I’m trying to be charitable but I can’t—she’s nuts. Please find someone else to represent the Trump supporters.

Bari and the FP’s other interviewers are brilliant, articulate, nimble, and even-tempered with a dash of humor, even when guests are not. For example: Batya Unger-Sargon. I understand she and Bari are friends, but she’s fallen off a cliff and no longer offers a thoughtful right-leaning pov. Her hyped-up, high-pitched screeching, aggressive, condescending, even nasty attitude, and sometimes inaccurate or twisted use of facts are more appropriate for Fox, Newsmax, or Breitbart than The Free Press. For me, an Independent L-leaning-in-some-areas-R-leaning-in-others voter, having her on the podcast defeats the purpose of why I go to Honestly: to gain new insights and build an intelligent, balanced perspective. I appreciated Batya in the past, when she served as a thoughtful counterpoint to a left-leaning guest, but now, as others have commented, she’s gotta go. Sorry Bari, but she no longer contributes much of anything constructive to an informed and intelligent conversation, and her voice and attitude make me want to screech back at her and change the channel. Seriously, if I wanted to listen to talkers like her, I can easily turn on Fox. I like to think that Honestly and The Free Press are more highly evolved than that.

Outstanding interview with Douglas Murray. He is such an interesting and informative person. Thank you Bari for having him on your podcast.

As a moderate, this used to be my favorite conservative-leaning podcast. While I love Bari and Brianna, giving so much voice to Batya really ruins it. It’s not interesting to listen to people who find no fault in anything their side does. I will no longer download when she’s on. Please bring back more open minded conversations.

Weiss has become so transparently biased that this is not a news program at all - it’s just smeary propaganda spewed by the likes of Batya Ungar-Sargon, Douglas Murray and Brianna Wu - its as bad as Fox News - if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll love it.

Is a complete warmonger. He has never beeen a soldier in combat so he shoould shut his mouth using his words because he doesn’t know enough to say anything. Perhaps he should only comment about the English language.

Love this show. Tired of hearing from the same two republican/democrats for both sides. Please expand who you’re interviewing for these two sided episodes. We know how these two feel. Let move on or at least rotate in a few different people.

Love the free press, always listen to support the free press because it’s a great operation. That being said I’ve heard enough from these two commentators. They just don’t represent a wide enough range of ideas/opinions to put on as often as they are. I’m sure they are wonderful people and everyone needs a job but nothing they say is surprising or informative at this point.

I’ll come back if things improve, but I couldn’t put it better than Stephen Pinker on April 13, 2025: “Sad to agree… that the Free Press (for which I had high hopes) has "descended into MAGA-lite." Yes, PC-SJW-Critical-Woke-Intersectionality is bad, but some perspective, please: Blowing up the international order, sucking up to autocrats, wrecking the world economy, sowing doubt about vaccines, spreading medical quackery, strangling lifesaving foreign aid, pardoning violent rioters, preventing data collection, spewing nonstop lies, & extorting the press, law firms, and universities is worse.”

Seems like every time Bari interviews someone from the right — and I really want to hear these and understand their point of view — the guest is super emotional and doesn’t answer the questions. Batya was true to form.

Good on you for bringing Batya into the mix. It is really hard to find people who have principles and also support Trump, because Trump tends to demand personal loyalty over principles. But Batya honestly seems to care about American workers (though I think her ideas about how to help them are very counterproductive, and I disagreed with them when the Democrats held them). I don’t understand, though, how she can be for the US’s support of Israel, but toe the Trumpian line on Ukraine and Russia. Is it just that she’s Jewish, or is there a principle at work here? Either we should support little democracies around the world or we shouldn’t. I find myself agreeing with Brianna a great deal, as well as Bari, though I am an old guard Reaganite conservative, fiscally, morally, and in terms of foreign policy. Edit: Aaaaactually, after listening to the most recent episode, I’d say Batya cares about her ideal of an American worker—but not as much as she hates the caricatured wealthy people in her mind. She’s happy to destroy the economy if it means hurting the right people. Somehow, despite hating entitled, spoiled, rich folks who are taking advantage of the poor, she forgets that her hero, Donald J., is, well…an entitled, spoiled, rich guy who is taking advantage of the poor (and pretty soon that will be everyone).

Thanks, Bari, for trusting your audience with a range of voice and perspectives. But if Batya’s primary role is to defend Trump, is there no Trump supporter you could invite who can bring a bit more openness, humility, and groundedness to the conversation? Also, when you are going to have Alex O’Connor on your show? I was hoping you’d pair him with Ross Douthat for a conversation on religion.

Thank you for bringing on Brianna Wu to insert reality into a conversation with Batya Ungar-Sargon. Every time I see Batya is going to be a contributor to ANYTHING I already know what she’s going to contribute: egregious denial and gaslighting.

She’s concealing a hidden agenda it appears. She lashes out at the far left but treats MAGA(ultra far right) with respect. Anyone else notice the differences? Far left people respect the rule of law whereas the far right want to destroy all rules and all laws. Huge differences that are never discussed on this podcast. Would give higher rating if she was just honest with her listeners.

