Slate Culture Feed

On this episode,  Madison  and  Rachelle  talk to Rolling Stone senior writer  EJ Dickson  about PissTok, a new TikTok trend in which people are making jokes about urination kinks. She  recently reported on the videos , which have attracted tens of millions of views, for her magazine. They discuss how kink has become memified, what this says about the rise of sex positivity in mainstream discourse...

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss the Oscar-nominated documentary  Collective.  Next, the group is joined by June Thomas, senior managing producer of Slate podcasts, to discuss  Law & Order: Organized Crime.  Finally, the panel dives into Substack, the newsletter platform journalists are flocking to. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the Oscars. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. P...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Ken Early of the Irish Times to talk about European soccer’s proposed Super League. They also discuss the NFL’s top quarterback prospects and they debate whether Triller Fight Club is the future of boxing.   Super League (2:10):  What is this new soccer proposal? Why is it making everyone so mad? Is there any way to stop it?   Quarterbacks...

In this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher discuss the latest development in the world of  The Bachelor  and how it all plays into the show’s relationship with social media .  First they dig into the news that former Bachelor Colton Underwood has  come out as gay  on  Good Morning America . Then they get into the show’s love-hate relationship with Instagram, examining how the ser...

Taylor Swift’s new album is a reboot of an old album: Fearless , her 2008 chart-topping juggernaut that made her the biggest star on the Billboard charts. But Fearless (Taylor’s Version) —filled with banjos, steel guitars and fiddles—is also a reminder for those who forgot: Swift was once the top act in country music, too. From Dolly Parton to Shania Twain, the Chicks to Faith Hill, no country art...

What happened when a 27-year-old listener deep in credit card debt asked their older sister for financial help.  If you're struggling with consumer debt,  check out these resources .  Support Death, Sex & Money by becoming a sustaining member today. Sign up to donate $10 a month, and we'll send you Anna's upcoming book,  Let's Talk About Hard Things , and invite you to join us for a special bo...

This week Steve is joined by Slate senior editor Allegra Frank and writer/editor Dan Kois. The group first dives into the  What Lies Below,  the wild No. 1 movie on Netflix . Next, they discuss the Netflix series  Worn Stories.  Finally, the panel is joined by Slate music critic Carl Wilson to talk about Prince’s vault of unreleased music, as covered in Sunday's episode of  60 Minutes. In Slate Pl...

On this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher look at the way the COVID vaccines have seemed to develop online personalities. They discuss how the memes and merch inspired by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson can actually encourage vaccine hesitancy—which is all the more disappointing since there are actually some pretty  informative TikToks  out there about COVID-19. Next,...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the sports world’s pandemic purgatory. They also ponder what sports feats have still yet to be achieved. Finally, Luke Epplin joins to discuss his book  Our Team  and the story of Larry Doby, the second player to break baseball’s modern color barrier. Pandemic purgatory (3:11):  What to make of the Texas Rangers’ full stadium and the Vancouve...

In this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher start with a couple of High Speed Downloads: Madison summarizes the latest online drama surrounding self-help guru Rachel Hollis (featuring Harriet Tubman), and Rachelle chronicles the Kardashian fury that was unleashed after somebody posted an untouched-up photo of Khloe. Then, an exclusive interview with  Dion Beary , a writer and onli...

The poet reflects on growing up in largely white spaces in the Bronx during the 1970s, and how conversations about race with her husband have evolved over 20 years together. Support Death, Sex & Money by becoming a sustaining member today. Sign up to donate $10 a month, and we'll send you Anna's upcoming book, Let's Talk About Hard Things , and invite you to join us for a special book club dis...

On this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher report from the latest front in the battle between millennials and Gen Z. First, they trace the conflict back to its origins in skirmishes over middle parts and skinny jeans. Then they speak to culture writer Jenny G. Zhang , who recently encountered the fury of thirtysomethings when she tweeted about what using reaction GIFs says about...

