Celebrity Jobber with Jeff Zito - Jake Tapper

Summary

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Celebrity Jobber Podcast with Jeff Zito

Episode: Jake Tapper (Aired November 8, 2025)
Podcast Host: Jeff Zito
Guest: Jake Tapper (CNN Anchor, Author)

Overview

In this episode, Jeff Zito sits down with CNN's lead Washington anchor, Jake Tapper, to discuss Tapper’s unconventional path to a career in journalism, his initial ambitions, the odd jobs he worked along the way, and pivotal moments that shaped his career. Tapper also shares insights into his latest books—one on President Biden and another about a real-life hunt for an Al Qaeda terrorist. True to the podcast’s theme, the conversation dives into how fate, persistence, and openness to new opportunities can shape a celebrity career.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jake Tapper’s Book Projects

• Race Against Terror – Tapper’s latest book took three years to write and allowed him to dive deep into real-world detective work and counterterrorism, topics not often possible on daily news programs.
  • “When I first heard this story, I was like, this is incredible. This is like the best episode of CSI ever.” (Jake Tapper, 04:04)
• Original Sin – His controversial book co-written with Alex Thompson about President Biden came together quickly in a matter of months, creating the illusion that Tapper is constantly producing new books.
  • “It's the illusion of churning out a book every six months. But that's not really what happened.” (Jake Tapper, 03:39)
• Tapper describes book-writing as a labor of love rather than a professional necessity.
  • “I love it. If I didn't love it, I wouldn't do it. I mean, I don't need to do it. It's fun.” (Jake Tapper, 04:23)

2. On Journalism and Early Ambitions

• As a child, Tapper edited a neighborhood and high school newspaper but didn’t see a journalism career until his twenties.
• Tapper majored in history at Dartmouth, originally aiming to be a political cartoonist inspired by Doonesbury’s Gary Trudeau.
  • “I wanted to be a political cartoonist. Yeah, I wanted to be like the next Doonesberry. … And I got close once.” (Jake Tapper, 08:45)
• After his cartooning ambitions faltered, Tapper took a PR job to pay the bills and began freelancing, which reignited his passion for journalism.

3. The “Big Break” Moment

• Tapper’s significant break came through relentless freelancing and a quirky story about a party in a former bordello, which got published in the Washington City Paper.
  • “That probably was a huge break. ... The lesson is, if you're at a party, listen to the stories, because maybe you can. Maybe you can turn it into a book, right?” (Jake Tapper, 11:25)
• He draws parallels between that experience and the origins of some of his book ideas, which also started with party stories and casual conversations.

4. First Job Experience: Baskin Robbins

• Tapper’s first paycheck came from scooping ice cream and making waffles at Baskin Robbins through high school—an experience that required biking three miles each way, even late at night.
  • “I worked at Baskin Robbins starting in 10th grade, scooping ice cream, making waffles ... Rode my bike three miles to the Baskin Robbins and then rode my bike back.” (Jake Tapper, 11:57)
• Tapper reflects on generational differences, marveling at what parents allowed back then compared to today.
  • “I don't think I would ever. My kids do that. Ride my, ride a bike three miles in the dark.” (Jake Tapper, 13:17)

5. National Mood and Optimism

• Tapper expresses concern about current divisiveness in the country but maintains long-term optimism grounded in American ideals.
  • “I'm concerned about a lot of things having to do with the country, but I'm optimistic long term because this is the United States of America... But I am concerned about some of the things going on and I'm very concerned about how divided we all seem.” (Jake Tapper, 14:15)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On writing:
  • “If I didn't love it, I wouldn't do it. I mean, I don't need to do it. It's fun.” (04:23)
• On the start in journalism:
  • “I didn't decide I wanted to go into journalism until I was in my 20s… I was just doing public relations just to pay the bills, right.” (07:45)
• On big breaks via parties:
  • “The lesson is, if you're at a party, listen to the stories, because maybe you can. Maybe you can turn it into a book, right?” (11:25)
• On changing times and parenting:
  • “I don't think I would ever. My kids do that. Ride my, ride a bike three miles in the dark.” (13:17)
• On American optimism:
  • “I'm concerned about a lot of things having to do with the country, but I'm optimistic long term because this is the United States of America…” (14:15)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:39 – Jake Tapper discusses writing his books and the time commitment involved
• 04:23 – Why Tapper enjoys writing books
• 07:45 – Tapper’s early interests and accidental entry into journalism
• 08:45 – Original ambition to be a political cartoonist
• 09:55 – Breakthrough moment: The bordello story and parallels to book inspiration
• 11:57 – Jake’s first job at Baskin Robbins, generational commentary
• 14:15 – Perspectives on America’s present and future

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Conclusion

This episode pulls back the curtain on Jake Tapper’s early ambitions, formative job experiences, and pivotal moments that shaped his journalistic career. Tapper’s affable, candid tone matches Jeff Zito's friendly curiosity, making for a conversation brimming with insights, relatable nostalgia, and thought-provoking reflections on fate, persistence, and American culture.