Goodness gracious, can we possibly get ANY other conservative than Batya?

Since I found this podcast, I get more and more attached to it, because it almost always looks at all sides of an issue, or is at least open to hearing them. However, B.U.S. is 100% Trumpian and can Never see any thing negative about him and what he’s done. As someone who did not vote for him in 2024 (I voted for neither and Did vote for him in 2016) but was relieved Harris did not win, it’s impossible to say that everything he’s done is right. She’s exactly the type of guest that should not be included on this podcast.

Love honestly, love the FP, but for the love of god can we stop with Batya. Please bring in a different pro Trump voice. I find her insufferable

:( do better

I don’t always agree, but DANG she does such a great interview. I appreciate when Bari herself doesn’t agree & doesn’t back off but she is never ugly. She seems genuinely curious. Fascinating guests.

Re: Marco Rubio. Don’t expect a Pulitzer. He’s just stumping for Trump. “Tren de Aragua is a terrorist org. Can’t deport US citizens, I’ll quote Trump, he says we have to check the laws. We’re following the laws—it’s Joe Biden that didn’t and let this country open the border with its 70mph speed limits (analogy) not enforced. State dept is definitely going to do a good job at US soft power, don’t worry.” I think that’s a brief, good faith summary of Sec Rubio’s sentiments on that one. In other news, US deports a 2 year old US citizen.

Thank you, Bari, for your curiosity, and your willingness to interview people with different viewpoints than yourself. I have learned so much.

be a good president? It seems not. We are very early in the experiment, so far it is not going well. A base man is appealing to the base instincts of his followers. I have been a Republican since the Reagan era, I voted for Trump in 2020, in 2024 I just couldn’t, I wrote in DeSantis. I keep quiet about it among my friends, MAGA is not understanding nor tolerant of criticism of its leader.

Just listened to the episode with the new head of the NIH. I didn’t know anything about him, except what I heard on the news (biased, of course) How refreshing to hear it straight from him. Thank you, Bari, for an insightful episode.

I have greatly appreciated this podcast since 2021. My favorite episodes are the presentation of opposing viewpoints as these have vastly expanding my understanding of the nuances of complex situations. However, the Mark Hyman interview earned this review, as functional medicine needs to be made mainstream and I am deeply grateful to the FP for sharing his voice.

For a doc who lived in China and has a degree in Asian studies you would think that this guy would acknowledge that he is NOT at the vanguard of a new medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda have both been treating the root cause of symptoms and the whole person (body, mind, spirit) for hundreds of years. “Functional Medicine” is just a new name for an old method of healing. Call the kettle black Dr. Hyman, get off your high horse, and give credit where credit is due. Functional medicine builds on centuries of work from traditional practitioners from the East.

Claiming to be free and unbiased when no person or press can be exempt from all biases is misleading and naive. I’m continually fascinated by Bari’s choice of content. Rarely are important and timely topics covered. Bari debates the use of pronouns while immigrants are being deported without due process. I sometimes look to this podcast for alternative views and rarely find important topics, let alone insights, worth listening about. Batya ungar-sargon doesn’t deserve a platform, esp here. Her obvious bias blinds her from rationale and insight. She has rarely (if ever) made a good case for her views and often just spouts off nonsense. Bari needs to reconsider her “honest” debates by including smarter people with smarter arguments based in reality and facts. This podcast tends to sway me away from its views bc of how weak the arguments are.

He’s on the circuit and so far I haven’t heard anything about hormones. Also saddleback church lost a lot of weight, true, and so did Rick Warren but he has seemed to have gained it all back. Just like the rest of us who do these programs who claim to have THE answer.

Weekly Podcast

Free Press doesn’t allow its subscribers to unsubscribe from their email list. They will keep sending you emails daily. And you can’t block their email either, because they have numerous Free Press accounts. Just an fyi.

Overall a good interview. Bari’s questions were on point. I was disappointed in Axios’ attempt to downplay questions about the media industry’s Biden cover-up. If journalists are naive or unintentionally misled, then they aren’t suited for the job. A trained journalist knows how to investigate - if they don’t investigate or they withhold their findings that’s a choice not an “oops.” From 2020-24, Axios knew to ask questions and call out the dangers of Biden’s decline - why not insist that other outlets hold an equally high and honest standard? I lost some respect for Axios with their minimizing response. Seemed disingenuous.

Hey ‘honestly’, how about an honest discussion about the state of the economy over the last 11 weeks, which has been conveniently ignored during this time. Come on, centrists, give us your best take

Topics such as pronouns would have been salient a year ago. But now it seems there are bigger problems to address rather than retreading all the now-tired themes. We get it - you’re tired of the excesses of the left, and with good reason. How about, however, you perhaps address the excesses of those currently in power. This can be done without espousing a liberal viewpoint. Almost all the newsletters I currently consume are from the Dispatch - a more traditionally conservative publication.

