Like a lot of people did during the pandemic, I started podcasting. My first foray into podcasting was a limited series called Black Mirror Reflections (where I interviewed experts in a variety of fields about the moral, political, and technological issues raised in the TV series Black Mirror). That was a “limited podcast series” because, well, there were only a limited number of Black Mirror episodes (at the time) to talk about… so when it ended, I had to decide if I wanted to keep podcasting, and what the next podcast would sound like.

When I first dreamed up Hotel Bar Sessions, I didn’t have a grand plan. I just knew that some of the best conversations in philosophy never happened in classrooms or conference sessions, but in hotel bars long after the day was over. I wanted to capture that mix of sharp insight, humor, and honesty—the kind of conversation that could easily shift from Derrida to Dolly Parton to decolonialism in the space of a single round of drinks.

Over the years, Hotel Bar Sessions podcast has taken on different shapes and tones, thanks to the many brilliant people who have co-hosted alongside me. Each one brought something unique to the bar, and together they’ve shaped the podcast into the living, evolving project it is today.

The show began with me, Shannon Mussett, and Ammon Allred, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. In many ways, Hotel Bar Sessions was born out of absence: specifically, the absence of late-night, barroom conversations that had always been the best part of academic life. When conferences shut down and travel stopped, I missed those moments of connection and debate more than anything else. HBS podcast became a way to recreate them—not just for me, but for anyone else longing for that same intellectual and social energy. I the early episodes, Shannon brought an incisive, probing perspective that got right to the heart of a question, and Ammon had a way of pushing a discussion in unexpected directions, often surfacing ideas that gave the whole episode a surprising twist. I found myself in the role of moderator, troublemaker, and glue. Those early episodes were scrappy, but they carried the DNA of what Hotel Bar Sessions would become: philosophy that was rigorous but never stuffy, accessible but never watered down, and—most importantly—a way of staying connected when we were all feeling so far apart.

When Season 2 rolled around, the lineup shifted. Charles Peterson and Rick Lee joined me at the bar, and the conversations took on a new rhythm. Charles brought a sharp political and cultural sensibility—he could connect philosophy to music, film, or current events faster than anyone I knew. Rick’s blend of wit and deep Continental chops gave our debates both humor and depth. This lineup produced some of the most memorable early episodes of the show. I still think about the way Charles could turn a casual point into a big cultural critique, or the way Rick could cut through an argument with both a joke and a reference to Hegel in the same breath.

As life pulled Charles in new directions, I had to invite another co-host to the bar. Without doubt, one of the most transformative additions to the podcast was Jason Read— co-host for Season 6 through Season 9— who not only redefined the “tone” of the podcast as a serious and rigorous, but also contributed immensely to our identity as a public-facing, accessible Philosophy podcast. Jason Read is perhaps singularly responsible for launching Hotel Bar Sessions from its small, niche corner of the internet to a much broader audience, and we are forever indebted to him for facilitating the “level up” we experienced between Seasons 5 and 10!

When Jason Read had to step back, we were very fortunate to welcome as our new cohost David Gunkel, who was with us for Season 10 and Season 11. David brought a more tech-centric and tech-attentive focus to the podcast, which turned out to be predictive in ways that none of us anticipated! Unfortunately, David stepped back from the podcast after Season 11, for very good reasons… namely his most recent book Person, Thing Robot (MIT 2023) was literally becoming the go-to-text (and a standard in the field) for AI Ethics! 

In Season 12, we had the immense fortune of being joined by Devonya Havis, who was co-host for a (too) brief interlude, but her incisive commentary and critical insights into race, class, and gender politics will persist in the HBS archives. Maybe no greater example of her razor-sharp analysis exists than her account of “The Ethics of Refusal” (in HBS Episode 157). It is a master class in oppositional discourse. Full stop.

In Season 13, Talia Mae Bettcher saddled up as our newest HBS co-host, bringing  an incisive perspective on gender, identity, and social philosophy. The chemistry of this “new” trio between myself, Talia, and Rick was distinctly different from any previous lineup of co-hosts, of course, but that’s part of what has kept the show vibrant across so many seasons. Some of my favorite moments now are when Talia slowed us down with careful, precise distinctions, and Rick barreled through with a quip that makes me laugh so hard that I lost my train of thought. Those are the moments when I know the hotel bar spirit is still alive and well.

What has remained constant, I hope, is the ethos of Hotel Bar Sessions: philosophy that’s serious but never condescending, rigorous but never stiff, confrontational but never mean. Every co-host has helped define that ethos.

Without Shannon and Ammon, the show would never have gotten off the ground. Without Charles, it would never have found its cultural and political edge. Without David, it wouldn’t have extended it’s reach to future technological problems we need to confront, and without Devonya, it wouldn’t have brought us back to the age-old historical problems we have yet to adequately confront.

Without Rick, the absolute rock-steady presence for almost the entirety of the existence of the podcast, I might have gone mad trying to keep all these threads tied together.

So, here’s my toast: to everyone who has ever pulled up a chair at the HBS table, whether for one season or many. You’ve made the podcast what it is. And to all the listeners—thank you for sticking with HBS through every change.

We’ve got an exciting new cast of HBS co-hosts to finish out Season 14 and move us forward until the next change comes!

The HBS bar is still open, the conversations are still flowing, and there’s always another (audio) round to come.