Engagement Party

4.5 (37)
SOCIETY & CULTURE
UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome 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. Premiering May 22.

APR 30

TMZ is Turning Heads on Capitol Hill

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

33 min
APR 23

Ramy Youssef Wants Everyone to Laugh

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. ===== Producers: Jesse Remedios, Lori Galarreta and Graelyn Brashear Senior Producer: Dan Bloom Technical Director: Dan Dzula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

32 min
APR 16

Tell Me How to Feel About Space

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 min
APR 9

Is the Manosphere Finally Collapsing?

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. ---- Producers: Elizabeth Corallo, Jesse Remedios, Lori Galarreta, Graelyn Brashear Senior Producer: Dan Bloom Technical Director: Dan Dzula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 min
APR 2

Astrology Isn’t Just a Vibe, It’s a Booming Industry

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

27 min
MAR 26

When the Bookie Is in Your Pocket

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

37 min
MAR 19

From JFK to RFK Jr.: How the Kennedys Track American Culture

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 min
MAR 12

Oscars 2026: Chalamet, Sinners ... and Our Predictions

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

31 min

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TRAILER

Introducing: The Assignment

Fiery Twitter threads and endless news notifications never capture the full story. Each week on The Assignment, host Audie Cornish pulls listeners out of their digital echo chambers to hear from the people who live the headlines. From the sex work economy to the battle over what’s taught in classrooms, no topic is off the table. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2022-11-04

•

3 min

Audie Cornish

Host
Jacob Wasserman

Guest
Ramy Youssef

Guest
Ari Shapiro

Guest
Hakeem Oluseyi

Guest
Rachel Tashjian

Guest

4.5

out of 5

37 Ratings

Satisfying listen

2024-01-23

Avid Resder

I just discovered this podcast and find it very informative. Audie asks the questions that I want answered and her questions are fair and unbiased. She challenges her guests and makes them explain their views and I get the feeling they are learning more about themselves.
Appreciate the different take on issues

2023-12-04

DualCitizen-CD

Always look forward to the next episode of the Assignment. What I really appreciate is that topics are covered I might not ever have been exposed to otherwise. For example the one on how country music could be a solution to the US gun problem. I’m not a country music fan and a really a different take and approach I would have ever thought of otherwise. But by far that’s not the only one. Appreciate them all.
Educational Listening!

2023-03-30

Yankee In Canada

I am a fan of yours, you get to all the roots of the issues that are broken . As an educator myself. It’s alarming. You can’t be only numb keep having these discussions. Gun Control is a Number one epidemic effecting every . American like myself living abroad. I work in a school as a Special Education Teaching Assistant

Welcome 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. Premiering May 22.