92NY Talks

Join celebrated director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights) and rising star KiKi Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) for a conversation with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins about Prince-Bythewood's brilliant new Netflix movie The Old Guard. A tough and thoughtful action thriller starring Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne, The Old Guard is already being hailed by critics as one of the freshest blockbusters of the summer. Be there as Prince-Bythewood and Layne talk to Jenkins about why they wanted to dive into the genre, adapting a film from a comic book, stories from behind the scenes, and more.

We all know that Martin Luther King made his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington but the march was much more than that speech. All three TV networks covered it live (using the exotic new Telstar satellite) and the March helped lead to passage of the Civil Rights Act and later the Voting Rights Act. Join Harry Belafonte - one of the organizers of the March and financial supporters for the movement at crucial moments - and fellow civil rights leaders Julian Bond and Clarence Jones in conversation with Budd Mishkin.

The second season of Shrill, Hulu's powerful, acclaimed comedy, drops January 24—and who better to sneak a peek at an episode and mull over the backstory than with its star, exec producer, and co-writer Aidy Bryant? Join the SNL cast member for an in-depth conversation about her return to the show as Annie, the millennial on a body-positivity journey of self-acceptance. We'll dig in to the issues, hear behind-the-scenes stories, and discuss highlights from Bryant's brilliant career.

Join Emmy Award-winning comedian John Mulaney, along with co-writers Marika Sawyer and Eli Bolin, Director Rhys Thomas, and actress Shereen Pimentel as they discuss Mulaney's new Netflix special, John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch—a variety show packed to the gills with song, dance, existential hilarity, special celebrity guests, and a bunch of kids ages 8–13 who John thinks are more talented than he is. Created in tribute to the classic 80s variety shows for children that he grew up on, Mulaney and his co-conspirators will try to describe this wonderfully indescribable thing in a discussion moderated by Seth Meyers.

Apple TV+ Little America Executive Producers Lee Eisenberg, Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani, Joshuah Bearman, and Alan Yang with Lola Ogunnaike With a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, Little America is shaping up to be a major hit for Apple TV+. Inspired by true stories of immigrants in America, first published in Epic Magazine, the anthology series is written and produced by Emmy-nominated Lee Eisenberg (The Office, Good Boys) and executive produced by Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick, Silicon Valley) and Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick). Join members of the creative team to hear more about these funny, romantic, heartfelt, and surprising stories of truly inspiring people.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns to 92Y with Zach Woods and director Jim Rash for clips and conversation about her film, Downhill, in which she stars opposite Will Ferrell. Join the multiple award-winning actress and the Oscar-winning director to hear behind-the-scenes stories and about the movie—a biting comedy of a married couple thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives after barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation in the Alps.

Issa Rae, Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated creator and star of Insecure, and writer and director Stella Meghie, join author Roxane Gay for a discussion of their new film, The Photograph—a powerful multigenerational story of love, family history, and art. Already generating buzz for the project from critics and audiences alike, Rae and Meghie discuss the making of the film and Rae's effortless chemistry with co-star Lakeith Stanfield—along with stories from behind the scenes, why we need more romantic movies in 2020, and much more.

Join Kevin Kline, Tony award winner for On the Twentieth Century, The Pirates of Penzance and Present Laughter, and Oscar winner for A Fish Called Wanda, along with legendary Oscar-winning producer-director Irwin Winkler (Rocky, Raging Bull, The Right Stuff, Goodfellas, The Irishman), and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jay Cocks (The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York) as they reflect on their groundbreaking Cole Porter musical biopic De-Lovely, which explored the complicated man behind some of the world's most brilliant and beloved songs.

