EXTENDED: ‘Higher Learning’ host Rachel Lindsay discusses the one person she and co-host Van Lathan avoid in their podcast

March 11, 2022

In this extended interview with “Higher Learning” hosts Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay, we heard more from Podsauce’s BFFs. We learned hilarious anecdotes from when Van and Dax worked together at TMZ and Van shared what he learned. Van told everyone about his obsession with Kanye West. Van and Rachel explained why they complement each other swimmingly on the podcast, and they shared their dream guest lineup for future episodes.

The Ringer’s “Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay” covers politics, sports, current events, and the biggest topics in Black culture during bi-weekly episodes. Van and Rachel shared that they met through a mutual connection and immediately recognized their chemistry as potential for a collaborative project. Thus, their podcast was born! They told Podsauce that their unfiltered conversations let their passions run free as heard in podcast episodes. Van and Rachel aren’t afraid to speak their minds and debate topics.

“Higher Learning’s” start was delayed in 2020 due to COVID-19. For many podcast episodes, news was breaking in real-time as the country was finding out about Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and racially charged controversies with celebs like Hannah Brown. Their podcast became a response to the news, culture, how they were feeling, and society’s reactions.

On Podsauce, the hosts talked about their mutual respect for one another and explored why they complement and challenge each other in talks ranging from weightier subjects to light-hearted convos. They’re passionate about being Black and do not necessarily feel any pressure even though they pioneered in their careers. Rachel was the first Black Bachelorette and Van called out Kanye on TMZ.

Van explained the cross-section of listeners on the podcast, and the clash that happens in their “righteous” fanbase of “thought warriors.” Van and Rachel share lessons and challenge each other’s opinions while staying aware of sensitive matters and how listeners might react.

Van shared the kind of feedback the show receives on Reddit, and apparently, fans are sick of Van’s Kanye obsession. Directors Coodie and Chike from Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy joined a recent episode of “Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay.” Van claims that Rachel has been pushing his obsessive narrative to fans of the podcast and spilled all the tea to Podsauce.

Not surprisingly, one of Van’s dream guests for the podcast is Kanye West. He shared why he’d also want to interview Barack Obama and Candace Owens. Rachel shared that Candace is one of the people they’ve banned discussing on the show. Rachel hopes Michelle Obama and Rihanna join the podcast someday.

In terms of podcast picks, Rachel listens to “Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino” and recommends this series for all reality TV fans. Van enthusiastically touted Podsauce as his pick.