NPR names Brittany Luse host of ‘It’s Been a Minute’

Brittany Luse will take over as host of the NPR radio show and podcast It’s Been a Minute, the network announced Tuesday. 

Luse begins in the role Oct. 7, replacing founding host Sam Sanders, who left for Vox Media earlier this year. She was chosen as host after “​​an extensive search and a collaborative feedback process with NPR’s network of Member stations,” according to an NPR press release.

“Brittany is one of the most exciting—and essential—voices in pop culture podcasting,” Yolanda Sangweni, NPR VP of programming and new content development, said in the release. “She brings deep curiosity, empathy, and joy to the mic and to her storytelling. We are beyond thrilled to be re-imagining It’s Been a Minute with Brittany at the helm.”

Luse hosts the podcast For Colored Nerds and has previously hosted The Nod and Sampler, also podcasts. She has written for Vulture and Harper’s Bazaar and edited for the podcasts Planet Money and Not Past It.

“Over the past five years, It’s Been a Minute has become a mainstay for listeners trying to make sense of an increasingly unpredictable cultural landscape,” Luse said in the release. “I’m honored to join such a dedicated team as host, and excited to learn and grow alongside It’s Been a Minute’s devoted and responsive listeners. I’ve spent the entirety of my eight-year hosting career helping audiences to connect the dots between culture and current events, and I look forward to continuing and expanding that work at my new home.”

IBAM EP Veralyn Williams said in the release that “finding someone like Brittany — who could step into It’s Been a Minute’s solid foundation, while also making us want to lean into her unique curiosities about everything from finding love on reality TV to the gender politics of fringe online communities — is what I can only describe as public radio magic.”