Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps
Episodes
JUST JOSH: On Resilience
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Josh had a rough week. He shares his advice about how to live a resilient, productive life -- to himself as much as to you. This is a preview of ...
“What's Become of the Left?” with Prof. Clive Hamilton
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Does being "left-wing" mean giving everyone equal opportunities? Or does it mean elevating historically excluded groups like gays, trans folks and peo...
TALKBACK: How Josh Keeps His Poise… and Are Christians Under Attack?
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We opened up the webcams for a live Zoom talkback episode. We discuss fascinating news stories, Josh shares a private essay he wrote to his friends wh...
Wendy Harmer ‘On Being Australia’s Ricky Gervais'
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wendy Harmer is the most groundbreaking female comedian in Australia. She shattered the glass ceiling in the 1980s as a stand-up comic and TV host, be...
Jaron Lanier: "There's No Such Thing as Artificial 'Intelligence'"
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Silicon Valley, it's hard to overstate the significance of Jaron Lanier. He coined the term "virtual reality" and founded the first virtual reality...
THE PANEL: Taxpayer-Funded Prostitutes, Elon vs Australia, and Snakes in a Car with Claire Lehmann and Peter van Onselen
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why is the Australian government in a court battle with Elon Musk? Should taxpayers be paying for disabled Australians to hire hookers? Should campus ...
Simon Holmes à Court: Beyond Political Parties
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Could independent politicians kill off the two-party system and make politics more accountable? At the last Australian election, a decade of conser...
JUST JOSH: The Problem with the Conversation About Male Violence
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Australia is in the grip of a national reckoning about male violence against women. Last month, 11 women died at the hands of men, almost half of whom...
Meshel Laurie: Comedy, Cancellation, and Male Violence
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A legend of Australian comedy, Meshel Laurie has endured her share of woke social media pile-ons. The top-rating radio host, comedian and TV performer...
TALKBACK: Nuclear Energy, Men’s Violence & Gaza Protests
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We opened up the phones to field questions from the listeners for our first-ever live talkback episode. We discussed fascinating news stories as well ...
Steven Rinella, The MeatEater
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
He’s the man who introduced Joe Rogan to hunting. Steven Rinella hosts the long-running TV show and podcast MeatEater. He’s an outdoorsman, con...
"The Psychology of Time" with Prof. Joel Pearson on The Buzz
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's always a treat when Professor Joel Pearson stops by for The Buzz, to blow our minds about our minds. On this visit, Joel and Josh wrestle with...
JIMMY CARR: Comedy Legend
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jimmy Carr’s comedy career has spanned over two decades and seen him sell out arenas all over the world. Jimmy returns to Netflix with his latest st...
Douglas Murray LIVE: Sydney Matinee
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the first Uncomfortable Conversations live tour, Douglas Murray joined Josh in conversation on a sold-out five-city tour. This is the audio of the...
Eiynah: Josh vs Anti-Zionism
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Josh wanted to explore the perspective of a Western leftist who's been condemning Israel and who understands the Middle East. Eiynah is a Pakistani...
THE PANEL: Ben Fordham & Antoinette Lattouf
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sydney's #1 talk radio host, the legendary Ben Fordham, joins journalist, podcaster and explosive former ABC provocateur Antoinette Lattouf to debate ...
"Trans Rights vs Women's Rights" with the feminist being sued for her women's app, Sall Grover
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the Federal Court of Australia will hear a case with profound implications for women's rights and trans rights. It involves a women's app w...
JUST JOSH: Insights From A Tour
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody attended all seven live conversations with Douglas Murray. Nobody will ever hear them all. Except for Josh. Here, he brings you into the inn...
Douglas Murray LIVE: The Final Show
31 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the first Uncomfortable Conversations live tour, Douglas Murray joined Josh in conversation on a sold-out five-city tour. This is the audio of the...
PREMIUM PREVIEW: Douglas Murray LIVE Q&A
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Douglas Murray is one of the foremost conservative thinkers of our time. He's a journalist and author of numerous best-selling books who's appeared on...
"Why You're Misunderstood" with Charles Duhigg
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever feel apprehensive about speaking up? Are you ever misunderstood? Do you ever find other people evasive, or abrasive? The Pulitzer Prize...
POLITICS: The Future of Right & Left? with Australia's Best Political Analyst, Peter van Onselen
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is a preview of an episode for paid subscribers. What should we make of politics in the 2020s? Are we in an ascendant moment for the centre ...
PETER GARRETT: Rockstar Politician
17 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Garrett is one of the most iconic Australians. As the lead singer of Midnight Oil, he's had countless number one hits all over the world. He ent...
UNLOCKED PREMIUM: Racism & Sam Kerr
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can a non-white person be racist? Or is racism something only white people do? The beloved captain of Australia's national women's soccer team, Sam Ke...
