Audible is bringing ‘The Unusual Suspects’ back for a second season, with hosts Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell returning for candid conversations with some of the most influential figures in entertainment, culture, business and beyond.
To celebrate the new season, Barris and Gladwell will record a special live episode featuring comedian, television host and seven-time New York Times bestselling author Chelsea Handler. The event will take place Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City. Tickets are currently on sale through AudibleTheater.com.
The live conversation will explore Handler’s career, including her journey from stand-up comedian to television host, author and social commentator. The discussion is also expected to examine ambition, comedy and the unconventional paths that can lead to success.
The episode will be released on Audible in October.
Season 2 of The Unusual Suspects premieres Sept. 10 exclusively on Audible, with all episodes available at once. The new season features conversations with a wide-ranging group of guests, including Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard, Grammy-winning musician Anderson .Paak, bestselling author David Sedaris, acclaimed portrait artist Amy Sherald, author and journalist Walter Isaacson, wellness expert Rich Roll and author Coleman Hughes.
Created and hosted by Barris and Gladwell, The Unusual Suspects focuses on the experiences behind achievement rather than conventional promotional interviews. The hosts examine the pivotal moments, challenges and decisions that have shaped the careers of their guests.
Barris, the award-winning writer, producer and director behind Black-ish, said the second season allowed the hosts to explore the obstacles and turning points that helped shape their guests’ lives and careers.
Gladwell, the New York Times bestselling author of The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers, said the conversations reveal common themes surrounding persistence, timing and reinvention, even among people whose careers followed very different paths.
The series builds on the success of its first season, which featured conversations with figures including former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, basketball star Sue Bird, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, chef and restaurateur David Chang and filmmaker Ava DuVernay.
Handler brings her own unconventional career path to the season-opening live event. Following her seven-year run as host of Chelsea Lately, she went on to create and host projects including Chelsea Does and Chelsea, while publishing seven books that became New York Times bestsellers.
She currently hosts the Dear Chelsea podcast and is performing on her High & Mighty Tour. Handler also has a Las Vegas residency at The Cosmopolitan and has hosted the Critics’ Choice Awards for four consecutive years.
The live episode offers New York audiences an opportunity to see Barris, Gladwell and Handler explore the stories behind Handler’s career before the conversation reaches Audible listeners later this fall.