Useful for:

• Fans of Jake Tapper and political journalism
• Aspiring journalists or creatives
• Anyone interested in the winding roads that lead to success

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Transcript

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[Jeff Zito]

Hey, it's Jeff Zito. Thank you for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Iheart, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please subscribe. Would love a five star rating and please leave a review. You can check out past guests and episodes [e-mail] digging into the history of some celebrities to find out what put them on the path to stardom. Some have known what they wanted to do at a very early age, and sometimes it was kind of by accident that these celebrities ended up where they're at. My guest this week is the lead Washington anchor for CNN and hosts the weekly television news show the Lead with Jake Tapper. We'll find out more about his early life, what he originally aspired to do for a career, the moment that changed everything for him and his first job. He's been involved in a little bit of controversy earlier this year with his book Original President Biden's Decline, Its Cover up and his disastrous choice to run again, which actually came out after his very public defensive comments on behalf of the former president regarding his mental acuity while in office. And we'll talk about his latest book, Race Against Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the dawn of the Forever War. CNN Jake Tapper is my guest this week on Celebrity Jobber, the Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito.

[Grainger Announcer]

If you like what you hear, please.

[Jeff Zito]

Subscribe, give a five star rating and leave a review.

[Grainger Announcer]

Check out all our past episodes on.

[Jeff Zito]

Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you put. What if these celebrities weren't famous? What would they have become? What was their first job? We're about to find out. Jake, you're here to talk about a new book just after you put out a book about the former president. I had no idea you wrote this much.

[Jake Tapper]

Well, this one I had, I've been working on for three years and I started writing it three years ago. So this one was pretty much the first draft was done last year. And then the Biden book I wrote, Original Sin that I co wrote with Alex Thompson that that was a crash from November to March. So it's, it's the illusion of churning out a book every six months. But that's not really what happened.

[Jeff Zito]

Is this something that you enjoy doing? Because when I hear people are writing books for whatever reason, it gives me anxiety. I just, I'm like, wow. I mean, it's something that I would love to be able to do, but for some reason it does, it gives me anxiety when I hear, oh, so and so is writing a book.

[Jake Tapper]

I love it. If I didn't love it, I wouldn't do it. I mean, I don't need to do it. It's fun. I mean, it's usually some topic that I really want to dive deeper in than I can do in daily journalism. And you know, there is like nobody in daily journalism. Like you're not going to cover in daily journalism a story like this because it's not, it didn't, you know, it starts and the story starts in 2003 and ends in 2018. You know, so it's, it's not new, but you can go deeper. And this story was so interesting to me because it was just about the detective work that these prosecutors did to lock up this al Qaeda terrorist. And if they didn't do it, he was basically going to be freed by the Italians and then he would go on and kill as many Americans as possible. So when I first heard this story, I was like, this is incredible. This is like the best episode of CSI ever. And so that's what made it so fun for me.

[Jeff Zito]

Have you seen the Tucker Carlson video or documentary, whatever that is? Have you watched any of that?

[Jake Tapper]

Which one? The one about.

[Jeff Zito]

The one about the, the one about 9 11.

[Jake Tapper]

I've seen clips of it.

[Jeff Zito]

What's your take? What was your take on it?

[Jake Tapper]

Yeah, well, I mean, I can't really give an assessment of the whole thing because I haven't seen the whole thing, but I, you know, he seems to. Well, you know what? I'm just going to, I'm going to do him the service of like saying I should see the whole thing before I says that. He, he, he, he, he does. He says a lot of things that I, I don't think are backed up by, by fact. Right. I'll just put it that way.

[Jeff Zito]

Okay. The Celebrity Jobber Podcast with Jeff Szeto.

