Slate Culture Feed

On Sunday night, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars live broadcast after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. As soon as the internet figured out the slap wasn’t a bit, Twitter was deluged with takes. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle discourse about the discourse, discussing the neverending online take machine, how media narratives are shaped, and why we were all wonderi...

This week, the panel begins by breaking down everything that went down during the weirdest Oscars ever. Then, the panel is joined by author, professor, and Slate’s pop critic, Jack Hamilton, to discuss Adam McKay’s over-stylized docudrama about the 1980s Lakers, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty . Finally, the panel is joined by Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern to discuss Disney CE...

Slate’s sports podcast on the NCAA basketball tournaments and U.S. soccer. Plus, an interview with Bomani Jones. NCAA basketball (3:26):  After two weeks of upsets, it’s Duke, UNC, Kansas, and Villanova.    World Cup (24:20):  The U.S. men’s national soccer team is on the brink of qualifying after a 5-1 win over Panama. Bomani Jones (47:33):  Joel interviews ESPN personality Bomani Jones about his...

This week, Instagram announced the return of chronological feeds to the platform, allowing users to toggle between the standard algorithmic feed and two separate chronological ones. On the show today, Madison and Rachelle talk about these new changes, whether we really want newsfeeds with such a strict structure, and why, regardless of which way we go, we’re still at the will of the algorithm. Pod...

The early ’70s was a great time for R&B queens on the charts: Roberta Flack. Dionne Warwick. Patti LaBelle. Chaka Khan. They had come through the ’60s—Dionne as a smooth pop-and-B star, Patti as a girl-group frontwoman, Roberta as a cabaret pianist—and found themselves in a new decade with limitless possibilities. Flack turned folk songs into chart-topping, Grammy-winning R&B. Warwick shif...

This past weekend, Rachel Zegler, known for playing Maria in the new remake of West Side Story , told a fan on Instagram that Disney wasn’t sending her to the Oscars. Her plan to watch the ceremony from home quickly changed, however, once the internet heard about it. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison break down the Oscars scandal’s online origins, and then they open up the mailbag. They answ...

This week, New York Times columnist and Slate graduate, Jamelle Bouie, fills in for Steve as the panel begins by entering the Gotham of Matt Reeves’ The Batman . Then, for our final pre-Oscars round-up, the panel digs into Best Picture nominee Drive My Car. Finally, the panel discusses the trend of ever-elongating movie runtimes. In Slate Plus, the panel questions Jamelle about his recent deep div...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the top storylines from the men’s NCAA tournament, and they’re joined by the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings for a conversation about the women’s tournament. Finally, they talk about the Cleveland Browns’ trade for Deshaun Watson.   NCAA men (3:07):  TCU’s heartbreaking loss, Cinderella Saint Peter’s, and more.   NCAA women (24:34):  Why are there m...

The internet has birthed so many wild moments of hilarity over the years. During the second half of their South by Southwest show, Rachelle and Madison play a game to find out which piece of internet history is the greatest. With contestants like the man singing a gospel remix of the Golden Girls theme song, “Thank You For Being a Friend,” the Beto O’Rourke sex tweet, Julia Fox saying “uncut gems,...

The acclaimed playwright tells me why she left theater for a few years, and how quitting her day job and making an investment in herself helped her return.  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.or...

ICYMI went to Austin this week and recorded a live show at South by Southwest. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison are joined by Bridget Todd , host of the podcast There Are No Girls on the Internet , to discuss the recent “womblands” drama , their favorite scams on the internet , and what it’s like covering the internet beat. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Hosted on Acast. See acast...

This week, senior editor at Slate, Allegra Frank, fills in for Steve as the panel begins by debating the enjoyability of Apple TV+’s new star-studded thriller Severance . Then, the panel digs into Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest Oscar contender Licorice Pizza. Finally, the panel discusses longform YouTube videos and the rise and fall of attention spans, inspired by Terry Nguyen’s article “The video...

