Honestly with Bari Weiss

Bari Weiss announces that Honestly is taking a pause and will be back soon.

Bari Weiss and deputy editor Olly Wiseman assembled a cross-disciplinary panel to forecast the year ahead. They spoke with political analyst Sarah Isgur, culture writer Suzy Weiss, linguist John McWhorter, physician Mark Hyman, fashion writer Leandra Medine Cohen, and historian Niall Ferguson. Each guest offered predictions for their corner of expertise, covering politics, culture, language, health, fashion, and geopolitics. The episode provides a structured snapshot of what informed observers expect in 2026.

On Christmas Eve, Paula Fredriksen, one of the world's leading scholars of early Christianity, joins Bari Weiss to explore the first centuries of the Christian movement. The conversation examines the little-known fact that the earliest followers of Jesus were Jews who expected history to end imminently and did not set out to create a new religion. Fredriksen explains the gradual separation of Christianity from Judaism, the resistance from some Jews, and how the anti-Judaism of early Christian writings connects to modern antisemitism. These foundational centuries reveal crucial patterns about how ideas spread and persist.

Bari Weiss sat down with Erika Kirk for a town hall on CBS. They discussed the murder of Charlie, Erika's close family member, and the broader issue of rising political violence in a divided America. The conversation touched on reactions that excused the killing, conspiracy theories from figures like Candace Owens, and growing antisemitism on the right. Erika shared her personal decision to forgive the killer, and they also discussed the posthumous release of Charlie's book about the Sabbath.

Bari Weiss hosts a debate on physician-assisted suicide (MAID) between bioethicist David Hoffman and physician Lydia Dugdale. The discussion centers on New York's pending Medical Aid in Dying Act, which would allow terminally ill adults to obtain life-ending medication. Hoffman argues that potential future abuses should not deny relief to current patients, while Dugdale warns that legalization could undermine care for vulnerable populations and lead to a slippery slope seen in other countries. The debate explores the tension between compassion for the dying and the risk of normalizing assisted death.

Bari Weiss hosts a debate on the ethics of designing unborn children, asking whether genetic optimization of embryos is a moral imperative or whether it crosses a line into playing God and manipulating humanity's genetic heritage. The Free Press partnered with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression to present this event.

Bari Weiss hosts a debate between Second Amendment advocate Dana Loesch and constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz on whether America would be safer without the right to bear arms. Dershowitz argues that the amendment is outdated and enables mass violence, while Loesch contends it remains a vital protection against tyranny and crime. The conversation explores the original meaning of a well-regulated militia, the cultural symbolism of guns as freedom, and the stark tradeoffs between liberty and safety in an era of mass shootings.

Bari Weiss interviews social psychologist Jonathan Haidt about his mission to protect children from smartphones and social media. They discuss Haidt's body of work, from The Righteous Mind to The Anxious Generation, and the movement that has emerged around his call to delay kids' access to technology to restore in-person connection and mental well-being.

Senator John Fetterman joins Bari Weiss to discuss the future of the Democratic Party in the wake of socialist Zohran Mamdani's election as New York City mayor. Once a progressive darling backed by AOC and Bernie Sanders, Fetterman has broken with orthodoxy on Israel, the border, and bipartisanship. He explains his 'country over party' philosophy and reflects on the near-fatal stroke that nearly ended his career — and the political independence it may have forged.

Paul Kingsnorth argues that the ambient anxiety of modern life is not caused by social media or algorithms but by a thousand-year battle with what he calls “the Machine.” His new book, Against the Machine, frames Western civilization as already dead and prescribes a spiritual rebellion. The discussion explains why surface-level fixes like meditation fail and calls for a deeper shift in worldview.

Shilo Brooks, president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, argues that reading great literature can address the crisis of purpose among young men. The episode examines staggering statistics on male suicide, addiction, incarceration, and social disconnection, contrasted with a 40% decline in reading for pleasure and a 19-point gender gap in fiction readers. Brooks shares his own improbable journey from a small-town Texas upbringing marked by poverty to elite academia, illustrating how books can provoke self-examination and spiritual expansion.

Bari Weiss interviews Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus and Anduril Industries, about the state of American defense technology and his mission to disrupt the Pentagon's slow, bureaucratic procurement system. Luckey advocates for moving fast and building what works, drawing urgency from threats posed by Iran, Russia, China, and an accelerating AI arms race. He discusses his unconventional path—from VR startup at 19 to a $30.5 billion defense contractor—and argues that an outsider perspective is an advantage in an industry resistant to change. The conversation explores whether America retains the technological prowess and political will to compete with aggressive adversaries.

