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W. Kamau Bell, the award-winning TV host, comedian and filmmaker, is teaming with Malcolm Gladwell’s Pushkin Industries podcast and audiobook company to launch a new video podcast, “Who’s With Me?” as an extension of his popular Substack newsletter of the same name.
Bell’s weekly podcast is set to premiere May 27, available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcast platforms. Guests slated to appear include actors Delroy Lindo and Ted Danson, ballet dancer Misty Copeland, actor-singer Daveed Diggs, chef and TV host Kristen Kish, Robert Reich, Eddie Huang, U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon, Nava Mau, Mo Willems, Maria Bamford and Margaret Cho. Many of the guests will be from or affiliated with Kamau’s
hometown of Oakland, California, according to Pushkin.
In each episode of the podcast, Bell will open with a monologue addressing the current cultural and political landscape that’s often inspired by his latest newsletter. He’s then joined by a guest for a frank conversation about their career journeys and how to make the world a better place. (Watch the trailer below.)
Bell is known for embracing uncomfortable conversations: Over the course of his career, he’s spoken with everyone from KKK members to Oprah Winfrey, “showing that a simple conversation can lead to surprising revelations,” per Pushkin Industries.
“’Who’s With Me?’ is one of the most basic and necessary questions you can ask in these hectic times,” Bell said in a statement. “When everywhere we look it feels like the powers-that-be want to push us apart, I wanted to create a space where curiosity and empathy lead the way and conversations actually move us forward.” He continued, “As an only child, I’ve always been someone who asks questions, listens and tries to understand people… With this podcast, I also wanted the chance to give flowers to people I deeply admire who can offer real wisdom and actionable steps — homework, if you will — on how we can all do a little better and show up for each other a little more.”
Bell added that “as a dad of three, if I don’t figure out how to turn my favorite conversations into work, they won’t happen. As a stand-up comedian, I know that, especially right now, one of us needs to try to clean up the cultural and political mess that so many of my stand-up comedy brethren have made.”
“Who’s With Me?” is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions, based in Los Angeles.
Bell is currently on the road for his new comedy tour, also called “Who’s With Me?” His Substack has more than 137,000 subscribers after launching the newsletter in January 2024. Per the description: “Come hang out with a pop-culture-obsessed, antiracist, lefty, OG Blerd who lives in Oakland, CA.” On his Substack, he wrote that he started “Who’s With Me?” as “my response to the last few years in this country and my way to hit restart on my relationship with you, the person who is interested in what I do and maybe wants to help me do more of what I do.”
Bell hosted CNN’s “United Shades of America” series from 2016-22. In 2022, he directed and produced four-part documentary miniseries “We Need to Talk About Cosby.” Bell was the winner of the third season of the “Celebrity Jeopardy!” tournament in 2025.
He’s the bestselling author of “Do The Work! – An Antiracist Activity Book” and “Who Is Government? – The Untold Story of Public Service.” Bell’s first children’s book, “Rock Paper Scissors Cheese,” co-written with Adam Mansbach, comes out Oct. 27, 2026. For more than 10 years, Bell has been the ACLU’s Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice.
Last year, legendary L.A. band Fishbone gave Kamau the title Ambassador of Fishbone — and original Fishbone member Chris Dowd contributed his new song, “Don’t Give Up on Yourself,” as the theme song of “Who’s With Me?”
“W. Kamau Bell is a rare talent who combines sharp wit with profound empathy. He has an incredible gift for the interview format, and we are beyond excited to collaborate with him,” said Corinne Gilliard Fisher, Pushkin’s VP of podcasts. “His talent for finding the heart of every story is unparalleled, and we are thrilled to support him as he launches this next chapter in podcasting.”
Pushkin Industries was founded in 2018 by Gladwell and former Slate Group CEO Jacob Weisberg. The company’s lineup of podcasts include Gladwell’s “Revisionist History,” Michael Lewis’ “Against the Rules,” Maya Shankar’s A Slight Change of Plans, Tim Harford’s “Cautionary Tales” and Jill Lepore’s “The Last Archive.”
Watch the trailer for the “Who’s With Me?” podcast:
