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Liz Winstead
I'm just a pill a kind of birth control pill no matter what they say on Capitol Hill well, it's a wrong, wrong story they keep telling about me a strong, strong lie. All I do is block pregnancy. I wish they'd listen what scientists say. So at the end of the day you can chill Drop some facts Tell the world I'm a pill.
Al Letson
After helping to create one of the most beloved comedy shows of all time, Liz Winstead devoted herself to the fight for women's rights.
Liz Winstead
I wanted to combine the effectiveness of using humor to expose hypocrisy and bad actors and then combine that with a call to action. So at Abortion Access front, that's kind of what we do on the front.
Al Letson
Lines of the abortion battle with the co creator of the Daily Show. Keep listening, there's more to the story.
Liz Winstead
Join me, take a stand today. I really hope and I pray that you will drop some facts Tell the world I'm a pill.
Missa
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Al Letson
This is more to the story. I'm Al Letson. Liz Winstead is famously funny and a badass. I mean, she's basically a funny badass. She's worn a lot of different hats. Comedian, political satirist, co founder of the Daily Show, Air America Radio and the advocacy group Abortion Access Front. And almost all of her work combines humor and political outrage. I invited her on to talk about what it's like to be an abortion rights advocate in 2025. Liz, how you doing?
Liz Winstead
You know, I'm doing. I'm probably. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm probably at a 3. Like most folks who are paying attention, you know, the woke mob, the DEI hires, we're all out here in these streets just trying to figure it out.
Al Letson
Let me ask you, so we are living in unprecedented times. How were you feeling when you saw the results of the election?
Liz Winstead
I have to say that it wasn't unexpected because as somebody who has been sort of navigating in the space of paying attention to the world and the media and then also doing extensive abortion rights work and traveling around the country, the amount of people who are locked into their information hubs and don't have to get any other information was very real. I think the better question for me is how did I feel after the inauguration when I did not understand the extent to the depravity. And what I mean by that is I knew they were always going to come after women and black and brown and queer folks and that. But what I did not fundamentally understand was dismantling the institutions that conservatives and Republicans normally cherish, like the Department of Defense, and just letting that go. That's the part where I was like, oh, man. I guess I don't understand the level of burning it all down as they perceive it. And that gave me pause.
Al Letson
It feels to me this administration, its number one goal starting off, was going to be attacking the boogeyman of DEI and people of color and trans rights, that whole block of people. But I feel like the next block is going to be women's rights and women's access to reproductive health. Do you think that's what's going on, or do you think it's a little different than that?
Liz Winstead
I think it's intersectional. Right. First of all, when we talk about dei, it's civil rights we're talking about. If you replace the word DEI with civil liberties, that's what we're talking about, because white women are the number one recipients of dei. And so I think we need to look at it as a composite and that we all need to fight on all fronts, because it all comes down to how it harms all of us.
Al Letson
Talk to me a little bit about your organization, Abortion access Front. Like, what do you do? How did it come together?
Liz Winstead
I think the story is really compelling. So for those that don't know, I mean, you probably heard it in my intro, but. So I created the Daily show, and my. My background is being a comedian, which I've been hilarious so far on this podcast. Just ripping it up, but doing that work and talking about general political issues and being on the Daily show. And, you know, I was told when I went into corporate. Corporate comedy even, right. That, like, you're not an activist. Right. We can be funny about issues, but. But it's not our job to have a call to action. And I kept getting increasingly unnerved and also frustrated that I was, like, just shelling people with information. Even though it was funny shelling people with information and not giving them a way to, like, fight back. Just felt wrong. I felt like an anger fluffer. I felt like I'm just going to get you all hyped up, and then you just sit there with it. That just felt wrong. And so I went on to launch Air America Radio, and I had A radio show with Rachel Maddow and Chuck D. For two years, which was really fun. But I wanted to really focus on reproductive rights. Cause it was an issue that got sidelined. And even people who said they cared about reproductive rights or abortion rights would always try to tell me it was a wedge issue or that I was being hysterical. So I wanted to combine the effectiveness of using humor to expose hypocrisy and bad actors and then combine that with a call to action. So at abortion access front, that's kind of what we do. Through our podcast, Feminist Buzz Kills, and our daily social media feed, we bring the stories that aren't getting reported on, and we bring on experts who are abortion providers and people who are doing funding for abortion patients, researchers, people that you just don't hear from so that you can have this better knowledge of what's happening. And then we, in our activism, we create all kinds of ways that you can get involved.
