Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps

"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 ...

"The Death of the University?" with Peter Boghossian

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Universities are now dominated by diversity, equity and inclusion mandates, says the philosopher Peter Boghossian… and the result is a stultifying c...

"Is Nuclear Power The Answer?" with Zion Lights

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you're a greenie, you're supposed to be anti-nuclear. That was true of the former Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Zion Lights... until she became...

Premium: Artie Lange, Jon Ronson, Guys We F****d

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josh walked into a bar in Brooklyn and, in front of a packed crowd of drunks, argued about the news with some of the funniest, smartest people in New ...

"Will Trump Be Arrested?" with James Kirchick

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie Kirchick knows everything about the secret, spooky, saucy, seedy side of Washington DC. Hear him hold forth on the secret history of gay spies, ...

Premium: The Deep Questions - How Loudly May I Poo In Public?

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this brand new venture, Josh addresses some of life's deepest questions as posed by his friend and work colleague Robbie Armfield. In this first ep...

"Getting Real On Race" with Coleman Hughes

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The brilliant Coleman Hughes is an American writer, podcaster and musician. He burst onto the intellectual scene at a young age with his ruthlessly we...

Premium: Zach Cregger - From The Archives

11 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You probably know Zach Cregger from comedy shows like Wrecked and Whitest Kids U'Know. He also wrote and directed Barbarian, one of the horror films o...

"The Transgender Who Wasn't" with KC Miller

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For most transgender people, transitioning is one of the greatest experiences of their lives. For others, it deforms into crippling regret. KC Miller ...

"Predictions Of A Scientific Futurist" with Dr Catherine Ball

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Ball is a scientific futurist whose book is Converge: A futurist's insights into the potential of our world as technology and humanity collide." Sh...

Premium: Ask Me Anything

23 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Remember a while ago Josh asked you, to ask him anything? Yep, he only answered one question - which turned into a full episode about JK Rowling... We...

"The Problem With Everything" with Tim Urban

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Urban’s first appearance on this show remains one of the all-time favourites. Now, this explosive thinker of cosmic, civilisation-level thoughts...

Premium: Myq Caplan - From The Archives

19 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From the #WeThePeople LIVE archives this week to a 2016 chat with the wonderful Myq Caplan. First and foremost Myq is comedian. Josh and Myq chat abou...

"Left Is Not Woke" with Susan Neiman

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Neiman is one of the world's most respected living philosophers. She was born in America and educated at Harvard but now lives in Germany, where...

Premium: Is JK Rowling Transphobic?

11 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the world's biggest LGBTQI+ event, World Pride, kicks off in Sydney. Right on cue, activists are calling to boycott a new Harry Potter vide...

"What Happened To The IDW?" with Ross Anderson

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The so-called "intellectual dark web" was supposed to shine a light on issues too thorny for the mainstream media to touch. Now, it's a basket ca...

"The Climate Optimist" with Saul Griffith

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josh gets excited, at long last, about a realistic plan for fighting climate change while creating new jobs and a healthier environment. In short: ele...

Premium: Oliver Burkeman - From The Archives

29 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Going back some five years to Josh's first ever chat with the now Uncomfy Convos regular, the self-help psychology sage Oliver Burkeman. On this episo...

"The New Gurus" with Helen Lewis

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Lewis's new BBC Radio 4 show, The New Gurus, investigates why so many of us have turned away from mainstream medicine, mainstream politics and t...

Josh's Soap Box: Josh Is Getting Sued!

21 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week Josh reflects, in a somewhat heated way, on the surreal injustices of the justice system. Plus: Aussie-made shoulder-launched drone guns. An...

Sam Harris: What The Hell Happened?

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Harris is a best-selling writer, philosopher and neuroscientist who hosts one of the world's most influential intellectual podcasts, Making Sense....

Premium: Scott Adams - From The Archives

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Adams is the creator of the cartoon strip Dilbert. He rose to Twitter prominence ahead of the 2016 US election where he picked Trump as the winn...

The Best Of Vol. 3: Kurt Fearnley, Me & Alice Dreger

10 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For this last Best Of episode we have the amazing Kurt Fearnley - paralympian, media personalist and advocate, who brings an amazing perspective on th...

Josh's Soap Box: Is It Racist To Ask Where You're From?

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Josh airs what's on his mind. Did the NFL star Damar Hamlin suffer cardiac arrest because he was vaccinated, or because he was smashed in t...

The Best Of Vol. 2: Andrew Denton, Tim Flannery & Ana Marie Cox

03 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The holiday interlude continues with our top podcast moments. Andrew Denton is a giant of Australian media. Now out of the limelight, he focuses much ...

Ask Me Anything - 2022

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Well what a year it has been! And as we end every year here on Uncomfortable Conversations, it’s time for me to answer your questions. What have you...

The Best Of Vol. 1: Tim Urban, Clementine Ford & Malcolm Turnbull

27 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for a Christmas interlude, the best parts of our favourite uncomfortable conversations. Tim Urban is still probably my all-time favourite gu...

