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Wild Card with Rachel Martin Life’s too short for small talk. Rachel gets right to the questions that matter most. Once a week, famous guests pull questions from a deck of cards and open up about the kind of stuff we all think about but rarely say out loud. Actors, authors, and thinkers are prompted to talk about everything from their insecurities and dreams to grief and God. Named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by The New York Times, Wild Card stands out among celebrity interview podcasts. When modern life feels chaotic or overwhelming, listen to Wild Card for a joyful, grounding reminder of our shared humanity.
Wild Card with Rachel Martin

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Wild Card with Rachel Martin

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Life’s too short for small talk. Rachel gets right to the questions that matter most. Once a week, famous guests pull questions from a deck of cards and open up about the kind of stuff we all think about but rarely say out loud. Actors, authors, and thinkers are prompted to talk about everything from their insecurities and dreams to grief and God. Named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by The New York Times, Wild Card stands out among celebrity interview podcasts. When modern life feels chaotic or overwhelming, listen to Wild Card for a joyful, grounding reminder of our shared humanity.

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Most Recent Episodes

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Willem Dafoe believes to be a good actor you also have to be a bad actor from time to time

Willem Dafoe sees acting as a form of service – both to the audience and to his coworkers making a movie. That selfless approach means he’s also on guard for anything that can inflate his ego, including, he tells Rachel, sounding too pompous in interviews. “Don’t let me talk too much!” he jokes with her. They discuss his highly productive year, including his film “Late Fame,” and why he loves putting the animals on his farm to bed every night.

Willem Dafoe

Listen · 49:05
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John Dickerson says doubt only helps to solidify his faith

John Dickerson made a name for himself as an anchor at CBS News. Last year, he left the world of broadcast news to pursue stories that put his values of generosity, curiosity and integrity at the core of his work. He talks to Rachel about remembering his own mortality and forging his own independent path in the world of journalism.

John Dickerson

Listen · 41:16
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Gillian Anderson has discovered what women really want

“How am I complicit in not getting what I say that I want?” This is the question Gillian Anderson wants you to ask yourself. She has read many accounts from women detailing their sexual desires and disappointments, and she is sharing their stories with the world, a second time. Her newest book is called “More: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous.”

Gillian Anderson

Listen · 45:31
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Sara Bareilles on what gets left out in conversations about fertility

“Being a human is so complicated for so many reasons,” Sara Bareilles tells Rachel. That’s why she’s trying to show more grace for both herself and others these days. In Sara’s new album and documentary, both titled “Good Grief,” she’s processing the loss of dear friends, and her struggles with fertility. She also tells Rachel about becoming an unapologetic crier, and outgrowing low rise jeans.

Sara Bareilles

Listen · 51:24
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Brittany Howard is grateful for her free-range childhood: “We need more junkyard kids.”

“We’re all gentler and we’re more sensitive,” Brittany Howard tells Rachel about reuniting with her band, Alabama Shakes. The band is back with their first studio album in over a decade, “I Must Be Dreaming.” Brittany talks with Rachel about why now was the right time to reunite, and how growing up poor influences her music to this day. She also talks about finding peace in hard work and why she loves the sound of a box fan.

Brittany Howard

Listen · 36:41
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John Leguizamo on dealing with rejection: “You have to have rhino-thick skin.”

“Being so vulnerable was really difficult,” John Leguizamo says of his role as Eumaeus in The Odyssey. It’s an opportunity he relishes, though, having come up in a Hollywood that wasn’t interested in casting Latin actors in any roles besides drug dealers. John talks to Rachel about finding his way as a troubled kid and finding the freedom to tell the stories he wants to in the theater.

John Leguizamo

Listen · 48:06
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Suleika Jaouad (Encore)

Suleika Jaouad (Encore)

Suleika Jaouad has written extensively about what it means to live in the in-between — the space between sick and healthy. She’s dealt on and off with cancer since her early 20s. Her latest book, "The Book of Alchemy," provides a guide on sustaining a creative practice through journaling. Suleika tells Rachel about eavesdropping on laughter and what she's learned from the people she's lost.

Suleika Jaouad (Encore)

Listen · 49:07
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Brett Goldstein (Encore)

Don't be fooled by Brett Goldstein's grumpy exterior – he can't resist a big, open-hearted story. You see it in the TV shows he's acted in and helped create, "Ted Lasso" and "Shrinking." He's about to release a new HBO standup special called "The Second Best Night of Your Life." He spoke with Rachel about what Pixar knows about the afterlife and about finding ways to love annoying people.

Brett Goldstein (Encore)

Listen · 37:16
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Shania Twain wants to take her time: “I want to live to be 200.”

“You cannot rely on somebody else to push you out of the plane — you have to jump,” Shania Twain tells Rachel. For someone who has lived a life marked by so much loss and profound success, she has a lot to reflect on and is doing so the best way she knows how: through music. Her new album is called “Little Miss Twain.” She talks to Rachel about her difficult childhood and rediscovering her voice.

Shania Twain

Listen · 49:45
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Hrishikesh Hirway hoped writing these songs would help keep memories of his mother from fading away

“I still feel like I'm wondering what I'm gonna be when I grow up,” Hrishikesh Hirway tells Rachel. That might be because he’s drawn to so many things: he’s an accomplished musician, host of several successful podcasts and just an all-around thoughtful guy. He talks to Rachel about the support and skepticism of his parents while he was growing up and his anxiety over losing precious memories.

Hrishikesh Hirway

Listen · 44:15
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