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by the Ringer’s Bryan Curtis to discuss Tom Brady’s unretirement and other huge quarterback news. Alex Kirshner also joins to discuss March Madness storylines and Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley’s suspension for betting on NFL games.   Quarterbacks (3:36):  Brady back to Tampa, Russell Wilson to Denver, Deshaun Watson to … somewhere.   March Madness (23:...

The term “womblands” blew up on TikTok this past week, and the drama surrounding its origin is dense and confusing. On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison venture deep into TikTok to explain why the story behind this funny term is darker than you may realize. It involves racism, sexism, and sexual assault allegations, and it yet another case of interpersonal drama taken too far by the TikTok commun...

Struggling to make a decision about your relationship? Panelists Heather Havrilesky, George Civeris and Tuck Woodstock take on your questions about everything from infidelity to gender transitions to getting married. Listen to the Straightiolab episode on cheating here , and the Live in NYC episode of Gender Reveal here . Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Mone...

Brian Johnson, aka the Liver King, has amassed millions of followers with his bizarre yet addictive workout and raw-meat-diet videos. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison comb through the king’s core tenets, his obsession with explosives, and of course his taste for liver with a side of maple syrup. Later in the show, science communicator Johnathan Jarry joins for a discussion of why we look t...

This week, the panel begins by hashing out Hulu’s new Silicon Valley miniseries The Dropout . Then, the panel breaks down Pedro Almodóvar’s recent film Parallel Mothers . Finally, the panel is joined by author and Slate writer Dan Kois to rant about the growing dangers of pickup trucks . In Slate Plus, the panel answers the classic celebrity hall pass question. Email us at culturefest@slate.com ....

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Yahoo’s Hannah Keyser to discuss the Major League Baseball lockout. They also talk about WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia and assess the spectacle of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game.   Baseball (3:28):  When will the lockout end? What’s at stake?   Griner (23:16):  Why was she in Russia in the first place, and w...

Nepotism is everywhere, and it’s always funny when a new generation realizes that. On today’s show, Madison is joined by Nichole Perkins to talk about the recent online conversation about nepotism babies that got started when people realized Lexi from Euphoria , played by Maude Apatow, is the daughter of two famous people. Madison and Nichole discuss the unending list of entertainment nepotism bab...

The metaverse wants to convince us it’s the future of retail, even for buying marijuana. On the show today, Madison is joined by Slate’s Shannon Palus to talk about Shannon’s recent journey into the metaverse to buy weed gummies . They discuss what it’s like to enter the metaverse, the mediocre graphics on display there, and if it really is the future of retail—or just a misguided lark from Big Te...

This week, the panel begins by discussing the Norwegian Oscar contender The Worst Person in the World . Then, they're joined by Slate’s TV critic and host of the Decoder Ring podcast, Willa Paskin, to digest the New York Time’s latest hit podcast The Trojan Horse Affair. Finally, the panel is joined by screenwriter, director, and journalist Michael Idov to discuss Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s pivot from...

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham discuss the sports world’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They also talk about LeBron James’ plan to play alongside his son Bronny. And ESPN’s Katie Barnes joins Stefan and Josh for a conversation about trans swimmer Lia Thomas.   Russia (2:33):  What’s happened so far and what should come next.   Bronny (24:25):  Is LeBr...

Millie Bobby Brown turned 18 last week, so of course those creepy “legal age” countdown clocks popped up as that day approached. On the show today, Madison is joined by Nichole Perkins to talk about the phenomenon of counting down to a celebrity’s 18th birthday, the history of their online and offline ickiness, and why girls of color always seem to be left out of this discussion. Podcast productio...

Today on Hit Parade , we continue tracing the history of the remix. From Jennifer Lopez to Billie Eilish to Lil Nas X, the remix has become a ubiquitous part of contemporary pop chart battles. In part 2 we continue to story of how the remix became the defacto mode of reviving flagging singles, resulting in some of the most dominant pop songs of all time. Sign up for Slate Plus now to get episodes...

I talk with producer Ian Coss about the many divorces in his family, and how learning about them inspired his podcast Forever is a Long Time . Listen to Forever is a Long Time here , and find The Experiment's SPAM series 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 letters...