Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness

Fortnite. League of Legends. The Sims. Candy Crush. From playing with your friends as a kid to competing with a team in an esports competition, there’s no denying that video games have a huge influence in our lives and the world around us. Professor Megan Condis and gamer Cybbi Barton join a Fortnite-obsessed Jonathan for a conversation on the immense influence this $217 billion industry has on our culture. Dr. Megan Condis is an assistant professor of Communication Studies at Texas Tech University. Her book, “Gaming Masculinity: Trolls, Fake Geeks, and the Gendered Battle for Online Culture”, was published by the University of Iowa Press in 2018. Cybbi Barton is the Director of the Esports Competition and Streaming Lab at Texas Tech and is a member of the Queer Women in Esports Organization. You can follow Megan on Twitter @MeganCondis and Cybbi @cybbib Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at Jo

Ryan Rudewicz (aka @rudepolaroids) is *the* expert in capturing your inner glow on film. NYC’s hottest nightlife photographer and Jonathan go behind the lens to talk about Polaroids, the magic of physical photos, and the joy of documenting Queer community on camera. Plus, are iPhone .5 pics meh or major? Ryan Rudewicz (better known as Rude Polaroids) is a Polaroid and film photographer based in Brooklyn capturing Queer nightlife, drag, and portraits. He is the winner of the 2023 Glam Award as New York's Best Nightlife Photographer. Ryan had his first solo gallery exhibit last summer in Provincetown and will be returning to Studio Lacombe for his second solo exhibition August 23rd - September 2, 2024. Ryan is on Instagram @rudepolaroids and on Twitter @rudepolaroids. You can find more information about Ryan’s work here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to learn more about the products from this episode, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the transcript. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Find boo

She’s not like a regular mom, she’s a cool mom! This week, Busy Philipps joins Jonathan to talk all things Mean Girls and what it takes to be a cool mom on screen - and in real life. From bringing Mrs. George into 2024, parenting her own kids, and advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community, Busy totally makes fetch happen! Busy Philipps is a New York Times Best-Selling author, actor, activist, and writer. She’s known for her television roles on Freaks and Geeks and Dawson's Creek. She’s also appeared in films like White Chicks, Made of Honor, and He's Just Not That Into You. She currently stars in the Peacock/Netflix original series Girls5eva, and is in the new Mean Girls film, inspired by the 2004 original and Tony nominated Broadway show which released in theaters on  January 12th. She and her creative partner Caissie St. Onge also co-host the podcast Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best. You can follow Busy on Instagram @busyphilipps. You can listen to Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best wherever you get your podc

Mei Kawajiri (aka @nailsbymei) has actually touched Madonna’s hands…while she was doing her nails! She also happens to be the nail artist for *the host of this podcast.* Mei joins Jonathan to share the incredible story of how she moved from Tokyo to New York City and became a top celebrity nail artist. Plus, how does she create her famous 3D nail art? Do we really have to cut our cuticles? And what’s on trend for nails right now? Mei Kawajiri is the nail artist behind the most viral manicures on your Instagram feed. Mei's art is frequently in the pages of Self Service, i-D, and Pop Magazine, as well as campaigns for Vivienne Westwood and Miu-Miu. Her celebrity fans include Marc Jacobs, Dua Lipa, Gigi Hadid, Rosalía, Cardi B…and Jonathan Van Ness. Mei was recognized as one of the most inspiring and innovative creative trailblazers by the British Fashion Council in 2018 and continues to lead with passion and an indomitable spirit. Mei is on Instagram @nailsbymei. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN

If you loved our episode on the women of the far right then this one’s for you! We’re returning to the world of white nationalism to uncover the connections between the growing anti-woke backlash movement and the rise of white power. Historian Kathleen Belew joins Jonathan to answer questions about the rise of Christian nationalism including: what’s the current state of white supremacy in America? How is the Charlottesville riot related to the January 6th insurrection?  And what can we do if we see people being radicalized in our own communities? Kathleen Belew is author of “Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America.” She is an Associate Professor of History at Northwestern University. You can follow Kathleen on TikTok @kathleen.belew and Twitter @kathleen_belew. You can follow Harvard University Press on Instagram @harvardpress. You can find more information about Kathleen, here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JV

From Tina Turner to Kristin Stewart, this week’s guest has worked with practically every iconic celeb. Celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel spills the tea to Jonathan on how he got his start, what hair trends are “in” for 2024, and what hair product he can’t leave home without. Plus, Adir and Jonathan reveal all the insider secrets for a perfect blow-dry. Adir Abergel fuses the boundaries between fashion, art and celebrity in a way that few Hollywood hairstylists have managed to do. Using hair as his principal medium, Adir challenges red carpet conventions to exquisite effect, integrating beauty and originality into a single expression. He has been instrumental in constructing the distinctive styles of such influential talent as Jennifer Garner, Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, and Reese Witherspoon. Adir is on Instagram @hairbyadir. You can find Virtue Labs on Instagram @virtuelabs. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to learn more about the products from this epis