[Chandler Garcia]

Hi, I'm Chandler Garcia. As a PICU nurse and global health advocate, I've cared for women and children all over the world, from Costa Rica to Egypt to Kenya and beyond. And no matter where I go or how tough the conditions get, I always wear my figs. These scrubs are lightweight, breathable, and super soft. Perfect for long shifts in any environment. They've got pockets in all the right places, the fit is flexible, and they're durable through every admission, surgery and post op. But it's not just about the scrubs. Another big part of what I love about figs is when they say they're committed to supporting healthcare workers all over the world, they mean it. I recently joined them on an impact trip to India, where I worked in triage, caring for babies in a mobile clinic. My figs aren't just what I wear. They're part of the impact I want to make. Wherever my work takes me, figs helps me show up ready to make a difference while looking and feeling my best. Get 15% off your first order at WearFigs.com with code FIGSRX. That's WearFigs.com code figs biggs rx this.

[Grainger Announcer]

Is the story of the 1. As a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility, he knows keeping the line up and running is a top priority. That's why he chooses Grainger. Because when a drive belt gets damaged, Grainger makes it easy to find the exact specs for the replacement product he needs. And next day delivery helps ensure he'll have everything in place and running like clockwork. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Jeff Zito]

Celebrity Jobber Take me back, Jake. All the way back. You're say you're growing up. When, when did you want to get into media and when you were younger, what, what exact direction were you looking to get into?

[Jake Tapper]

Oh, I didn't, I didn't want to become a journalist. I didn't, it's weird actually, because I did a, I did a, like a neighborhood newspaper when I was a kid, like eight or whatever. And I did, and I was the editor of my high school newspaper. But I didn't decide I wanted to go into journalism until I was in my 20s and I started writing freelance stories. I was kind of like in a. I didn't know what I wanted to do for a living and I just was doing public relations just to pay the bills, right. And then I started writing freelance, freelance stories and that's when I got really interested in journalism.

[Jeff Zito]

So what did you, what was your major in college?

[Jake Tapper]

History. I was a history major.

[Jeff Zito]

History major.

[Jake Tapper]

Loved. Because it was just. And you know, and I think there's a lot of truth and people say that, you know, journalism is the first draft of history. I think there's a lot of truth to that.

[Jeff Zito]

And what was your original plan with being a history major? Did you plan on, on being a professor or what were you thinking you were going to do with the degree?

[Jake Tapper]

I wanted to be a cartoonist.

[Grainger Announcer]

Really?

[Jake Tapper]

I wanted to be a political cartoonist. Yeah, I wanted to be like the next Doonesberry. I wanted to do, I wanted to be like Gary Trudeau. I wanted to do like political and socially relevant comic strip cartoons. And I got close once. I had a comic strip and I would talk to somebody with a Universal Press syndicate in Kansas City, but it didn't ultimately happen. And that's when I took a job in PR because I just, I needed to pay the bills. My parents weren't going to let me live in the basement for the rest of my life. So I just started do. I started doing that. And while I was doing that, I started, you know, I was, I was writing, I was cartooning and eventually freelance journalism became something I really liked. And then I got hired as a full time journalist by a local free weekly in D.C. called Washington City.

[Jeff Zito]

The Celebrity Jobber Podcast with Jeff Szetto. The Celebrity Jobber Podcast with Jeff Zito. Was there a story or a book or something, a big break, if you will, or moment in your career that kind of changed Your. Your life's trajectory?

[Jake Tapper]

Yeah, I mean, I was. I think it was just that I was doing so much freelance work for City Paper. I had been trying to pitch stuff and get hired by the Washington Post, but it never. I mean, I did. I sold them freelance stories, but they never really were interested in hiring me. And then I just kept on writing and writing and writing, and then City Paper started assigning me stories. So it wasn't just ideas. I brought them. And. But, I mean, if I had to pick one. There was one time I went to a party, and the people at this party had this really interesting story where it turned out. I mean, the long story short of it is that it turned out that they lived in a former bordello, and there were all these things in the house that suggested a bordello and all these people that would come by the house that suggested a bordello. And so I pitched it to. It ended up being a story in the Washington City Paper. I think it was the first story I wrote for Washington City Paper because it was just like a funny, kind of weird story about a local house. Right. And that probably was. That probably was a huge break. And actually, interestingly enough, this book, Race Against Terror, that. That is out. That started also with me at a party, hearing a story from somebody, and I just said to myself, oh, that's an incredible story. As anybody. Has anybody ever written that story down? Is that as any. Has that been covered? And that was the story of a. Of a. Of a prosecutor being told of an Al Qaeda terrorist. And basically, the US had to prove the case against this terrorist. And then before the Italians would let the US Take him to the US to prosecute him. And so it was just this incredible story of sleuthing, of fingerprints and witness testimony and counterterrorism and secret documents. And that story was so interesting. And it's now this book. Race. Race Against Terror. So the lesson is, if you're at a party, listen to the stories, because maybe you can. Maybe you can turn it into a book, right?

