Death, Sex and Money

''Death, Sex and Money'' is an interview-style podcast hosted by Anna Sale that discusses the big questions "often left out of polite conversation." The podcast launched in May 2014 and is produced by WNYC Studios. The podcast features celebrities and experts, as well as guests with little to no name recognition. The podcast covers the topics of finance, grief, love, and relationships.

Format

Host Anna Sale describes ''Death, Sex, and Money'' saying, "It really came down to having a show that goes right at the things that shape our lives and that we have the most difficulty navigating—that I was having the most difficulty navigating." In addition to stories from guests, the podcast includes stories from Anna Sale's own life, as well as testimonies and voicemails left by the show's listeners.

In deciding which stories to cover, Sale takes into account current events as well listener suggestions and her own beliefs on what might lead to an interesting conversation.

History

While working at WNYC as a political reporter, Anna Sale submitted her idea for the show to an internal contest at WNYC. Sale describes her inspiration for the podcast as "a reaction to the artifice of politics, here you're talking about things without really talking about them specifically, concretely or honestly." Sale's pitch won the contest and ''Death, Sex and Money'' launched in 2014 as a 30-minute podcast.

Celebrity guests on the show have included Jane Fonda, Bill Withers, Dan Savage, and Brooke Shields.

The first episode which aired in 2014 consisted of a conversation with singer Bill Withers about the open-ended topic of how to be a man. Another early episode of the podcast entitled ''This Senator Saved My Love Life'', covered the story of a friendship between Arthur (Sale's then-boyfriend, now-husband) and Wyoming senator Alan Simpson.

On the November 25, 2015, episode of ''Death, Sex, and Money'' actress Holland Taylor opened up about her sexuality saying, "I haven't come out because I am out," adding, "I live out."

On the May 25, 2015, episode of the podcast, actor Jeff Daniels discussed relapsing at 50 after 14 years of sobriety saying, "And I hadn't drank for 14 years, cold. Just cold turkey. Just quit … I was two months into 50 and I was checking into a hotel room in some city. I'm throwing the suitcase on the bed and I hear a voice behind me. And it's me, clear as day saying, 'Don't you think you've punished yourself enough?' And I stopped. I said, 'Yeah, yeah I have.' Mini-bar, here we go. Three months later I was done."

In 2018 ''Death, Sex and Money'' won a Webby Award for Best Interview/Talk Show and was also nominated for Best Series and Best Individual Episode. The show won a 2021 Ambies award for "Best Interview Podcast".

Book

Sale wrote ''Let's Talk About Hard Things'', which was published in 2021 by Simon & Schuster. The book is split into five sections: death, sex, money, family, and identity. She conducted a series of new interviews for the book, although she references conversations from the podcast occasionally.

In 2022, Sale appeared on Storybound (podcast) for a conversation regarding her book and having tough conversations.

References

External links

*

{{Podcast platform links

WNYC Studios programs
Interview podcasts
2014 podcast debuts
Works about interpersonal relationships
Audio podcasts