Podcast Summary: Work in Progress with Sophia Bush
Episode: Jonathan Capehart
Date: September 3, 2025
Host: Sophia Bush; Guest: Jonathan Capehart
Overview
In this deeply personal and inspiring episode, Sophia Bush sits down with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, editor, and TV host Jonathan Capehart to discuss his new memoir, Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man's Search for Home. Through vivid storytelling, Capehart reflects on his journey of embracing identity, navigating complex histories, and finding his authentic voice, all while framing his life milestones against the backdrop of American history and societal change. The episode explores themes of race, queerness, journalism, legacy, and hope, offering both hilarious anecdotes and profound insights.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Childhood, Family, and Navigating Two Worlds
- Growing Up Between North and South: Jonathan describes living in New Jersey during the school year and spending formative summers in rural North Carolina with his Jehovah’s Witness grandmother. These contrasting environments profoundly shaped his understanding of race, religion, and American history.
- “Spending those summers in North Carolina...were foundational to how I view how I view the world, how I view race, how I view to a certain extent, religion, simply by being in...a Jim Crow relic of a small town...” (08:13, Jonathan)
- First in His Family Not to Pick Cotton: Jonathan realizes, while writing, how he and his cousin are the first generation not forced to do field labor for family income.
- “It wasn’t until I was writing that I realized...my cousin Rita and I were the first generation in our family that didn’t have to do that.” (12:41, Jonathan)
2. Personal History & National History Intertwined
- Living History: Both Sophia and Jonathan discuss how historical events are not far distant but present realities for American families.
- “History isn’t history for a lot of people. It’s lived experience.” (15:28, Jonathan)
- “Ruby Bridgers is younger than my mother...This is our lifetime.” (16:36, Sophia)
- Writing as Contextualizing: Jonathan weaves his story into the broader American narrative, exploring the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, and how his existence is both a result of and a participant in these histories.
3. The Craft and Calling of Journalism
- Early Drive & The First Internship: Jonathan shares the story of how his love for “telling other people’s business” led him to journalism, highlighted by a precocious encounter at NBC that landed him his first Today Show internship.
- “I want to be Moscow correspondent for NBC News. And then after that...I want to come to New York and be anchor of the Today Show...She [Ann Skakelt Harrian]...says, here, get yourself an internship on the Today Show. That moment...started my career.” (32:31, Jonathan)
- A Calling, Not a Job: Both discuss how reporting feels more like a “calling.”
- “We’re the only profession that is specifically protected in the Constitution. Our job is to inform the citizenry so they can uphold the democracy...” (41:49, Jonathan)
4. Living as an Ambassador: Race, Queerness & Public Identity
- Ambassadorial Role: As both a Black and gay man, Jonathan describes feeling a lifelong responsibility to “represent” in predominantly white or straight spaces.
- “I viewed myself as an ambassador to the race...ambassador for whatever communities you belong to, whether you want to acknowledge them or not.” (27:16, Jonathan)
- Navigating Critique: He discusses criticism of being “too Black” or “not Black enough,” and similarly with queerness, sharing the tension and introspection that brings.
- “You’re either something or nothing, all the time…” (26:00, Sophia)
5. Journalism and Democracy in Crisis
- Truth-Telling and Bias: Jonathan acknowledges the strain on journalism, the division in media trust, and the importance of respecting audience intelligence.
- “My job is to be a truth teller...my number one constituent is my audience.” (52:44, Jonathan)
- “I tried...watching Fox News Channel...I knew they were lying...it was so troubling...The number one cable channel in the country.” (54:45–56:11, Jonathan)
- Staying Hopeful and Brave: Maintaining hope and mission in face of hostility toward journalists, media division, and political attacks.
- “Despite all the glitter bombs he's throwing up in the air to distract us...I still can keep my eye on the goal or on what the true issue is.” (46:50, Jonathan)
- “Hope is...fuel.” (73:38, Jonathan)
6. Raw Vulnerability in Memoir and Public Life
- Inspired by Honest Memoirs: Jonathan references Kay Graham and Charles Blow as inspirations for striking honesty in sharing one’s own story.
- “If I’m writing a book...I have to be as open and raw and introspective and honest as they were.” (58:52, Jonathan)
- Being a Sherpa Through Personal Narrative: Jonathan embraces his role as an “ambassador” who can help readers see their stories reflected in his.
- “For a lot of my white audience members who were reading me, it was their entree...what it means to be black. I was their Sherpa.” (58:52, Jonathan)
7. Legacy, Mentorship, and Hope for the Future
- Book's Message for Young Readers: Jonathan hopes his memoir leaves young queer Black readers with hope and possibility.
- “I would want them to know and feel that anything is possible and...be more hopeful after having read it than when they first picked it up.” (67:04, Jonathan)
- Mentorship Moments: Emotional stories from book events with young readers show the importance of representation.
- “I hope it gives her [a young Black queer woman] a roadmap...two different conversations, two different people, but I left more hopefully...” (70:45–72:27, Jonathan)
- Looking Forward: Next Dreams: Now, having exceeded childhood dreams, Jonathan wonders “what’s next”—embracing continual evolution as a “work in progress.”
- “What do you do when you’ve not only reached your dreams, you’ve exceeded them? What’s next?” (74:19, Jonathan)
- “That’s the, that is the thing that is most compelling to me right now. What, what is the next thing?” (75:16, Jonathan)
Notable Quotes & Moments
- On lived history:
- “History isn’t history for a lot of people. It’s lived experience.” (15:28, Jonathan)
- On journalism as service:
- “We’re the only profession that is specifically protected in the Constitution. Our job is to inform the citizenry so that they can uphold the democracy.” (41:49, Jonathan)
- About hope:
- “Hope is fuel.” (73:38, Jonathan)
- On ambition and self-permission:
- “How do you write yourself a permission slip to do something beyond your wildest dreams?” (75:25, Sophia)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Introduction & Setting the Stage (03:05–06:13)
- Formative Years: New Jersey & North Carolina (07:45–10:22)
- History, Memory, and Family Legacies (12:41–18:08)
- Starting to Write the Book (18:08–20:09)
- Ambassadorial Roles: Race, Queerness, and Journalism (27:16–32:10)
- The Today Show Internship Story (32:31–36:30)
- Journalism as Calling and Service (41:22–46:43)
- Media Fragmentation and Challenges (52:38–57:45)
- Personal Vulnerability & The Power of Memoir (58:52–62:26)
- Mentorship & Messages for the Next Generation (66:40–72:27)
- On Hope and Being a Work in Progress (73:38–75:41)
Tone & Atmosphere
The episode balances seriousness with warmth, humor, and hope. Jonathan’s grace, insight, and humility shine, while Sophia’s admiration and curiosity draw out his most personal reflections. The conversation is both accessible and deeply moving—a mix of laughter, candid admissions, and calls for empathy and progress.
For Listeners
Those new to Jonathan Capehart or his work will find this episode an enlightening and inspiring entry point. The discussion offers not only a glimpse into an extraordinary life but wisdom about history, identity, and the ongoing American experiment. It’s a must-listen for anyone interested in memoir, journalism, social progress, or personal reinvention.