Double Date with Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue

It’s hard to stay hopeful these days. Stanford professor Jamil Zaki has been studying the incredible depth of human kindness for decades, but even he gives in to cynicism when he doubts our ability to be civil and cooperative.  That’s a shame - because shedding cynicism and grasping hope will make you happier and healthier. Jamil and Dr Laurie Santos look at the scientific evidence showing that we should be more trusting of other people and optimistic about our facility to work together.  Jamil's book Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness is out now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We visited America’s sweethearts on Manhattan’s East Side and found them as devoted and candid as ever. During a short period in the late 80’s, Michael and Tracy got married, had a son, Michael lost his father and gained a life-altering diagnosis — a lot for a young couple to navigate. How it started and how’s it going? An inspiring story you won’t want to miss. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can’t drop in on Rob and Michele and not expect a lively conversation and a whole lotta laughs. This clever, committed couple knows how to use the middle of the night right: arguing about the Kennedy assassination and enjoying each other as a “best friend you can have sex with.” You can reverse the order, too, and it still works! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two American icons of social justice, the Reverend and Jackie have trailblazed across history and endured threats — all the while raising their children and keeping their family intact.  Hear their lessons of courage through world events, infidelity, forgiveness and keeping the faith. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bryan and Robin met as actors when he had to kidnap her on a TV show. Friends first, their attraction blossomed later — like a lightbulb turned on that reveals everything. He proposed in a hilarious way – in a bathtub. They are serious about their relationship, they’re funny and sweet and we learned a lot from them.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey Double Date listeners. While we're off this week, we wanted to share with you a fun new show from Wondery. Rich and Daily delivers laughs and all the latest celebrity news. Hosts Brooke and Aricia are comedians, besties and the perfect guides to give you your daily dose of pop culture. They'll keep you up to speed on all the secrets, scandals, and news in the entertainment world. Is that rumor you heard about Rihanna true? If it is, you better believe Brooke and Aricia will have something to say about it. This is just a preview of Rich and Daily, but you can listen to full episodes at wondery.fm/doubledate_RD. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The role most people know David Boies for is not “husband.”  But our interview with this legendary litigator and his whipsmart wife showed us how tragic loss, and a few well considered compromises (involving Las Vegas), can lead to an “upward spiral of kindness” — and a marriage that any couple would envy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How “Mambo Mouth” found love and lived happily ever after.  New Yorkers to the core, John and Justine combined his Latin roots with her Jewish heritage, and they never met a holiday they couldn’t turn into a party for their extended family. He may need his own floor of the house in order to write, but Justine seems to keep him inspired, simply by being herself. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How often do you get to talk to a former President and First Lady — about love?  Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter explain how they’ve kept their marriage alive for — consider this — 75 years, and how the hardest thing they ever did was not surviving the White House, but writing a book together. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just a couple of kids from Michigan — Sanjay and Rebecca nonetheless had deep backgrounds that were very different. But interweaving his Indian family with her Scandinavian heritage was much easier than you might expect, thanks to this smart, grounded pair whose marriage made all the sense in the world. Hear the nation’s favorite Doctor in a truly American story of love and family. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While we take a break this week, we're bringing you something special. Marlo and Phil spent the past year interviewing other couples about what makes their marriages work. Recently, they moved behind the microphone when Jo Piazza invited them to share their love story on the Committed podcast. They started at the very beginning, on the set of Phil's show, and talked about how they grew together over the next four decades. Jo's Committed interviews are an incredible glimpse inside what it takes to make a marriage work. Sometimes they're heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious, but always relatable. Jo finds couples who have gone through some of the most difficult challenges life can throw at you and still want to wake up together the next day. Her show will help you look at marriage and commitment in an entirely new way. You can hear more Committed episodes wherever you get your podcasts.