Al Letson
So since you travel around the country doing this work, let me ask you this. Before the election, Democrats were talking a lot about the fear of a Trump administration going after reproductive rights. And I believe pundits thought it would be a big motivator for women to vote for Kamala Harris, especially white women who traditionally vote Republican, so they would vote for Harris just to save reproductive rights. That didn't happen. Why do you think that was the case?
Liz Winstead
I think for a couple reasons. One, racism. Two, white women. I'm going to say two things about white women. White women refuse to see that they are steeped in living in their privilege and don't see themselves in a greater community where we all need to be together. Right. I think that oftentimes it's like, white women believe, well, no matter what, I can get this care because I have privilege. And it's like, pardon me, but fuck you. Just you getting yours isn't enough. Right. So I think that when you have people who are comfortable in their proximity to power and proximity to comfort who go unchallenged, that's a problem. And when I say go unchallenged, this is my second point. I have seen far too many white women who voted for Kamala or consider themselves progressives hear the same narrative over and over again about, like, oh, when I go home to Thanksgiving, I have this racist uncle and I just walk out of the room because I can't take it. And it's like, then don't be out in the streets acting like you are going to fight for the rights of other people. If you can't challenge Your uncle. If you can't. It's up to progressive white women to challenge the people in their lives who get it wrong instead of backing away because that's also a form of white supremacy. I hate to say it, but if you're going to sit and only be comfortable and think you're doing good by t. By look at all the diversity I have in my life, you know what? Black and brown folks don't need you to talk to them about what's happening because they got it. They need you to talk to your people because they're your people. And infinite wisdom says to me, even if it's hard, like, who cares if it's hard? Life is hard. Like, that is the. I don't wanna hear that it's hard. Cause it's just. Everything is hard. You know what? So just do it. But if there's people in your life that you're related to and that there is some love there, you have to challenge the boundaries of that love by saying what you know to be righteous and true.
Al Letson
So this leads me to another part of your life. You were a co founder of Air America Radio, a progressive talk radio network that attracted a pretty liberal progressive audience. I'm wondering how you feel about the dynamic of preaching to the choir that exists in media now. Whereas, you know, like, politics is sport, my media, my party, my team.
Liz Winstead
I think that when we talk about media, I said from the beginning and I got pushback and I said we should not call ourselves progressive radio or, or liberal radio. Fox News said they were fair and balanced. They didn't say we're the conservative answer. Right. They just said they were fair and balanced and then they went out with their gibberish and then that was the ideology. Right. If we would have just gone out there and said, you know, we're a new radio network and this is American values or something. Right. Just like whatever. Because what we talked about was American values. And when you talk to people about what they want, they say they want this.
Al Letson
Yeah. Do you think it's possible in this atmosphere? I mean, you've got these billionaires that own like all the popular forms of communication. Like when you think about Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, it's really hard to like break through. And it appears that Meta and Amazon and obviously Elon Musk's company are all in line with President Trump's agenda. So trying to break through, it feels like you're gonna be Sisyphus pushing that.
Liz Winstead
Boulder up the hill 100%, having the behemoth online communities be owned by these people and already they were censoring. I mean, we couldn't even our, our content around abortion access was being shadow banned and I couldn't even, and nor could my organization even buy ads on Meta or Twitter to promote our shows or to promote something we were doing because it was abortion related or if it wasn't abortion related at all. What Twitter said to me was, you've used profanity in your feed and you've talked about these things in your feed. Therefore, if I wanted to take out an ad just about like a comedy show or anything that had was not related to my feed at all, I wasn't even allowed to do that. And I was like, wow, yeah, so they don't even want to take our money.
