In the ring, if you’re not prepared, you won’t survive. Today’s guest, Michael Che, prepared himself on the streets of New York—selling t-shirts out of a duffle bag, grinding at open mics, and hustling his way into network television. What started as hustling t-shirts on Prince Street—where one day he’d make $40 and the next, $1,000—turned into a relentless pursuit of comedy. A chance encounter led him to SNL, where he quickly realized, “This is literally Harvard for comedy production.” Now, as the co-anchor of Weekend Update, Che is still in the fight, delivering knockout jokes every Saturday night.

CREDITS

Executive Producers: Dave Chappelle, Radio Rahim, Noah Gersh, Jamie Schefman, Nick Panama, Kenzi Wilbur, Elliot O’Dea

Music & Sound Design: SALT Audio

Creative Producer: Alex Casnoff

Head of Production: Liz LeMay

Head of Engineering: Jordan Galvan

Production Manager: Allie Strobel

Post Coordinator: Alice Bearn

Edited by: Geoffrey Mutchnik

Mixed by: SALT Audio

Additional Editing & Sound Design: Jasper van Dijk & Noah Kowalski

Til This Day is a Luminary Original Podcast in partnership with Pilot Boy Productions and SALT Audio.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[REPLAY] From hip-hop to Hollywood, Common has built a career defined by passion, purpose, and perseverance. In this episode, the Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist opens up about his journey—from being inspired by Muhammad Ali’s confidence and activism to navigating the challenges of breaking into both music and acting. He reflects on the power of communication, instilled in him by his mother, and the struggles that tested his commitment to his craft. Through it all, love remains at the heart of his message—whether in relationships, artistry, or the fight for something greater than himself.

CREDITS

Executive Producers: Dave Chappelle, Radio Rahim, Noah Gersh, Jamie Schefman, Nick Panama, Kenzi Wilbur, Elliot O’Dea

Music & Sound Design: Eric Raichelson

Creative Producer: Alex Casnoff

Head of Production: Liz LeMay

Head of Engineering: Jordan Galvan

Production Manager: Allie Strobel

Post Coordinator: Alice Bearn

Edited by: Geoffrey Mutchnik

Mixed by: Zack Djurich

Additional Editing & Sound Design: Jasper van Dijk & Noah Kowalski

Til This Day is a Luminary Original Podcast in partnership with Pilot Boy Productions and SALT Audio.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A hidden hand who has shaped Black culture on television for half a century (think: Def Comedy Jam, Martin, and multiple Dave Chappelle stand up specials and other tv series) he is the man who defined the term “just keep going." Meet prolific film and television producer and director Stan Lathan.

"I didn't even realize I was in the fight. And I was losing it, because it affected everything else in my life." "I didn't even realize I was in the fight. And I was losing it, because it affected everything else in my life." How Stan Lathan's perseverance in a personal battle is now felt by all whose work he continues to elevate with his eye, skill, and directorial finesse.

It's the scars of battle that shape the generals. And we follow in their footsteps because they've walked through fire.

CREDITS

Executive Producers: Dave Chappelle, Radio Rahim, Noah Gersh, Jamie Schefman, Nick Panama, Kenzi Wilbur, Elliot O’Dea

Music & Sound Design: Eric Raichelson

Creative Producer: Alex Casnoff

Head of Production: Liz LeMay

Head of Engineering: Jordan Galvan

Production Manager: Allie Strobel

Post Coordinator: Alice Bearn

Edited by: Geoffrey Mutchnik

Mixed by: Zack Djurich

Additional Editing & Sound Design: Jasper van Dijk & Noah Kowalski

Til This Day is a Luminary Original Podcast in partnership with Pilot Boy Productions and SALT Audio.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a punk club in Trenton to the national stage, this is the story of a comedian who became a cultural cornerstone, often called the most trusted news voice since Walter Cronkite. How did a kid from Central New Jersey, armed with curiosity and a sharp wit, rise to redefine satire, news, and comedy itself? In this conversation, originally released in 2023, Radio explores the formative years of someone who turned late-night gigs for hummus into a mastery of reading rooms, connecting with people, and bringing the world into focus through his lens.

