Heavyweight

#68 Songe

When Songe was 8 years old, he made fun of a girl with a facial tic. Just months later, he developed tics of his own—the first signs of the Tourette Syndrome he still liv

#67 Jenna

When Jenna was eight years old, she was taken from her mom and placed with a foster family called the Grizzles. For two and a half years, she built a life with them, and

Trailer: Heavyweight Season 10

Heavyweight returns on September 17.   Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Pushkin+ subscribers can get all episodes ad-free! Sign up on the Heavyweight Apple show

2026 Update: James

James’s father’s dying wish was for his ashes to be spread on the 18th hole of a fancy private golf course. That was 16 years ago. In this episode, James, Jonathan, and t

Jonathan Vs. Kalila on Smash Boom Best

Jonathan and Kalila go toe-to-toe as guests on the children’s debate podcast, Smash Boom Best, where they debate the merits of phone calls vs. texting. We had a lot of fu

2026 Update: Julia

In grade 8, Julia was bullied so badly by a group of girls that she changed schools without telling anyone. Soon after, the girls from her old school showed up at her hou

2026 Update: Brandon

Throughout high school, Brandon was a misfit. Then one day, out of the blue, one of the school’s prettiest, most popular girls asked him to prom. Fifteen years later, Bra

2026 Update: Frederick J. Brown

Maia found a painting in the garbage and took it home. But as it turned out, it wasn’t just any painting. In this update, Kalila learns that she might have been looking

2026 Update: Christina

When Christina was in 11th grade, her foster mother made her quit playing basketball. After that, she felt like her life never got back on course. And so, she’s always wa

2026 Update: Skye

When Skye was in middle school, her best friends showed up at her home one night and wrote “f*ck you” on her garage door. After that, they never spoke again. Decades late

Jonathan Goldstein on Wild Card

This week, Jonathan joins the ranks of A-list celebrities as a guest on NPR's Wild Card with Rachel Martin. Death, ghosts, the pleasures and perils of talking to stranger

2026 Update: Elyse

When Elyse was 21, her father, Billy, disappeared without explanation. When Elyse finally learned of his whereabouts, she was shocked by the new life he was living. Sev

2026 Update: Tony

Today, we speak with Jonathan's longtime friend Tony. A lot's changed in his life since the episode came out ten years ago.  Tony messed up his relationship with each o

Heavyweight in 2026

What to expect from Heavyweight this year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minneapolis

In part one, Jonathan and his wife, Emily, check in. In part two, the story of a family forced into hiding after an ICE shooting. Places to donate: Yamelis's GoFundMe

Presenting Death, Sex & Money | From Brazilian Butt Lifts to Botox: Your Beauty Confessions

The Heavyweight team is hard at work on some episode updates for later this spring, as well as a brand new season, which will be coming this fall. But in the meantime, we

#66 Deborah

At 101 years old, Deborah discovered a box she'd stashed away a lifetime ago. What was inside reignited an old love and turned her life upside down. Get ad-free episode

#65 Meredith

Meredith unknowingly ate a bag of her teenage son’s weed gummies. She wants him to apologize. He wants her to apologize. At a stand-off, they call Jonathan for help. Ge

#64 Kevin

Kevin's childhood was a hard one. But it was made bearable by his neighborhood friends, Jason and Gerald. Then, one afternoon, the boys just vanished. Over thirty years l

Heavyweight: Live from New York

In October, the Heavyweight team gathered in New York City for a live event at Caveat on the Lower East Side. There was a reading, a Q&A, and a Meet & Greet. And because