Al Letson
In the past, AAF has used social media to kind of hold politicians and anti abortion organizations accountable. Do you think that you're able to do that now? It feels like we are moving into, I feel like President Trump kind of ushered us into this new era in his first administration with that. Basically, politicians are no longer shamable. You can't shame them to get them to do anything.
Liz Winstead
Not only is it that they can't be shamed, it's that those who would be doing the shaming are not. Therefore are they complicit in those behaviors. And I would say the answer is yes. It's like, if I don't hold him accountable, then I won't be held accountable. And so I think that when it comes to accountability, what we need to be hammering home to folks who actually still have shame and want accountability, that it's not just that he can get away with anything. Why can he get away with it? And it's because there are millions of people who would also like to get away with it and want permission to get away with it. And that should give everyone pause and that should give everybody the fire in their belly to fight knowing that that can't be the way we govern. Because we've all seen like, what is law, what are rules, what is a baseline of humanity? Those things are erased, you know?
Al Letson
Coming up, Liz and her team do a lot more than comedy to keep abortion clinics safe.
Liz Winstead
Something that your listeners should know is part of our work at Abortion Access Front was we started going undercover and joining their churches and listening to them, plotting and planning, going to these clinics.
Al Letson
Hey, before we continue our conversation, I want to remind you that there's a really easy way you can keep up with all the important work we're doing here at Reveal. You can sign up for our free newsletter. Just just go to revealnews.org newsletter to receive your weekly email reminding you about all of our good reporting. We have to stay connected now more than ever. Okay, don't go anywhere. There's more to the story.
Liz Winstead
Imagine if every person in Texas, New York and Florida suddenly lost their home.
Missa
That still wouldn't equal the 120/million people who've fled war and persecution.
Liz Winstead
Right now the UN refugee agency is responding in 136 countries, but as violence escalates, your help is needed. Donate today and critical relief will reach a refugee family within 72 hours. While we can't rebuild their home overnight.
Missa
Your gift will provide food, shelter and.
Liz Winstead
Hope for the Future. Go to unrefugees.org donation to make your gift.
Missa
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Liz Winstead
Hey, this is Missa from Reveal. How many episodes have you listened to? 5, 500? And how many times have you donated? It's free to listen to these shows, but great journalism is anything but free to produce. It takes millions of dollars a year to make Reveal and the truth is it would not be possible if listeners did not support it. So please donate today. Just text the word give to 88857 reveal. That's 888-577-3832 or visit revealnews.org don this.
Al Letson
Is more to the story. I'm Al Ledson. So Liz, after the Dobbs decision, states were able to make their own reproductive laws. Do you think we are headed for a national ban on abortion?
Liz Winstead
I think that there's going to be some kind of national ban. But I think what I want people to really understand is that the Department of Health and Human Services, which has a lot of weight when it comes to abortion, and a lot of unelected people who run that, they can decide that abortion pills shouldn't be sent through the mail because there's an 1873 law on the books that never got erased called the Comstock Act. Without the era, without women being granted equal protection under the law, there's a lot of vulnerability. You know, without women being mentioned in the Constitution, we have a lot of vulnerability. You know, them trying to invoke the 14th Amendment that has nothing to do with fetuses. I mean, literally says born persons in the 14th Amendment. So, you know, they're going to try to say that pregnancies qualify under the 14th amendment. And, you know, we have to remember Roe v. Wade was overturned not because of legislators in the federal level passing a law, because of a Mississippi law. So if you don't live in Mississippi, a law from Mississippi went through the federal court system to the Supreme Court and decided that Roe v. Wade was no longer a federal protection. And so we need to be vigilant watching what's happening. These trends that are happening in states that are going to go through a hostile court system and we'll see what kind of legislation on a federal level can get passed and if Trump will sign it.
Al Letson
The crisis pregnancy centers that offer women, I mean, the advertisement is basically come in if you're considering an abortion. And I think a lot of women think that they're going to get an abortion. But can you talk to me about what happens in these places?
