The Hook Up

triple j's award winning and most complained about show is back for another round of The Hook Up Live at Melbourne International Comedy Festival! Dee and Pip hit the stage with comedians Lou Wall, Fergus Neal, Lara Ricote, Sophie Duker, and Dave Woodhead to hear their most cooked sex and dating stories, play games and give you some personalised advice on your dating dilemmas from the best in the b...

Moving in with a partner is usually considered the ‘next step’. But how do you know when you’re both ready? Because in our last ep we heard it can make or break a relationship. So in this episode we get all the advice you need from couples therapist and sexologist Isiah McKimmie on everything you need to know if you’re thinking about living together.  SHOW NOTES: MOVING IN VODCAST: https://www.you...

Shacking up with your lover can be so exciting and a real milestone for a relationship, dialling up the intimacy and creating a solid foundation for the future. But sometimes it can reveal parts of a person that you never knew existed - creating tension or sapping the romance out of the relationship, and fast-tracking a break up. We find out how it’s gone for you!  SHOW NOTES:Co-habitation relatio...

She’s ‘Australia’s First Ever Attractive Comedian’ but she’s never been in love before. In this ep, Elouise Eftos chats about the male gaze, female sexuality, heterofatalism, hook up culture and how she feels about never having a serious relationship before.  DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at  @triplejthehookup  on IG or email us: thehookup@abc.net.au The Hook Up is an ABC...

For some of us, being friends with an ex is a sign of emotional maturity. But for others, it’s a warning sign that there might still be feelings, or that it’s an unnecessary (or even disrespectful) relationship to keep. We hear you think and get your advice on how to do it right.  DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at  @triplejthehookup  on IG or email us: thehookup@abc.net.au...

Ever been mentally turned on but your body isn't responding? Or maybe your body is turned on but your mind isn’t? That's arousal non-concordance, and it's way more common than you think. In this ep, Dee speaks to psychologist and sexologist Laura Lee about why it happens, how it can impact consent and how to handle it. SHOW NOTES: Laura Lee Website - https://www.lauralee.com.au/ DM us your thought...

Do you think humans are biologically wired for one partner? Or have we been socially conditioned into monogamy? We deep dive into the science and history of human relationships to figure out whether pairing with one person for life is our natural state of being, or if we’re actually biologically predisposed to be non-monogamous. SHOW NOTES: Our biology wants us untethered. So why does society plac...

Louis Theroux’s new Netflix doco Inside the Manosphere has everyone talking. So in this episode, Dee chats with men’s violence prevention advocate and educator Tarang Chawla about his reaction to the film, why so many young men and boys are drawn to manosphere influencers, and the real-world impacts this content is having. SHOW NOTES: Inside The Manosphere -  https://www.netflix.com/au/title/81920...

Sometimes our mates do or say things that are a turn off - but unlike a relationship, sometimes we let them slide. In this episode we find out your friendship icks, and debate whether we should hold friends to the same standard that we hold our relationships to. DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at  @triplejthehookup  on IG or email us: thehookup@abc.net.au The Hook Up is an...

Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing Now? When writer Chanté Joseph asked that question in Vogue last year, she broke the internet. It pissed a lot of people off, but it also made a lot of single women finally feel validated. So why did it strike such a nerve? Dee Salmin asks Chanté what she really meant, what she thinks about heterosexuality in 2026, and whether engagements and marriage are embarra...

If you really want (or don’t want) kids, what do you do if you’re dating or in a relationship with someone who doesn’t feel the same way? It can be one of the hardest things to navigate, so in this episode – you’ll hear from relationship coach Megan Luscombe on how to figure out if it’s a dealbreaker or if it’s something you can work through.  DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just ven...

Whether you’re on a first date, or deep into a relationship, a dealbreaker can come out of nowhere and really change the way you feel about someone. We find out what yours are, when you’ve ended relationships over them and if you (or a partner) have compromised or changed for a dealbreaker. DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at  @triplejthehookup  on IG or email us: thehookup@...

Like we heard in last week’s ep, miscarriages are so common, yet so many people feel alone in their experience. So in this ep, you’ll hear from author Jess Kirkness again - sharing the emotional impact her pregnancy loss had on her, as well as from Miscarriage Australia’s Dr Jade Bilardi and clinical psychologist Clare Bellhouse on how to heal and best support your loved ones. SHOW NOTES: Jess Kir...

