WRITING
Please read what I write (in no particular order):
Photo: Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times
Everybody Knows Flo From Progressive. Who Is Stephanie Courtney?
A profile of Stephanie Courtney, who has portrayed Flo in ads for the insurer Progressive for more than 15 years.
Illustration by Kelsey Dake
My Impossible Mission to Find Tom Cruise
The action star has gone to great lengths to avoid the press for more than a decade. But maybe I could track him down anyway?
Photo: Rosie Marks for The New York Times
My Brilliant Strangers
I went on a package trip for Millennials who travel alone. Help me.
Photo: Alec Soth/Magnum for The New York Times
Could I Survive
the “Quietest Place on Earth”?
Legends tell of a chamber in an old Minneapolis recording studio that drives visitors insane.
I figured I’d give it a whirl.
Photo: Chris Maggio for The New York Times
What Is Glitter?
A journey into the glittery heart of darkness for The New York Times.
Photo: Peggy Sirota for GQ
Vote the Rock
A profile of Dwayne Johnson for the cover of GQ's 2017 Comedy issue.
Photo: Chris Buck for The New York Times
The Tao of Wee Man
A profile of “Jackass” star Jason “Wee Man” Acuña for The New York Times Magazine.
Photo: Caity Weaver
I Lived The #VanLife. It Wasn’t Pretty.
Traveling California by van for The New York Times Magazine.
Photo: Eric Ray Davidson for GQ
Justin Bieber Would Like to Reintroduce Himself
A profile of Justin Bieber for GQ's March 2016 cover.
Photo: Christopher Anderson
Cher Everlasting
An interview with Cher
for The New York Times Magazine.
Photo: Ramsay de Give for The New York Times
Can We Learn Anything From Horses?
An exploration of horse “attunement”
in Santa Fe, N.M.
for The New York Times.
Photo: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott for GQ
The Loveliest, Sexiest, Madliest of Them All
A profile of Kim Kardashian for the cover of GQ's 2016 Love, Sex, and Madness issue.
Photo: Holly Andres for The New York Times Magazine
There Is No Reason to Cross the U.S. by Train. But I Did It Anyway.
An account of a transcontinental Amtrak trip for The New York Times Magazine.
Photo: Nancy Andrews for The New York Times
What Makes an American Hero?
(Or a Canadian One?)
A profile of the Carnegie Hero Fund, which, for over 100 has privately rewarded for everyday heroes.
My 14-Hour Search for the End of TGI Friday's Endless Appetizers
An epic journey through Hell on a boat made of mozzarella sticks.
Photo: Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times
Who Is Sam Asghari,
Britney Spears’s Fiancé?
An interview with Sam Asghari
for The New York Times.
Photo: Alex Prager for The New York Times. Painting by Vanessa Prager
How Maya Rudolph Became
the Master of Impressions
A profile of Maya Rudolph for The New York Times Magazine.
Photo: Albert Bonsfills Morell for The New York Times
The Reality Behind ‘Below Deck’
A behind-the-scenes visit to the set of a behind-the-scenes show for The New York Times.
My Magical Quest to Destroy Tom Brady
and Win a Philadelphia Eagles Mini-Fridge
at Super Bowl LII
An account of my attempt to complete a scavenger hunt [I invented for myself] LIVE at the Super Bowl.
Photo: Vincent Tullo for The New York Times
The Secret to Beauty:
A Stranger’s Hands
Inside Your Mouth
An exploration of a $285 facial for
The New York Times.
Photo: Alexander Coggin for The New York Times
I Also Went to the Royal Wedding
An account of me pulling off the scam of a lifetime by getting my job to send me to cover the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (from “Suits”).
Photo: Alexander Coggin for The New York Times
The Rise of the Spice Girls Generation
The Spice Girls’ legacy, examined on the occasion of their reunion tour.
Photo: Christian Weber for GQ
Cardi B’s Money Moves
A profile of Cardi B for GQ’s May 2018 issue.
Screen capture from video by Paul Windle
Meetings. Why?
Searching for an explanation of why meetings occur for The New York Times.
