About this episode

Lena and Alissa explore Bai Ling's life from her childhood in China to her rise as a controversial American actress.

Before Bai Ling was labeled a “wacktress” by the tabloids, she was a prolific actress best known in the U.S. for her role in the cult classic, The Crow. Her wacky behavior and soundbites about living on the moon made her a frequent character of the early 2000s press. In this episode, Lena and Alissa unpack Bai’s childhood in Mao Zedong’s China, her ascent as an American star, her iconic stint on Celebrity Rehab, and the myths about Asian-American womanhood that continue to saturate the public’s perception about her. This episode was first published on 05/27/2021.

People in this episode

Hosts: Lena Dunham, Alissa Bennett

Topics covered

• Bai Ling
• Asian-American womanhood
• celebrity culture
• media representation
• childhood in China
• Hollywood

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Crow

Places: China, U.S.

More episodes of The C-Word

• Frances Farmer, Part 2 · May 7, 2026 · 49 min
• Introducing Family Lore · April 21, 2026 · 3 min
• Shannon Wilsey aka Savannah, Part 2 · April 16, 2026 · 41 min
• Shannon Wilsey aka Savannah, Part 1 · April 9, 2026 · 51 min
• Sulli · April 2, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Welcome to Becoming You with Suzy Welch · March 30, 2026 · 2 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The C-Word podcast page.