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She’s a nonstop dynamo, he’s a mensch, and they’ve been married not once but twice — to each other! With a year apart, and many lessons learned, Judy and Jerry figured out how not to let their Judge-iness get in the way of marital bliss.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a juggernaut crime novelist falls for a whip-smart neuroscientist, you kinda figure it won’t be ho-hum. Patricia met Staci during a research trip to Harvard, and knew instantly that attraction was in the books. As a researcher, Staci was cautious at first, but when Patricia showed up flying a helicopter for an early date — really, you just say YES. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When they were getting fixed up by a friend, Ali was ho-hum about the prospect. Good thing she went anyway. This odd couple of proper-news-achor-meets-salty-adorable-comedienne is open to sharing how much they still enjoy sex — and why they believe it’s the root of their lasting bond. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On their first date, the NFL quarterback admired how this successful actress sauced up her fries and how she looked in her daisy dukes. A quarter century later, Rodney and Holly have met with the challenges of career stages, his recovery from addiction to pain medication and the autism of one of their children — facing down each obstacle and still holding fast to each other. A real testament to love’s longevity and grit, their story includes some tried and true lessons for us all. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you go to DC to visit two journalists at the heart of modern American political history, you don’t expect also to get a deep insight into the man who first introduced our nation to the revelations of “Deep Throat”.  Bob and Elsa’s candid interview was not the conversation we were expecting with this journalistic legend. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thanks to TV, Kelly is usually in our living room, not the other way around. During this hilarious and intimate visit at the gorgeous apartment she and Mark share with their three kids, we found out who’s the old-fashioned one, who’s the jealous type and who threw a wedding ring out the window. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ted was a self-proclaimed “hot mess” in 1994 when he met Mary in a cast meeting for the film “Pontiac Moon.” During our magical visit to their Santa Monica bungalow, we hear how Mary’s calm energy turned this conflicted playboy into a self-aware and deeply-committed husband, and how an early canoe ride down the Mendocino River became a fitting metaphor for their life together. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you get when you pair a strong-willed tennis legend with a spitfire rockstar? John and Patty welcomed us to their spacious apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side to hear feisty banter, their story of combining families while building their own — and his plea that she just join his band already. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everybody loves Ray, but no one knows his true heart and enduring neuroses better than Anna, his adorable wife of over 30 years. They met working at a bank in Queens, long before he was famous, and she is still the anchor that keeps his world — and occasionally his ego — firmly planted on the ground.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before they met, Neil and David were two hot young actors often up for the same gigs. With love, determination and laughs, they've long since made sure that jealousy (professional and romantic) is the only thing unwelcome in the gorgeous Harlem brownstone they share with their two children. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We visit Sting and Trudie’s stylish New York apartment to find out how Sting disdains a hot temper, Trudie knows which women will catch his eye, and they both cherish a good ritual. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Viola and Julius found deep love in the land of Opposites Attract. We visit their charming home in Southern California to find out who is the emotionally open one, and who leaves the bathroom a tornado site.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue fell in love on live television and wed over 40 years ago. Eavesdrop as they visit the homes of famous long-marrieds for intimate conversations about enduring love and all its challenges: family, career, conflict, addiction, illness, jealousy — everything under the sun. With lots of laughs around the coffee table, we hear private takes, internal struggles and hilarious anecdotes from the likes of Viola Davis & Julius Tennon; Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka; Sting & Trudie Styler; Ray & Anna Romano; John McEnroe & Patty Smyth; Ten Danson & Mary Steenburgen; Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos; Bob Woodward & Elsa Walsh; Rodney & Holly Robinson Peete; George Stephanopoulos & Ali Wentworth; Patricia Cornwell & Staci Gruber; Judges Judy & Jerry Sheindlin; Dr. Sanjay & Rebecca Gupta; President Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter; John & Justine Leguizamo; David & Mary Boies; Bryan Cranston & Robin Dearden; Jesse & Jacqueline Jackson; Rob & Michele Reiner and Michael J. Fox & Tracy Pollan. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.