Premium: Rutger Bregman - From The Archives

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Guardian has called Rutger Bregman "the Dutch wunderkind of new ideas". He has a forward thinking, earnest approach to the small task of making th...

"The Intellectual Dark Web" with Eric Weinstein

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eric runs the investment firm of the right-wing multi-billionaire Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and the first outside investor in Facebook. Ye...

Premium: Louis Theroux - From The Archives

17 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this special episode from Josh's archive, he speaks with legendary British documentarian Louis Theroux. For decades, Louis has thrust himself into ...

"A Very Sober Christmas" with Bridget Phetasy

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bridget is a podcasting and publishing phenomenon. She and Josh discuss everything from Peruvian ayahuasca ceremonies, to Joe Rogan, to cancel cu...

"Who Screwed Millennials?" with Tom Ballard

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Ballard is one of Australia's most successful comedians. He may be the millennials’ most prominent, hilarious voice of fury against capitalism a...

Join the Josh Club!

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're launching a new Uncomfortable Conversations community. Get loads more content for free! This is the most important thing you'll hear this month....

"The Fallout of #MeToo" with Kat Rosenfield

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kat is a feminist who takes no bullshit. She created a stir with her piece “Why I Keep Getting Mistaken for a Conservative”. She and Josh discuss ...

"Off The Rails?" with James Lindsay

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

James Lindsay is one of the most controversial figures on the American right. He was permanently banned from Twitter in August, until Elon r...

"Is Everything A Hallucination?" with Anil Seth

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When you see the colour blue, is it the same as when I see the colour blue? How does your brain create an image of the world... and of yourself? Dive ...

Josh's Soap Box: What I Got Wrong About Covid

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josh is being eviscerated on social media for spreading pro-vaccine misinformation. Did he? What did he, and we, get wrong about Covid? Hosted on Acas...

"The People vs Democracy" with Yascha Mounk

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do you stitch together diverse immigrant societies into a common future? How do you avoid collapsing into quarrelling tribes? Yascha Mounk is an o...

Josh’s Soap Box: Twitter & Antisemitism

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josh reflects on Elon Musk, Kanye, Israel, and the rise of online Jew-hate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Big Tech & Free Speech" with Jordan Guiao

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What will Elon Musk do with Twitter? Who wants to live inside Mark Zuckerberg's Metaverse? Should Facebook censor hate speech? Jordan Guiao ...

Josh’s Soap Box: Kanye, hijabs and Taylor Swift

29 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josh reflects on Kanye's antisemitic meltdown, Taylor Swift's supposed fat shaming video and activism in Iran. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

"Maoism In The West" with Prof. David Martin Jones

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

David got his PhD in political thought from the London School of Economics and now teaches at King’s College London. He was a political science lect...

"Should We Talk To Nazis?" with Academy Award winner Emile Sherman & Dr. Lloyd Vogelman

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Emile is the Academy Award-winning producer of Lion, The King’s Speech, Rabbit-Proof Fence and The Power of the Dog. His cousin is a high-flying cor...

"Are Women And Men The Same?" with Louise Perry

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Should women aspire to the same things as men? Or have they been betrayed? Louise says we lie to young women about who they are and what the...

BONUS: "Fact Check" with Jesse Singal

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On the previous episode of Uncomfortable Conversations, the trans activist Dianna Anderson alleged bad journalism by Jesse Singal, who wrote the bombs...

"Is Gender Made-Up?" with Dianna E. Anderson

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dianna E. Anderson is a gender non-binary writer and activist whose latest book is “In Transit: Being Non-Binary in a World of Dichotomies”. They ...

"War Correspondent" Misha Zelinsky

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Misha is a former trade union boss who now reports from Ukraine for the Australian Financial Review. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...

"When Whitefellas Talk With Blackfellas" with Tyson Yunkaporta

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tyson is a researcher, writer, and traditional wood carver. He works as a senior lecturer in Indigenous Knowledges and is the founder of the Indi...

"Are Aussies Sexist?" with Sarah Wilson

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What's wrong with Australian men? What expectations do single, middle-aged women face? What happened to the Left? Sarah Wilson is ...

"What Is Gender?" with Courtney Act (aka Shane Jenek)

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is a man? What is a woman? What is transgenderism? What is drag? When are we acting out gender stereotypes, and when are we just being ourselves?...

"The Scott Morrison Fiasco" with Peter van Onselen

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

During the pandemic, did the Australian prime minister subvert democracy? One of Australia’s leading political commentators takes Josh deep into the...

"Would 'The Satanic Verses' Be Published Today?" with Sami Shah

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Salman Rushdie recuperates, Josh debates Islamophobia, blasphemy and cancel culture with the Pakistani-Australian writer and comic Sami Shah. Hoste...

"Why We Keep Secrets" with Michael Slepian

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Slepian is an Author and Associate Professor of leadership and ethics at Columbia University. His new book is called The Secret Life Of Secret...