High Maintenance, the critically acclaimed series that made the leap from web series to TV in 2012 and now in its fourth season, was recently hailed as one of 2019's "Best Shows of 2019" by The New Yorker. Created by Katja Blichfeld (Emmy®-winning casting director of 30 Rock) and Ben Sinclair (Maniac, Home Again), the series centers around The Guy, a marijuana dealer who traverses the city on his bicycle, to connect a variety of distinctly authentic, empathetic, and insightful stories about the New York community, including his own. Join Sinclair, Blichfeld, and their fellow executive producer Russell Gregory, along with a behind-the-scenes discussion about this highly loving and original show.

HBO's The Plot Against America with David Simon, Zoe Kazan, Winona Ryder, Morgan Spector and John Turturro Simon and cast members will sit for a conversation after a screening of the first hour of the six-part miniseries, which premiered on March 16. The conversation is moderated by NPR's Peter Sagal. Set in 1940s New Jersey, The Plot Against America imagines an alternate American history in which the aviation hero beats F.D.R., reaches a neutrality agreement with Hitler, and leads a government program of gradually escalating anti-Semitism. At the heart of the story are Bess and Herman Levin, two young parents grappling with what Roth called "the terror of the unforeseen" and striving to protect their sons from an increasingly hostile environment that threatens to rupture their family, their community and their country.

You've watched countless hours of the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen on YouTube. Now catch them IRL. Join Adam Rapoport in conversation with Andy Baraghani, Brad Leone, Carla Lalli Music, Chris Morocco, Christina Chaey, Claire Saffitz, Gaby Melian, Molly Baz, Priya Krishna, and Sohla El-Waylly to hear firsthand what it's really like to work inside the BA Test Kitchen, share behind-the-scenes stories, and the lessons they've learned along the way. The conversation was recorded on February 27, 2020 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld joins the film and television director Barry Sonnenfeld, to launch his new memoir, Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker. Outrageous and hilarious, the book traces Sonnenfeld's idiosyncratic upbringing in New York City, his breaking into film as a cinematographer with the Coen brothers, and his unexpected career as the director behind such huge film franchises as The Addams Family and Men in Black, and beloved work like Get Shorty, Pushing Daisies, and A Series of Unfortunate Events. The conversation was recorded on March 8, 2020 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Award-winning producer and writer Richie Jackson and Netflix's Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski discuss Jackson's new book, Gay Like Me: A Father Writes to His Son, with an introduction by Jordan Roth. Jackson reflects on his life as a gay man and compares it to the world his 18-year-old gay son is growing up in now. Being gay is a gift, Jackson says, but with its gains in jeopardy, the gay community must not be complacent. The conversation was recorded on January 29, 2020 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Edie Falco discusses her acclaimed career and her new role as the title character of CBS's new series, Tommy, with Michelle Miller. Falco is already generating buzz for her nuanced portrayal of the first female chief of the LAPD––a character navigating between her job in a male-dominated field, a fractured relationship with her estranged adult daughter and her life in the LGBTQ community. The conversation was recorded on February 5, 2020 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Noah Centineo discusses his breakout role in Netflix's To All The Boys I've Loved Before and its sequel To All the Boys: PS I Still Love You with Evan Real. The conversation was recorded on January 24, 2020 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Ezra Klein, the co-founder of Vox, discusses his groundbreaking new book, Why We're Polarized, with bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell. Their conversation explores how and why American politics have become polarized around identity, why the system has become so toxic, why we participate in it, and what it means for our future. The conversation was recorded on January 30, 2020 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

