Both RuPaul and Padma Lakshmi are nominated for Emmys in the best reality/competition category.

RuPaul describes his drag persona as "one-part Cher, two-parts David Bowie, one-part Diana Ross and two heaping spoonfuls of Dolly Parton." The reality show he hosts and created, 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' has had 12 seasons.

Padma Lakshmi is nominated for her role as host and executive producer on 'Top Chef.' She spoke with Terry Gross about splitting her childhood between the U.S. and India and her early modeling career. In her new Hulu series, 'Taste the Nation,' Lakshmi explores the different cultures that contribute to American cuisine.

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews the new live action 'Mulan.'

We're revisiting some of our favorite recent entertainment interviews, as we approach the 2020 Emmy Awards. Both guests today are nominated for their lead roles.

In the Hulu series 'Little Fires Everywhere,' Kerry Washington co-stars opposite Reese Witherspoon as Mia Warren, a bohemian artist single mom with a mysterious past. Washington spoke with Terry Gross about how she drew on her own mother for the role.

In the semi-autobiographical Hulu series 'Ramy,' Ramy Youssef plays a first generation Muslim American who follows some — but not all — of the rules of his religion. Youssef, whose parents immigrated from Egypt, also co-created the series. He says he can relate to his character's "picking and choosing" approach to his faith. "Sometimes we would call it 'Allah carte,'" he says.

Pulitzer Prize-winning 'New York Times' reporter Michael Schmidt says it's unusual for White House officials to be so focused on preventing a president from hurting the country or breaking the law. His new book, 'Donald Trump v. The United States,' focuses on two staffers who stood up to Trump: Former FBI Director James Comey and former White House Counsel Don McGahn.

In his new book, 'The Quiet Americans,' author Scott Anderson profiles four daring and resourceful soldiers who became intelligence agents after World War II, when America was strong and respected after defeating Nazi Germany. The CIA then embarked on hundreds of ill-considered covert operations in Eastern Europe, and its obsession with fighting Communism propelled it into the subversion of several democratically-elected governments around the world. Anderson says the result was the loss of America's moral standing in the developing world, where many had seen the U.S. as a beacon of freedom and democracy.

Jones is nominated for an Emmy for her role in the HBO series 'Succession' as Nan Pierce, the head of a family-owned media empire. She's also known for her roles on 'Transparent,' '24,' and her career in the theater. We'll talk about these roles, growing up gay in Tennessee, and how she struggled with the violence in 'The Handmaid's Tale.'

Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the TCM series, 'Women Make Film.'

The HBO series 'Watchmen' uses sci-fi and action heroes to examine American racism. We talk with show writer Cord Jefferson, who wrote the episode of the series in which the main character narrowly survives the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, when white supremacists destroyed a prosperous Black community.

Kevin Whitehead shares an appreciation of jazz great Charlie Parker for the 100th anniversary of his birth.

"It's impossible to understand the Trump era, with its unparalleled polarization, without tracing Stephen Miller's journey to the White House," journalist Jean Guerrero writes in her new book 'Hatemonger.' She describes the ideological arc of Miller's life and investigates his ties to right-wing mentors and far-right groups.