & Lori Galarreta
Senior Producer: Matt Martinez
Technical Director: Dan Dzula
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From Camelot-era glamour to RFK Jr.’s viral moments, the Kennedys have a way of reflecting the cultural mood of any given time. That pattern is resurfacing again—with a buzzy FX series on JFK Jr. and a fresh wave of online fascination. Audie Cornish sits down with comedian and The United States of Kennedy co-host George Civeris to unpack how the family evolved from political dynasty into cultural barometer—and what their latest chapter reveals about where America is right now.
Produced by Jesse Remedios and Lori Galarreta
Senior Producer: Matt Martinez
Technical Director: Dan Dzula
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This year’s Oscars race has been great for film and weird for discourse. There’s the friendly Best Picture duel between two crowd-pleasing films from the same studio. The acting categories are stacked with talent. And yet the final week of campaigning has been dominated by talk about Timothée Chalamet’s apparent disrespect to opera and ballet. Audie sits down with film critic and influencer Megan Cruz (aka @j.stoobs) to talk about the biggest night in movies at a moment when Hollywood is worried about its future.
This episode was produced by Lori Galarreta and Jesse Remedios
Senior Producer: Matt Martinez
Technical Director: Dan Dzula
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Are work spouses actually a thing? And what turns a desk-mate into a ride-or-die?
In this special episode of The Assignment, Audie Cornish reunites with former work husband and longtime co-host of NPR’s All Things Considered, Ari Shapiro. They dive into the stories that defined their careers, the push and pull of competition in the newsroom, and the ways creative collaborators develop shared languages—from Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Taped live at On Air Fest in Brooklyn, New York.
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Actor Ken Leung is no stranger to the toxic male archetype. He embodies it as Eric Tao, the ruthless baseball-bat-carrying trading floor bully he plays on HBO’s “Industry.” Leung talks with Audie about what pushes characters like Eric—on screen and in real life—over the edge from family man to a name you could see in the Epstein files. They also discuss why women of color don’t get the “anti-hero” treatment, and how “Industry” has evolved into a portrait of the greed, corruption, and class conflict defining this moment.
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This episode was produced by Lori Galarreta and Jesse Remedios
Senior Producer: Matt Martinez
Technical Director: Dan Dzula
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