Leon Neyfakh


Leon Neyfakh is an American journalist, radio host and author. He is known for hosting the podcast Slow Burn and his book The Next Next Level: A Story of Rap, Friendship, and Almost Giving Up.

Early life and education

Neyfakh was born in the Soviet Union and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. Both of his parents are Russian Jews who immigrated to the United States when Neyfakh was a child.
He graduated from Harvard University in 2007 with an A.B. in history and literature. During his time at Harvard, he wrote for its student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson.

Career

Neyfakh is best known for creating and hosting Slates podcast Slow Burn, which has covered American political scandals. The first season of the podcast was about the Watergate scandal of Richard Nixon, and the second season covered the Lewinsky scandal of Bill Clinton.
Before joining Slate, Neyfakh worked for the Boston Globe as the Ideas staff, and was a reporter for the New York Observer. He has also written for The FADER, The New Republic, and Rollingstone.com.
Neyfakh also wrote a book titled The Next Next Level: A Story of Rap, Friendship, and Almost Giving Up, about Juiceboxxx, a rapper from Wisconsin.
In November 2018, Neyfakh announced on Twitter that he was leaving Slate to write and host his new podcast, "FIASCO" which is offered exclusively on the Luminary podcast platform. The first season of FIASCO focused on the Bush vs. Gore legal battle and the second season is centered around the Iran-Contra affair.
In February 2019, it was announced that Epix would release a 6-part docu-series inspired by Slow Burn with Neyfakh as host. The series will premiere on February 16, 2020.

Personal life

Neyfakh is married to Alice Gregory, a freelance journalist. The couple live in Brooklyn, New York City and have a black toy poodle named Mickey.