Should I buy a house? Why do I say “like” so much? Should Gen Z bother to save for retirement?
Explain It to Me is the hotline for the issues that matter to your life. Send us your questions about health, personal finance, relationships, and anything else that matters to you. Host Jonquilyn Hill will take you on a journey to find the answers, whether it's to the halls of Congress or the local bar. You’ll get the answers you were looking for, and sometimes ones you didn't expect — and always with a dose of humor. New episodes every Sunday. Part of Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
The cost of loving your pet
#26 trending · Society & Culture
Our emotional relationships with our pets have only grown since the pandemic — and so has the financial price we pay.
This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen, e
Oct 11 30 min
Mass-produced fashion slop
How algorithms and instant fashion killed style — and how to get it back.
This episode was produced by Denise Guerra, edited by Jenny Lawton, fact-checked by Melissa Hir
Oct 4 30 min
The end of etiquette
It’s not just about being nice. Manners allow us to peacefully coexist at work, in transit, and out in the wider world.
This episode was produced by Ariana Aspuru, edite
Sep 27 30 min
We should party more
We’re lonely, isolated, and bored. The solution may be as simple as an invite and killer playlist.
This episode was produced by Dustin DeSoto, edited by Jenny Lawton, fa
Sep 20 30 min
How to date IRL
People are getting tired of the dating apps and turning to a more old-fashioned way of finding love.
This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Ariana Aspuru, edit
Sep 13 29 min
How to survive a flop
In the streaming era, success is public, failure is viral, and everyone's one release away from a flop era. How do you come back?
This episode was produced by Hady Mawaj
Aug 30 30 min
Why everyone's an introvert now
Move aside extroverts. In this episode — which aired last year — we explore personality types and whether they are set in stone.
This episode was produced by Danielle He
Aug 23 27 min
Why can’t I remember being a baby?
Even if we have little to no memory of our first few years, our earliest experiences still matter.
This episode was produced by Danielle Hewitt, edited by Avishay Artsy,
Aug 16 29 min
Vacation? In this economy?
Gas is expensive and Europeans want us to stay home. How can you still make use of that precious PTO?
This episode was produced by Denise Guerra, edited by Jenny Lawton,
Aug 9 30 min
Going broke on wellness
Americans spend billions on healthcare products, from green powders and cold plunges to costly gym memberships. Last summer we asked: what good do they do?
This episode
Aug 2 30 min
The perimenopause moment
Women’s health and hormones have been misunderstood by the medical establishment for decades. That’s changing.
This episode was produced by Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jen
Jul 26 30 min
What's in a name?
Jalen and Olivia and Liam and Ailany. We look at what makes a name top the popularity charts.
This episode was produced by Danielle Hewitt, edited by Jenny Lawton, fact-
Jul 19 30 min
Tanning is back
Never mind skin cancer. Summer 2026 is all about tanmaxxing.
This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger, edited by Jenny Lawton, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engine
Jul 12 30 min
Can we cheat death?
The trick to living a longer, happier life.
This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Jenny Lawton, fact-checked by Michelle Hirsch, engineered by Patrick Boyd
Jun 28 30 min
How to beat mosquitoes
They’re the deadliest animal on the planet. Now even Google is getting into the extermination business.
This episode was produced by Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jenny Lawto
Jun 21 30 min
The lost art of handwriting
How our relationship with writing has changed, and how that’s changed us.
This episode was produced by Dustin DeSoto, edited by Avishay Artsy, fact-checked by Melissa Hi
Jun 14 30 min
DIY or don’t?
YouTube has advice for how to do everything from plumbing to electrical work. Should you take it?
This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Jenny Lawton, fac
Jun 7 30 min
Why people cheat
Our fears about infidelity reveal a lot about us. And so do our reasons for cheating.
This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Jenny Law
May 31 30 min
Prepping for doomsday (or Tuesday)
How to prepare for the worst while still living your best life.
This episode was produced by Dustin DeSoto, edited by Jenny Lawton, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engin
May 17 30 min
Chems in your cosmetics
From lotions to hair extensions, the products that make us look good may also make us feel bad.
This episode was produced by Danielle Hewitt and Peter Balonon-Rosen, edi
May 10 29 min
Chart trend
Position in the Society & Culture chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#96#191JulAugSepOct
#68
all-time peak
30
days in the top 100 since Mar 2025
Chart positions
Where Explain It to Me ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 12, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
I love the content in these episodes but every single one mixes music over the topic SO loud that I have to turn it down and strain to hear what the person is saying. Basically every transition I miss the last paragraph of topic.
Anonanonaninymous · Nov 2025
I enjoy listening to Explain It to Me because I learn so much! I like the way the Host, Jonquilyn, interviews and explains the team’s research. This podcast is super important for life learners like me!
Positive Patty · Nov 2025
My dad and I love listening to JQ when we have a long drive. We always learn a ton of detail and nuance about all sorts of stuff — from gritty, brutal accounts of robo texting to lighter episodes like some of the dating stuff. We often have to pause the pod and hash things out! I don’t know that my dad and I would be able to talk politics and social issues with JQ holding my hand.
I am so amazed that a short and fun listen like Explain it to Me could encourage us to look critically and really interrogate our own beliefs. That’s really cool to experience.
poncerella · Nov 2025
Such a good show with a podcasteress who is easy to listen to, well informed and a great interviewer. I first heard her on Through the Crackd (GREAT podcast about a missing DC child), and was so excited to hear her on Vox. Good journalism that is much needed today!
DST6N01 · Mar 2025
It feels like this show is losing its secret sauce. As others noted, I used to love this pod because it felt like there was a strong emphasis on nuance, complexity, and unexpected realizations. Basically I loved when the show really got into the nerdy, messy weeds and data, the stuff below the mainstream top line. Lately, the show has had a strong focus on inequality and systemic inequities. These are very important topics but it has felt like the discussion is demanding of more complexity and fewer easy answers. Maybe this content is revelatory to some, but to me I feel like the episodes have had a sort of no-duh quality (yes, racism is bad, pervasive, and systemic, you don’t need to convince me. I’m sold!). I think there’s a lot of value in talking about these topics, I just wish the discussion was more nuanced. Like the DEI episode, would have loved to hear host and guests talk about the research showing DEI trainings don’t work, what that means, is this research right, and what is path forward? Basically vox has a well read, liberal audience and folks who tune into the weeds expect complex content. It sometimes feels like there is a discussion over whether something is an issue. You don’t need to convince us inequity is an issue - we agree. Now let’s talk about the not so easy things, like what to do about it.
Miss the old weeds · Feb 2024
I’ve been listening to this show since it began. I’m about to stop. When it started it was very much in the weeds and had more of a focus on actual research and technical details and tended to give a more balanced view. It has lost most of that, most of it seemingly with the big Vox shake up a few years ago. I am a deeply progressive liberal. But I want to understand the facts underneath something and not just listen to something spouting from a left biased perspective, and it feels that that’s where this has gone. I know what my viewpoint is – but I want to understand technical details to understand if I should adjust it, not just listen to confirmation bias
Usability guy · Dec 2023
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Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Explain It to Me, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
