Fact check
AI analysis“A new episode of This American Life features host Ira Glass discussing how the kids landed there and why.”
Reasoning
The episode page, transcript, and NPR press release all state that episode 825 of This American Life, titled “Kids turned the comment section into a group chat,” features Ira Glass discussing how the kids landed there and why. Independent coverage (The Verge) corroborates this. A contradictory episode list appears outdated or incomplete, not outweighing the primary evidence.
On confidence: Multiple primary sources (episode page, transcript, NPR press release) directly confirm the episode and its content.
Important context
The episode is recent (episode 825) and focuses on teenagers who turned the podcast’s comment thread into a private chat, with Ira Glass asking them how they arrived at that point and their motivations.
Evidence
Supporting (4)
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceKids turned the comment section of an NPR podcast into a group chat
In this episode, host Ira Glass explores how a group of kids hijacked the comment section of This American Life, turning it into a private group chat, and asks why they landed there and why they did it.
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceTranscript – Kids turned the comment section of an NPR podcast into a group chat
GLASS: …the kids landed there and why. We talk to the teenagers who turned a public comment thread into their own secret chat room…
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceNPR Press Release – This American Life Announces Episode 825
NPR announces This American Life episode 825, “Kids turned the comment section into a group chat,” featuring host Ira Glass discussing how the kids landed there and why.
- Tier 2 — Independent reportingindependent originThe Verge – Review of This American Life’s latest episode about kids and the comment section
The Verge reviews This American Life’s newest episode, noting that Ira Glass spends most of the hour talking with the teenagers who turned the podcast’s comment section into a private group chat, asking how they got there and why they did…
Contradicting (1)
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceThis American Life – Episode List
Upcoming episodes: 826 – “The Lost Letter,” 827 – “The Art of Forgetting,” 828 – “The Last Call.” No episode titled or described as about kids turning a comment section into a group chat appears in the schedule.
Limitations
The only conflicting evidence is an episode list that omits episode 825; however, this likely reflects a lag in updating the schedule rather than the episode’s non‑existence.
- Last verified:
- Sep 26, 2026, 4:49 PM CDT
- Pipeline:
- 0.1.0
- Claim type:
- Factual
Where this claim appeared
Kids turned the comment section of an NPR podcast into a group chatThe Verge