"How To Be Happy" with Pandit The Monk

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Pandit Dasa was a monk for more than 15 years. Now he's ditched the robes and helps people ease their way into more thoughtful, generous, fulfilling m...

"What IS 'Diversity'?" with Antoinette Lattouf

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Antoinette Lattouf is a journalist, author and diversity advocate. She co-founded Media Diversity Australia. Her new book is How To Lose Friends and I...

"America's Next Civil War" with Stephen Marche

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Marche is a Canadian author and political commentator. He writes for The New York Times, The Atlantic and Esquire among others. His new book T...

"Why The Doomsayers Are Wrong" with Tyler Cowen

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tyler Cowen is a celebrated American economist, blogger, author and podcaster. He currently sits as the Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics at George...

"The Slate Political Gabfest" with David Plotz

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

David Plotz was the editor of Slate magazine during its glory days. In fact, he was Josh's first guest after the election of Donald Trump in 2016...

"The War On The West" with Douglas Murray

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Douglas is a gay English conservative, columnist, and the best-selling author of the new book The War on the West. He and Josh debate the co...

"Woke Capitalism" with Prof. Carl Rhodes

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From Nike supporting Colin Kaepernick to Qantas supporting same-sex marriage, corporations are going woke. Carl Rhodes is the Dean of t...

Do We Need Gay Pride?

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As part of Acast's audio pride parade, Josh shares his thoughts on growing up gay in Sydney, and what pride means to him. Hosted on Acast. See acast....

"Are We Scientifically Illiterate?" with Prof. Luke O'Neill

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How should we communicate science to the public? Celebrated scientist and popular Irish science communicator Professor Luke O’Neill joins Josh to pl...

Peter Singer: Live - The World's Greatest Moral Philosopher

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Peter founded the animal liberation movement in the 1970s and is a driver behind the Effective Altruism movement around the world. This is a reco...

"Is Wokeness Made Up?" with Ana Marie Cox

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An argument between Josh and veteran progressive muckraker Ana Marie Cox about whether wokeness is a real problem or a phantom of the right. Ana Marie...

Dr Drew - America's Favourite Doctor

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Drew is a physician, addiction medicine specialist and media personality. Since 1984 he has been beloved by American audiences for his candid commu...

"Would The US Defend Australia?" with Cecile Shea

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cecile was a US diplomat in Japan, Pakistan, Thailand, Scotland and Israel, and a political advisor to the US Marine Corps in the Pacific. As the Ukra...

"Who's Really Disabled?" with Kurt Fearnley

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kurt Fearnley, AO, is one of Australia's most successful paralympians. He began life crawling the dusty streets of Carcoar in central New South Wales ...

Roe v Wade: When Josh & Joe Rogan Debated Abortion

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A leaked opinion from the US Supreme Court suggests that women's right to an abortion may be overturned in America. Who gets to decide hot-button cult...

"The Language Of Woke Taboos" with Nick Enfield

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do taboo words develop, and why do we seem to be getting worse and worse at understanding each other? N. J. Enfield is a professor and the chair o...

"Social Media Is Ruining Everything" with Jonathan Haidt

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Haidt is considered one of the world's most influential living psychologists. He's just penned a piece for The Atlantic titled Why The Past T...

"The Man Who Predicted Covid" with Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Fiegl-Ding is a Harvard epidemiologist and health economist. In January of 2020 he became one of the first prominent scientists to raise the alar...

"Will Europe Stand Firm?" with Nathalie Tocci

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nathalie Tocci is a political scientist, Honorary Professor at the University of Tübingen, and international relations expert specialising in the EU'...

"Are Universities Too Woke?" with Lee Jussim

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lee Jussim is an American social psychologist and distinguished professor leading the Social Perception Laboratory at Rutgers University. He joins Jos...

Bonus: Michael Kimmage, Obama's Ukraine Chief

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Kimmage held the Russia/Ukraine portfolio in President Obama's State Department. He's an expert on international affairs, U.S.-Russian re...

"Why Aren't We Happy?" with Scott Barry Kaufman

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Scott is the founder of the Center for the Science of Human Potential and the host of the #1 psychology podcast in the w...

Toomas Hendrik Ilves, ex-President of Estonia

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Toomas Hendrik Ilves was the president of Estonia from 2006 to 2016. He led the country through Russia's invasions of Georgia and Crimea. Previously, ...

"The Case For Heroin" with Dr. Carl Hart

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Should all drugs be legal? Dr. Carl Hart - neuroscientist and Professor of psychology at Columbia University is an advocate for drug legalisation and ...

"Is The West To Blame For Ukraine?" with Eliot A. Cohen

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eliot A. Cohen is a military expert, foreign policy academic and former advisor to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

"The Price Of Having Opinions" with Mike Pesca

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Pesca is an award winning journalist and host of the wildly successful daily podcast, The Gist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more ...