There is bouncing back after adversity, and then there is: Vanessa Williams. The talented multi-hyphenate was only 21 years old when she became the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America. Yet a controversy surrounding the release of unauthorized nude photos led to her ultimately relinquishing her title 10 months into her reign. When doors were closed to her following the scandal, she fought her way back to an impressive and decorated career: Williams built decades of success as an actor and recording artist, selling 25 million records worldwide, starring in over 100 roles in television, film, and on Broadway - and being nominated for a Tony and multiple Emmy and Grammy Awards.  Vanessa Williams speaks with host Alec Baldwin about the death threats she received after she won Miss America, how the work of Stephen Sondheim inspires the type of art she wishes to make, and what it’s like working with Elton John on her next big project.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us are aware that a steady diet of candy, cookies and soda isn’t the best thing for our health, but few know just how dangerous these products can be. Physician and public health expert Dr. Dean Schillinger has witnessed the “absolute explosion” of Type 2 Diabetes in America. Dr. Schillinger is founder of the University of California San Francisco Center for Vulnerable Populations, Professor of Medicine in Residence at UCSF and was featured in the PBS documentary on diabetes, “Blood Sugar Rising.” He believes that sweeping legislative and societal changes are necessary to reverse the ravaging effects of this disease. Dr. Schillinger shares with host Alec Baldwin how corporations knowingly fuel our addiction to sugar, why the disease disproportionately affects vulnerable populations and the most important change you can make to help fight diabetes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sound of the band Heart is unmistakable: powerful guitar riffs, intricate melodies and soaring vocals. Since 1975, the group fused hard rock, pop and folk to produce 20 Top 40 hits, earn four Grammy nominations and sell over 35 million records. They also made rock history as the first female-fronted hard rock band – and one of the longest lasting and most commercially successful bands of all time. Now, they are heading out on a world tour.  In this two-part episode, host Alec Baldwin speaks with the two women at the beating center of the band, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. In this episode, Alec talks with lead vocalist Ann Wilson about how she discovered she had “the voice,” what it was like coming up as a young woman in the music industry in the 70s, and how Heart managed to produce a sound that was both hard and soft, being anything it wanted to be.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since their debut album in 1975, the band Heart has been unstoppable. With sisters Ann Wilson on lead vocals and Nancy Wilson on guitar and vocals, Heart made history as the first female-led hard rock band. They dominated the charts for decades, producing 20 Top 40 hits like “Barracuda,” “Alone,” and “These Dreams,” earning four Grammy nominations and selling over 35 million records. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees also have the honor of being one of the longest-lasting and most commercially successful bands of all time. This April, they are heading out on a world tour. In this two-part episode, host Alec Baldwin speaks with the two women at the beating center of the band, sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson. In this episode, Alec talks with Nancy Wilson about how she got her start on the guitar at the age of 9, how she transitioned into composing film scores and why the guitar is her best friend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Single-handedly redefining the term “character actor,” the accomplished Richard Kind is surely one of the hardest working people in show business. His resume is unfathomably wide and deep, with over 270 film and television credits, spanning roles that exploit his killer comedic timing, like sitcoms “Spin City” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and those that exercise his dramatic chops, like HBO’s “Luck” and the CBS procedural “East New York.” He’s an actor just as likely to appear in an Oscar-winning feature film as an animated one, to scene-steal a sketch comedy series as to star in an indie short. Kind is also a Tony-nominated stage actor, having appeared on Broadway in “The Producers,” “Funny Girl” and “The Big Knife,” among many others. Richard Kind speaks with host Alec Baldwin about the type of comedians that raised him, how he found his way to the profession after almost attending law school – and why he believes he is the “Costco of acting,”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On February 16th, it was announced that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died in prison. The Vladimir Putin critic had been in Russian captivity on charges of embezzlement and extremism – and had recently been transferred to a remote penal colony in the Arctic Circle, where Russian authorities claimed the 47-year old died from “sudden death syndrome.” In the wake of the tragic news, world leaders directly blamed Putin for Navalny’s death. In 2022, Alec Baldwin spoke with Daniel Roher, the director of the Academy-Award-winning documentary, “Navalny,” which follows the activist in the wake of his 2020 poisoning as he works to uncover those responsible for the assassination attempt against him, before voluntarily returning to Russia. Roher and his collaborator in the film, investigative journalist Christo Grozev, spoke with Alec Baldwin about Navalny’s bravery, why poison is the Kremlin’s weapon of choice and the final moments they spent with Navalny before his heroic return to Russia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chunks of ice making a path across the surface of a river, streaks of pink and orange clouds blocked out against the sky, trees framing a darkened road as if in a ghost story…in the hands of photographer Carolyn Marks Blackwood, nature becomes an abstract work of art. New York’s Hudson Valley is Blackwood’s backyard and her inspiration, where she captures the micro and macro moments of nature’s constant changes – and the details we so often miss. Blackwood is also a screenwriter and producer, bringing to life films like “Philomena” and “The Duchess.” She speaks with host Alec Baldwin about how photography is an act of “flying by the seat of my pants,” about her time as a jazz singer in New York City, and how she found her way to her many artistic pursuits.     Carolyn Marks Blackwood’s work can be found here. The James Paul Cheung scarves made from Blackwood’s photographs can be found here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He’s worked as the personal chef for French President Charles de Gaulle, co-hosted a television series with Julia Child and has authored over 30 cookbooks. There’s simply no one in the world like French chef – and culinary icon – Jacques Pépin.  The Emmy- and James Beard Foundation Award winner worked in more than 100 restaurants before becoming the Director of Research and Development for Howard Johnson’s. He then transitioned to educating the public in proper French cooking methods through his groundbreaking cookbooks like “La Technique” and his latest, “Jacques Pépin Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking;” as well as through his numerous television series like “Today’s Gourmet” and “Every Day Cooking.” He is also the co-founder of the culinary certificate program at Boston University and founder of The Jacques Pépin Foundation, which teaches underserved populations a path to employment through cooking. Alec speaks with Chef Pépin about how his family’s work in restaurants influenced his path, why he’s made the pivots he has throughout his career, and what a revered chef likes to eat in his downtime. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the premiere of our fourth season of “Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin” at iHeartRadio. Our first episode features the woman behind what TV Guide called “the most famous soap opera character in the history of daytime TV.”  Actor Susan Lucci inhabited the role of bad girl Erica Kane on ABC’s “All My Children” for four decades, from the show’s inception in 1970 until 2011. She earned the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for the role in 1999 after nineteen nominations – and in December 2023, received the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award. Lucci’s body of work also includes numerous television series, films and the Broadway stage. She is the author of All my Life: A Memoir and is a National Spokesperson for the American Heart Association. Susan Lucci talks with host Alec Baldwin about how she played a role that evolved over decades, how she realized a lifelong dream of performing on Broadway, and her thoughts on the rumors of a potential reboot of the beloved soap.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join award-winning actor Alec Baldwin in conversation with some of the most dynamic artists, policymakers, and performers working today. This season, Alec speaks with actor Susan Lucci about portraying her iconic character Erica Kane for four decades, chef Jaques Pépin on his passion for sharing the joy of cooking, and public health advocate Dr. Dean Schillinger on the diabetes epidemic and what can be done about it, just to name a few. If you like listening as much as Alec likes talking with interesting people, subscribe now and never miss an episode. The new season begins January 23rd.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.