Past Due with Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle
Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle · Ana Marie Cox, Open Mike Eagle, and Andrew Steven
Show overview
Past Due with Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle has been publishing since 2017, and across the 9 years since has built a catalogue of 341 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode. That works out to roughly 330 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 49 min and 1h 7m — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. Roughly 32% of episodes carry an explicit flag from the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Society & Culture show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 days ago, with 19 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2018, with 50 episodes published. Published by Ana Marie Cox, Open Mike Eagle, and Andrew Steven.
From the publisher
Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle explore what it takes to survive as a creative today. From juggling side gigs to redefining success, we dive into the real stories behind making a living when one job just isn’t enough
Latest Episodes
View all 341 episodesCan You Win Three Emmys and Still Wonder If the Check Will Clear? with W. Kamau Bell
What If Your Biggest Client Has Never Heard of Your Other Career? with Kim Newmoney
Past Due Turns One, Pt 2
Past Due Turns One, Pt. 1
Is the Garage Is Better Than the Studio? with Chris Gethard
How Do You Build Something That Lasts? with Adam Gurri
Adam Gurri, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal Currents, joins us to talk about eight years of building a publication nobody paid him to make, and what happened when the world finally caught up. We get into how you raise half a million dollars from a community you built on trust, what it actually costs to pay yourself in New York City without betraying your principles, and why the most important job in journalism right now might be the one nobody sees: editing. Get more at patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What If You Never Have to Quit Your Day Job? with Chandler Dean
Comedian and speechwriter Chandler Dean joins us to talk about building a streaming show without burning down his career to do it. We get into why keeping a day job might be the most radical creative decision you can make, how Abolish Everything went from a monthly live show to the Nebula's most-watched new series, and why deadline-based work is secretly a gift. Get more at patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Can Improv Fix Your Career? Your Relationship? Your Life? with Marry Holland and Matt Newell
Actors and comedians Mary Holland and Matt Newell survived the WGA strike, the SAG strike, and a newborn... more or less simultaneously. They join Ana and Mike to talk about what going all-in on a creative life actually looks like, what improv teaches you about listening, and what happens when there is no plan B.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is Everythign Actually Food? with Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl
Six-time James Beard Award-winning food critic Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl joins Ana and Mike to make the case that food isn't a soft beat, it's the whole story. From ICE raids gutting Twin Cities restaurants to the real wage gap hiding in daycare costs, Dara connects the dots between what's on your plate and everything that actually matters. She also gets into why there are fewer working restaurant critics in America than prima ballerinas and what non-competes do to creative careers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Was the Serious Version of You Holding You Back? with Ben Collins
Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, joins Ana and Mike to talk about what happens when you stop trying to fit into a box, and accidentally end up running one of the biggest newspapers in America. From burning out covering extremism at NBC News to buying The Onion for less than you'd expect, Ben gets into what it actually cost him to bottle up his personality on cable news, and why the humans-first approach is what's saving the thing he loves. Get more at patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What Does It Cost to Finally Feel Safe? with Lilan Bowden
Actress and comedian Lilan Bowden joins us to talk about what it actually feels like to come out the other side, and why financial safety doesn't automatically mean financial peace. From barista shifts and transcription gigs to booking a Disney Channel series, Lilan gets honest about the bills she still can't bring herself to open, the shame that kept her moving forward, and what it means to build a life around brunch when you used to skip toothpaste. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ana and Mike Write Ghost Stories
Ana and Mike try to untangle the pure joy of making art from the exhausting pressure of creating for survival. Mike admits he's pushing all his chips into survival mode and can't afford a break, while Ana discusses the elusive practice of emotional sobriety and letting go of the outcome. Get more at patreon.com/pastdue and help support the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Do You Build Your Own Thing Within the "Mothership"? with Jamelle Bouie
New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie joins Ana and Mike to discuss the dismantling of legacy media by billionaire owners and the myth of the “Democratic Joe Rogan”. Jamelle also opens up about the intersection of luck and frugality that allowed him to build financial stability early in his career and how he now balances his work for "the mothership" with his own independent creative outlets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What If Fear Is What Keeps You Working? with Xochitl Gonzalez
Despite writing bestsellers and landing a Reese’s Book Club pick, Xochitl Gonzalez opens up about the lingering shame of precarity, the invisibility of working-class success, and why we need to drag money talk out into the light. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is Joy a Better Goal Than Fame? with Jonah Ray
Jonah Ray joins us to talk about finding joy in creative work after letting go of the version of success he once chased. From DIY punk to rebooting MST3K, Jonah reflects on what happens when you stop waiting for permission and start making the stuff you actually want to see. We get into the fear of going unnoticed, and why it’s still worth it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is Any Job Actually Safe? with Devin Field
Comedian Devin Field has one of the rarest things in Hollywood: a full-time, year-round job. But even that didn’t protect him from the chaos of the past few years. From presidential threats to network pullouts to a brutal WGA strike, Devin opens up about what it’s like when late-night comedy is under siege—and how he’s learning to navigate the myth of hustle culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ana and Mike Don’t Quit
Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle kick off the year with a conversation about survival in a collapsing media economy. They get into dry January, capitalism, self-promotion, YouTube pivots, and what it means to keep showing up even when the numbers don’t add up. Plus: the upside of YouTube thumbnails, the reality of reporting on a shoestring, and why, in a world that wants you to give up, persistence might be the most radical act of all. Support the show: patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What If Merit Was Never the Metric? with Karen K. Ho
Journalist Karen K. Ho joins us to talk about what it really means to navigate the creative economy as an immigrant, a freelancer, and a former "success story." We talk about the myth of meritocracy, the emotional and financial toll of precarity after grad school, and the difference between community and networking when your visa—and your future—are on the line. Karen shares how ADHD, burnout, and the invisibility of care shaped her path, and why finding the right support system might matter more than any byline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What If You’re Still Becoming the Person You Want to Be? with Baron Vaughn
Comedian, actor, and writer Baron Vaughn joins us for a deeply personal conversation about what it means to rewrite your story while you’re still living inside it. We talk about growing up with scarcity, the trauma of survival-mode success, the work behind the work, and why healing is harder when the industry expects your pain to be punchlines. Get more a patreon.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What Even Is a Viable Career Anymore? with Paul F. Tompkins
Comedian and actor Paul F. Tompkins opens up about career insecurity, creative joy, and why the secret to survival in a crumbling industry might just be doing it yourself. If you want to hear more from today’s conversation with Paul F. Tompkins, including his dumbest money decision ever and the surprisingly smart investment he made that paid off big, join us at patreon.com/pastdue. You’ll get exclusive extras, extended interviews, and first dibs on upcoming surprises. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices