New NPR podcast ’Wild Card’ is part interview, part existential game show

NPR is launching Wild Card, a new weekly podcast from longtime NPR host and journalist Rachel Martin. On this show, Rachel rips up the typical interview script and invites guests to play a game about life’s biggest questions. She takes actors, artists and thinkers on a choose-your-own-adventure conversation that lets them open up about their fears, their joys and how they’ve built meaning from experience.

Premiering May 2, Wild Card features surprising and intimate conversations with guests you thought you knew. Hear from Emmy-nominated actress, writer and producer Issa Rae on rethinking failure; actress and comedian Jenny Slate on the realities of motherhood; Grammy Award-winning record producer and musician Jack Antonoff on regrets; Poet Laureate Ada Limón on forgiveness and more.

Listen to the trailer here.

After years of covering the headlines and most recently hosting NPR’s Morning Edition and Up First, Rachel wanted to make a different type of show.

“I was craving a way to have deeply thoughtful conversations that get straight to the core of what it means to be human,” said Rachel. “And life is heavy enough, so why not turn it into a game? Wild Card is surprising in all the best ways and I can’t wait to put it out into the world. My hope is that listeners will connect to the questions we’re asking, and that hearing people talk about them out loud will help us all feel a part of a bigger community searching for answers.”

On Wild Card, guests answer questions by choosing at random from a deck of cards. Each card has a question that invites guests to share more about the experiences that have shaped them, the lessons they’re still learning and the beliefs that guide them. The serendipity of the card format means that even Rachel doesn’t know where the conversation will go.

“Rachel Martin is a remarkable journalist with a unique capacity to connect with the people she interviews and the audience,” says Edith Chapin, SVP & Editor in Chief. “For years as a host of Morning Edition, she covered the most important stories and talked to politicians, newsmakers, artists, musicians and people who unexpectedly became news. She brings all these experiences and background to what we expect to be a truly different interview show.”

In addition to your podcast feed, you can listen to regular segments of Wild Card on both the weekday and weekend editions of All Things Considered. You can also listen to Wild Card sponsor-free and access regular bonus episodes with more questions with the guests with Wild Card+, which helps support public media. More details available at plus.npr.org/wildcard.

About Rachel Martin

Rachel Martin is the co-creator and host of the podcast Wild Card, an interview game show about life’s biggest questions. Rachel invites notable guests to play a card game that lets them open up about the memories, insights, and beliefs that have shaped their lives.

Rachel spent six years as a host of Morning Edition, and was the founding host of NPR’s award-winning morning news podcast Up First. She previously hosted Weekend Edition Sunday.

Rachel Martin also served as National Security Correspondent for NPR, where she covered both defense and intelligence issues. She worked extensively in Afghanistan, covering the reconstruction effort after the U.S. invasion.

Martin was part of the team that launched NPR’s experimental morning news show, The Bryant Park Project, a live two-hour daily multimedia program that she co-hosted with Alison Stewart and Mike Pesca. Read more.

About NPR

NPR’s rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connects with millions of Americans every day — on the air, online, and in person. NPR strives to create a more informed public — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and 16 international bureaus, NPR and its Member organizations are never far from where a story is unfolding. Listeners can find NPR by tuning in to their local Member stations (npr.org/stations), downloading the NPR App or asking Alexa to “Play NPR.” The NPR mobile app brings together the best of the NPR Network from around the world and right in your community — live radio, podcasts, the latest local and national news and more — available wherever you are and whenever you want. Get more information at npr.org/about and by following NPR Extra on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and Instagram.