The Gray Area with Sean Illing

  • Rep. Jamie Raskin on living through the unthinkable, twice

    Vox’s Dylan Matthews talks with Congressman Jamie Raskin about the tragic loss of his son Tommy, who was twenty-five years old when he died at the end of 2020. Rep. Raskin also speaks about the…


  • Best of: Why fascism in America isn’t going away

    Vox’s Sean Illing talks to Yale professor and author Jason Stanley about why American democracy provides such fertile soil for fascism, how Donald Trump demonstrated how easy it was for our country to flirt with…


  • Best of: Clint Smith III on confronting the legacy of slavery

    Vox’s Jamil Smith talks with author Clint Smith III about his book How the Word Is Passed, which documents the writer’s personal journey visiting sites that embody the legacy of American slavery. They discuss the…


  • Best of: We need to talk about UFOs. Seriously.

    Vox’s Sean Illing talks with international politics professor and amateur ufologist Alex Wendt about why it’s time to start thinking more seriously about the earth-shattering implications of discovering extraterrestrial life. They discuss the taboos against…


  • Chris Bosh on winning (and losing everything)

    Vox’s Jamil Smith talks with NBA legend Chris Bosh about his basketball career, his youth, and his legacy. They discuss Bosh’s transition to the NBA, his role on the controversial Miami Heat teams that won…


  • The cult of toughness

    Sean Illing talks with political commentator and author David French about modern conservatism and masculinity. They discuss the divergence between the Right’s view of masculinity and what they fear the Left’s view is, how Trump…


  • Is ethical investing a scam?

    Vox’s Emily Stewart talks with Tariq Fancy about whether or not “socially responsible investment” is a scam. Fancy is a former executive who led sustainable investing at BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset management…


  • The good life is painful

    Sean Illing talks with psychologist Paul Bloom about his new book The Sweet Spot, and whether it’s necessary to experience suffering in order to live a fulfilling, meaningful life. They discuss the rich philosophical history…


  • The father of environmental justice

    Vox’s Jamil Smith talks with Dr, Robert Bullard, a pioneer in the crusade for environmental justice, about his more than four decades in the fight. They discuss how the movement to recognize environmental civil rights…


  • Jill Lepore on Elon Musk’s imaginary world

    Sean Illing talks with historian Jill Lepore about her new podcast: The Evening Rocket explores Elon Musk and the new form of extravagant, extreme capitalism — which Lepore dubs “Muskism” — that he has ushered…