233 episodes

Emmy Award—winning producer, actor, and comedian Larry Wilmore is back on the air, hosting a podcast where he weighs in on the issues of the week and interviews guests in the worlds of politics, entertainment, culture, sports, and beyond.

Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air The Ringer

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

Emmy Award—winning producer, actor, and comedian Larry Wilmore is back on the air, hosting a podcast where he weighs in on the issues of the week and interviews guests in the worlds of politics, entertainment, culture, sports, and beyond.

    Antonia Hylton on ‘Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum’

    Antonia Hylton on ‘Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum’

    Larry is joined by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist Antonia Hylton to talk about her latest book ‘Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum’. They begin their conversation by talking about what inspired Antonia to write about the Crownsville mental health facility and the tribulations surrounding black mental health in the early part of the 20th century. Next, Antonia details her personal connection to the book's subject via the tragic story of her dad’s cousin Maynard, who struggled with schizophrenia. Larry then reads a powerful passage from ‘Madness’ that leads to a discussion about residual effects of terror tactics used by racists during the Jim Crow era (22:08). After the break, they shine a light on how Crownsville evolved over time to become an integrated and valuable resource for the local Black community until its closure in the early 2000s (40:52). Antonia ends the pod by offering accessible ways to propagate positive mental health accessibility and acceptability in working class societies going forward (56:57).
    Host: Larry Wilmore
    Guest: Antonia Hylton
    Associate Producer: Chris Sutton
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    • 1 hr 10 min
    Andrew Roberts on ‘The Creator’

    Andrew Roberts on ‘The Creator’

    Larry is joined by Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated VFX supervisor Andrew Roberts to discuss his work on the movie ‘The Creator’ currently streaming on Hulu. They begin their conversation by breaking down the movie’s plot, examining Andrew’s creative approach to VFX, and detailing his collaboration process with director Gareth Edwards and production designer James Clyne. Next, Andrew talks about the biggest challenges he faced during the making of ‘The Creator’ and his favorite moments from the film (22:57). After the break, Larry asks Andrew about how he got started in digital effects as a career and what legendary movies inspired him to dive into the realm (39:19). They end the pod by debating the effects of AI on the futures of both filmmaking and humanity (52:05).
    Host: Larry Wilmore
    Guest: Andrew Roberts
    Associate Producer: Chris Sutton
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    • 1 hr 5 min
    Cord Jefferson on ‘American Fiction’

    Cord Jefferson on ‘American Fiction’

    Larry is joined by Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated writer and director Cord Jefferson to discuss his newest film ‘American Fiction’. They begin their conversation by reminiscing about their time together on ‘The Nightly Show’ and marvel at the amazing journey that Cord's career has taken up to this moment. They then shift to ‘American Fiction’ and discuss the myriads of genres the movie attempts to encompass and how its main character Monk, played by Jeffrey Wright, reflects the real limitations put on Black writers in Hollywood (5:10). This leads to a discussion on the process of adapting a screenplay from an original book, in this case ‘Erasure’ by Percival Everett, and how Cord used his journalism "superpower" to navigate his transition from TV to cinema storytelling (13:38). After the break, Cord talks about the diverse reactions he’s received from people who have seen ‘American Fiction’ and shares an educational showbiz story passed along by legendary actress and member of the film's cast, Leslie Uggams (41:22).
    Host: Larry Wilmore
    Guest: Cord Jefferson
    Associate Producer: Chris Sutton
    Additional Production: Kyle Williams
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    • 1 hr 1 min
    David Hemingson on ‘The Holdovers’

    David Hemingson on ‘The Holdovers’

    Larry is joined by Academy Award-nominated writer and producer David Hemingson to discuss his latest film ‘The Holdovers’. They begin the conversation by discussing the creative layers within the movie’s story structure and David’s working process with director Alexander Payne. They then dive into the deeply personal inspirations for each of the film’s main characters and how the talents of stars Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and D’aVine Joy Randolph were essential their development (22:13). After the break, Larry and David shine a light on the technical aspects of ‘The Holdovers’ and speak on its myriad of '70s cinematic influences (44:59). David ends the pod by sharing some advice for aspiring storytellers and examining the role of comedy in all of his projects (55:26).
    Host: Larry Wilmore
    Guest: David Hemingson
    Associate Producer: Chris Sutton
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    • 1 hr 11 min
    Rob Reiner on 'Who Killed JFK?'

    Rob Reiner on 'Who Killed JFK?'

    Larry is joined by legendary filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner to discuss his 10-part podcast series titled ‘Who Killed JFK?’ currently available at iHeart and co-hosted by Soledad O’Brien. Rob begins by recalling when he first heard about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and talking about how the ultra-famous murder mystery has continued to pique his interest throughout his lifetime. They then break down all of major suspects and motives within the conspiracy before debating Lee Harvey Oswald’s level of involvement (9:17). After the break, Rob and Larry dive into how the crime was covered up, share their individual theories on the matter, and ponder if the truth about JFK’s assassination will ever be revealed to the public (41:02). Larry ends the pod by giving big flowers to Rob’s father, comedy great Carl Reiner (56:30).
    Host: Larry Wilmore
    Guest: Rob Reiner
    Associate Producer: Chris Sutton
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    • 1 hr 3 min
    Tina Nguyen on 'The MAGA Diaries: My Surreal Journey Into the Heart of the Alt-Right and How I Got Out.'

    Tina Nguyen on 'The MAGA Diaries: My Surreal Journey Into the Heart of the Alt-Right and How I Got Out.'

    Larry is joined by writer Tina Nguyen and they begin their conversation by discussing Tina’s journalistic journey and what it was like working for Tucker Carlson. From Tucker’s disdain for her high school principal to firing her, Tina gives an insight on what Tucker the person is like (2:34). They then discuss why MAGA hasn’t embraced Ron DeSantis, differences between MAGA and conservatism, and how MAGA can be so brilliant, yet so weak-minded. They also discuss what the Convention of States is (34:03). Finally, they end the pod by predicting whether Donald Trump will win the 2024 nomination, and talking about who the intellectuals involved in the movement are (40:43).
    Host: Larry Wilmore
    Guest: Tina Nguyen
    Producer: Kyle Williams
    Associate Producer: Chris Sutton
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    • 1 hr 6 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
3.5K Ratings

3.5K Ratings

makeda42 ,

Wonderful show

I don’t listen as often as I should. It’s always fantastic, but an hour is longer than my commute time. I can’t just sit in the car and finish the episode, can I? (Just kidding). The interviews are always interesting and are not centered on one polemic viewpoint. The host honestly wants to hear his guest’s view of the world.

misselizabethbennett ,

Love the show

… but it really needs an editor. Larry’s gifts and his presence as an interviewer are not being well-served. Removing the pickups and the stammering would make the pod amazing! Good editing makes a HUGE difference.

nopoliticaladsplease ,

Glad to hear you

The Nightly Show was one of my favorite shows. It ended when we needed it most! Thank you for sharing your voice with us.

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