The Ezra Klein Show

The Ezra Klein Show is an interview podcast hosted by journalist Ezra Klein that launched in 2016. The program presents long discussions on public policy, economics, political philosophy, culture, and science.

Production started at digital news outlet Vox in February 2016 with an interview featuring cable news host Rachel Maddow. Klein co-founded Vox and steered the conversation toward policy analysis and systemic reform. In November 2020, Klein left the digital publication to join The New York Times as an opinion columnist. The newspaper relaunched the podcast under its audio division in 2021. Distribution expanded to terrestrial radio in November 2023 through a syndication partnership with Public Radio Exchange. That radio arrangement delivered a one-hour weekly version of the program to public broadcasting stations across the United States.

Episodes run from 60 to 90 minutes and center on structured, analytical dialogues rather than standard promotional banter. Each conversation ends with a traditional question asking guests to recommend three books to the audience. High-profile guests who have appeared on the show include former president Barack Obama and tech founder Bill Gates. In February 2024, an episode examining the Democratic presidential nomination gained broad media coverage after Klein evaluated political polling data and party ballot options ahead of the national election.

The program earned two Webby Awards in May 2020 from the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for Best Interview and Talk Show, capturing both the jury prize and the People's Voice Award. Klein drew from ideas developed across several broadcast discussions when writing his political book Why We're Polarized, which publisher Simon and Schuster released in January 2020. The book entered the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list in February 2020. Transcripts of episodes appear regularly in digital print on the newspaper platform.