CREDITS

Executive Producers: Dave Chappelle, Radio Rahim, Noah Gersh, Jamie Schefman, Nick Panama, Kenzi Wilbur, Elliot O’Dea

Music & Sound Design: SALT Audio

Creative Producer: Alex Casnoff

Head of Production: Liz LeMay

Head of Engineering: Jordan Galvan

Production Manager: Allie Strobel

Post Coordinator: Alice Bearn

Edited by: Geoffrey Mutchnik

Mixed by: Zack Djurich

Additional Editing & Sound Design: Jasper van Dijk & Noah Kowalski

Til This Day is a Luminary Original Podcast in partnership with Pilot Boy Productions and SALT Audio.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Encore episode!] “Don’t work so hard,” is advice that makes no sense to her. From running track to moonlighting at multiple open mics per night, and even working hard to get fired from her 9 to 5, this comedian took an unconventional path to comedy and has been crushing it ever since.

Mike Tyson famously said “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Your big brother famously said “Stop punching yourself.” But can you?

This conversation was originally published in 2022.

CREDITS

Executive Producers: Dave Chappelle, Radio Rahim, Noah Gersh, Jamie Schefman, Nick Panama, Kenzi Wilbur, Elliot O’Dea

Music & Sound Design: SALT Audio

Creative Producer: Alex Casnoff

Head of Production: Liz LeMay

Head of Engineering: Jordan Galvan

Production Manager: Allie Strobel

Post Coordinator: Alice Bearn

Edited by: Geoffrey Mutchnik

Mixed by: Zack Djurich

Additional Editing & Sound Design: Jasper van Dijk & Noah Kowalski

Til This Day is a Luminary Original Podcast in partnership with Pilot Boy Productions and SALT Audio.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

REPRISE EPISODE, to mark the release of The Fire Inside. The first female boxer to win a gold medal in the Olympics, and the only one to do it twice, Claressa Shields clearly has grounds to proclaim herself the greatest woman of all time, or GWOAT. And from what she saw and survived during her early years, the moniker doesn’t need to be disputed.

More:

The Fire Inside: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fire_inside

CREDITS

Executive Producers: Dave Chappelle, Radio Rahim, Noah Gersh, Jamie Schefman, Nick Panama, Kenzi Wilbur, Elliot O’Dea

Music & Sound Design: SALT Audio

Creative Producer: Alex Casnoff

Head of Production: Liz LeMay

Head of Engineering: Jordan Galvan

Production Manager: Allie Strobel

Post Coordinator: Alice Bearn

Edited by: Geoffrey Mutchnik

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She’s more than her identity—she’s a fighter, a storyteller, and a sharp observer of the world around her. Sam Jay has written her name on the wall at SNL, penned her own hit show (Pause with Sam Jay), and created unforgettable specials like Salute Me or Shoot Me. But beyond her accolades, Sam’s signature is her ability to fight not just for herself, but for those in her corner.

In this episode, Sam shares the life lessons that shaped her—from discovering the layers of her identity, to finding her comedic voice at the family dinner table, where laughter and wit were survival skills. "My grandmother was a verbal assassin," Sam says. And it was likely her quick wit that inspired Sam's storytelling, as did the moments of family loss. Her resilience and authenticity continues to fuel Sam's dreams. As she sums up her navigational method in this 2020 conversation, “I just kept leaning into me."

More info:

"Pause with Sam Jay" on Max: https://www.hbo.com/pause-with-sam-jay

"Salute Me or Shoot Me" on Max: https://www.max.com/movies/sam-jay-salute-me-or-shoot-me/1f4202b7-4d01-45cc-b4d2-11752f2e1009

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna Wintour asked him to be in charge of food at the Met Gala in 2025, he just opened a new restaurant in Washington, and his 2-year-old establishment, Tatiana, is one of the hottest reservations in New York City. There's no better time to listen back to learn where this food-fashion-brand-savvy creative powerhouse came from and how his roots inform his work. Get to know Chef Kwame Onwuachi. Before he competed, and then judged, Top Chef; before he won accolades from James Beard and Food & Wine, and before publishing his first cookbook, Kwame Onwuachi was an aspiring kid from the Bronx, trying to figure out the unspoken rules of class and access. All this while integrating what he learned during a couple of pre-teen years in Nigeria. We begin with "Chapter 1: Made to Order," and continue the journey from there.

CREDITS

Executive Producers: Dave Chappelle, Radio Rahim, Noah Gersh, Jamie Schefman, Nick Panama, Kenzi Wilbur, Elliot O’Dea

Music & Sound Design: Eric Raichelson

Creative Producer: Alex Casnoff

Head of Production: Liz LeMay

Head of Engineering: Jordan Galvan

Production Manager: Allie Strobel

Post Coordinator: Alice Bearn

Edited by: Geoffrey Mutchnik

Mixed by: Zack Djurich

Additional Editing & Sound Design: Jasper van Dijk & Noah Kowalski

Til This Day is a Luminary Original Podcast in partnership with Pilot Boy Productions and SALT Audio.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.