Pop Culture with Chanté Joseph

Eighty-one-year-old Martha Stewart has made history by becoming the oldest woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. Chanté talks to model Nicola Griffin, who appeared in Sports Illustrated in her 50s, and speaks with journalist Poorna Bell about the different expectations for older women of colour.

Social media influencers and YouTubers including KSI and Jake and Logan Paul are making millions by taking their internet feuds into the boxing ring. How did the world of boxing become the arena for social media beef?

Gal-dem, Buzzfeed News and Vice have all hit financial trouble and are either shutting down or close to it. Chanté talks to the Guardian’s media editor Jim Waterson and Gal-dem’s former politics editor Moya Lothian-McLean about where it is all going wrong.

As the US pays tribute to Jerry Springer and the internet continues to delight in Drew Barrymore’s confessionals, Chanté talks to Trisha Goddard about the art of a good conversation. And she talks to journalist Michael Hogan about why the British struggle with late-night chatshows

Dr Who has announced drag queen Jinkx Monsoon as the next villain on the show. Is it problematic that they are cast as a villain or is this an iconic moment for the queer community?

Music fans are battling long queues, technical issues and huge prices in order to see their favourite artists perform. Why has it become such a struggle? Chanté speaks to the Guardian’s deputy music editor Laura Snapes and Emma Reid from Outlier Artists

From David Guetta using an AI Eminem in a set, to an entire AI-generated Kanye West verse going viral. Is artificial intelligence making music better or is the industry under threat?

You don’t need to look far to see that gaming is everywhere with film versions of Tetris, Super Mario Bros and Dungeons & Dragons in cinemas this week. Chanté talks to Rhianna Pratchett, video game writer on Tomb Raider, Timi and Joey from The Nerd Council podcast and the Guardian’s video games editor Keza MacDonald about why it is dominating

The fourth and final season of Succession has arrived. Buckle up for more luxury yachts, holiday homes, helicopters and Machiavellian storylines. But why does Succession make us want to watch the lives of the super-rich? Chanté talks to writer Michael Hogan, and Mickey Down the co-creator of the TV series Industry

This week Chanté looks at whether pop culture can get the portrayal of neurodiversity right – from Bart in The Simpsons to Phil Dunphy in Modern Family. And why people self-diagnosing on TikTok can be problematic

Awards season reached its climax with the Oscars this week. Despite being the biggest event in Hollywood, are viewers really that bothered any more? Chanté speaks to Michael Schulman, author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat and Tears

Pop Culture with Chanté Joseph is back for series 2 with more deep dives into the week’s biggest stories in popular culture. Join her every Thursday from 16 March

As we enter 2023, astrological predictions for the year have already started to appear on social media. But it’s not only TikTokers who love astrology. Chanté talks to Clara Amfo, host of Written in the Stars, a reality TV dating show that matches people based on their natal charts

Chanté is joined by TV critic Scott Bryan and producer Yasmin Philgence to talk through the biggest pop culture moments of 2022

You’ve heard of Spotify Wrapped, now get ready for dating wrapped on Tiktok. Chanté talks dating disasters, situationships and (not) finding love in 2022 with her personal agony aunt Candice Brathwaite

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix docuseries has racked up more than 81m viewing hours, and that is only for volume one. As the second volume drops today, we ask: do we really need more of their story?

The writer and host talks to former Love Island contestant Tyler Cruickshank about the challenges of returning to normality after being on reality TV, and what impact appearing on a show can have on a person’s career prospects

Last week, Bo’ Selecta creator Leigh Francis risked reigniting his feud with Craig David saying the singer should stop talking about being mocked on the programme because it was 20 years ago. Chanté talks to comedian Dane Baptiste about why British comedy has a problem with depictions of race.

Chanté talks to Jameela Jamil, creator of the I Weigh platform, about why the term ‘heroin chic’ is so dangerous and asks why women’s bodies are always under scrutiny

Matt Hancock has been on our TV screens night after night eating sheep’s vagina, fish eyes and getting covered in gunk. This week Chanté speaks to someone who has known him for 15 years and asks what was his plan when he decided to go on the show?

The Crown season five has arrived, and with it a whole load of controversy. Politicians, actors and royal commentators have all thrown criticism at the Netflix series, accusing it of exploiting the royal family and sensationalising real-life events. This week Chanté Joseph is joined by the writer of the Emmy-award winning TV series The Tudors, Michael Hirst, to find out if The Crown has lost its s...

Rihanna fans have been waiting for this moment for six years. The singer has released Lift Me Up, a single on the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It’s her first release since she launched her Fenty Beauty empire, became a billionaire and a mother. As she storms back into our lives, we ask – what makes Rihanna such an icon?

Every week, Pop Culture with Chanté Joseph digs deep into the stories we can’t stop talking about. If you love pop and internet culture, and want to get into how it’s shaping and impacting our lives, then subscribe to this show. New episodes drop every Thursday – launching on 3 November. Search, subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts.