On with Kara Swisher

Latest Episodes:

David Chalian Makes the Call Mar 04, 2024

Show notes

Tomorrow is Super Tuesday - the nation's biggest primary vote - and hundreds of delegates are up for grabs. But what impact do primaries have when the nation seems resigned to a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump? David Chalian, CNN Political Director (i.e. the man who makes the call on election night), shares his thoughts on the stakes for 2024, why Nikki Haley is still in the race, and which state he believes matters most this November.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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The Burn Book Kick-Off with Don Lemon Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

This week marks the release of Kara’s memoir, Burn Book: A Tech Love Storyand the launch of her national book tour. At events from New York to Seattle, some of the tech CEOs, politicians and other bold names Kara writes about in her book will be putting her in the hot seat. Today’s episode is the first of these conversations: former CNN anchor Don Lemon interviewed her about her career and the tech giants she’s slain, and drops some intel about his own new show on X. This conversation was taped Monday, February 26th, at NYC’s 92nd Street Y.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Roberta Kaplan Will See You In Court Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

Renowned litigator Roberta (Robbie) Kaplan says she’s a born fighter. In January she won one of those fights when a jury ordered Donald Trump to pay Kaplan’s client, E. Jean Carroll, $83.3 million dollars for defamation. Kara and Robbie talk about why Trump’s behavior in and out of the court cost him. They also discuss the state of LGBTQ+ rights more than a decade after Kaplan successfully championed same-sex marriage before the Supreme Court. And Kaplan unpacks how Elon Musk and others with deep pockets are using the law to try to silence their critics (and why they won’t win).

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Paul Giamatti Is Good With Words Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

Actor Paul Giamatti seems to have perfected the hyper-articulate, slightly depressed curmudgeon – and this year, it might land him an Oscar. Kara and Paul talk about why his role in The Holdovers hit close to home, the challenges of developing a multi-season TV character like Billions’ D.A. Chuck Rhoades, andhow a “chinwag” led him to co-host a podcast about metaphysics, time travel and UFOs.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Brooke Shields on Surviving Hollywood Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

Today, we’re replaying a conversation that Kara taped last spring with none other than Brooke Shields. Shields became a teenage superstar through her roles in “Pretty Baby” and “Blue Lagoon” as well as the famous Calvin Klein ads (“Do you want to know what comes in between me and my Calvins? Nothing.”). In her new Hulu documentary, “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” she talks about how she sees those hypersexualized roles today and how she survived life in an industry that she says did nothing to help her. Shields also revisits her complex relationship with her mother, who introduced her to modeling and acting, and how Shields now counsels her own two teenage daughters about feeding the social media “monster.”

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Cord Jefferson on Making American Fiction Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

Writer and director Cord Jefferson’s first feature film, American Fiction, has been nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Jefferson was once a journalist, but shifted into TV and film a decade ago, working on shows including Succession, The Good Place, and Watchmen, for which he won an Emmy for his writing. Kara and Cord discuss why Percival Everett’s book Erasure spoke to him so personally, how satire helped him break out of the “race beat,” and what projects he’s got in the pipeline.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Tracy Chapman's Timeless Earworms Feb 12, 2024

Show notes

More than 35 years after its release, Tracy Chapman’s eponymous debut album – and the single Fast Car – hit #1 on the charts last week, fueled by her performance with country star Luke Combs at the Grammy Awards. Kara speaks with Lydia Polgreen of the New York Times’ Matter of Opinion podcast, music reporter Maura Johnston, and Estelle Caswell, formerly of Vox Pop Earworm, about why an album written at the end of the Reagan era, full of songs about social injustice, racial tensions and striving for upward mobility, has struck a chord with Gen Z audiences. Plus: they talk about the changing music industry and another surprise Grammy comeback: the legendary Joni Mitchell.

You can watch the original performances on the Grammy Awards website. Other questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Ambassador Rahm Emanuel on the New Japan, Contending With China, and Biden’s Calm Feb 08, 2024

Show notes

Rahm Emanuel is the ultimate political insider: He’s worked closely with three presidents, he’s been mayor of the nation’s third largest city (Chicago), and he’s now “redefining” diplomacy as ambassador to Japan. Kara talks to Rahm about the “new” Japan he sees emerging today, the importance of strong Asia-Pacific collaboration to counter China, his thoughts on a probable Biden-Trump rematch in November, and whether or not Taylor Swift will make it back from Tokyo in time for the Superbowl.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Is the Apple Vision Pro All That? Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

Kara got a sneak peek of the Apple Vision Pro, and sat down before the official launch with tech reporters Joanna Stern, Nilay Patel and Mark Gurman to discuss why it took so long for Apple to get into the world of "spatial computing" headsets, who will buy it at a steep $3500 price tag, and what Steve Jobs might make of this new device. Note: This episode was taped on Wednesday, January 31st.

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How Ava DuVernay Made a Hit with ‘Origin,’ and Without Big Studio Backing Feb 01, 2024

Show notes

Today, our guest is acclaimed director and screenwriter Ava DuVernay, known for the Oscar-nominated films “Selma” and “13th.” Her latest film “Origin” is an adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s 2020 bestseller “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” We explore how she adapted the ideas of a nonfiction book into a gripping narrative film and why – instead of major Hollywood studios – DuVernay secured funding for “Origin” from philanthropists, including the Ford Foundation, Melinda Gates, Laurene Powell Jobs and Anne Wojcicki.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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