Liz Winstead
Yeah. So if for your listeners who've never heard of them, they are in many states, they're funded by tax dollars and worse, in many states, TANF money and any kind of money that would go to low income families has been diverted from those programs to these clinics that we'll call fake clinics. They're mostly sponsored by churches and they often pop up across the street or near an actual abortion provider. And they'll even when they, when they launch, let's say your local abortion clinic is called Women have Options. The fake clinic will say options for Women. They'll use the same font, the same color as the clinic does, and it looks almost identical. But they'll advertise, if you've ever driven down the street or driven like on the highway, and you'll see a billboard that says pregnant need, need choices, call us. And their websites will also say they act like they offer medical services, right? It'll, they'll, they'll do a pull down menu that says make an appointment for a pregnancy test, an ultrasound counseling. You know, we got you. And you have to dig really hard, but eventually you'll get to a page that says we do not provide abortion services. They've been designed solely to discourage people from having abortions. So the laws of hipaa, which are the laws that protect your medical records, don't apply here. But you don't know that. And so let's say you go in and you get a pregnancy test there, you decide that you're gonna, you live in a state maybe that you can't access abortion, and you go have your abortion out of state and you decide to go back there for a follow up because you think maybe you're gonna get care there if they see that you're no longer pregnant. But they, they have a record that you had a pregnancy test there before. And you say, well, I decided to have an abortion. A lot of times they are now working with law enforcement to turn people in to turn their records over to law enforcement. Your data is not safe. And that I'm glad you asked about them because in this new world order, people are really unfamiliar. We have a website called Expose Fake Clinics. Um, it's part of our programmatic work at Abortion Access Front. And if you go to exposeficclinics.com, you can really learn all about what they do.
Al Letson
So there was a time, I'm thinking about the 80s and parts of the 90s when it was really violent. Like there were violent extremists who were against abortion. And we were seeing abortion doctors being targeted, clinics being targeted, I mean like bombings and shootings, very violent stuff. And flash forward to the present. You and others and even the FBI have said that in individuals in some of these extremist groups today can violate laws in a way that amounts to domestic terrorism. What makes you think that?
Liz Winstead
So what makes me think that is part of what they do in their tactics are, let's say an abortion. A doctor who provides abortion lives in a neighborhood. They make wanted posters and go into their neighborhood and will flyer all over the neighborhood and it says Dr. Jane Doe lives at 123 Walnut street and murders babies. Do you want them living in your community? They follow these people home. I've had interactions with these people where I literally one of the members of Operation Save America, I was counter protesting them at a clinic and helping patients. And I said to their leader, John brockoff, is standing 50ft behind you. Now. John Brockoff is a man who was thrown in jail for firebombing an abortion clinic. And I said, why is he still part of your organization if you say you are peaceful? And he said, we've all made mistakes and we forgive John. Cut to January 6, 2021, and John Brockoft and this same man are at the Capitol screaming. Several of the leaders of these organizations back in the late 90s signed a proclamation, something called the doctrine of lesser magistrates, which is a doctrine they follow that says if you believe any of the laws of man defy the laws of God, you are justified in breaking them. Think about that wide cloth, right? And to go back to your point of the violence of the 90s, it was the firebombing and the chaining themselves and invading clinics was so profound that there had to be a federal law enacted called the FACE act, which stands for freedom to access clinic entrances. And so something that your listeners should know is part of our work at Abortion Access Front was we started going undercover and joining their churches and listening to them, plotting and planning going to these particular clinics. And then we would either capture when they would livestream going into these clinics and doing this work, or we would send somebody to film them. What got lost in the media over the January six pardons is that 23 of those people were also pardoned with Trump saying they were peacefully praying when they weren't. And on top of that, the right wing Congress wants to repeal the law that put them in jail, that FACE Act. So these people have been emboldened to go back to the clinics. And once that law is repealed, it is going to be the loudest of dog whistles that they can go follow doctors home, torture people outside of the clinics, patients and providers without any culpability at all. And it's really scary.
