Skip to Content
Talkhouse home
Talkhouse home
Podcast

Riz Ahmed Wants To Abolish Elections

By SubwayTakes Uncut

5:00 AM EDT on September 3, 2025

Actor, rapper, and activist Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal, Rogue One) rides the subway with Kareem to drop one of the wildest takes yet: abolish elections and pick leaders the way we pick juries. Riz explains why he thinks politics attracts the wrong kind of people, how a randomized lottery system could change who gets power, and what democracy might look like if we stripped away ambition. Along the way, he opens up about identity, belonging, and the role of storytelling in changing culture.SubwayTakes Uncut is like SubwayTakes, but longer, looser, and with more stops, more takes, and more room to go deeper.Host: Kareem Rahma Guest: Riz Ahmed Creators: Kareem Rahma & Andrew Kuo Camera: Anthony DiMieri & Tian Sippel & Ramy Shafi Editor: Tyler ChristieMixer: Dale Eisinger Associate Producer: Ramy Shafi Artwork: Andrew Lawandus Theme Music: Tyler McCauleyLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Related Stories

Eugene Mirman Talks with Robyn Hitchcock on the Talkhouse Podcast

The comedian/Bob's Burgers star chats spacemen, criminal animals and more with the legendary psychedelic popster

1017. – Yotam Ottolenghi

November 4, 2026

Transmissions :: Derrick Bang on Vince Guaraldi

November 4, 2026

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Juliette Binoche

The legendary French actress, whose new film Queen at Sea is now in theaters, goes deep on art, death, the universe and more.