Podcast
The Back Room with Andy Ostroy
Hosted by Produced by RFR and Andy Ostroy · EN
The Back Room with Andy Ostroy presents a humorous, honest take on politics and pop culture featuring notable guest interviews, a shit-ton of righteous indignation, and rip-roaring repartee with co-producers Matty Rosenberg and Jen Hammoud. We're havin' a ball, and so will you!
Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com
Leave us a message: 845-307-7446
Twitter: @AndyOstroy
Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Music by Andrew Hollander
Design by Cricket Lengyel
92episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Joe Walsh on Trump, the State of the Union, the Midterms, and the BOMBSHELL News in the Epstein Cover-Up
Feb 2400:32:35Tap to summarizeJoe Walsh is a former Republican Congressman from Illinois elected to Congress in the TEA Party wave of 2010. Following his service in Congress, Joe became one of the most popular syndicated conservative talk radio hosts in the country. In August of 2019 he became a candidate for President of the United States, waging a Republican primary challenge against Donald Trump. He is the author of F*CK SILENCE: Calling Trump Out for the Cultish, Moronic, Authoritarian Con Man He Is. He's currently the Director of The Social Contract and the host of “The Social Contract With Joe Walsh,” podcast. He can also be seen regularly on CNN, MSNBC and News Nation. Joe joins me for a State of the Union preview and a pull-no-punches chat about Trump, the Midterms, and the latest Epstein cover-up BOMBSHELL Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
Transcribe →Ricki Lake on Love, Life, Loss and Longevity in her Nearly 40-Year Illustrious Career
Feb 2401:11:42Tap to summarizeRicki Lake is an American actress, television host, and producer whose career has spanned more than three decades. She burst onto the scene at just 19 years old as Tracy Turnblad in John Waters' 1988 cult classic Hairspray, earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead. She went on to appear in a string of beloved films including Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, and Mrs. Winterbourne. In 1993, at just 24 years old, she made history as the youngest person to host a syndicated daytime talk show, The Ricki Lake Show, which ran for 11 seasons. She brought the show back in 2012, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. She has also produced the documentaries The Business of Being Born and Weed the People. Most recently, Ricki is an executive producer of Big Rock Burning, a documentary about the devastating 2025 Palisades Fire, which destroyed her own Malibu home. And, she is an ambassador for Community Access, a New York-based nonprofit providing housing and support for people with mental health challenges. Ricki is living a very rich, successful and open life full of incredible highs and lows. We talk about love, life, loss, and longevity in her nearly 40-year illustrious career. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
Transcribe →Andy's Vacation Rant on SCOTUS and Tariffs, GDP, and the latest Epstein News
Feb 2100:13:39Tap to summarizeWe're still on vacation, but there's just too much happening today not to hop on the mic for a few minutes to discuss the breaking news! So, join me as I share some thoughts on SCOTUS's devastating blow to Trump on tariffs, the shitty GDP numbers that just came out, and the latest Epstein news including former Prince Andrew's arrest. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
Transcribe →It's Vacation Week! So a Replay of Our Awesome Mary Trump Episode
Feb 1800:41:04Tap to summarizeSPECIAL REPEAT!: We're on vacation! But we'll be back in a week. So in the meantime, we're re-posting our recent terrific chat with Mary Trump in case you missed it the first time. It's super insightful and fun, and is one of our most popular episodes. Enjoy! Mary Trump is an American psychologist and author. Her first book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man which sold nearly one million copies on its first day of publication, is considered a serious game-changer in the 2020 U.S. presidential elections that Donald Trump lost decisively to Joe Biden. She is the author of two other New York Times bestsellers, The Reckoning, (2021), and a memoir, Who Could Ever Love You (2024). Mary holds a PhD in clinical psychology and a Master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She writes The Good in Us, a best-selling newsletter on Substack, and is the founder of Mary Trump Media and the Mary Trump Media YouTube channel. Mary and I discuss her Uncle Donald's rapidly declining mental and physical condition. And as always, Mary and I share more than a few good laughs! Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
Transcribe →Mimi Rocah on the Bondi Testimony and the Corruption at DOJ
Feb 1400:32:25Tap to summarizeMimi Rocah is an attorney who served as District Attorney of Westchester County, NY from 2021-2024.Prior to becoming DA, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for nearly 17 years where she prosecuted and oversaw cases involving violent crime, organized crime, human trafficking, sex trafficking, child exploitation, frauds and public corruption. She’s a frequent commentator on MSNOW, CNN, The Contrarian, Cafe, and numerous podcasts and radio shows on topics relating to law, justice and women’s issues and has written and published dozens of opinion pieces on those topics. She’s an expert in the rule of law, democracy and the corruption and abuse of the justice system and is currently an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law. And, Mimi is writing a book, “Justice Under Siege,” about the Trump Administration’s political takeover of the DOJ and the heroes who have stood up, due out in September 2026. Mimi shares her thoughts on this week's Pam Bondi testimony at the House Judiciary Committee hearing as well as the overall weaponization of, and corruption at, the Justice Department. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
Transcribe →Gretchen Carlson on the Latest Epstein Developments
Feb 1200:29:07Tap to summarizeGretchen Carlson is an internationally recognized advocate for women’s rights, whose bold actions against Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes helped pave the way for the global #MeToo movement. A former CBS News and Fox News journalist, author, TED talk alum, and champion for workplace equality, she was named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World”. Gretchen is the co-founder of the non-profit Lift Our Voices which works to end silencing mechanisms in the workplace that keep toxic issues secret. She is also a frequent contributor to CNN and MSNBC, a Fast Company contributor and the author of the New York Times bestsellers “Be Fierce” and “Getting Real.” Her story of harassment and retaliation at Fox News has garnered international attention, including the Showtime mini-series “The Loudest Voice” and movie “Bombshell.” Her signature achievement is the passage of the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act” in March 2022, one of the biggest labor law changes in the last 100 years. Gretchen joins me to help unpack the latest developments in the Epstein case, from Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie's review of the unredacted files to Ghislaine Maxwell's testimony before the House Oversight Committee and more. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
Transcribe →Jocelyn Benson on Standing Up to Trump; Defending the Constitution; Running for Governor; and Her New Book!
