Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
A New York Times columnist maps the future of politics, culture, and faith through challenging interviews with influential and controversial figures.
This is a long-form interview show where a prominent conservative intellectual stress-tests the ideas of authors, politicians, and entrepreneurs. Douthat applies a consistent framework of tradition, faith, and institutional skepticism to contemporary issues. A unique feature is the use of speculative, fictional interviews with real public figures (like J.D. Vance as Vice President) to explore hypothetical scenarios in depth.
“The host's specific Catholic intellectual lens, which he applies to everything from psychedelics to geopolitics, is a defining feature. The show's most unusual trait is its use of explicitly fictional scenarios, allowing for a unique exploration of ideas and character that a conventional interview could not.”
Who hosts this show
Ross Douthat is an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times who hosts this weekly podcast to map the new world order through interviews and conversations. A graduate of Harvard and a convert to Catholicism, he uses his distinct intellectual framework to probe guests on complex topics, from foreign policy and cultural shifts to theology and metaphysics. The show is a production of New York Times Opinion.
Credentials & credits
- Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times
- Author
- Film Critic, National Review
- Senior Fellow, Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs (2023-2024)
- B.A. magna cum laude, Harvard University
- Former Senior Editor, The Atlantic
Other ventures
- The New York Times
- National Review
- The Atlantic
When new episodes drop
- 01How the Internet Polarizes Men and WomenJun 26, 2026 · 3 min
- 02How the Sexual Revolution Brought Us Tradwives | Interesting Times with Ross DouthatJun 25, 2026 · 54 min
- 03JD Vance: ‘I’m Not Fighting With the Pope’ | Interesting Times with Ross DouthatJun 19, 2026 · 3 min
- 04
- 05‘I Met God’ | Interesting Times with Ross DouthatJun 13, 2026 · 3 min
- 06
- 07
- 08
Notable episodes
- 01JD Vance on the Morality of the Trump Administration
A prime example of the show's unique use of a fictional premise, interviewing J.D. Vance as a sitting Vice President to explore the morality and realpolitik of a hypothetical second Trump term.
- 02How the Sexual Revolution Brought Us Tradwives
Demonstrates Douthat's method of engaging with contemporary cultural criticism, challenging guest Louise Perry's "reactionary feminist" thesis from multiple angles.
- 03‘I Met God’ (with Christian Angermayer)
Showcases the host's direct engagement with metaphysical and theological questions, pressing a guest on his claim of meeting God through psychedelics and introducing the possibility of spiritual danger.
What you'll be asked on this show
Douthat's interviews are built on deep research, opening with a detailed premise that often highlights a perceived irony or contradiction he wants the guest to resolve. He probes by directly challenging a guest's denials ("Why is that not a fair assessment?") or by presenting well-reasoned counter-arguments, effectively playing devil's advocate. When faced with abstract or spiritual claims, he persistently pushes for concrete descriptions (e.g., "Sir, this is a podcast, everything is describable"). A signature move is to introduce a theological or metaphysical framework, asking about the spiritual dangers of psychedelics or the Christian nature of a political administration. He also occasionally makes the conversation personal, revealing his own connection to a guest's story.
The show is a one-on-one interview format. Douthat begins by laying out a detailed, well-researched premise, often framing the conversation around a perceived contradiction in the guest's work or public life. He is politely confrontational, frequently playing devil's advocate to elicit a more robust defense from his guests.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
12 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
controversy
4- Q.01
“How did you, a [specific identity], end up in this seemingly contradictory situation?”
This is a frequent opening move, used to frame the entire conversation around a central tension or irony in the guest's life.
- Q.02
“Do you think it's possible to open that door and have something dangerous waiting on the other side?”
He often introduces a theological or metaphysical counterpoint, questioning the purely positive narrative of a new technology or experience.
- Q.03
“Isn't [your achievement] actually establishing a new [negative consequence]?”
He uses this to play devil's advocate, reframing a guest's purported success as a potential long-term failure.
- Q.04
“What do you make of the [current cultural phenomenon, e.g., tradwives]?”
This connects the guest's specific ideas to a broader, trending topic in the culture.
origin
2- Q.01
“Make the case for [your book's central argument].”
He asks this early to have the guest state their core thesis, which he then spends the interview scrutinizing.
- Q.02
“Could you talk about what your religious upbringing offered you?”
This question opens the door to a guest's personal history and origin story, particularly around faith.
process
1- Q.01
“What is the critique of this new world order you're describing?”
After a guest outlines a system, he asks for the counter-argument to explore the idea's weaknesses.
values
1- Q.01
“What is [Christian/moral quality] about your [political administration or project]?”
This question directly connects a guest's political actions to their professed faith or moral framework.
personal
2- Q.01
“Tell me what [an ineffable experience like meeting God] was actually like.”
He presses guests to provide concrete descriptions for abstract, spiritual, or mystical claims.
- Q.02
“Talk about how you became a [different identity, e.g., non-believer].”
He uses this to trace the guest's intellectual and personal evolution away from their roots.
advice
1- Q.01
“What advice would you give a young person approaching [a specific life challenge] today?”
He asks this to ground the guest's abstract ideas in practical, actionable advice.
backstory
1- Q.01
“What was the [historical movement or debate] and why didn't it succeed?”
This question seeks historical context for a present-day argument, often focusing on failed intellectual movements.
Signature segments
- · Fictional interviews with real public figures
- · Framing interviews around a central contradiction
- · Applying a theological lens to secular topics
- · Playing devil's advocate
- · Host self-referentially mentions the show's title
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically authors, academics, politicians, and tech entrepreneurs with a strong, often controversial, thesis about the world. Douthat books people who are actively shaping culture and policy, from "reactionary feminist" writers to biotech investors and high-ranking (sometimes fictional) political figures.
- Louise Perryon How the Sexual Revolution Brought Us Tradwives | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
- JD Vanceon JD Vance on the Morality of the Trump Administration | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
- Christian Angermayeron Better Sex, Better Hair, Better Sleep: ‘Human-Maxxing’ is Here | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
- Anna Paulina Lunaon Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Is Done With Government Secrets | Interesting Times With Ross Douthat
- Christian Broseon How A.I. and Autonomous Weapons Will Shape Future War | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
No sponsors or advertisements were detected in the provided evidence; the podcast is a New York Times Opinion production and likely supported by the newspaper's subscription model.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host of Interesting Times?
- The host is Ross Douthat, a long-time Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times and author of several books on politics, religion, and society.
- What is the format of the podcast?
- It is a weekly long-form interview show. A unique feature is its occasional use of explicitly fictional interviews with real people to explore hypothetical scenarios.
- Are the interviews with J.D. Vance real?
- No, the episodes featuring J.D. Vance as Vice President are explicitly fictional thought experiments where he is playing a role to explore potential future events.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, it is an active podcast that releases new episodes weekly on Thursdays.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on The New York Times website and app, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
- What makes this podcast different from other political interview shows?
- Its distinctiveness comes from the host's specific conservative and Catholic intellectual framework, and its unique format of conducting speculative, fictional interviews with real-world figures.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Ross Douthat - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- [02]Ross Douthat - The New York Timesnytimes.com
- [03]Interesting Times with Ross Douthat - YouTubeyoutube.com
- [04]Interesting Times with Ross Douthat - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [05]Ross Douthat - Yale Jackson School of Global Affairsjackson.yale.edu
- [06]Ross Douthat's Profile | Muck Rackmuckrack.com
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