Introducing: The Five 8½
Midweek clarity. Five topics. One Glass Half Full.
Lisa Graves and I are teaming up to co-host a brand new show called The Five 8½, premiering tonight, Wednesday, April 16th at 8 PM ET on The Five 8 YouTube channel.
If The Five 8 is your Friday night hang out to vent —booze optional, profanity encouraged—The Five 8½ is your midweek refuel. We’ll cover five essential topics that matter to anyone trying to stay informed, stay sane, and stay in the fight. We'll bring in sharp, insightful guests. And we’ll always end on a note of hope, in a segment we’re calling The Glass Half Full because yes, the world is on fire, but good people are still rising up.
We know we’re stepping into a space that Greg Olear and Stephanie Koff have built with wit, clarity, and community. Our goal is to honor that legacy, offer something familiar with a few new flavors, and keep the conversation going strong through the middle of the week. If The Five 8 is your Friday night exhale, The Five 8½ is your Wednesday refuel and a reminder: you’re not alone.
Greg invited us onto his show PREVAIL for a preview. What started as a promo turned into a whirlwind conversation about El Salvador’s prison-for-hire dystopia, Marco Rubio’s full fascist glow-up, and whether Chief Justice John Roberts will defend the Constitution—or finish shredding it. We also cracked a few jokes. Because if you don’t laugh, you might never stop crying.
You can watch the quick interview here on PREVAIL.
Why This Show, Why Now?
Because the gaslighting is constant. The outrage fatigue is real. And too often, we’re made to feel like we’re alone in seeing what’s happening.
We’re not.
So tune in, subscribe, and join us live each Wednesday at 8 PM ET. Pour yourself a cup of tea or something stronger. We’ll bring the news, the receipts, the analysis—and a reminder that the fight’s not over.
Watch The Five 8½ on YouTube →
About Your Hosts
Nadine Smith is an award-winning journalist and longtime organizer. She is the Executive Director of Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization. In 2022, she was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.
Lisa Graves is a legal powerhouse and one of the nation’s most respected investigative researchers. She served in senior roles in all three branches of the federal government, including the U.S. Department of Justice and the Senate Judiciary Committee. She is now the Executive Director of True North Research, a watchdog group uncovering the corporate dark money shaping American politics.