[Jeff Zito]

And be a part of this person's history. What about. What about your very first job, Jake? Can you tell me what your very, very first paycheck was?

[Jake Tapper]

Baskin Robbins. I worked at Baskin Robbins starting in 10th grade, scooping ice cream, making waffles for waffle cones, making sundaes, watching people destroy their delicious milkshakes by putting malted in it. And. And, yeah, that was. I did that for about, let's say, 10th grade, 11th grade, for almost three years. I did that. And that was. That was a great experience. Rode my bike three miles to the Baskin Robbins and then rode my bike back. Kind of can't believe that. But this is a different era. Right? This is the 80s as opposed to today. Right. Kind of can't believe that my parents let you do it. Bike three miles.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah.

[Jake Tapper]

Yeah.

[Jeff Zito]

I was just saying the other day.

[Jake Tapper]

You know, closing time.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah. I was just saying the other day, I can't believe my parents, at 16 years old let me drive across country during spring break. I cannot. It's a different world, though. It's a different.

[Jake Tapper]

Really? Yeah. As well. I mean, I don't know if it's better or worse. I mean, I'm trying to think. I mean, I guess because I'm 56. How old are you?

[Jeff Zito]

50.

[Jake Tapper]

Okay. I guess because our parents were from a generation that they were, you know, within a few years of the Depression in World War II. Right. That the idea of driving cross country when you're 16 or riding a bike three miles in the dark, close to midnight from your ice cream job, you know, that. I guess that didn't sound so rough.

[Jeff Zito]

Right.

[Jake Tapper]

But I don't think I would ever. My kids do that. Ride my. Ride a bike three miles in the dark.

[Jeff Zito]

Definitely not.

[Jake Tapper]

No way.

[Jeff Zito]

Definitely not. Celebrity Jobber.

[Grainger Announcer]

This is the story of the 1. As a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility, he knows keeping the line up and running is a top priority. That's why he chooses Grainger. Because when a drive belt gets damaged, Grainger makes it easy to find the exact specs for the replacement product he needs. And next day delivery helps ensure he'll have everything in place and running like clockwork. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Jeff Zito]

The Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Szeto. Race Against Terror Chasing an Al Qaeda killer at the dawn of the Forever War. Jake Tapper, are you optimistic about where we are today as a country, or what are your thoughts?

[Jake Tapper]

I'm concerned about a lot of things having to do with the country, but I'm optimistic long term because this is the United States of America and I do think we have a set of ideals that distinguish us from other countries, ideals that have to do with democracy and freedom. But I am concerned about some of the things going on and I'm very concerned about how divided we all seem. For sure.

[Jeff Zito]

I agree. Race Against Terror Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the dawn of the Forever War. Jake Tapper, thank you so much. Really Appreciate the talk.

[Jake Tapper]

Thank you.

[Jeff Zito]

Jay Tapper, Born in New York City, raised in Philadelphia, his mother a psychiatric nurse at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical center, and his father, originally from Chicago, graduate from Jake's alma mater, Dartmouth, and also Harvard Medical School, went on to serve as the president of South Philadelphia Pediatrics and associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College. So both parents in the medical field. Jake's original plan was to become a political cartoonist, which I thought was interesting. But he notes that his big break was a story that he wrote for the Washington City Paper about a house he was in at a party that used to be a brothel and says that story got published and kind of catapulted his career. A similar story Jake wrote about going to a party and a quote unquote first date with Monica Lewinsky just weeks before the scandal with former President Bill Clinton broke. Wonder if that story was actually his real big break. And Jake's first job, along with a number of other past guests on the Celebrity Jobber podcast, including Shark tank investor Kevin O', Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, just so happened to be at at a Baskin Robbins ice cream shop. That was Jake's first job. Again, a very popular first job scooping ice cream. New York Times bestselling author, CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper. Information about his latest book, Race Against Terror and more on his website, jaketapper.com hey, he could have been a political cartoonist if not for that one date with Monica Lewinsky. Thank you so much for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber Podcast. You can follow on Instagram, celebrityjobberpodcast or the YouTube channel, which is YouTube.com the Signce Celebrity Jobber Streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Iheart or wherever you get your podcasts. Please subscribe. We love a five star rating and please leave a review. And again, past guests, guests and episodes are [e-mail] Once again I thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Celebrity Jobber Podcast. And until next week, I'll see you then. I'm Jeff Zito.

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[Jake Tapper]

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[Jake Tapper]

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[Jake Tapper]

For the ones who get it done.