"Now What?" Best of 2025
Now What? With Carole Zimmer
It hasn’t been a great year when it comes to treating our fellow human beings with dignity and respect. But it's been a great year for talking to extraordinary people on “Now What?” Larry Charles is a true character who wore his pajamas to work and directed Sacha Baron Cohen in the movie Borat. Along with Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman was a hilarious member of the original cast of Saturday Night Live which just celebrated its 50th season. Alison Bechdel, the gifted graphic novelist of Fun Home, has a lot to say about living the life of a gay boomer...
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A Conversation with Gabrielle Hamilton
Now What? With Carole Zimmer
Gabrielle Hamilton’s father always told his five kids they had to do something practical with their lives and whatever they did, they had to be excellent at it. Mediocrity was a family sin. In 1999 Hamilton opened Prune, a 30-seat restaurant in the East Village, to rave reviews. She was honored with a James Beard award for Best Chef in New York City in 2011, followed by Outstanding Chef in 2018. Hamilton was also featured on the PBS series The Mind of a Chef. She realized her dream of becoming a writer with her best-selling memoir Blood, Bones and Butter. Now, she’s got...
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A Conversation with Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull
Now What? With Carole Zimmer
Calvin Duncan grew up in the ninth ward in New Orleans. His mother died when he was very young. He stole food so he’d have enough to eat. When he was 19, Duncan was arrested for allegedly killing a man during a robbery. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, spending more than 28 years in Angola, Louisiana’s notorious state penitentiary. That’s when Duncan began studying law. In 2011, he was released from prison and at the age of 60, Duncan graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School. He’s just scored another first. This November, Calvin Duncan was...
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A Conversation with Laraine Newman
Now What? With Carole Zimmer
Picture this. It was my first job in radio. I decided to do a series about women and comedy. The idea coincided with the birth of Saturday Night Live. The first interview: Gilda Radner. We sat on the floor, right across from Studio 8H where the show is still performed. Gilda told me all about what life is like when you become an overnight star. Then I talked to Jane Curtin about people asking her for autographs when she walked her dog. Somehow, in those years I missed talking to Laraine Newman. But I finally just caught up with her. And she’s the star of this episode. It's an outrageous...
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A Conversation with E. Jean Carroll
Now What? With Carole Zimmer
E. Jean Carroll is a brave woman. In 2019, she sued Donald Trump for calling her a liar after she went public with the accusation that he had raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room. There was a second trial. This one was about defamation and sexual abuse. Juries in both cases found Donald Trump guilty. E. Jean Carroll was awarded more than $88 million in damages. Now, President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the judgement that he defamed and sexually abused her. She’s written a book about the court proceedings called Not My Type. We talk about resistance, trauma...
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A Conversation with Paul Krugman
Now What? With Carole Zimmer
Paul Krugman is proud of his accomplishments including being chosen as the sole winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to new trade theory. When it comes to trade, Krugman is no fan of President Trump’s tariffs. And President Trump is no fan of Paul Krugman. Trump has called Krugman a “deranged bum,” a description Krugman considers a great honor. After 25 years as a columnist for the New York Times, Krugman decided to leave the paper and go out on his own. He now writes a newsletter on Substack where he has about 400,000 subscribers. We talk about...
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A Conversation With Jake Tapper
Now What? With Carole Zimmer
Jake Tapper anchors several programs on CNN including the Sunday morning public affairs show State of the Union. Tapper has been reporting on politics at the network for more than 12 years. He recently conducted a controversial text interview with President Trump. Tapper has written two books so far this year including the best seller Original Sin about Joe Biden’s mental and physical decline during his presidency. Tapper’s new book Race Against Terror is about a member of Al Qaeda who was tried in a U.S. criminal court for killing American troops in Afghanistan. We...
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A Conversation with James Comey (Re-Release)
Now What? With Carole Zimmer
Former FBI Director James Comey is at the top of President Donald Trump’s enemies list. Trump has made no secret of his dislike for Comey, who was in charge of the FBI probe that looked into whether Russia had interfered with the 2016 election. In May of 2017, Donald Trump fired Comey. The President has prodded the Justice Department to go after his political opponents. Now, Comey has been indicted for allegedly lying to Congress. Critics say the country has entered a dangerous phase in which the government is taking revenge on its political opponents. In August 2023, I spoke to James Comey...
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A Conversation with Robin Givhan
Now What? With Carole Zimmer
Virgil Abloh is a designer who broke the mold when it comes to the world of design. He had a degree in architecture, not fashion when he started out designing tee shirts. Kanye West became Virgil’s mentor at a time the rapper’s own career was taking off. Virgil went from designing streetwear to becoming the first Black artistic director of the French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton. Robin Givhan, a Pulitzer-prize winning Senior Critic-at-Large at the Washington Post was so fascinated by Virgil’s wide-ranging talent that she wrote a book about him called Make it Ours. We talk...
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A Conversation with Rax King
Now What? With Carole Zimmer
Rax King is a writer. Her first book of essays is called Tacky. Her new one is Sloppy. King prides herself on being a model of bad behavior. Name a vice and she’s got it: overspending, shoplifting from Brandy Melville, lying, former cocaine abuser. She likes to wear low cut tops to show off her numerous tattoos. A prominent ink decoration that curves around her neck says “I’ll go on.” It frames her Bitch necklace. King also co-hosts a podcast called Low Culture Boil which she describes as trash-themed. We talk about the allure of being a bad girl, why...
info_outlineGabrielle Hamilton’s father always told his five kids they had to do something practical with their lives and whatever they did, they had to be excellent at it. Mediocrity was a family sin. In 1999 Hamilton opened Prune, a 30-seat restaurant in the East Village, to rave reviews. She was honored with a James Beard award for Best Chef in New York City in 2011, followed by Outstanding Chef in 2018. Hamilton was also featured on the PBS series The Mind of a Chef. She realized her dream of becoming a writer with her best-selling memoir Blood, Bones and Butter. Now, she’s got a new book called Next of Kin. We talk about dysfunctional families and the pressures of life both inside and outside the kitchen. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.