Slate Culture Feed

On this week’s show, the hosts are first joined by Slate’s Heather Schwedel to discuss Anyone But You , a paper-thin adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing , starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, whose combined good looks and star wattage aren’t enough to save the flimsily written rom-com. (Although, despite the film’s rocky start, it’s become a sleeper smash at the box-office.) The...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Michigan’s win over Washington in the College Football Playoff. They also talk about Bill Belichick’s future and the Philadelphia Eagles’ decline. Finally, the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings assesses the state of women’s college basketball and the sport’s new TV deal.   Michigan (7:14):  How the Wolverines won it all.   NFL (26:01):  Why hasn’t Pat...

Candice Lim is joined by culture journalist  Cat Sposato  to trace the rise of this year’s most promising pop act, Tate McRae. McRae gained national attention as a 12-year-old dancer on  So You Think You Can Dance.  While pursuing a legitimate dance career, she posted an original song on YouTube that led RCA Records to bet on her as the next big pop star. After two albums, certain people on the in...

Candice Lim is joined by Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion to talk about their love of romance novels. The romance genre grew rapidly this past year, becoming the fastest-growing category of fiction and generating over $1.4 billion in sales revenue. Partly thanks to Goodreads and BookTok, romance novels are getting into the hands of younger, more outspoken and vocal readers. But recent scandals, i...

On this week’s show, the hosts begin by jumping into the fantastical world of Wonka , a prequel to Roald Dahl’s enduring novel that explores the origins of its famously impish character, Willy Wonka, portrayed here by a wide-eyed, sugary sweet Timothée Chalamet. The musical film, directed by Paul King ( Paddington , Paddington 2 ) isn’t the kind of movie you want to pick on–it undoubtedly has a wa...

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley to discuss the College Football Playoff semifinals. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports also joins to talk about the Detroit Pistons’ epic losing streak. Finally, we look back at our 2020 segment on the Pac-12’s #WeAreUnited movement.   CFP semis (5:21):  How Michigan and Washington emerged victorious.   Pistons (29:02):  How did th...

On this episode, The Outward hosts break down the million dollar takeover ad on X for Prager University’s documentary  Detrans: The Dangers of Gender Affirming Care .  NBC reporter Jo Yurcaba  joins Bryan, Christina, and Jules to tackle the misdirections and anti-trans agenda of the documentary and take a look at the transphobic shifts on the social media platform. Email us at: outwardpodcast@slat...

In 2023, several hits from years ago—sometimes decades—made it to No. 1 on Billboard’s pop charts after falling short the first time: Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.” The Weeknd’s “Die for You.” Miguel’s “Sure Thing.” And, most improbably but delightfully, Brenda Lee’s 65-year-old holiday bop “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” What’s going on here? A lot of it has to do with the ways streaming, Yo...

When we heard that Death, Sex, & Money was coming to an end at WNYC, we decided there was only one thing to do: throw ourselves an in-person goodbye celebration. In this week’s episode, you’ll hear audio from “Four Interviews and a Funeral,” a show we hosted at Caveat in Manhattan. In it, Anna talks to past guests, like comedian Chris Gethard , Lawrence and Ronnine Bartley , mover Adonis Willi...

In 1992, a Minnesota-based software company known for its educational hit  The Oregon Trail  released another simulation-style game to school districts across the country.  Freedom!  took kids on a journey along the Underground Railroad, becoming the first American software program to use slavery as its subject matter. Less than four months later, it was pulled from the market. In this episode, we...

This week, we revisit one of our favorite episodes of 2023! The panel begins by examining  Barbie , Greta Gerwig’s hot pink, record-breaking movie about the iconic Mattel doll. Then, the trio dives into Christopher Nolan’s  Oppenheimer , which chronicles the life of the “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” and explores whether the film achieves its aims. Finally, they are joined by Slate’s Chris Molanphy...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the most important and most memorable sports moments of 2023. They’re also joined by Mark Wright to talk about his podcast The Bison Project, on Howard University’s 1971 NCAA champion soccer team. Finally, we look back at one of our favorite segments from the recent past, featuring … a mystery guest.   Memorable moments (4:41):  Damar Hamlin, Mi...

