logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2020
45m 27s

2. Mayim Bialik: “I Started Crying When ...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

She’s best known for playing neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, but the award-winning actress has a rich life outside of her acting career, as a teacher, mother — and a real-life neuroscientist. Steve Levitt tries to learn more about this one-time academic and Hollywood non-conformist, who is both very similar to him and also quite his opposite.

Up next
Aug 16
164. Unravelling the Universe, Again
More than two decades ago, Adam Riess’s Nobel Prize-winning work fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe. His new work is reshaping cosmology for a second time. RESOURCES:Adam Riess, astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University. SOURCES:"The Nobel Prize Winner Who T ... Show More
1h 2m
Aug 2
163. The Data Sleuth Taking on Shoddy Science
Uri Simonsohn is a behavioral science professor who wants to improve standards in his field — so he’s made a sideline of investigating fraudulent academic research. He tells Steve Levitt, who's spent plenty of time rooting out cheaters in other fields, how he does it. SOURCES:Uri ... Show More
56m 25s
Jul 26
Arne Duncan Says All Kids Deserve a Chance — and Criminals Deserve a Second One (Update)
Former U.S. Secretary of Education, 3x3 basketball champion, and leader of an anti-gun violence organization are all on Arne’s resume. He’s also Steve’s neighbor. The two talk about teachers caught cheating in Chicago public schools and Steve shares a story he’s never told Arne, ... Show More
46m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
Julie Bowen: ‘Modern Family’ Success Came After I Gave Up on My Shakespeare Dreams
Julie Bowen is a celebrated actress and two-time Emmy winner who brought the iconic character of Claire Dunphy to life for 11 seasons.In this episode, Julie chats with Guy Raz about her childhood love of theater in Baltimore, waiting tables while studying acting in New York, brea ... Show More
1h 2m
Jan 2025
Demi Moore Is Done With the Male Gaze [Re-Run]
In light of Demi Moore's recent "Best Actress" Oscar nomination, we are re-sharing an episode that we originally published on Sept. 14. The actress discusses how her relationship to her body and fame has changed after decades in the public eye. 
38m 54s
Sep 2024
Kate Winslet - ‘I remember thinking: I do not want to be famous’
Look, I don’t like to brag but in case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve got Kate Winslet on How To Fail this week. ACTUAL KATE WINSLET! The one and only! And oh my goodness, what an incredible guest she is: acutely intelligent, funny and brilliantly forthright. We covered so much ground ... Show More
58m 1s
May 8
Breaking the Stigma w/Mayim Bialik and Jonathan Cohen
This week, Scott is joined by the multitalented Mayim Bialik and Jonathan Cohen. You might know Mayim as the star of Blossom and The Big Bang Theory, or as the former host of Jeopardy!, but she’s also a neuroscientist with a PhD from UCLA and the creator of the popular mental hea ... Show More
1h 12m
Apr 2023
The Honor and Weight of Being a Role Model
Kelly’s guest is actress and author Constance Wu - you may know her from her roles in the breakthrough tv show Fresh Off the Boat and the blockbuster film Crazy, Rich Asians. Constance shares her experiences as an actress in Hollywood both on and off screen: the privilege and res ... Show More
56m 42s
May 21
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon, the actor whose five decade career has earned her six Primetime Emmy nominations and an Academy Award for Best Actress, joins the pod to talk about her early days as a God-fearing Catholic kid in New Jersey. She details the unexpected and serendipitous path that l ... Show More
43m 48s
Jul 28
Mariska Hargitay On Freeing Herself From Generational Trauma
The Law & Order: SVU actor was just 3 years old in 1967 when her movie star mom, Jayne Mansfield, died in a car crash. Hargitay's new documentary highlights the intelligent woman behind her mom's crafted persona. Hargitay has a new HBO documentary about her "archeological dig" on ... Show More
44m 35s
Jul 19
Sandra Oh Knows What's Great About Middle Age
The actress discusses discrimination in Hollywood, what she’s learned about herself in her 50s and her iconic role on "Grey's Anatomy.” 
41m 38s
Jul 2024
The Things Nobody’s Talking To Jada Pinkett Smith About
New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- On hitting Rock Bottom, de-armoring, and worthiness. Jada Pinkett Smith is a multifaceted artist whose career spans over 30 years. Raised in Baltimore, she s ... Show More
44m 27s
Apr 2025
Margot Robbie: Hollywood’s Golden Girl | 271
As a kid in Australia, Margot Robbie knows she wants to be a movie star, but doesn’t think it’s possible. But after wowing audiences with her star turn (and convincing Brooklyn accent) in Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” the Aussie is well on her way. And she flips he ... Show More
52m 41s