CULTURED's CULT100 Asks 35 Cultural Figures About Their Hardest Career Moments
The 2026 CULT100 list from CULTURED magazine showcases 35 individuals from diverse sectors reflecting on the most challenging aspects of their careers. Their insights ranged from amusing stories, such as Terry Gross's mishap with a coffee cup, to more grave concerns like the lack of sustainable funding. Mosab Abu Toha shared his experience of having his home in Gaza bombed on October 28, 2023, and his subsequent abduction by Israeli forces, during which he faced mistreatment yet continued to write. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins addressed issues of racism, while Jane Schoenbrun criticized Hollywood's exploitative practices. Other contributors, including Lee Sung Jin, BJ Novak, and Frida Escobedo, emphasized resilience in the face of systemic obstacles.
Key facts
- CULTURED's CULT100 2026 asked 35 figures at the top of their fields what the hardest part of their careers has been.
- Terry Gross recalled urine from an upstairs bathroom leaking into her coffee cup at Fresh Air before executive producer Danny Miller arrived.
- Mosab Abu Toha's four-story house in Gaza was bombed and leveled on October 28, 2023; he was later abducted and held for 52 hours.
- Branden Jacobs-Jenkins answered 'Um, probably racism?' when asked about his hardest career challenge.
- Many interviewees cited a shortage of sustainable funding as a hindrance to the creative economy.
- Vincenzo Latronico spent nearly a decade seeking a form between nonfiction and novel before writing Perfection.
- Mohammad Gorjestani, raised in public housing as a first-generation kid, built financial support for himself and his parents without a safety net.
- Contributors spanned theater, tech, film, literature, music, food, fashion, and art, including Judd Apatow, Hernan Diaz, Lykke Li, and Frida Escobedo.
Entities
Artists
- Terry Gross
- Judd Apatow
- Hernan Diaz
- Lee Sung Jin
- Justin McDaniel
- Jake Shane
- Vincenzo Latronico
- Marine Brutti
- Jonathan Debrouwer
- Arthur Harel
- Sunny Lee
- Mary Beth Barone
- BJ Novak
- Lyas
- Mosab Abu Toha
- Natalia Dyer
- Vanessa Friedman
- Lykke Li
- Robby Hoffman
- Mohammad Gorjestani
- Thomas Doherty
- Alia Shawkat
- Edwin Frank
- Carol Bove
- Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
- Jane Schoenbrun
- Paul Carmichael
- Rachel Reid
- Sam Levinson
- Sonya Yu
- Paul Grimstad
- Fred Armisen
- Havana Rose Liu
- Scarr Pimentel
- Jackson Walker
- Diana Silvers
- George Saunders
- Frida Escobedo
- Danny Miller
- Lily Rabe
- Chris Messina
- Matthew Wong
- David Zwirner
- Scott Kahn
- Irvin Rivera
- Luke Norton
- Aaron Wynia
- Bronwen Wickstrom
- Brian Meller
Institutions
- CULTURED
- CULT100
- Fresh Air
- NPR
- New York Review of Books Classics
- Guggenheim
- Yale University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Momofuku
- Kabawa
- La Watch Party
- TIFF
- David Zwirner
Locations
- Gaza
- Palestine
- New York City
- United States
- Marseille
- France