JOSH IN NYC: The Fifth Column
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Josh left his ABC Radio show in December, keen observers recalled an appearance he'd made on the hugely popular US podcast The Fifth Column some ...
JUST JOSH: Is Josh a Zionist?
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday we released a preview of this paid episode. Due to the reaction to the full episode on the paid feed, we are re-releasing it here for free a...
"Indigenous Woo-Woo or Wisdom?" with Tyson Yunkaporta
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do we fetishise indigenous culture? Praising timeless First Nations wisdom makes us feel warm and fuzzy. But what do land acknowledgements, smoking ce...
JUST JOSH: Cancelling Douglas Murray
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Well, the knives are out. Later this month, Josh is touring Australia with the outspoken British journalist Douglas Murray. It's the first in a series...
"Worthless Twink" Tim Abbott: What's Wrong With Influencers
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Worthless Twink is one of the most prominent gays on Instagram. But he's not called that any more. Tim Abbott is reinventing himself as a meme art...
THE BUZZ: Tech & Science News About Being a Human Being
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Josh is joined by fan favourite Professor Joel Pearson, neuroscientist and psychologist, to discuss the biggest stories in technology... and how they'...
THE PANEL: Mardi Gras, Doxxing & Psychedelics
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Josh is joined on the panel couch by Courtney Act, one of the world’s most iconic drag queens (or, rather, by her even more captivating a...
"The Porn Star's Perspective" with Angela White
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Angela is Australia’s most successful adult film actress, and the most award-winning female porn star in history, anywhere. She graduated with First...
JUST JOSH: The Rise of Woke Snitches
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Anti-Zionist Instagram mums are on the hunt. They plan to expose secret WhatsApp messages where sniveling, bloodthirsty Jews like Josh plot. What’s ...
The Buzz: A Panel About the Future
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Neuralink brain implants. Apple Vision Pro virtual reality. Silicon Valley tech bros who plan to live forever. It’s been a big week in science and t...
The Intuition Toolkit with Prof Joel Pearson
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How does the moist grey meat between your ears create the kaleidoscope of sensations you experience as your life? How do other animals experience the ...
JUST JOSH: Why 2024 Will Rock
03 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The doomsayers are out in force, with plenty of gloomy prognostications for 2024. In this solo episode (also available on YouTube if you want to beho...
THE PANEL: Elon, Vapes & Lyin' Politicians
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Josh had a tradition on his radio show. Each Friday, he’d banter with two celebrities about the news. Well, behold this first-ever inaugural grand h...
James Kirchick: Is Hate Speech OK?
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Should swastikas be banned? Should you be allowed to chant “Palestinians are terrorists”? What about “trans women aren’t women”? Or “Covid...
Reflections on Australia Day
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, January 26th, is Australia's national day. It's hugely controversial, being the anniversary of the British Empire's arrival on indigenous land....
Elie Honig: Will Trump Go To Jail?
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Elie Honig used to prosecute the mafia in New York City. Now he’s CNN’s senior Legal analyst. As a seasoned prosecutor of organised crime, he help...
Meg Smaker: Rehabilitating Terrorists
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meg made an astonishing documentary about Guantanamo terrorists who were released into a de-radicalisation program in Saudi Arabia. Then her film, The...
Nigel Biggar: Was The British Empire Good?
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When we accuse a country of being a "coloniser", it's meant as a bad thing. But what if colonialism is okay? What if the British Empire was, on balanc...
David Baddiel: The Jew Problem
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are Jews a minority? Do they deserve the same social-justice protections as other identity groups? Or are they white—perhaps even the “whitest” ...
Premium: Surviving Christmas Dinner with Gary Kennedy
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How long can ham sit on the Christmas table before you shouldn’t eat it? Can fried rice kill you? Can you store butter out of the fridge? Why did Jo...
Robert Sapolsky: Is Free Will An Illusion?
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How would your life change if you found out, beyond all doubt, that you're a robot? What if nothing you’ve ever done was your own free choice? What ...
BONUS: Why Jews Are Literally Nazis - Reflections on a Collapsing Conversation
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, over 3,200 of Josh’s arts-industry colleagues are engaging in a Palestinian Day of Action, wearing Palestinian scarves during performances na...
Peter McCormack: Digital Currencies & Spy States
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a future of digital spying, inflationary economies, incompetent central banks and petty authoritarians, could Bitcoin be the guarantee of all your ...
David Pakman: How's America Doing?
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
David Pakman is a progressive American political commentator who hosts one of the world’s most popular left-wing talk shows, with over 1.8 million s...
Premium: Ask Me Anything
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's a LOT going on in the Uncomfy Convo world. You probably have a lot of questions. I'm here to answer them.