Katie Herzog, co-host of Blocked and Reported, discusses her new book Drink Your Way Sober, which makes the case for alternative approaches to alcohol addiction. She argues that naltrexone, a drug that reduces the desire to drink, offers a path that doesn't require immediate abstinence—and that the dominance of AA has obscured other options. Herzog explains the counterintuitive premise of the Sinclair Method and addresses the understandable resistance to letting an alcoholic continue drinking.

María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s leading opposition figure, discusses her fight against authoritarianism after winning the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. She recounts the 2024 election where her stand-in candidate won in a landslide, only for dictator Nicolás Maduro to steal power, forcing her into hiding. The episode covers her background as an industrial engineer turned politician, her two-decade struggle, and the personal costs of her resistance. She also shares her admiration for Margaret Thatcher and what receiving the Nobel means for Venezuela’s democratic movement.

This episode commemorates the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Host Bari Weiss sits down with historian Niall Ferguson to reflect on how the world has changed since that morning. They discuss the continuing hostage crisis, with 48 Israelis still held in Gaza, and the broader geopolitical shifts that have left the world feeling like it has tilted on its axis after two years that felt like two decades. Ferguson, a senior fellow at Hoover and author of 16 books, brings historical perspective to the current moment.

On the two-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks, Bari Weiss interviews Eli Sharabi, who spent 491 days in Hamas captivity after being taken from Kibbutz Be’eri. Sharabi describes the brutal conditions in the tunnels and the hope that kept him alive—his belief he would reunite with his wife and teenage daughters. But after his release, he learned they had been murdered that day, and his brother had died in captivity. His memoir, Hostage, is the first published account by a released Israeli hostage. This conversation is about the choice to live, even when it seems impossible.

Leland Vittert, a well-known television correspondent, shares his journey from a child who didn't speak until age 3 and was severely cross-eyed to a confident anchor. His father refused to let the world accommodate his autism, instead training him relentlessly in social skills and resilience. The conversation also touches on the dramatic rise in autism diagnoses—from 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 31—and the resulting politicization, including the Trump administration's recent claims about Tylenol and autism.

Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen reveals the reality of Israeli intelligence operations—from stealing Iran's nuclear archives to orchestrating a remotely piloted assassination—and shares how he secretly built ties with Arab leaders that reshaped the region. A rare, firsthand account of spycraft, operational daring, and the personal toll of living as a ghost.

Bari Weiss sits down with 89-year-old Woody Allen to discuss his life, career, and his first novel What's With Baum? — a comic tale about a writer undone by unproven accusations. Allen reflects on his childhood in Brooklyn, his 50 films, and his influence on American comedy. The conversation also covers the long shadow of his relationship with Soon-Yi Previn and the child molestation allegations that led to his cancellation in the MeToo era, despite the charges being twice dismissed.

Bari Weiss reflects on the daylight murder of Charlie Kirk—a prominent conservative voice who embodied free speech by debating on college campuses. Joined by a panel of guests including Ben Shapiro and Senator Mark Kelly, they discuss the attack’s significance: how political violence strikes at open assembly, civil debate, and viewpoint diversity. The conversation also confronts the disturbing online celebration of Kirk’s death and asks what a way forward looks like.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett discusses her unconventional path to the Supreme Court — from South Bend and Notre Dame Law School to replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg just weeks before the 2020 election. The conversation explores how her judicial philosophy and rulings have defied early caricatures, with some outlets now calling her the “last best hope” for liberals. Through landmark votes like overturning Roe v. Wade and banning affirmative action, Barrett reveals how originalism and a commitment to textualism shape her approach to the law.

Three families with loved ones held hostage by Hamas share their stories and explain their differing views on the best path to bring them home. The episode presents the tense debate dividing Israeli society: whether to continue the ground war in Gaza or accept a partial ceasefire deal that would release some living hostages and bodies. Coleman Hughes interviews a father whose son was taken from the Nova festival, a mother whose son fought terrorists on October 7, and a sister-in-law waiting for one brother while the other has already been freed.

Bari Weiss presents a clip from the Free Press podcast Breaking History, in which Eli Lake and Poppy Damon speak with Salvatore Basile, author of Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything. The episode explores how air conditioning—once called “comfort cooling”—evolved from a luxury for movie theaters and department stores into a household necessity, reshaping American productivity, migration, demographics, and political power. Basile walks through the inflection points that turned a bespoke invention into a force that made factory work possible year-round and opened up the Sun Belt for mass settlement.

Bari Weiss explores the rise of the 'woke right'—an illiberal mirror of the progressive left. She argues that after years of the left making everything taboo, some on the right have declared nothing is taboo, leading to a dangerous embrace of extreme rhetoric and revisionism. Guest Rod Dreher, a conservative writer, warns that this new identitarian politics on the right threatens liberal democracy from within.