The Free Press is neither free, nor is it credible press. Follow the money.

LOYAL listener but definitely feel like the political topics have been leaning heavily right in the last 3 months and that makes me nervous because this is my go to source for the voice of reason. I recommend this show to my best girlfriends and my kids because it’s well rounded, but HONESTLY not as much as previous. This makes me so bummed because I need this. We need this. Where else are we going to go for truly independent news? It really feels like the tone has shifted and now there is a definite bias toward the right.

Loved the interview with Dr. Jay B. Bari why no lighting round of questions at the end? I love that part.

But the blue hair non-binary crowds might be upset because they are not special anymore.

This podcast may not be perfectly unbiased, but I truly feel Bari tries. And Bari, please use your connections and influence to push hard for public apologies. Dr. Bhattacharya may not need one, but there are some of us who need to hear an admitting of wrongdoing before we can forgive.

I enjoy getting diverse opinions and interviews without agendas.

A good sign is that all the one star reviews are saying that Weiss is too conservative or too liberal (which says a lot more about the reviewers than the pod). Weiss could put a bit more effort into looking more fairly into MAGA; only interviewing neocons isn’t really representative of the right

TGIF should be regular episodes and all episodes should be audio and video! Overall good guests that Bari brings together often people the NYT will not platform. Probably needs to hear from more Conservative and pro MAGA voices.

The interview with Ezra Cline and some other guy I’m too lazy to look up is a great aperture into the leftist echo chamber trying to recover. They don’t appear to have a single idea ready for implementation that’s more than a buzzword and would win popular support.

Finished the audiobook in less than 24 hours. Must read!! Makes you think and realize why we are in this horrible sit uation in our country NOW!

Has anyone made an A.I. Bari Bot? I would definitely not be able to tell the difference. She is perfect. She is her. Her and the Sam Harris robot would be best friends. Dancing in fields of unrivaled reasonableness. Logic is their nectar.

I feel like this podcast markets itself as being unbiased or at least attempting to include more voices than just Democrat… but I’m still waiting for an episode whose tone is not overall very liberal. They allow more voices, which is unusual for modern democrats, but largely those dissenting voices are challenged much more than liberal ones. I still listen to glean what I can, but this is definitely not the unbiased, moderate podcast I hoped it would be. The search continues.

Would love to hear a discussion about the public lands debate that is very important to many Americans, particularly those of us in the West. This is one area hunters, anglers, ATVers, skiers, hikers, climbers, rafters and bikers agree on - they don’t want to lose their public lands. It also touches on how out of touch my fellow dems seems to be (specifically your two most recent hosts) on the build, build, build campaign as well as the current administration. We in the West live differently. Public lands are a huge part of our economy, a way of life, and a bipartisan love. Where I live, public lands consist of 73% of our state (Idaho), 33 million acres. I hope you can cover this topic soon. Thanks for all you do!

I felt compelled to write this review after seeing several negative reviews around various guests but particularly around Batya. I’ve been a fan of Bari since her days at the NYT and she hasn’t missed on any of the regular contributors. While I don’t often agree with Batya, at least in entirety, she brings a much needed perspective that was otherwise lacking from the panels. Bari recently spoke about not pandering to her audience, and that’s what I love about this brand. Don’t listen to the negative reviews and keep offering the wide variety of perspectives on events you long have. Thank you!

Please consider bringing in another voice for the populist movement.

I hate her politics, but Weiss is a lot hotter than I expected based on her terrible voice and opinions.

I first learned of Bari’s work on Bill Maher’s Real Time and always found her analysis of current events, politics, and culture to be both engaging and insightful. When I discovered she had a podcast shortly after October 7th 2023, I was excited to give it a listen. At first, I really enjoyed the show and thought it was an ideologically balanced and informative podcast with a strong focus on the classically liberal value of free speech. Over the past few months though, the show has drifted rightward and some episodes (particular the ones with Batya) just feel like they are intended to serve as gateway drug for Trump sycophancy. The formula is as follows: 1) include a guest that is stridently and uncritically pro-Trump, usually Batya, 2) have a guest or two with alternative viewpoints that are either weakly defended or are too reasonable/civil to get into a debate with the pro-Trump guest, and 3) Bari briefly talks about how she formerly had a more liberal/classically liberal perspective on the topic of the day, but now she is questioning her old views and considering the Trump-aligned view. Seems like this show is trying to redpill people. Eli Lake’s work on Breaking History continues to be good and I will continue listening to it! Might come back to Honestly if they discard the new formula and go back to their classic approach.

In the past I have appreciated the viewpoint of Bari Weiss. I didn't always agree with her views but she was offering a different perspective to that of the far left or right. However, the podcast seems to have taken a turn towards the awful tech-MAGA direction. I think The Free Press is funded by some tech people like Peter Thiel and the recent change in tone makes me think she has been purchased by the right. I no longer feel like her pov is unbiased and have stopped listening.