It’s a new year and there’s a new topic that Jonathan’s curious about! We’re talking about happiness with the expert herself, Gretchen Rubin from the Happier podcast. She answers all of our burning questions about happiness in the new year: Is focusing on our own happiness selfish? How can we use our personality type to set more achievable goals in the new year? And how can we be more playful with our resolutions? Gretchen Rubin is the author of many bestselling books, such as The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, and The Four Tendencies, which have sold millions of copies in more than thirty languages. Her most recent book is Life in Five Senses. She’s also host of the popular podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, and founder of award-winning Happier app, which helps people track their happiness-boosting habits. You can follow Gretchen on Instagram @gretchenrubin. You can find more information about Gretchen, here and you can listen to Happier wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Instag

For our *last* episode of the year, we’re giving you a montage à la Golden Girls. Join Jonathan, as they look back on some of their favorite conversations from recent years. We’re talking about the sociosexual behavior of bonobos, the history of Germany’s anti-sodomy law, and Tammy Baldwin’s attempt to help pass the Equality Act in Congress. We’ll see you in 2024! Dr. Laura Simone Lewis is a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Psychology department at UC Berkeley. Check out her full episode of Getting Curious here. Dr. W. Jake Newsome is an award-winning scholar of German and American LGBTQ+ history whose work educates global audiences. Check out his full episode of Getting Curious here. Tammy Baldwin is the Junior US Senator from Wisconsin & was the first openly gay woman to be elected to Congress. Check out her full episode of Getting Curious here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available a

2023 was a year of big decisions for the Supreme Court, including recent news that they’ll be reviewing the constitutionality of mifepristone in the coming year. So we’re heading into the archives with this episode recorded right after the Dobbs decision was leaked. Professor Jacqueline Antonovich and Jonathan trace the history of abortion care and reproductive rights across the country in this episode originally recorded in July 2022. Jacqueline Antonovich is an Assistant Professor of History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. She is the author of the article, “White Coats, White Hoods: The Medical Politics of the Ku Klux Klan in 1920s America,” and she is currently working on a book on the history of women physicians and medical imperialism in the American West. Jacqueline is the creator and co-founder of Nursing Clio, a collaborative blog project that examines the historical roots of present-day issues surrounding gender, health, and medicine. Make sure to follow Professor Antonovich on Twitter @j

December is World AIDS Month, so we’re bringing back Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes to learn about recent developments in HIV research. We’re also covering weight-neutral health care, a win for the LGBTQIA+ community, and a rare bird spotting in Colombia! Celeste Watkins-Hayes is the Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy and Sociology at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and founding director of the school's Center for Racial Justice. Dr. Watkins-Hayes holds a PhD and MA in sociology from Harvard University and a BA from Spelman College. You can follow Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes on Instagram @celestewatkinshayes and on Twitter @watkinshayes. You can learn more about her work here. Check out her previous episode of Getting Curious here. You can follow the Ford School on Instagram @fordschool. For more information on the news stories we covered this week, head to @curiouswithjvn on Instagram. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are

Do you ever watch Finding Nemo and wonder about the scary-looking fish with the gnarly teeth and the light on its head? Well then you’ve come to the right place! This week, we’re talking anglerfish! Marine biologist Dr. Mackenzie Gerringer and Jonathan spill the tea on what’s going on in the deep sea. We cover everything from how big the Mariana Trench is to how the deepest-living fishes reproduce–and it's WAY weirder than you think! Mackenzie Gerringer (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor at the State University of New York at Geneseo. Her research centers on the physiology and ecology of deep-sea animals, including the planet’s deepest-living fishes. She earned her PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Hawaii in 2017 before working as a postdoctoral researcher at Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington. She has spent over 200 days at sea exploring the ocean’s depths with free-vehicle landers, ROVs, and submersibles. You can find more information about Mackenzie and the projects her lab i

Cheekbone Beauty came to Jenn Harper in a literal dream. Now her brand is on the shelves of Sephora Canada and on the Met Gala red carpet. Jenn tells Jonathan about her love of simplicity, how she approaches sustainability, and what Indigenous representation means to her. Plus, the Cheekbone product you need in your makeup bag ASAP. Check out our Instagram @curiouswithjvn to learn more about the products from this episode, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the transcript. An award-winning social entrepreneur, Jenn Harper is the Founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics INC. Cheekbone Beauty is a digital direct to consumer brand helping  Indigenous youth see themselves in a beauty brand while using the concept of Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) in the brand’s ethos and in developing products. Cheekbone Beauty’s mission is to help every Indigenous youth see and feel their enormous value in the world while creating sustainable cosmetics. Cheekbone is on Instagram @cheekbonebeauty, TikTok @cheekbonebeaut

This week we’re taking on all of your financial questions. What the heck is a Roth IRA? How should you approach spending money? What’s a high-yield savings account and should I have one? Internationally recognized money expert Tori Dunlap joins Jonathan to answer all these questions and more to teach us how we can all save our money. Tori Dunlap is an internationally recognized money and career expert, and podcast host. After saving $100,000 at age 25, Tori quit her corporate job in marketing and founded Her First $100K to fight financial inequality by giving women actionable resources to better their money. She has helped over three million women negotiate salary, pay off debt, build savings, and invest. You can find HerFirst100k on Instagram @herfirst100k and on their website, here. You can listen to Financial Feminist wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at Jonat