Amanda Knox recounts her harrowing experience of being falsely accused, convicted, and imprisoned for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher. She discusses the media's role in constructing a false narrative, her 53-hour interrogation without legal representation, and her eventual exoneration. Knox shares her journey of forgiveness toward the actual murderer Rudy Guede, her reintegration into society, and her search for meaning after trauma. Her new memoir 'Free: My Search for Meaning' provides a full account of the ordeal and its aftermath.

Bari Weiss examines the political realignment of American unions, interviewing Teamsters president Sean O'Brien about why nearly half of union households voted for Trump in 2024, despite a century of Democratic loyalty. O'Brien discusses the factors that drove this shift, from trade policies and manufacturing promises to a cultural disconnect with the Democratic Party's leftward tilt. Six months into Trump's second term, the episode asks whether these working-class voters are satisfied with their choice.

Bari Weiss explores the blurry line between conspiracy theories and real government misdeeds, citing examples like the Tuskegee syphilis study, FBI spying on MLK, and the likely lab leak of Covid. The Jeffrey Epstein case serves as a central illustration of how unanswered questions fuel speculation, both legitimate and far-fetched. The episode asks how to maintain healthy skepticism without sliding into harmful conspiracy thinking.

Bari Weiss interviews Rahm Emanuel, the former White House Chief of Staff, about his potential 2028 presidential run. They discuss his reputation as a ruthless Democratic operative, his storied career from the Clinton White House to Congress and the Obama administration, and whether his combative, backroom style can translate into a successful public-facing campaign. Emanuel reflects on the party's ideological shift and makes the case for his brand of moderate, pragmatic liberalism.

Bari Weiss talks with New Yorker writer Evan Osnos about his new book The Haves and the Have-Yachts, which explores how the ultrarich got their money, how they spend it (from private snow rooms in Mumbai to whale-foreskin upholstery on yachts), and how they fight to keep it. The conversation touches on Americans' conflicted attitudes toward billionaires, with growing bipartisan rage, and whether income inequality could spark a revolt. Osnos also discusses the potential impact of AI on the wealth gap.

After socialist Zohran Mamdani won NYC's Democratic mayoral primary with 56% of the vote, Bari Weiss discusses the growing embrace of socialism among young Americans. Economist Tyler Cowen and Gen Z commentator Kyla Scanlon analyze polling data showing 62% of 18-29-year-olds view socialism favorably, and they explore possible drivers—university culture, social media, wealth inequality, and the allure of free services. The episode incorporates live audience questions.

Bari Weiss interviews journalist Helen Lewis about her new book, The Genius Myth. Using Elon Musk and historical figures like da Vinci and Einstein, Lewis questions whether genius is a real category or a cultural construct. She also explores how labeling someone a genius can excuse offensive behavior and distort the way we value ordinary contributions.

Bari Weiss gathers three experts to examine the aftermath of the U.S. strike on Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. While official statements declare the mission a spectacular success that obliterated the program, investigative reporting suggests Iran may have moved critical nuclear material before the bombs fell. The conversation explores what is known, what is uncertain, and what comes next as the war expands, with Israel targeting the regime, Qatar closing its airspace, and Iran firing toward Qatar and Iraq. The episode asks whether the strike was a decisive blow or the opening of a wider regional conflict.

On Saturday night, President Trump announced that the U.S. had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan—declaring, “There is not another military in the World that could have done this.” Shortly after the announcement, Bari Weiss hosted a live panel with six Middle East experts to dissect the strikes, assess Iran’s remaining nuclear capability, anticipate possible retaliation, and explore what the operation and Trump’s national address signal for the region and for American foreign policy.

Bari Weiss discusses the early days of the Israel-Iran war with historian Niall Ferguson and journalist Dexter Filkins. They examine Israel's primary goal of ending Iran's nuclear program, the tactical challenges of destroying the deeply buried Fordow facility, and whether the U.S. will provide bunker-busting bombs. Ferguson argues that Israel's attack restores Western credibility at a moment when U.S. and allied resolve is being tested by China. The conversation also explores the possibility that the war could topple the Iranian regime and the uncertain geopolitical aftermath.

Bari Weiss interviews Michael Doran amid an Iranian missile attack on Israel and Israeli strikes on military and nuclear sites inside Iran. The conversation unfolds as oil fields burn and the White House debates U.S. military involvement. Doran, a Hudson Institute senior fellow, provides insight into the regional escalation and the wider strategic deception he describes in his recent Free Press article about Trump and Netanyahu outmaneuvering Iran.