Al Letson
What happens to Abortion Access Front if a national abortion ban happens.
Liz Winstead
I think then we work tirelessly to make sure that we get people back in to office who can restore the rights of people. I think our work becomes solely doing that work and also protecting birth control, making sure people have access to birth control, educating people around birth control and making sure that that's available. Also, people aren't going to stop having abortions just because there's a federal ban. So, you know, what kind of work will we be doing? I don't know. I'm not gonna say part of the work. I'm not gonna say.
Al Letson
I have been reading different posts, Reddit, Facebook, Blue sky, whatever. And a sentiment that I see a lot is that we are watching the end of what we all knew as America and witnessing the birth of something new. Do you feel that way?
Liz Winstead
I feel like it's a privilege to say we're witnessing something new because I feel like people who live in certain states have been living under a hostility that isn't new, is it? A heightened hostility? Yes. But that's why it's like important to follow the leadership of people who've been fighting the suppression for a long time because they know how to do it. They're the ones that should be leading us at this point. It certainly feels new. Dismantling the federal government writ large, that stuff is new. But the drumbeat of white supremacy and patriarchy, it just finally got a drum major that was gonna focus on it. It's not new. And if it's new to you, then you know what, just take a look at your life and yourself and say, if this is new to me, how have I been unaware that my head has been in the sand? And what have I not been focusing on? Even though maybe you've been involved in politics and consider yourself a good, kind, you know, progressive person. Like, if this was a surprise to you on any level, we all need to check in with how we were surprised and and work on that because it's been kind of in the works.
Al Letson
Liz Winstead, thank you so much for coming onto the show.
Liz Winstead
Oh my God, I am so excited to be here. Thank you for having me. What a great conversation.
Al Letson
That was. Liz Winstead, founder of Abortion Access Front Special thanks to AAF for allowing us to use a portion of their video at the top of the show in our show notes. You'll find a link to watch the video and also listen to the Reveal episode, the post Roe Healthcare Crisis. That show goes even deeper into the dangers of unregulated crisis pregnancy centers and I recommend you check it out. Lastly, just a reminder that we are listener supported. To make a gift today go to revealnews.org gift again, that's reveal.org gift thank you. Today's episode was produced by Josh sanburn and Cara McGurk. Allison theme music and engineering helped by Fernando my man. Yo Arruda and Jay Breezy. Mr. Jim Briggs, I'm Al Edson and you know, let's do this again next week. This is more to the story.
Liz Winstead
From prx.
Reveal Podcast Summary: "She Launched 'The Daily Show.' Now She’s Fighting Red State Abortion Bans"
Released on April 2, 2025
Introduction
In this compelling episode of Reveal, hosted by Al Letson, Liz Winstead, the co-creator of The Daily Show and founder of the advocacy group Abortion Access Front, delves deep into the current landscape of abortion rights in the United States. Transitioning from her celebrated career in comedy and political satire, Liz shares her journey and the multifaceted challenges faced in the fight for reproductive rights amidst increasingly restrictive red state policies.
Liz Winstead's Background and Motivation
Liz Winstead opens the conversation with a powerful metaphor, describing herself as a "pill"—a straightforward and factual representation countering the misleading narratives propagated on Capitol Hill.
"I'm just a pill—a kind of birth control pill no matter what they say on Capitol Hill... All I do is block pregnancy."
—Liz Winstead [00:01]
Her transition from creating one of America’s most beloved comedy shows to advocating for women's rights stems from a desire to merge humor with activism. Liz emphasizes the importance of not just exposing hypocrisy through comedy but also driving tangible action.
"I wanted to combine the effectiveness of using humor to expose hypocrisy and bad actors and then combine that with a call to action."
—Liz Winstead [00:33]
The Current State of Abortion Rights
Post the landmark Dobbs decision, Liz discusses the fragmentation of abortion laws across states, highlighting the vulnerability stemming from the absence of explicit protections for women in the Constitution.
"Without women being mentioned in the Constitution, we have a lot of vulnerability."
