Kamau opens his interview with Joy Reid by praising how well she’s done since moving on from corporate journalism, building out her own independent show, merchandise line, and even anti-Trump gear. Reid shares that she was actually let go from MSNBC on her day off, attributing the decision to friction over her coverage of Donald Trump and Israel-Palestine, which made it harder for the network to normalize a second Trump term. She explains that her pro-Palestine stance goes back to her parents’ experiences with colonialism and her father’s life in apartheid South Africa, emphasizing that supporting Palestinian rights and standing against antisemitism aren’t mutually exclusive.

 

Their conversation turns to how Black women are treated in media and politics, with Reid reflecting on Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign loss to a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist as a particularly painful moment. While Reid wrestles with whether misogyny or racism played a bigger role in Harris’s defeat, Bell notes that Obama winning while Hillary Clinton lost highlights how gender can still outweigh race in presidential politics. Reid cautions against taking a free and fair election in 2028 for granted, pointing to Trump’s reluctance to back JD Vance and broader warning signs for democracy.

 

Reid also calls out mainstream political journalism for treating crucial issues like horse-race sports coverage and normalizing dangerous rhetoric. She contrasts today’s reporters with Woodward and Bernstein’s real-time Watergate reporting, pointing out that holding key revelations for book deals, as Bob Woodward did with Trump’s early COVID admissions, costs actual lives. She recalls realizing in February 2020 that COVID was airborne while her show was pushed to focus entirely on impeachment, calling it a major media failure.

 

Looking ahead to the midterms, Reid expects Republicans to challenge any losses in court and anticipates voter intimidation at polling places, but sees a real opening for Democrats as economic pressure and foreign policy missteps mount. Her advice to Democrats if they win: use power aggressively by pushing Medicare for All, ending foreign wars, and holding Trump allies accountable.

 

Reid opens up about her immigrant roots: her mother was from Guyana and her father from the Congo, identifying as both African American and a product of the broader diaspora, while navigating the nuances between those identities. She also addresses past controversies, including her decision to give a friend airtime to apologize after using an on-air slur against Hakeem Jeffries, defending her choice despite the blowback.

 

Closing on a personal note, Reid gives a nod to the American Cancer Society, honoring her mother, who passed away from metastatic breast cancer.

 

After, Kamau chats with Rep. Angie Nixon about her race for the Florida Senate, how she's not afraid to stand up against Republicans intent on bringing our country back to the Jim Crow South, and why it's imperative to go out and vote in the upcoming midterms.

 

Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Distributed by Pushkin Industries.

Kamau opens his interview with Joy Reid by praising how well she&rsquo;s done since moving on from corporate journalism, building out her own independent show, merchandise line, and even anti-Trump gear. Reid shares that she was actually let go from MSNBC on her day off, attributing the decision to friction over her coverage of Donald Trump and Israel-Palestine, which made it harder for the network to normalize a second Trump term. She explains that her pro-Palestine stance goes back to her parents&rsquo; experiences with colonialism and her father&rsquo;s life in apartheid South Africa, emphasizing that supporting Palestinian rights and standing against antisemitism aren&rsquo;t mutually exclusive.
&nbsp;
Their conversation turns to how Black women are treated in media and politics, with Reid reflecting on Kamala Harris&rsquo;s 2024 campaign loss to a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist as a particularly painful moment. While Reid wrestles with whether misogyny or racism played a bigger role in Harris&rsquo;s defeat, Bell notes that Obama winning while Hillary Clinton lost highlights how gender can still outweigh race in presidential politics. Reid cautions against taking a free and fair election in 2028 for granted, pointing to Trump&rsquo;s reluctance to back JD Vance and broader warning signs for democracy.
&nbsp;
Reid also calls out mainstream political journalism for treating crucial issues like horse-race sports coverage and normalizing dangerous rhetoric. She contrasts today&rsquo;s reporters with Woodward and Bernstein&rsquo;s real-time Watergate reporting, pointing out that holding key revelations for book deals, as Bob Woodward did with Trump&rsquo;s early COVID admissions, costs actual lives. She recalls realizing in February 2020 that COVID was airborne while her show was pushed to focus entirely on impeachment, calling it a major media failure.
&nbsp;
Looking ahead to the midterms, Reid expects Republicans to challenge any losses in court and anticipates voter intimidation at polling places, but sees a real opening for Democrats as economic pressure and foreign policy missteps mount. Her advice to Democrats if they win: use power aggressively by pushing Medicare for All, ending foreign wars, and holding Trump allies accountable.
&nbsp;
Reid opens up about her immigrant roots: her mother was from Guyana and her father from the Congo, identifying as both African American and a product of the broader diaspora, while navigating the nuances between those identities. She also addresses past controversies, including her decision to give a friend airtime to apologize after using an on-air slur against Hakeem Jeffries, defending her choice despite the blowback.
&nbsp;
Closing on a personal note, Reid gives a nod to the American Cancer Society, honoring her mother, who passed away from metastatic breast cancer.
&nbsp;
After, Kamau chats with Rep. Angie Nixon about her race for the Florida Senate, how she's not afraid to stand up against Republicans intent on bringing our country back to the Jim Crow South, and why it's imperative to go out and vote in the upcoming midterms.
&nbsp;
Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Distributed by Pushkin Industries.