This week Steve and Dana are joined by Slate senior editor Allegra Frank. First the hosts discuss the Oscar contender Judas and the Black Messiah and the performances of its two stars, Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield. Then pop critic and UVA professor Jack Hamilton joins the show to offer his thoughts on Tina, the new documentary about the life of rock n' roll icon Tina Turner. After that, th...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the men’s and women’s NCAA finals and Jalen Suggs’ Final Four buzzer beater. They also discuss Major League Baseball’s decision to move this year’s All-Star Game in response to Georgia’s new voting law, and Arizona State professor Victoria Jackson joins to assess the athlete compensation case  NCAA v. Alston . NCAA (2:57):  How Baylor and Sta...

On the latest episode, hosts Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher talk to Mya Johnson and Chris Cotter , two teen TikTok stars who created a dance challenge set to Cardi B’s No. 1 hit “ Up .” Fellow TikTok creator Addison Rae appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to perform their dance , along with seven other popular TikTok dances, without giving credit to any of the creators. A T...

In Part 2 of this episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy continues his analysis of the music of Sam Cooke. The Oscar-nominated film One Night in Miami… imagines the conversation between Cooke, Malcolm X, Cassius Clay and Jim Brown the night in 1964 they gathered to celebrate the soon-to-be Muhammad Ali’s heavyweight victory. Malcolm X challenges Sam Cooke to use his amazing voice to help “the strug...

On this episode of ICYMI, Slate’s new podcast about internet culture, hosts Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher get lewd. (Sorry, Mrs. Hampton.) First, they read some  erotica  about the  big, unstuck boat . Then, they explain why  Lil Nas X’s supposedly shocking turn —stripping for the devil in his new video for “Montero” and selling “Satan Shoes” with blood in them—is really just the log...

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss the film  The Father ,  starring Anthony Hopkins. Next, the group is joined by Slate television critic Willa Paskin to talk about  The Real World Homecoming: New York . Finally, the panel dives into the new secrets revealed by a Philip Roth  biography . In Slate Plus, Steve and Julia chat with Willa about the books, movies, or shows they've changed their mi...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about Gonzaga’s greatness and the Sweet 16 match-up between Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. Stefan and Josh then try to convince Joel to become a fan of the U.S. men’s national soccer team. Finally, Defector’s Dave McKenna joins for a conversation about basketball legend Elgin Baylor, who died last week at 86. NCAA tournaments (2:18):  What’s the...

On the second episode of ICYMI, Slate’s new podcast about internet culture, hosts Madison Malone Kircher and Rachelle Hampton take listeners on an all-access tour of Clubhouse, the invite-only audio app that already has millions of users, including everyone from Elon Musk and Drake to Oprah and Joe Rogan. Madison somehow ends up taking a shower with hundreds of other users? The app also doesn’t al...

A man steps up to participate in an American process that he doesn’t agree with: the death penalty. Today, we bring you a story about duty, faith and humanity, from the new podcast The Experiment .  This Friday is our first-ever "Pick Up The Phone And Call Day." Text "call day" to 70101 and we'll remind you to pick up the phone and reach out to someone in your life this Friday, March 26.  Follow o...

On the first episode of ICYMI, Slate's new podcast about internet culture , hosts Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher make sense of two recent controversies about online celebrities. First, they explain the recent drama around Kylie Jenner’s call for her followers to donate to a makeup artist’s GoFundMe—and how it connects to a whole year of influencers failing to read the room during the...

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss the Oscar-nominated Danish film  Another Round.  Next, the group is joined by Dan Pashman, host of  the Sporkful podcast , to discuss his journey to invent  a brand-new pasta shape . Finally, the panel is joined by Carolina Miranda of the LA Times to discuss museums “ deaccessioning ” art. In Slate Plus, the hosts discuss what favorite works for children th...

The Oscar-nominated film One Night in Miami… imagines the conversation between Sam Cooke, Malcolm X, Cassius Clay and Jim Brown the night in 1964 they gathered to celebrate the soon-to-be Muhammad Ali’s heavyweight victory. Malcolm X challenges Sam Cooke to use his amazing voice to help “the struggle.” Little did he know Cooke had already recorded his civil‑rights masterpiece, “A Change Is Gonna C...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the opening weekend of March Madness. They also discuss the inequalities between the men’s and women’s tournaments, and author Jessica Luther joins for a conversation about the assault lawsuits against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. NCAA Tournament (3:03):  A bunch of   fun games or just a whole lot of bad basketball? March Madnes...