Slate Culture Feed

On this week’s show an all-star team of super agents join Julia to gab including guest host Amy Nicholson, film critic for the Los Angeles Times . Their first mission: Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the supposed final installment of the Tom Cruise action juggernaut. Like Cruise on to a vintage biplane, Dana jumps on the call to discuss all the film’s death-defying stunts, clunky expositi...

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are going back to college and telling the tale of two Greek life chefs on TikTok. Kevin Ashton gained almost 5 million followers after posting recipes and behind-the-scenes footage of his life as a sorority house chef at the University of Nevada, Reno. Beloved by students who review his meals on their accounts, Ashton has brought a new spotlight onto the less glamorous...

One week into a new WNBA season, hosts Alex Kirshner , Ben Lindbergh chat with co-host Lindsay Gibbs about Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and what’s ahead in the league’s looming collective bargaining talks. Then tennis writer Ben Rothenberg joins to preview the French Open and break down key storylines on and off the court. Later, the hosts tackle the future of the controversial "tush push" in the N...

When blogger AJ Daulerio broke the Brett Favre sexting scandal in 2010, it became one of the biggest stories of his career. But it came at a cost: he had betrayed Jenn Sterger, the woman at the center of the story, who had confided in him as a friend and explicitly asked him not to name her. The fallout was immediate and lasting. Jenn became the target of relentless online harassment and scrutiny...

Vibe Check ’s Zach Stafford joins hosts Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay to talk about influencers Jalen Noble and Monet Mcmichael’s new Texas farmhouse. Built in 1850, the property includes a gym and a “guest house” that many commenters pointed out likely has ties to slavery. What responsibility, if any, do owners of former plantations have to honor that history? And where did Jalen go wrong in his a...

In this week’s show, Dana and Julia are joined by guest host Isaac Butler to go through the A24, bromance looking glass to discuss Friendship , the surreal cringe comedy starring I Think You Should Leave’s Tim Robinson and the always friend-crushable Paul Rudd. Next, they share their thoughts on Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer, the new podcast by Prologue Projects and Leon Neyfakh about the improba...

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim are joined by Slate staff writer Molly Olmstead to talk all things Pope Leo XIV, who made the internet go wild following a highly-covered conclave, strong Chicago ties, and a digital footprint that keeps unfurling. But another reason the Pope has seemed more exposed than ever before is because for some groups online, it’s becoming trendy to be Catholic. They break down...

Something seems to have happened to car headlights. In the last few years, many people have become convinced that they are much brighter than they used to be—and it’s driving them to the point of rage. Headlight glare is now Americans’ number one complaint on the road. The story of how and why we got here is illuminating and confounding. It’s what happens when an incredible technological breakthro...

José Andrés is at the helm of more than a dozen restaurants and is famous for the humanitarian work that his organization World Central Kitchen does everywhere from Haiti to Gaza. But when it comes to parenting, José says he’s often felt less than confident. In this episode, he discusses his somewhat rocky upbringing in Spain, his successes and struggles as a chef and restauranteur, and his frustr...

Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh discuss the surprisingly exciting NBA Conference semifinals and the downfall of the Boston Celtics’ aspiring dynasty. They also talk about Pete Rose’s newfound Hall of Fame eligibility, and the snooze-worthy PGA Championship. For Afterballs, Ben dives into Pope Leo’s sports allegiances.  On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Pl...

Influencer baby-naming has become a competitive sport, with people making predictions and even locking down Instagram handles before anyone has given birth. Despite this, most influencer baby names are…the same? If they’re not going rogue with “Malibu Barbie,” they’re reinventing the wheel with names like “Laikynn.” Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay dive into platforms like r/Tragedeigh , which documen...

The story of Nevermind, Nirvana’s genre-defining breakthrough, is a familiar one. Less well known is the saga of Billboard’s Modern Rock chart—and how college-rock staples of the 1980s like R.E.M. and The Cure gave way to heavier, more commercially dominant groups of the ‘90s like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and The Smashing Pumpkins. What sparked the grungification of the charts? How...