They say don’t judge a book by its cover - but does that mean you should always “give them a chance” if you’re not immediately attracted to someone? In this episode we’re debating whether attraction needs to be instant or can grow over time, are we stringing people along if we wait for it to develop, and have dating apps have killed slowburn romance. SHOW NOTES: Romantic attraction and evolution:...

Miscarriages and pregnancy loss are so much more common than we might think. But no one really talks about them?! In this ep you’ll hear from Jess Kirkness, a writer who shares her miscarriage story, plus you’ll also hear from gynaecologist Dr Charlotte Elder on why they happen and what to expect.  SHOW NOTES: Jess Kirkness Article -  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-21/miscarriage-loss-grief/1...

Everyone knows about the “3 date rule”, but is it always worth the wait? We find out why you’re holding off sex or diving right in, if there’s a magic number of dates before getting intimate and whether having sex too soon can stop a relationship in it’s tracks. SHOW NOTES: YouGov Survey on how long you should wait before having sex: https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/37341-relationships-da...

When we asked what kind of porn you're into, so many of you told us you love piss play. We chat to sexologist and psychologist Laura Lee on this seemingly common kink/fetish, why it's so hot for some and how to do it well. SHOW NOTES: Laura Lee Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/lauraleesexology/?hl=en DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at  @triplejthehookup  on IG or emai...

We’ve all been audiences to celebrity splits where dirty laundry gets aired out through podcast tell-all’s, tiktok sprays and album drops - but what about when it happens closer to home? We explore the aftermath of a break up and hear your stories of when you’ve gone public, from openly grieving to spilling secrets, to when you’ve been put on blast by an ex and had the truth twisted.  DM us your t...

What does the kinda porn you’re into mean? Is it just a fantasy or is it deeper than that? And how do you deal with feelings of shame and guilt if what you like to get off to, doesn’t align with who you are in your everyday life.  In this ep, Dee chats to sexologist Lauren French about what your porn taste says about you.  SHOW NOTES: Lifeline: 13 11 14 1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732  MensLine Austral...

Sometimes what turns you on can throw you for a loop. Maybe you’re straight but love gay porn? Or maybe you consider yourself a staunch feminist, but you get off watching gangbangs or reading CNC smut books? In this episode we find out all the different types of porn you’re loving, and whether your taste in porn aligns with your sexuality, gender and politics. *Content warning* - In this ep we dis...

Heated Rivalry is one of the hottest, most popular shows right now. So what is it about Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov that's got so many gay men AND women obsessed?  We unpack the Canadian 8 episode HBO series with comedian, and host of The Mitch Churi Show, Mitch Churi - and hear why this series has become a cultural turning point for queer love stories. SHOW NOTES: The Mitch Churi Chat Show:...

It sounds great on paper - a friend who you have no-strings-attached, drama free sex with. But is it really possible, and is it worth trying? We hear your experiences with FWB relationships - from when they’ve worked to when they’ve crashed and burned - and your rules to make a successful friends with benefits. DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at  @triplejthehookup  on IG or...

Is your partner a massive scroller? Always on their phone for work? Obsessed with watching videos? Being on your phone too much in a relationship can massively impact your connection and intimacy.  It’s something professor Dr Michelle Drouin has been studying for years. In this ep, she chats to Dee about her research and how you can chill out on the phone use in your relos.  SHOW NOTES: Dee and Pi...

Nearly 70% of you reckon that phones are causing problems in your relationships. From etiquette and icks in early dating, to feeling distant and causing tension with your long term partners - we explore how they’re impacting our love lives, whether they can create intimacy and your rules to curb your “smartphone addiction” (if that’s even a real thing). SHOW NOTES: Phone Addiction:  https://www.th...

We're back!!! Dee and Pip yap about their summers. Guess who was sick and who partied non stop. They also debrief Heated Rivalry and let you know what's coming up this year with The Hook Up. DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at  @triplejthehookup  on IG or email us: thehookup@abc.net.au The Hook Up is an ABC podcast, produced by triple j. It is recorded on the lands of the Wu...