This American Life — Podcast Ad Analysis
8 episodes analyzed
2 min ads · 4% of episode is ads
3.4 ads/episode
Top sponsors: NPR podcast promo, Transition music/filler, Show structure narration / rerun intro, Show credits, Reintroduction/show framing
Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.
PodSkip has analyzed 8 episodes of This American Life, averaging 3.4 ads per episode (4% of runtime).
887: Two Is One, One Is None!
May 17, 2026
One family faces the Trump administration’s ban on trans people serving in the military, and responds with a surprising secret weapon. Prologue: Geirid and Chrissy are extreme planners. But about a…
1 ads · 0 min · 0% ads
This American Life 884: The Idiot Review — A Family Story That Spirals
When a family story becomes…
Read review →
318: With Great Power
May 10, 2026
People who end up with far more power than they bargained for, and everything that comes with it. Prologue: Ira tells the story of two friends who had this incredible power to save someone. And with…
4 ads · 1 min · 0% ads
886: Blackout
May 03, 2026
Since the war began in Iran, we've heard very little from people inside the country — and there's a reason for that. The entire country has been under an internet blackout. We worked with reporters…
Ira (Reluctantly) Gives a Graduation Speech
Apr 30, 2026
Ira always hated commencement speeches. Then he felt like he had to give this one.
2 ads · 1 min · 0% ads
466: Blackjack
Apr 26, 2026
The casino game everyone thinks they can beat. Prologue: Host Ira Glass and producer Robyn Semien get a blackjack lesson from Andy Bloch, who played for the MIT blackjack team. He teaches them the…
8 ads · 3 min · 0% ads
885: Bless This Mess
Apr 12, 2026
At a time when the U.S. government is trying to make American history tidier, we try to learn from the mess. Including the untold, messy story of Paul and Essie Robeson. Prologue: Guest Host Emanuele…
884: The Idiot
Mar 29, 2026
M. Gessen returns to our show with a true-crime story that takes place entirely within their own family. This story comes to us from the producers at Serial Productions—who invented the true-crime…
883: Call Your Parents
Mar 22, 2026
In the early days of the radio show, Ira did a series of interviews with his parents that completely changed his relationship with them. This week, he returns to those interviews. Prologue: Ira talks…
882: Give a Little Whistle
Mar 08, 2026
Two lawyers who work for ICE step forward and lift the curtain on what is really happening inside our immigration system right now. Prologue: Two lawyers dive into the details of what they’ve…
881: I Want What I Want
Feb 22, 2026
People deciding to do things that most of us do NOT choose to do. Prologue: A new documentary called The Boys and the Bees captures a moment where a six-year-old has a very unlikely wish, and his dad…
880: What Is Your Emergency?
Feb 01, 2026
911 calls unlike any we’ve heard before, and other stories about immigration agents sweeping through America. Prologue: A collection of 911 calls where you can hear immigration enforcement moving…
New Lore Drop
Jan 08, 2026
People discovering information about their own lives that they did not know and suddenly everything looks very different.
An Update from Ira
Oct 15, 2025
Ira Glass shares some news about This American Life
Bonus: Nancy's Deep Cuts
Jul 16, 2025
Ira Glass talks with Nancy Updike about the most personal stories they have put on the radio.
A Big Announcement
Oct 15, 2024
Ira Glass has news to share about some things happening here at This American Life.