Photo: Margeaux Walter for The New York Times
I’m Working Remotely. Can I Keep Hiding
My Secret Baby?
Installment of the “Work Friend” advice column for
The New York Times
Photo Illustration by Tala Safie for The New York Times
1994 Was a Prison of My Own Making
An attempt to re-inhabit the year 1994 for one week, for The New York Times.
Illustration by Lina Müller
Does ‘The Da Vinci Code’ Writer Have a Secret?
An investigation of an unfindable early Dan Brown book for The New York Times.
Photo: Johnathon Kelso for
The New York Times
They Are What You Eat
A visit to the headquarters of your favorite mall foods for The New York Times.
Illustration: Zohar Lazar for GQ
The Yunited States of Yuge
A tour of Donald Trump's luxury real estate holdings for GQ's September 2016 issue.
Photo: Nathan Bajar for
The New York Times
Keke Palmer Keeps a Check
A profile of Keke Palmer for
The New York Times.
Photo: Quil Lemons for
The New York Times
Pamela Anderson’s
Garden of Eden
A profile of Pamela Anderson for The New York Times.
Photo: Braylen Dion for
The New York Times
Porsha in Protest
A profile of Porsha Williams for The New York Times.
Photo: Emiliano Granado for The New York Times
What in the World Is a $590 Scratch-and-Sniff T-shirt Doing in 2020?
An examination of a scented luxury t-shirt for The New York Times.
Photo: Cass Bird for GQ
Gal Next Door
A profile of Gal Gadot for GQ's 2017 Men of the Year issue.
Photo: Art Streiber for GQ
There’s Something Funny About Tiffany Haddish
A profile of Tiffany Haddish for GQ’s April 2018 issue.
Pittsburgh Public Schools Photographs/Detre Library & Archives, via Heinz History Center
The Record Keepers’ Rave
A spin through archivists’ monthly online parties for The New York Times.
Photo Illustration by Julia Panek; Evans Vestal Ward/Bravo (background), Nicole Weingart/Bravo (champagne), Adam Olszewski/Bravo (shoes), Nicole Weingart/Bravo (Kyle Richards)
The Sound of ‘Housewives’ Everywhere
A dreamy dive into the world of “Real Housewives” background music composition for
The New York Times.
Photo: Spencer Lowell for GQ
An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the unholy birth of Mattel's new pan-racial Ken dolls for GQ.
The Unmitigated Chaos of America’s Attempt
at Color-Coded Covid Guidance
A survey of states’ color-coded Covid-19 alert systems for The New York Times.
QVC: Quarantine, Value, Convenience
A time-capsule portrait of QVC’s intrepid broadcast efforts as America entered lockdown.
Photo: Peter Yang for GQ
Jordan Peele is Terrifying
A Q&A with director Jordan Peele about his horror film Get Out for the March 2017 issue GQ.
Photo: Justin Bettman for GQ
Trixie Mattel is for Men (and Women and Kids)
A profile of Trixie Mattel for GQ.com's LGBTQ vertical.
Photo: Peggy Sirota for GQ
The Sweater Abides
A short profile of Jeff Bridges for an October 2017 GQ fashion story.
Photo: Sebastian Kim for GQ
Patrick Stewart Will Look Great Forever
A walking tour of Brooklyn with Patrick Stewart for a February 2017 GQ fashion story.
Photo: Peter Hapak for GQ
Screencapture via Netflix
What Is It About Dating Shows Where Contestants Can’t See Each Other?
A meditation on sight-unseen dating shows for
The New York Times.
Travolta Holds Court
An interview with John Travolta for the
December 2016 issue of GQ.
Image: Jim Cooke for Gawker
The Best Restaurant in the World Is: EPCOT
A multi-part restaurant-themed travelogue through Walt Disney World's EPCOT, written with
Rich Juzwiak.
Image: Jim Cooke for Gawker
Gravy Boat: My Week on the High Seas With Paula Deen and Friends
An epic journey through Hell on a boat
with Paula Deen.
Photo: Library of Congress