Bill Clinton launched a new podcast Thursday called Why Am I Telling You This? via IHeartMedia, the company announced.
In the 46-minute first episode of the interview series, the former president — a saxophone player and jazz aficionado —chats with Wynton Marsalis about that jazz great’s career.
“Growing up in Arkansas just after World War II in a family that didn’t have a lot of money, most of our entertainment revolved around storytelling. Listening to my relatives and neighbors tell stories showed me that everyone has a story and that everyone’s story has value,” Clinton said in a statement. “I always thought that the main point of my work was to give people a chance to have better stories. Once you’ve heard a person’s hopes and fears, where they’ve been, and where they want to go, your differences slip away — you become people first. Now more than ever, we need those kinds of connections.”
Why Am I Telling You This? With Bill Clinton is a continuation of a podcast of the same name that Clinton and his daughter Chelsea launched in 2019 through the Clinton Foundation. That interview series featured guests like chef Jose Andres, George W. Bush, and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“We are excited and honored to partner with President Bill Clinton on his new podcast launch. He has the rare gift of having both a deep intellect and an innate ability to relate to people from all walks of life,” John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises for iHeartMedia, said in a statement. “He is a born storyteller and his curiosity about the people and ideas that make up our world is contagious.”
In 2020, Hillary Clinton and IHeartMedia partnered for the podcast You and Me Both, which continues to produce new episodes.