—Liz Winstead [18:25]
She underscores the role of the Department of Health and Human Services and historical laws like the Comstock Act in shaping current restrictions, warning of potential national bans influenced by state-level adversities.
Intersectionality and the Role of White Women
A significant portion of the discussion centers on the intersectionality of civil rights and reproductive rights, with Liz critiquing the complacency among privileged groups, particularly white women.
"White women refuse to see that they are steeped in living in their privilege and don't see themselves in a greater community where we all need to be together."
—Liz Winstead [07:34]
Liz argues that true progress requires white women to actively challenge prejudiced norms within their own circles, emphasizing that mere comfort or passive support perpetuates systemic oppression.
Media Challenges and Preaching to the Choir
Reflecting on her experience with Air America Radio, Liz addresses the pitfalls of media echo chambers where progressive voices are confined to preaching to an already supportive audience. She critiques the labeling of media outlets, suggesting that more inclusive and values-based branding could foster broader support.
"If we would have just gone out there and said, you know, we're a new radio network and this is American values or something. Right."
—Liz Winstead [10:03]
Social Media Censorship and Its Impact
The episode delves into the challenges posed by major online platforms like Meta and Twitter, which have implemented censorship measures affecting reproductive rights advocacy. Liz shares personal experiences of content being shadow banned and the difficulties in advertising abortion-related initiatives.
"If I wanted to take out an ad just about like a comedy show or anything that had was not related to my feed at all, I wasn't even allowed to do that."
—Liz Winstead [12:52]
She highlights how such censorship not only stifles activism but also allows harmful narratives to persist unchallenged.
Extremism and Safety of Clinics
Liz brings attention to the resurgence of extremist tactics aimed at abortion providers, equating current threats to domestic terrorism. She recounts chilling encounters with groups like Operation Save America, emphasizing the ongoing dangers faced by clinics and staff.
"These people have been emboldened to go back to the clinics. And once that law is repealed, it is going to be the loudest of dog whistles that they can go follow doctors home, torture people outside of the clinics, patients and providers without any culpability at all."
—Liz Winstead [23:28]
Her undercover work with Abortion Access Front reveals the strategic maneuvers of these groups, underscoring the urgent need for legislative protections and vigilant advocacy.
Potential National Ban and Future Actions
Looking ahead, Liz expresses concerns about the potential for a national abortion ban and outlines Abortion Access Front’s strategy to combat such developments. The focus would shift to restoring rights, safeguarding birth control access, and continuing educational and protective measures.
"If there's a federal ban... our work becomes solely doing that work and also protecting birth control, making sure people have access to birth control, educating people around birth control and making sure that that's available."
—Liz Winstead [26:51]
Conclusion
As the episode wraps up, Liz reflects on the evolving American socio-political landscape, rejecting the notion of witnessing an entirely new era. Instead, she frames the current struggles as a continuation of long-standing battles against white supremacy and patriarchy, now amplified by contemporary political shifts.
"The drumbeat of white supremacy and patriarchy, it just finally got a drum major that was gonna focus on it. It's not new."
—Liz Winstead [27:54]
Liz's insights paint a sobering picture of the challenges ahead but also illuminate the paths forward through relentless advocacy, education, and coalition-building.
Key Takeaways
Notable Quotes
"I'm just a pill—a kind of birth control pill no matter what they say on Capitol Hill."
— Liz Winstead [00:01]
"White women refuse to see that they are steeped in living in their privilege and don't see themselves in a greater community where we all need to be together."
— Liz Winstead [07:34]
"These people have been emboldened to go back to the clinics... without any culpability at all."
— Liz Winstead [23:28]
"The drumbeat of white supremacy and patriarchy, it just finally got a drum major that was gonna focus on it. It's not new."
— Liz Winstead [27:54]
Final Thoughts
Liz Winstead's transition from comedy to activism underscores the potency of combining humor with purposeful advocacy. Her candid discussion on the state of abortion rights, media dynamics, and the resurgence of extremist threats provides listeners with a thorough understanding of the complexities involved in safeguarding reproductive freedoms in today's America.