Slate Culture Feed

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Olympic gold medalist Crissy Perham to discuss what  Roe v. Wade  getting overturned means for women athletes. They also discuss Arch Manning’s decision to play football at the University of Texas and Ohio State getting a trademark on the word “the.”   Crissy Perham (2:56):  A champion swimmer on why she’s speaking out about her abortion....

Log onto any social app and you’ll quickly find content that’s been ported over from another platform. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison talk about the homogenization of internet humor and how every platform is trying to copy its competition. Then they discuss the return of anonymous online spaces with the new app NGL, an app that allows people to solicit anonymous comments and questions fro...

We asked for your stories about breakups. You told us about being left, doing the leaving, and the times when you're not exactly sure what happened. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at  deathsexmoney.org/newsle...

Lesbians on dating and hookup apps aren’t looking for men, but that’s what platforms like Bumble and Tinder are serving them. On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle speak to some queer women who’ve had this problem and what sorts of issues it creates. Then they discuss the women-focused apps that’ve tried to fill that space, and why it’s so difficult to find safe queer dates online. This podcast is...

This week, the panel begins by trying out the new Adam Sandler film on Netflix, Hustle . Then, they discuss the new hit Indian film RRR . Finally, the panel is joined by host of Slate's Hit Parade podcast, Chris Molanphy, to discuss musician Kate Bush's recent rise in the charts. In Slate Plus, the panel debates which SNL stars became the best film actors. Email us at culturefest@slate.com Endorse...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski to discuss the Stanley Cup Finals. They also talk about  Dream On , the ESPN documentary on the 1996 U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team. Finally, they assess Nike upon its 50th anniversary.   Stanley Cup (2:40):  Inside   the match-up between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning.   Dream On  (26:57):  Look...

Earlier this month, the American Girl Doll Instagram account announced the return of the classic Molly doll, and because it was announced during Pride month everybody started wondering, “Is Molly gay?” On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison discuss the recent gay panic of the conservative American Doll Instagram community, the online life of American Girl memes, and their own histories with these b...

For decades, British alt-pop goddess Kate Bush had never had a Top 10 hit in America. Now, in 2022, she finds herself in the Hot 100’s Top Five—and television got her there. Her classic “Running Up That Hill” is featured prominently in the latest season of Netflix’s hit ’80s horror fantasy show Stranger Things . This puts Bush in a long lineage of hits spawned or made bigger by TV, dating all the...

When Mary Gundel spoke out about working conditions at Dollar General, she lost her job. She also gained TikTok celebrity, and started a national labor movement.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Throughout the 2010s, the One Direction fandom was inescapable online. On today’s show, Atlantic writer Kaitlyn Tiffany is here to discuss her new book all about that subject, Everything I Need I Get From You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It . Rachelle and Madison talk to Kaitlyn about why she chose One Direction, how fan theories get out of hand, and why neither she nor Rachelle w...

This week, the panel begins by fraternizing with the dinosaurs of Jurassic World: Dominion . Then, they’re joined by senior writer for New York Magazine E. Alex Jung to discuss the movie that changed the Bechdel Test, Fire Island . Finally, the panel discusses a New York Times opinion piece from Tish Harrison, titled “I Married the Wrong Person, and I’m So Glad I Did.” In Slate Plus, the panel dis...

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham to discuss Steph Curry and the NBA Finals. Then, they review the Adam Sandler basketball movie  Hustle . Finally, ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenburg joins Joel and Josh to talk about the debut weekend of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf.   Steph and the NBA (3:30):  The Warriors got back into the Finals with some Curry magic. Can Jays...

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison dabble in some TikTok approved ASMR. Later they’re joined by Vice Senior Staff Writer, Anna Merlan , for an interview about political ads and the left leaning campaigns that pay influencers to produce policy based content - despite TikTok’s stringent rules. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Madison Malone Kircher, Rachelle Hampton, and Kevin Bendis Su...

The acclaimed actor and playwright tells me about coming of age during the gay rights movement, why a rubber band signifies financial stability, and how he thinks he'll be remembered. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. S...

Over the past few months, musicians have been posting on TikTok about how their record labels are forcing them to make TikTok videos to promote their new music. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison look at what all these famous musicians like Charli XCX, Florence Welch, and Ed Sheeran are posting, why the music industry is so desperate for viral hits, and who we should feel sorry for in all of...

This week, the panel begins by diving into the animated world of Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers . Then, they reflect on Norm Macdonald’s career and influence with his posthumous special Nothing Special . Finally, the panel enters Harry’s House as they are joined by Slate’s music critic Carl Wilson to discuss Harry Styles’ most recent album .   In Slate Plus, the panel discusses their ideal cultural...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin assess the back-and-forth NBA Finals between the Warriors and Celtics. The New York Times’ Andrew Das also joins to talk about Ukraine’s loss to Wales in a World Cup playoff match. Finally, they discuss the Oklahoma softball juggernaut.   NBA Finals (3:09):  How   the Celtics took Game 1, and how the Warriors struck back.   Ukraine-Wales (25:00):  An ep...

The Mormon moms on TikTok are accused of “soft swinging,” or engaging in sexual acts with people other than their spouses while their spouses are in the room, and people cannot stop asking about it. On the show today, Madison and Rachelle talk about Liam Payne’s recent comments about his former One Direction bandmates, and then they’re back with High Speed Downloads about the Early American Youtub...

Since it started over six weeks ago, the court battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has been impossible to escape online. On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison look at the troubling ways people are discussing the trial, the cottage industry of lawyers reacting to the trial, and the stakes that have been lost in the breathless coverage and endless meme-ing of Heard and Depp. This podcast is p...

This week, the panel begins by re-visiting the Top Gun academy with Top Gun: Maverick . Then, the panel is joined by critic and author Jason Bailey to assess the career of George Carlin , presented in the two-part documentary George Carlin’s American Dream . Finally, the panel discusses the defamation trail of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard that is gripping the media.  In Slate Plus, the panel rememb...

Josh Levin and Joel Anderson are joined by Jack Hamilton to discuss the Warriors-Celtics NBA Finals matchup. Bradford William Davis then joins to talk about Josh Donaldson’s suspension for calling Tim Anderson “Jackie” and Tommy Pham slapping Joc Pederson for allegedly cheating in fantasy football.   NBA (2:53):  What the rise of the Warriors and the Celtics says about pro basketball team-building...

Earlier this month, Bobbi Brown’s new foundation line blew up on TikTok thanks to some rather ungenerous videos from beauty influencers. In an effort to defend her new Jones Road line, Brown took to TikTok and filmed her own response, rocketing the drama into the TikTok mainstream. On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle dig through the drama to explain why this isn’t just a story about one makeup c...

What was in the water in Virginia Beach? Starting in the ’90s and peaking in the ’00s, Pharrell Williams, Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley and Missy Elliott—friends and family from the Tidewater Region—made nerdy pop normal on the charts. Their productions whirred, gurgled, pinged and rumbled—the handiwork of studio geeks—while their lyrics embraced the freaky: Missy demanding that you work it…Pharrell...

Teachers across the country share their feelings about their profession, burnout, and how they're holding up at the end of another difficult pandemic school year. Hear more from Lillian in our episode "Skin Hunger: Part 1," here. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letter...

On today’s episode, it’s mailbag time!  Rachelle and Madison answer listener questions on a very important Haley Kiyoko relationship status update, if the Apple Health app is also selling your biological data, and – shudder – whether there is a new Couch Guy. Plus, Madison herself has a very important question about resizing your jeans.     Mentioned in the Show: “ I’m the TikTok Couch Guy. Here’s...