Mar 24, 202500:21:21Tap to summarizeJocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State and is running to be the next governor of the state in its 2026 election. She has become one of the nation’s most prominent leaders in ensuring elections are secure and accessible. Her work overseeing Michigan’s 2020 and 2022 general elections earned her national recognition, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the Presidential Citizens Medal. She also implemented new voting rights for all eligible Michiganders prior to the 2020 election, including the right to vote absentee, and oversaw more than 250 audits after the election, all of which affirmed its integrity and accuracy. At 36 she was appointed dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, becoming the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school, and continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. She is the author of the book “State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process”, and is a frequent tv news commentator. Her new book,“The Purposeful Warrior: Standing Up for What's Right When the Stakes Are High”, is on sale May 6th and is available for pre-order. Jocelyn and I discuss her consequential role as Secretary of State in protecting and expanding voters' rights; how she's taken on Trump; continues to defend the Constitution and the rule of law; her decision to run for governor in 2026; and her inspiring new book which provides "a road map for shattering the status quo and standing up for ourselves, our communities, and our country." Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
Transcribe →Jim Acosta on Trump 2.0, Musk and DOGE, and the fate of the Media
Mar 22, 202501:07:33Tap to summarizeJim Acosta is an award-winning broadcast journalist, with 25 years of experience in network television news, at CNN and CBS News. Perhaps best-known for his time as the Chief White House Correspondent for CNN, he has covered six straight presidential elections at the network level. He’s also as an anchor and reporter covering some of the biggest news stories of the last 30 years, including Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq War and the aftermath of 9/11. In 2019, his New York Times bestselling book, “The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America” was published. That same year his work was recognized by the New York Press Club with its “Truth to Power” Award. Jim hosts a podcast on Substack, YouTube and Apple Podcasts. Jim shares his keen insights on a variety if subjects including Trump 2.0, Musk and DOGE, the challenging road ahead for Democrats, and the administration's attacks on the media. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
Transcribe →Kara Swisher on Trump, Musk, the Tech Broligarchs, Schumer and more!
Mar 18, 202500:28:18Tap to summarizeKara Swisher is the host of the podcast On with Kara Swisher, and the co host of the Pivot podcast with Scott Galloway. Both are distributed by New York Magazine. Kara co-founded and was the editor-at-large of Recode, host of the Recode Decode podcast, and co-executive producer of the Code Conference. She was a former contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and host of its Sway podcast. She has also worked for the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. Burn Book is her third book and the paperback edition is now available with a brand-new afterward. Kara shares her inimitable with and wisdom on Trump, Musk, the tech broligarchy, Chuck Schumer and the rift within the Democratic Party over the GOP spending bill vote. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
Transcribe →Brooke Harrington on the Trump Broligarchy
Mar 15, 202501:12:33Tap to summarizeBrooke Harrington is Professor of Economic Sociology at Dartmouth College. Her most recent book, Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism, which the Financial Times named one of the Best Books of 2024, and the New Yorker highlighted it among the “Political Books That Help Us Make Sense of 2024.” Harrington’s previous book on offshore finance—Capital without Borders: Wealth Managers and the One Percent --won an “Outstanding Book Award” from the American Sociological Association. She is a frequent op-ed contributor to the New York Times and the Washington Post, as well as to The Guardian and The Atlantic. Brooke and I discuss Trump 2.0, Putin/Russia, the Musk-led broligarchy, and its impact on America at home and abroad. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
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