On this week’s show, Steve, Dana, and Julia gab about Another Simple Favor , the sequel to Paul Fieg’s 2018 A Simple Favor , which again pits Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick in a twisty, noir comedy. Next, they discuss Amy Sherman Paladino’s new Franco-American ballet TV confection Étoile . Finally, they confer on the shocking conclave pick of an American pope with New York Times journalist and Vat...

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim explain the situation surrounding influencer Kayla Malec and beauty YouTuber James Charles. Malec is a 19-year-old TikToker who was in a 9-month relationship with a content creator named Evan Johnson. After their breakup, Malec posted a YouTube video accusing her ex-boyfriend of domestic abuse and violence. Days later , Johnson was charged by officials in Tennessee wit...

A man delivers an unforgettable pickup line. A woman asks her Uber driver out on a date. A rancher swears off men and then, years later, suddenly develops feelings for the guy down the road. This week, listeners share offline dating stories for the ages, including charming meet-cutes, frustrating missed connections, and happily ever afters.  We also hear from Maxine Simone Williams, founder of WeM...

Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh return to talk about the latest in the NBA playoffs where the Warriors are in trouble, and the Knicks are…fun to watch? Then they talk about Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback quagmire. In the third segment, they discuss Boston Red Sox third or first baseman (depending on who you ask) Rafael Devers, and the history of aski...

While snark pages are universal, the UK website Tattle. Life has gained a reputation for being particularly cruel and relentless against influencers. Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay give a full breakdown of the website, which was founded in 2018 by a woman whose identity has never been revealed. She, along with other diehard users, reject the dramatic narrative the site has earned, and insist they’re...

On this week’s show, it’s one of the Gabfest’s most cherished traditions: the yearly call-in show. Dana, Julia, and Stephen answer listen-submitted questions that run the gamut – can cooking for one be a joy? Should philosophy be studied more? And how did you make your most recent friend?  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel gets into Lena Dunham's latest addition to the canon of "write...

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim check in with the “ Caveman Skincare ” method and they pour one out for Skype. Then, they dive into the internet controversy surrounding a TikTok running influencer and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Kate Mackz is the host of a TikTok series called The Running Interview Show where she jogs with celebrities. Last week, Mackz — who up until this point, did...

Products often tell you exactly how they’re intended to be used. But why leave it at that? As a culture, we have long had a knack for finding ingenious, off-label uses for things. In this episode, we take a close look at a few examples of products that are ostensibly meant for one thing, but are better known for something else entirely. We explore Q-tips, which we are explicitly told not to put in...

Isabel Allende didn’t publish her first book until she was 39, after losing nearly everything in the wake of the Chilean military coup. More than four decades later, she’s become one of the most beloved Spanish-language authors, with over 80 million copies of her books sold worldwide. After political exile, writing books became Allende’s way of making sense of the world. She wrote through divorce,...

Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh talk about the NBA playoffs, where the Minnesota Timberwolves did a number on the Lakers. They explain why Bill Belichick and his girlfriend have become such a problem for the University of North Carolina. Finally, the Kentucky Derby and the return of the controversial trainer Bob Baffert.  On the bonus episode, available exclusively to Slate...

While J.K. Rowling celebrates a new UK ruling that classifies “women” as biologically female, casting for the upcoming HBO Max adaptation is underway. Which fans have stuck by the series despite the author’s views , and will others be able to resist the siren call of a brand new TV series? Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay welcome ICYMI’s new producer Vic Whitley-Berry to talk about their feelings of b...

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay break down the drama surrounding an influencer’s new book that has kicked off a whole controversy before it’s even been released. Christina Najjar, better known as Tinx , has made a successful career as a TikTok influencer who doles out dating advice to her more than 1.5 million followers. Her new book is a summer beach read following an influencer who escapes to the H...

On this week’s show, Julia Turner is joined by Slate’s own Dan Kois and Sam Adams. They start by talking about the second season of Andor , the Star Wars series that might have more in common with The Wire than The Mandalorian .  Then, they talk about The Wedding Banquet , a remake of the Ang Lee classic. Finally, they get into the story of the discovery of a new color called olo.  In the exclusiv...