Kamau Bell is known for embracing uncomfortable conversations that acknowledge differences, confront embarrassment, and change people’s perspectives. Throughout his career, Kamau has talked with everyone from KKK members to Oprah Winfrey to strangers on the streets. Each time, Kamau fills these conversations with humor, heart, and intellect, showing that a simple conversation can lead to surprising revelations and spark change, one person at a time.

Kamau brings all that and more to his new weekly podcast, Who’s With Me? Inspired by Kamau’s popular Substack newsletter of the same name, Who’s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times. 

In every episode, Kamau addresses what has caught his attention in the current cultural or political landscape. He also sits down with someone he admires deeply—a time for Kamau to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place. Kamau will talk to celebrities, his fellow comedians, his fellow Oaklanders, activists, and sometimes he will talk to someone like Daveed Diggs, who is all of that in one body. So… who’s with Kamau? New episodes every Wednesday. 

Kamau Bell is known for embracing uncomfortable conversations that acknowledge differences, confront embarrassment, and change people&rsquo;s perspectives. Throughout his career, Kamau has talked with everyone from KKK members to Oprah Winfrey to strangers on the streets. Each time, Kamau fills these conversations with humor, heart, and intellect, showing that a simple conversation can lead to surprising revelations and spark change, one person at a time.
Kamau brings all that and more to his new weekly podcast,&nbsp;Who&rsquo;s With Me? Inspired by Kamau&rsquo;s popular Substack newsletter of the same name, Who&rsquo;s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times.&nbsp;
In every episode, Kamau addresses what has caught his attention in the current cultural or political landscape. He also sits down with someone he admires deeply&mdash;a time for Kamau to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place. Kamau will talk to celebrities, his fellow comedians, his fellow Oaklanders, activists, and sometimes he will talk to someone like Daveed Diggs, who is all of that in one body. So&hellip; who&rsquo;s with Kamau? New episodes every Wednesday.&nbsp;

Who's with Me? with W. Kamau Bell

Who’s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times. Every Wednesday, stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell sits down with someone he admires deeply to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place.

W. Kamau Bell is a Peabody Award winner, 4X Emmy Award winner, documentary filmmaker, Celebrity Jeopardy! champion, Official Ambassador of the band Fishbone, self-proclaimed #1 Bruce Lee Expert (non-Asian division), part-time activist, and full-time family man. Kamau is also known for his CNN docuseries United Shades of America, his four-part docuseries We Need To Talk About Cosby, and for scrawling “HAHA!” over his enemies’ faces on his Instagram account.

Who&rsquo;s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times. Every Wednesday, stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell sits down with someone he admires deeply to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place.
W. Kamau Bell is a Peabody Award winner, 4X Emmy Award winner, documentary filmmaker, Celebrity Jeopardy! champion, Official Ambassador of the band Fishbone, self-proclaimed #1 Bruce Lee Expert (non-Asian division), part-time activist, and full-time family man. Kamau is also known for his CNN docuseries United Shades of America, his four-part docuseries We Need To Talk About Cosby, and for scrawling &ldquo;HAHA!&rdquo; over his enemies&rsquo; faces on his Instagram account.

Joy Reid and Angie Nixon on Politics, Media, and Black Womanhood

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4460bbb5-2069-4136-b09c-b4f1001bdd8f/transcript