![2015 Time 100 Gala "Serial" podcast creator Sarah Koenig attends the 2015 Time 100 Gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 21, 2015 in New York City.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/sarah-koenig-taliban-colbert.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
The fifth episode of Serial season 2 debuted Thursday morning, following host Sarah Koenig’s continuing journey to find out exactly what happened to Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Ahead of the episode’s debut, Koenig appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss the show’s success and her reporting process. Colbert was particularly interested to learn that Koenig had actually interviewed members of the Taliban for her story.
“Did you call 1-800-TALIBAN?” Colbert asked. “How does one get in touch with the Taliban?”
Koenig said that the Taliban reporting has come through working with Afghan reporter Sami Yousafzai, who is based in Pakistan and knows some Taliban members from childhood.
“What you have to do actually, because they’re all worried about being listened to, so Sammy had to get basically a burner phone so they could safely do it,” Koenig said.
This prompted Colbert’s next question: have these same Taliban members actually listened to Serial?
“Sami told me that yeah, they have listened to it,” Koenig said.
This article originally appeared on EW.com
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Melinda French Gates Is Going It Alone
- What to Do if You Can’t Afford Your Medications
- How to Buy Groceries Without Breaking the Bank
- Sienna Miller Is the Reason to Watch Horizon
- Why So Many Bitcoin Mining Companies Are Pivoting to AI
- The 15 Best Movies to Watch on a Plane
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at [email protected]