Paul Bloom: Against Empathy
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What's wrong with empathy? Is effective altruism better? How did you develop your sense of right and wrong? Is suffering necessary for pleasure? These...
Bari Weiss: Quitting The Mainstream Media
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yippee-ki-yay, Josh has quit his ABC Radio show to double down on Uncomfortable Conversations. Starting in the new year, you'll get additional free ep...
Brian Dunning: What Are UFOs?
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Brian Dunning is an expert on critical thinking, science and skepticism. His weekly podcast, Skeptoid, debunks conspiracy theories, and his new film i...
Greg Lukianoff & Rikki Schlott: The Cancelling of the American Mind
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can you work at a corporation or university and openly contradict elite opinion? Can you freel y suggest that gender is binary, land acknowledgments a...
Julia Zemiro: Australian Legend
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to sustain a career in the performing arts? Julia Zemiro is one of Australia’s most beloved perfomers. An actor, improv comic and ...
BONUS: Should Israel Exist At All?
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Josh shares fresh thoughts on Gaza, Palestine and Israel in this special bonus episode. To subscribe to the premium podcast feed, hit the Substack pag...
Eli Lake: Gaza & Israel
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eli Lake is the former senior national security correspondent for The Daily Beast and Newsweek. He’s a contributing editor to Commentary Magazine an...
Marcus Walker: Are We Handing Putin Victory?
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How are you feeling about the war in Ukraine? We may be at a fork in the road and about to blow it. The Wall Street Journal's Marcus Walker recently r...
BONUS: Josh's thoughts on Israel & Gaza
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I’ve been asked many times about my thoughts on situation in Israel and Gaza…. So here they are.
Jack Latimore: What The Voice Referendum Really Means
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On October 14th, Australians will vote about whether to recognise the country’s First Peoples in the Constitution by establishing a body called the ...
The Fifth Column Guys: LIVE FROM NEW YORK
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Josh is in New York, where he just stopped by the studios of one of America’s greatest podcasts, The Fifth Column, to record this special crossover ...
Premium: Dan Savage “The World Before Gay Marriage"
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A long, long time ago, The Gays couldn’t marry. What was it like in that mediaeval nightmare? The world’s most popular sex advice columnist, Dan S...
Steve Stewart-Williams: The Ape That Understood The Universe
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are there biological differences between male and female brains? How much of what you do is dictated by evolution? As a part of our Permission To Thin...
Bonus: Josh's Thoughts on The Voice
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Australians are about to vote on whether to change the constitution to create a special advisory body for Indigenous Australians. Is it an overdue for...
Yascha Mounk: The Identity Trap
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yascha Mounk is one of the world’s most interesting thinkers about diversity, liberalism and democracy. His new book, The Identity Trap, is an ambit...
Amna Khalid: Campus Craziness
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Has Louis CK reeeeeeally been “cancelled” if he still has a face? I mean, he wasn’t beheaded, ergo, “cancel culture” doesn’t exist. Amna K...
Antony Loewenstein: Is Israel Immoral?
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is Zionism a noble goal, or a form of colonial apartheid? Is a two-state solution possible? Desirable? Antony Loewenstein is a fierce critic of Israel...
Premium: My Thoughts on Barbie
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is Barbie the triumphant feminist critique of modern society it claims to be? The dust has settled on the mega-hit, so Josh finds some time to weigh-i...
Premium: Australia vs America with Ed Kavalee
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Kavalee is a legend of Aussie radio, and a bloody funny bloke. Josh and Ed sit down to compare the best and worst of Australia vs America.
Toby Walsh: Your Wild A.I. Future
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s being compared to the discovery of fire or of electricity. Either way, artificial intelligence will revolutionise human civilisation. How? Toby...
Premium: How Josh Quit Booze
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Josh used to drink a lot, and now he doesn't. One of the most frequently asked questions on our Ask Me Anythings, is how and why he quit. It deserves ...
David Volodzko: Fired For a Tweet
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“If you’re explaining, you’re losing,” said Ronald Reagan, who never had to explain himself to a baying Twitter mob. Respected journalist Davi...
Mark Normand: Comedy In An Age Of Cancel Culture
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jerry Seinfeld personally chose Mark Normand to be his opening act. He’s a favourite of Joe Rogan and has appeared on CONAN, the Tonight Show & ...
Cory Clark: Why We're Tribal
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you more forgiving of people you agree with than those you don’t? Have humans evolved to favour our own kind, to avoid ostracism, and to gain so...
Premium: When Josh Met Russell Brand
30 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a TV interview that put Josh on the map, Russell Brand shows up at Josh’s New York studio for the wildest ride of Josh’s life. Nipples are twea...