The stars of Outlander - Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, and Richard Rankin - are joined by author Diana Gabaldon and moderator Julie Kosin from ELLE magazine to discuss the trajectory of the series so far, adapting the story from Gabaldon's beloved books, stories from behind the scenes, and much more. The conversation was recorded on February 11, 2020 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Ariel Foxman interviews Academy Award-winning writer and director of Fox Searchlight's Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi, and the film's producer Carthew Neal about their brilliant and darkly hilarious World War II satire. Waititi and Neal discuss the film's nomination for a Best Picture Academy Award, the joys of making anti-Nazi comedy, stories from behind the scenes, and much more. The conversation was recorded on January 30, 2020 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Moderator Annette Insdorf interviews Jonathan Pryce and director Fernando Meirelles about their Netflix film, The Two Popes. Pryce plays Pope Francis –– a liberal humanist from Argentina –– alongside Anthony Hopkins as his conservative predecessor Pope Benedict. The conversation was recorded on December 17, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Zadie Smith, beloved author of White Teeth, On Beauty, NW and Swing Time, reads from her first book of short fiction, Grand Union, and sits for a conversation with fellow novelist Jennifer Egan. The conversation was recorded on December 5, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Superstar chef and fresh food champion Jamie Oliver brings his signature effervescence and passion for pure, unprocessed, flavor-packed food as he talks with Carla Hall about his book, Ultimate Veg. From burgers and fritters to gorgeous curries to pies and bakes, Oliver shares his recipes, tips, and philosophy that veg-based food is no longer an "alternative" –– it's for us all. The conversation was recorded on January 7, 2020 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Greta Gerwig discusses her film Little Women with Reel Pieces moderator Annette Insdorf. Gerwig received Oscar nominations for directing and writing Lady Bird, which starred Saoirse Ronan –– who also plays the spirited Jo March in this fresh adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel. The conversation was recorded on December 21, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

The artist KAWS discusses his process, his influences, his approach to creating art and merchandise, his collaborations with global brands, and more with Sam Shikiar. KAWS' prolific body of influential work straddles the worlds of art and design to include paintings, murals, graphic and product design, street art, and large-scale sculptures. The conversation was recorded on November 21, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Radhika Jones, Marie Brenner, and Tina Brown take a penetrating look at the last 35 years of Vanity Fair stories on women by women, as revealed in a new book, Women on Women, edited by Radhika Jones. They examine everyone from Gloria Steinem to Princess Diana to Michelle Obama to Lena Waithe –– as well as landmark essays on sexual harassment and #MeToo. The conversation was recorded on December 12, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Iconic actress Laura Dern sits down with film critic Caryn James for a wide-ranging conversation spanning her remarkable career –– including two of her newest projects, Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story and Greta Gerwig's Little Women. The conversation was recorded on December 1, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Former FBI Director James Comey and New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter James Stewart sit down for a conversation about the unprecedented battle between the presidency and the FBI. Building upon analysis laid out in Stewart's new book, Deep State, they discuss the President's obsession with conspiracy theories, its impact on our democracy, the future of our intelligence agencies, and the rule of law itself. The conversation was recorded on December 2, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning star of the Netflix series The Politician, Ben Platt, discusses his life and career so far with Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and activist Judith Light. The conversation was recorded on October 2, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Actor Robert De Niro discusses the first monograph to fully explore his father's artistic oeuvre, Robert De Niro, Sr.: Paintings, Drawings, and Writings: 1942–1993 with art historian Robert Storr. The conversation was recorded on October 7, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Legendary actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg sits down with Bevy Smith for a warm and intimate talk about her new book, The Unqualified Hostess: I Do It My Way So You Can Too! The conversation was recorded on November 14, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Acclaimed producer, songwriter and performer Maggie Rogers speaks with founder of Rookie magazine Tavi Gevinson in a wide-ranging conversation about her critically-acclaimed major label debut album, Heard It in a Past Life. The conversation was recorded on October 3, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

A conversation with creator Ryan Murphy and the cast of the darkly hilarious new series The Politician—including Ben Platt, Lucy Boynton, Julia Schlaepfer, Theo Germaine, Rahne Jones, Laura Dreyfuss and Jessica Lange. Murphy and the cast discuss the genesis of the show, what a high school election can teach us about US politics in 2019, stories from behind the scenes and much more.

