The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell Audiobook By Kenya Barris, Malcolm Gladwell cover art

The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell

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The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell

By: Kenya Barris, Malcolm Gladwell
Narrated by: Kenya Barris, Malcolm Gladwell
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Join Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell as they bypass pleasantries and promotional banter to deliver raw, unfiltered conversations with some of today’s most influential figures. Featuring titans across a spectrum of professions (from Olympic gold medalists to trailblazing Fortune 500 CEOs and everything in between), The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell pulls back the curtain to offer listeners unprecedented access to the minds of the world’s most extraordinary individuals and their distinct paths to success.

Episode 1: Ursula Burns, first Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company
Episode 2: Jimmy Kimmel, longest-running late-night TV host
Episode 3: Sue Bird, WNBA superstar and legend
Episode 4: Wes Moore, first Black governor of Maryland
Episode 5: David Chang, renowned chef and founder of the Momofuku restaurant group
Episode 6: Ava DuVernay, acclaimed writer, director, and producer
Episode 7: Dr. Dre, iconic rapper, producer, executive, and actor
Episode 8: Kenya Barris, award-winning writer, producer, and showrunner and Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times bestselling journalist
Episode 9 (Bonus Live Recorded Episode): Dr. Brené Brown, the renowned researcher, bestselling author, and cultural force

©2024 Khalabo Ink Society (P)2024 Audible Originals, LLC Editors Select Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Thought-Provoking
Kenya Barris
Malcolm Gladwell
Credits
About the Creator & Performer- Kenya Barris

About the Creator & Performer

Kenya Barris is an award-winning writer, producer, director and actor, whose innovative approach to comedy has firmly cemented his place as one of Hollywood’s great modern storytellers. Best known as the creator behind groundbreaking series like ABC sitcom black-ish and the Netflix original series #blackAF, Barris has built a career telling powerful stories that reflect our culture and fearlessly tackle an array of topics.
Most recently, Barris executive produced Diarra From Detroit, a dark comedy about a divorcing schoolteacher who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date; The Vince Staples Show, a scripted series loosely inspired by the life of multi-hyphenate musician Vince Staples; the final season of grown-ish; and produced The Underdoggs, an Amazon original sports comedy starring Snoop Dogg as a youth football team coach.
In 2023, Barris and his production company, Khalabo Ink Society, received Emmy nominations for two of their projects: Entergalactic, a first-of-its-kind adult animated music project that featured new music from the Grammy Award-winning musician Kid Cudi, and CIVIL, a documentary that offered an intimate portrait of groundbreaking civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Barris also made his feature directorial debut with Netflix’s hit comedy You People, which he also produced and co-wrote.
Barris and Khalabo have multiple high-profile projects in various stages of development. On the television side, projects include: sophomore seasons of Diarra From Detroit and The Vince Staples Show; The Book of Jose, a television series chronicling the life of rapper Fat Joe; Group Chat, a collaboration with Kim Kardashian, based on LaLa Anthony's best-selling book The Love Playbook; a limited series that will offer an intimate look into the life and legacy of the legendary comedian Richard Pryor. On the film side, Barris is developing projects such as: an untitled animated film inspired by the timeless music of Bob Marley; a modern reimagining of the 1939 classic film Wizard of Oz; Get Lite starring Storm Reid and marking Teyana Taylor’s feature directorial debut; a remake of It’s A Wonderful Life; a documentary on the life and career of rapper Chief Keef; Yumanzu, a high concept family adventure movie; Girls Trip 2; and The Man Who Lives Underground.
Additionally, Barris and Khalabo have an exclusive deal with Audible and in 2023 launched their first podcast, DJ Drama Presents: Gangsta Grillz. Hosted and produced with legendary hip-hop producer DJ Drama, the popular podcast featured conversations with notable artists such as Tyler, the Creator, Pharrell, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne and more.

