The Unusual Suspects podcast hosted by Malcolm Gladwell and Kenya Barris will officially return to Audible for its sophomore season Thursday, Sep. 10 with a mind-blowing roster of talent.
Among the confirmed guests are Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard, nine-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak, and world-renowned biographer Walter Isaacson, Forbes Entertainment can exclusively confirmed.
“I could not be more pumped to be back at it with my partner-in-podcasting-crime for another season of The Unusual Suspects,” Barris said in a statement. “As a writer, it’s always exciting and interesting getting to really explore someone’s backstory—the obstacles, triumphs, and touchpoints that have shaped their journey and made them who they are today. We have such a great, varied group of guests this season that really allowed us to embrace that endless curiosity, and I can’t wait for listeners to discover these new stories for themselves.”
Added Gladwell: “When you listen to Ron Howard describe transitioning from child actor to Oscar-winning director, or Anderson .Paak talk about building a career outside the traditional music industry machine, you start to see patterns. That’s what fascinates me—how different paths reveal universal principles about persistence, timing, and reinvention.”
All episodes of Season 2 are slated to drop simultaneously, with Gladwell and Barris celebrating the premiere with a live podcast recording at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City with special guest Chelsea Handler (tickets can be purchased here). That episode will drop on Audible sometime in October.
Produced via Barris’s Khalabo Ink Society banner, The Unusual Suspects was created to deliver “raw, unfiltered conversations with some of today’s most influential and fascinating figures,” according to the official synopsis.
“To me, one of the big draws was that I was going to talk to people who I wouldn’t normally think of talking to,” Gladwell explained to Deadline at SXSW 2025. “Same, I think, is true of Kenya. It’s a way of vicariously experiencing someone else’s interests.”
The debut season featured such guests as Dr. Dre, Jimmy Kimmel, Ava DuVernay, and David Chang. Head below for the complete Season 2 lineup!
The Unusual Suspects Season 2 Guests
- Ron Howard – Legendary Hollywood actor turned Oscar-winning director with over 800 IMDb credits and the stories to prove it. They deep dive into Ron’s beginnings in the industry at just 4-years-old, his desire to shift behind the camera, and his ability to stay relevant at every turn of Hollywood’s tumultuous history. Ron fully lives up to his “nicest guy in Hollywood” reputation and leaves them not just with keys to navigating the industry, but keys to living a happy, productive life.
- Anderson .Paak – Nine-time Grammy-winning musician and one of the most lauded drummers alive today. They discuss Anderson’s turbulent childhood and his initial struggle breaking into the industry, including his stint with homelessness and believing he’d never get a record deal. They talk about the moment Dre took him on, his partnership with Bruno Mars, working with all of his OG heroes, and how fatherhood has driven him in every step of his career.
- David Sedaris – Malcolm Gladwell and Kenya Barris sit down with David Sedaris, beloved author and humorist who has penned over a dozen memoirs based on his personal diaries—ten of which are New York Times bestsellers. In this conversation, they explore how David is one of a kind in the literary world, once signing books for ten hours after a show. They dig into David’s diary habits, his rare relationship with his fans, and his ability to use comedy to approach any topic. They also reminisce about Kenya (a huge fan) attending multiple Sedaris readings.
- Amy Sherald – One of America’s preeminent portrait painters and the artist behind First Lady Michelle Obama’s iconic official portrait. In this electric conversation, they discuss what it was like for Amy to reach notoriety later in life—not until her early 40s. She recalls the moment she discovered her artistic signature and being deeply intentional about where to position herself in the art historical narrative. She also talks about her mother as fuel, her censorship dispute with the Smithsonian, and how she finds stillness in her studio.
- Walter Isaacson – World-renowned biographer who has written about geniuses across the ages and whose books, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk, took the world by absolute storm. Walter speaks candidly about what he considers the true sign of brilliance and his belief that a genius’s demons are often inextricable from their work. It all begins with a discussion of New Orleans, Walter’s hometown, and the place that shaped his desire to be a storyteller.
- Rich Roll – Ultra-endurance athlete who, at 51-years-old, was named the World’s Fittest Vegan. Rich speaks openly with Malcolm and Kenya about his past with addiction, his switch from extreme substance abuse to extreme athletic pursuits, and his ability to withstand pain. He even gives Kenya some tips for shopping at the grocery store.
- Coleman Hughes – Political podcaster and author of The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America, Coleman Hughes. The result is more of a lively debate than an interview. Coleman came to fame with his TED Talk, “A Case for Colorblindness”—a controversial topic on which Malcolm and Kenya have no shortage of opinions. The three discuss their views on Blackness, how race impacts us today, and whether there’s a North Star in race relations.
- Chelsea Handler (Live) – In this special live episode recorded at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre, Malcolm Gladwell and Kenya Barris take the stage with seven-time New York Times bestselling author and trailblazing comedian and host Chelsea Handler for an unfiltered conversation about comedy, public life, and reinvention. They explore Chelsea’s journey from stand-up comic to late-night pioneer, her evolution into candid social commentary and bestselling author, and what drives her current chapter touring America and connecting with audiences in new ways.
All episodes of The Unusual Suspects Season 2 exclusively premiere on Audible Thursday, Sep. 10.