Jameela Jamil sits down with writer Ashley C. Ford for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about her role on the hit NBC show The Good Place and her work as founder of I Weigh—an internet community working toward radical inclusivity for generation Z and underrepresented communities everywhere. The conversation was recorded on September 26, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses his new book, Letters from an Astrophysicist, with Radiolab host Robert Krulwich. Every year, Tyson receives thousands of letters from people across the globe who have sought him out in search of answers to questions about science, faith, philosophy, life and, of course, Pluto. His replies are by turns wise, funny and mind-blowing. The conversation was recorded on October 11, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof sits down with Congressman Adam Schiff, Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. They discuss the issues behind today's biggest news stories including the investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 election and its implications for 2020, the release of the Mueller report, and more. The conversation was recorded on October 14, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

New York Times-bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell discusses his new book, Talking to Strangers, with Jelani Cobb. Upending our fundamental assumptions about trust and deception, Gladwell makes a fresh, illuminating argument that our longstanding cultural assumptions about communication and familiarity are due for an update in 2019 and beyond. The conversation was recorded on September 27, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Wharton psychologist Adam Grant and his wife Allison Sweet Grant, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, sit down with Susan Cain to discuss their new book, The Gift Inside the Box. They share what they've learned from psychology evidence and personal experience about how we can care for others and ourselves, teach that value to kids, and prepare them to lead lives of meaning. The conversation was recorded on October 1, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Jillian Bell discusses the making of her new film, Brittany Runs a Marathon, how the role came her way, and much more with Kate McKinnon. The conversation was recorded on August 22, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Brent Smith, Zach Myers and Eric Bass of the multi-platinum, chart-topping band Shinedown sit down with comedian Chris Porter to talk about their new album, Attention Attention, and much more. The conversation was recorded on September 12, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Emmy-winning stand-up comedian Josh Gondelman discusses his new book, Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results, a hilarious laundry list of attempts to do the right thing, with fellow comic Aparna Nancherla. The conversation was recorded on September 15, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Preet Bharara, former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, discusses his new book, Doing Justice, about how our justice system works and why we need to find the humanity in our legal system and our society, with Jeff Greenfield. The conversation was recorded on June 6, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Emmy-nominated Billy Porter and Ryan Murphy, co-creater of Pose on FX, discuss how the series came to be and why it's shaping into a classic tale for our times. The conversation was recorded on August 13, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

The cast and creator of Netflix's Dear White People, including Justin Simien, Logan Browning, Antoinette Robertson and Ashley Blaine Featherson, discuss the new season of the hit series with BuzzFeed's Sylvia Obell. The conversation was recorded on July 29, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Lawyer and writer Linda Hirshman discusses her new book, Reckoning: The Epic Battle Against Sexual Abuse and Harassment, with author and New York magazine contributor Rebecca Traister. The conversation was recorded on June 19, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Comedian Julio Torres sits down with Fred Armisen to discuss his offbeat new special, My Favorite Shapes, his work on SNL, HBO's Los Espookys, and much more. The conversation was recorded on August 1, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling discuss the reboot of Beverly Hills, 90210, the show that helped define '90s TV, with Jessica Shaw, the host of EW Live on SiriusXM. The conversation was recorded on August 5, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Heidi Schreck, the whip-smart playwright and star of the Broadway hit What the Constitution Means to Me, sits down with Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe and award-winning journalist Dahlia Lithwick to discuss what the Constitution means today and how the play has brought it to life. The conversation was recorded on July 28, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Award-winning actress Shailene Woodley discusses her role in HBO's Big Little Lies and more with SELF editor-in-chief Carolyn Kylstra. The conversation was recorded on June 10, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Bestselling author David Epstein—who has studied the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters, and scientists—sits down with Malcolm Gladwell to discuss his new book, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. The conversation was recorded on May 30, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, founders of the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, discuss the future of money with Bitcoin Billionaires author Ben Mezrich and the Wall Street Journal's Paul Vigna. The conversation was recorded on July 9, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

We go into our archives for a special reading of Howard Zinn's A Young People's History of the United States, highlighting the words of America's youngest rebels, dissenters and visionaries. In addition to Zinn, speakers include Tim Robbins, Amber Tamblyn, Staceyann Chin, and more. The event was recorded on May 13, 2009 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.