Destiny: Owning Right Wing Trolls
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Destiny, aka The Omni Liberal, aka Steven Bonnell is the debater who most terrifies right-wing trolls on Twitter. He was among the first people in the...
Premium: Sean Szeps - Not Like Other Dads
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Josh's husband Sean’s memoir Not Like Other Dads was released in early June and has been a raging success. For this premium episode, they sit down a...
"Who Killed Creativity?" with Andrew & Gaia Grant
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew & Gaia Grant study the world’s biggest companies and coach them to be nimbler, more creative, and more diverse. How did we get so uncreat...
"The Next Level of Comedy" with Myq Kaplan
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Myq is a New York comic who’s been on the Tonight Show, Conan, Letterman, James Corden, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, and Americ...
"What Hitchens Would Make of the Left" with Matt Johnson
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Despite his reputation as a defector to neoconservatism, Christopher Hitchens was more faithfully committed to liberal principles than many on the lef...
Premium: Travel Hacking 101
01 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Josh is a travel hacker and aviation nerd. He's one of those people who knows all the ways to get as many frequent flyer miles as possible, and cash t...
"The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling" with Megan Phelps-Roper
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Megan Phelps-Roper was brought up in one of the most hated sects of American Christianity – the Westborough Baptist Church. Now, she sits down with ...
Premium: Ask Me Anything - Fitness, Ukraine, Gender Ideology & A.I.
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Josh answers all your questions about A.I., fitness, Ukraine, gender ideology, and vacationing in Europe in winter.
"RFK, Joe Rogan & Vaccines" with Michael Shermer
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr blew up the internet when he pushed anti-vaccine claims on Joe Rogan’s show. It’s déjà vu all over ag...
Premium: Josh's First Podcast - The Dawn of #WeThePeople LIVE
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On a summer night in Brooklyn in 2015, in the week when Trump descended a staircase to declare his ridiculous stunt candidacy for the Republican nomin...
"Untangling Wokeness" with Sarah Haider
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Haider is a Pakistani-American writer and a ferociously clear-headed thinker about culture, society, identity politics, religion, cancel culture...
"The University Echo Chamber" with Katy Barnett
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Permission to Think is a collaboration with the University of Technology, Sydney, where we debate the vigour, rigour and freedom of the academy. Today...
"Will A.I. Take Over?" with Stephen Marche
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The world’s leading A.I. researchers have released an open letter warning of the “existential threat” the technology poses to human civilisation...
Premium: A First Date With Josh
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know Josh? You may be surprised to hear his surprise when the show’s producer, Stefan Posthuma, turns the tables and puts Josh on the spot wi...
Richard Dawkins: LIVE!
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In front of a packed crowd at a sold-out Brisbane City Hall, Josh interviews the world's most influential living biologist, Richard Dawkins.
"Why Conspiracy Theories Work" with Michael Shermer
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Shermer is a titan of the rationalist movement. He’s been on Oprah. He’s been on Donahue. He’s argued on TV with Deepak Chopra. He had a...
Premium: When Josh Met Susan Sarandon
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Susan Sarandon is an Academy Award winning actor, philanthropist and progressive activist. She joined Josh on his old TV show to talk about her rise i...
"The Life of a Dominatrix" with Eva Oh
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eva is a high-end dominatrix: A sex worker who flies around the world, servicing people’s most carnal desires. What makes them -- and her -- do what...
Premium: Ask Me Anything
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What are your non-negotiable travel essentials? What catch phrase would you put on a billboard? What are your most left-wing and right-wing views? Fro...
"Is Polarisation Good?" with Shadi Hamid
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Shadi Hamid is a Muslim-American writer and professor whose latest book is “The Problem of Democracy”. In his new Substack, Wisdom of Crowds, he m...
Premium: Reflections On A Trip To West Africa
29 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Josh comes to the end of his trip to West Africa. He sits down with his travel companion Dan to share their summary of the adventure.
"Fleeing Islam" with Yasmine Mohammed
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a dramatic youth that included a forced marriage to an Al-Qaeda operative, Yasmine became an activist for women’s rights in the Muslim world. ...
"Booze, Meat & Ultramarathons" with Rich Roll
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
He’s a one-man wellness, publishing and podcasting empire. Rich Roll started getting fit in middle age and is now a world-renowned vegan ultra-endur...
Premium: When Josh Met Dick Cavett
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dick Cavett is one of the greatest television talk show hosts of all time. After being a writer on the original NBC Tonight Show (first with Jack Parr...
"Is Trump Insane?" with Anthony Scaramucci
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“The Mooch” was a wildly successful investment banker when he joined Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. He became the White House Communicati...
Premium: Josh Is In West Africa!
07 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Josh is backpacking around West Africa. As you do. What’s it like? He’s here to tell you, recorded live from the road (or the dusty track, as the ...