About the Creator & Performer- Malcolm Gladwell

About the Creator & Performer

Malcolm Gladwell is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers, including The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, Talking to Strangers, and The Bomber Mafia. He is the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, an audiobook and podcast production company that produces the podcasts Revisionist History, Against the Rules with Michael Lewis, The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos, and Broken Record.

Credits

The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell is an Audible Original
Produced by Audible and Khalabo Ink Society
Hosted by: Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell
Executive Producer(s) for Khalabo Ink Society: Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell
Executive Producer for Audible: Joshua Poole
Produced by: Kristin Alcala, Jamie Nelsen, and Gila "WeezyWTF" Shlomi
Written by: Damilare Sonoiki
Edited by: Jamie Nelsen
Assistant Editor: Crystal Pastis
Creative Consultant: Cassandra Vargas
Recorded/Engineered by: Michael Beliveau (LA), Alexx Anderson (NY), and William Flynn (EP1)
Original music by: Bekon
Sound design by: Michael Beliveau
Mixed and mastered by: Michael Beliveau
Music Supervisor: Gabe Hilfer
Head of Creative Development at Audible: Kate Navin
Chief Content Officer: Rachel Ghiazza
Copyright 2025 by Khalabo Productions, Inc
Sound recording copyright 2025 by Audible Originals, LLC
Talent Booking: Central Talent Agency
Production Lawyer: Eric Spiegelman
Production Accountant: Kristin Johnsen
Archival Clearance Coordinator: Jordan Keeble
Music Clearances: DMG Clearances
Production Assistants: Devin Kruger, Tionne Johnson, Clara Colom, and Jaire George
Kenya Barris Assistants: Adrienne Bresnahan and Desmond Bull
Malcolm Gladwell Assistants: Tali Emlem and Luke Lamond

Unusual Suspects - Featuring
Engaging Interviews • Inspirational Stories • Authentic Conversations • Insightful Discussions • Diverse Perspectives
Highly rated for:
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Liked the stories . The story on Wes Moore was interesting. The story on the female CEO of Xerox was inspiring.

Interesting

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The interviews were great. Always good questions for the guests. Funny and thought provoking. I just wish there was more!!!

Always interesting and engaging

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One thing I disagree with Ursula mentioned she was called special and felt it was because they had to excuse her being with them (her the references to black). I wasn’t there when it was said but they could have meant rugs to riches the American dream story. When I look at people I don’t see colors or religions…. Yes of course our society has made such. Big deal about it that it permeates my thoughts but like a passing cloud it moves and I see the person. So I believe they may have meant special cause Ursula is special and amazing having achieved her positions by hard work and having not been groomed for it thus breaking out and carving her own yellow brick road (not in money) but in making her dreams her own. Besides this point I agree with usual and the authors in most of the rest and loved the podcast

Worth listening

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Every time I listen to this podcast I leave with a new level of consciousness that inspires the mindset to continue focusing on the better parts of humanity. Optimistism, joy, and truth comes to mind when describing what you’ll hear listening to this podcast.

Incredible storytelling that will transform your thinking

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I am thoroughly enjoying this series. It’s insightful, funny. And you can’t go wrong with Public Enemy! Great Job!

Excellent

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This podcast was amazing. Hearing about Malcolm’s and Kenya’s lives was masterfully woven into the interviews. There was levity, history and inspiration all wrapped up in each story line. We need a part two!

We need a part two please!!!!

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Learned a lot from listening to each interview. Great questions and dialogue on every episode.

Kept My Attention

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Engaging fun and insightful. I got a much better understanding of Ava and Dr Dre. I admire these people even more.

The style

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The dialogue was simulating and engaging. Really got you to know a little more about the guest and his background and story, Enjoyed the ease and pace of the discussion as well

Jimmy’s candid comments great conversation

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It was all good because the two hosts are different with similar in many ways. They felt at ease about sharing details of their lives.

The honesty of the guests. They felt comfortable

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