Sally Quinn On Bezos, Washington, And Life

Sally Quinn On Bezos, Washington, And Life

From The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan by Andrew Sullivan

February 20, 2026 · 51 min

About this episode

Sally Quinn discusses her experiences in journalism, her insights on Washington politics, and her personal life.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.com Sally is a journalist, columnist, TV commentator, author, wife to Ben Bradlee, and legendary DC hostess. Who better to talk to about the implosion of The Washington Post? She also founded the Post’s religion website, “On Faith.” She’s the author of six books, including the spiritual memoir Finding Magic , and We’re Going to Make You a Star — about her time at “CBS Morning News.” Her latest novel is Silent Retreat , and she’s now working on a memoir called Never Invite Sally Quinn . Her energy at 84 is, well, humbling. We had a blast. For two clips of our convo — on Sally’s initial impression of Bezos, and the time Bill Clinton called her the b-word — head to our YouTube page . Other topics: born in Savannah, GA, and learning voodoo as a kid; moving as an Army brat; her general dad who captured Göring and helped create the CIA; at Smith College wanting to be an actress; rebelling against Vietnam and the wishes of her dad by marrying Bradlee; the Georgetown party circuit and how it’s grown more partisan; throwing a pajama party for Goldwater; dating Hunter S. Thompson; Watergate and Woodstein…

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Sullivan

Guest: Sally Quinn

Topics covered

  • journalism
  • Washington politics
  • media history
  • personal memoir
  • cultural commentary
  • political commentary

Keywords

  • Sally Quinn
  • Washington Post
  • journalism
  • memoir
  • politics
  • Bill Clinton
  • Hunter S. Thompson
  • Watergate
  • Barack Obama
  • Hillary Clinton

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Washington Post

Books & works: Finding Magic, We're Going to Make You a Star, Silent Retreat, Never Invite Sally Quinn

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