This week on Curious Now, we’re getting an update on legislative efforts to advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence. Sonya Passi joins Jonathan to talk about her organization, FreeFrom, as well as current events regarding intimate partner violence–including the Supreme Court case United States v. Rahimi. Sonya Passi is the founder of FreeFrom, a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to helping survivors of intimate partner violence achieve economic justice and long-term financial stability. In addition to her advocacy work, Sonya is the co-founder and CEO of CHANI—the tech and media startup behind the eponymous viral astrology app for self-discovery, mindfulness, and healing. You can follow Sonya on Twitter @PassiSonya. You can follow FreeFrom on Twitter @freefromorg and Instagram @freefromdotorg. You can also find more information on their website, here. You can find more information about Gifted, here. Content advisory: This conversation includes frank discussion of intimate partner

What kind of flower is Agnes van Rhijn from The Gilded Age? How can you start a garden when you don’t have a lot of space? Can Jonathan do an accurate Moira Rose impression? This week, Jonathan and their husband Mark dig deep on all things gardening. Mark shares his love of landscaping, his daily garden routine, and answers some listener questions. Mark Peacock has a degree in Landscape Architecture & Garden Design from University of Essex. You can follow Mark on Instagram @marklondon. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure.  Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.

On this week’s Pretty Curious. we’re still talking all things skincare, hair care, beauty, self-care, and beyond - but we’re turning the mic to YOU, our listeners, for a super charged Q&A, PLUS the very first annual Pretty Curious Holiday Gift Guide. And no holiday party would be complete without a game or two- and we’ve got that covered with our very special guest and style icon, Tan France. To learn more about the products referenced in the episode, check out our Instagram @curiouswithjvn, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the episode transcript. Make sure to check out our other new series, Curious Now. And don’t worry—Getting Curious isn’t going anywhere. We’ll still be releasing new episodes every Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior

Do you ever look around at your living space and suddenly realize that you have way too much stuff? Well, you might need to take some inspo from the traditions of Swedish Death Cleaning! On this week’s Getting Curious, the three Swedish Death Cleaners from the Peacock show join Jonathan to tell us all how we can tidy up our lives and learn to confront one of the scariest things out there: death. Ella Engström is an organizer. Johan Svenson is a designer. And Katarina Blom is a psychologist. You can follow Johan on Instagram @svenson_johan, Ella on Instagram @engsroom, and Katrina on Instagram @katarinablom. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is streaming now, on Peacock. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss.

Every other week on Curious Now, we cover updates on the gender-affirming care bans being put in place all over the U.S. But this week, we’re taking a deeper look at this huge issue with someone who is at the center of a case that might be taken to the Supreme Court. L.W. and ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio join Jonathan to talk about the impact gender-affirming care bans have on trans children and how they plan on fighting back. You can follow the ACLU of Tennessee on Instagram and Twitter @aclu_tennessee. You can also find more information on their website, here. For more information on the news stories we covered this week, head to @curiouswithjvn on Instagram. Tune in next Monday for another episode of our other new series Pretty Curious, all about beauty—and every Wednesday for an all-new episode of Getting Curious. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from

Kohl. Mebari. Kajal. Eyeliner. It may go by many names, but most people know exactly what this iconic makeup tool is, and how to use it to enhance their eyes. On this week’s Getting Curious, journalist Zahra Hankir takes us on a journey through thousands of years of history to learn all about eyeliner. From Queen Nerfertiti in ancient Egypt to the Wodaabe community in Chad to the drag queens on Fire Island, we’ll learn all about how people have used this amazing tool in the past, and how they just might use it in the future. Zahra Hankir is a Lebanese-British journalist who writes about the intersection of politics, culture and society. Her work has appeared in publications including Condé Nast Traveller, the Observer, Times Literary Supplement, BBC News, the Los Angeles Times, and The Rumpus. She was awarded a Jack R. Howard Fellowship in International Journalism to attend the Columbia Journalism School and holds degrees in politics and Middle Eastern studies. You can follow Zahra on Instagram @zahraha

What do you get when you combine sustainably sourced botanicals with Indigenous plant science? Sḵwálwen Botanicals! Ethnobotanist and founder of Sḵwálwen, Leigh Joseph, joins Jonathan on this week’s Pretty Curious to talk all about her approach to harvesting their botanicals, what motivated her to start her brand, and how we can all become more connected to the land. To learn more about the products referenced in the episode, check out our Instagram @curiouswithjvn, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the episode transcript. Sḵwálwen Botanicals is an Indigenous skincare brand that honours cultural knowledge, Indigenous plant science and self care. Founded by ethnobotanist Leigh Joseph of Squamish First Nation, Sḵwálwen (skwall - win) provides gentle and effective skincare and wellness products that draw from the ceremonial aspects of plants. Incorporating sustainably harvested and sourced botanicals, Sḵwálwen unites ancestral traditions with modern beauty rituals, empowering people to connect to themselves