From Goodreads scandals to relationship prompt Twitter, the internet has been rife with trends to get mad about. On today’s episode, Candice Lim is joined by Vox’s Alex Abad-Santos and journalist Sylvia Obell to audit everything they lived through online in 2023, discussing the good, the bad and the truly unhinged. This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and R...

Over the past few months, we’ve been collecting your stories about inheritance, from those who have it and those who don’t. You told us about when inheritance was a surprise, when it felt like a control tactic, a safety net, an expression of love, or an opportunity to redistribute generational wealth.  In this episode, Anna talks to four people about their inheritance experiences: Gwynn, who is gr...

This week, it’s the yearly call-in episode! Steve, Dana, and Julia dive into questions submitted by Culture Gabfest listeners.  Outro music: “Forbidden Love” by OTE Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many s...

On today’s episode, Candice Lim is joined by Kristen Meinzer ( Daily Fail ,  How to be Fine )  and Tre’vell Anderson ( FANTI ,  What A Day )  to recap the year in celebrity breakups. Lately, it feels like everyone in Hollywood is breaking up, but have there really been that many more celebrity splits than usual? Was  Scandoval  really proof that love is dead or have we been placing celebrity coupl...

Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and Slate’s Alex Kirshner discuss Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension. They also talk about the Washington Capitals and Wizards reportedly leaving D.C. for Northern Virginia. And finally, they examine why every college quarterback is in the transfer portal.   Draymond (4:43):  What’s next for him and for the Warriors?   Wiz and Caps (26:12):  Are they actually leaving...

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim are joined by Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe to conclude their list of the top internet moments of the year. In their  previous episode , Rachelle and Candice memorialized Elon-held Twitter, the most famous submersible online and reunions that shouldn’t air live. But no moment superseded the viral drama, cultural legacy and aquatic meme-ifcat...

In 2023, several hits from years ago—sometimes decades—made it to No. 1 on Billboard’s pop charts after falling short the first time: Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.” The Weeknd’s “Die for You.” Miguel’s “Sure Thing.” And, most improbably but delightfully, Brenda Lee’s 65-year-old holiday bop “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” What’s going on here? A lot of it has to do with the ways streaming, Yo...

Meshell Ndegeocello has been a working musician since she was a teenager. She’s probably best known for her biggest hit to date, “ Wild Night, ” a Van Morrison cover she recorded with John Mellancamp back in 1994. Meshell is 55 now and just put out her 11th solo album, “ The Omnichord Real Book ,” her first in five years. The album started as a kind of personal pandemic project before she decided...

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim announce their top internet moments of the year. Is it the  MirandaSings  controversy? The  Shein influencer factory  tour? The internet boyfriend wars of  Al Pacino vs. Robert De Niro ? They bring their picks and ruminate on the year of Elon Musk and  OceanGate . This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and...

This week, the panel is joined by Slate writer and senior editor Sam Adams to dissect Poor Things , director Yorgos Lanthimos' horny, steampunk Frankenstein tale about Bella Baxter (played by Emma Stone), a pregnant woman who commits suicide then is brought back to life by a brilliant scientist (Willem Dafoe), with an eccentric caveat: She now has the brain of her unborn fetus. Then, the three rem...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Shohei Ohtani’s record-setting contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’re also joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to assess the NBA’s first in-season tournament. Finally, they discuss Joel’s story about his tenure at ESPN and what it’s become now.   Ohtani (4:31):  Did the Dodgers actually get a bargain?   In-season tournament (23:...

On today’s episode, Candice Lim is joined by journalists  Bomani Jones  and  Tamerra Griffin  to cover the biggest moments of sports that happened online this year. From basketball stateside to women’s soccer abroad, the internet has a way of picking up the little moments you don’t see in a stadium and making major waves about them. It’s the reason why an athlete’s behavior in one singular moment...

Hannah is 34, has two kids, and lives in Casper, Wyoming, where she was born and raised. Hannah’s been working in construction for 3 years, ever since she graduated from Climb Wyoming’s 12 week job training program , where she earned her commercial drivers license.  Climb Wyoming has been around for more than 36 years and helps single moms like Hannah gain financial independence and stability by t...