FIELD TRIP! Jamie heads to Las Vegas to see the closing moments of the Kobi-Chestnut sixteenth minute -- and watches them face off live on Netflix after fifteen years without competing in a broadcast called Unfinished Beef . We talk more with documentarian Nicole Lucas-Haimes, and take a look at what the greatest hot dog and sports rivalry of all time looks like at the highest level. Watch 30 for 30: The Good, The Bad, The Hungry on Netflix here: https://www.netflix.com/title/81752194 Watch Unfi...
Oct 18, 2024•37 min
Once a year, Joey Chestnut becomes the main character of the internet -- but it wasn't always that way. This week, we're talking about the greatest hot dog rivalry of all time, and the media ringmaster that made it possible. Before Joey's annual stint as a main character, the hot dog eating champion of the world was one Takeru Kobayashi, a Japanese eater who turned a novelty event in the U.S. into a full-blown sensation in the early 2000s. Then, contractual issues and a huge wave of xenophobia p...
Oct 15, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Ken Bone reflects on the eight-year anniversary of his overnight viral success, how becoming a main character changed his life, and how his moment moved his politics forward. Donate to St. Patrick's Center here: https://www.stpatrickcenter.org/donate Los Angeles area heads, see Jamie live this November at the Lyric Hyperion! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-tiny-man-is-trying-to-kill-me-tickets-1039733048537?aff=oddtdtcreator See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 08, 2024•46 min
In 2016, one man in a red sweater became the nation's sweetheart... until he didn't. Ken Bone became a celebrity overnight after a star turn at the height of an October 2016 political nightmare. Just two days after the infamous Access Hollywood tape made many think Trump's first run for president was a lost cause, after a year of "her emails" and what felt like an infinity war of an election cycle, the world took comfort in a normal midwestern man who worked at a power plant and loved anime. Wha...
Oct 01, 2024•58 min
In part two of our Overly Attached Girlfriend series, we talked to the OAG herself -- Laina Morris. She revisits the viral moment she didn't see coming in 2012, the weirdness of being in a Delta Airlines safety video, and navigating what a career online and at the mercy of the algorithm looks like while struggling with depression. Laina's been away from regular posting for the last five years as she navigated it all, and she and Jamie get into how to maintain your self-worth and share yourself s...
Sep 24, 2024•44 min
In the summer of 2012, Laina Morris became an overnight viral star as the Overly Attached Girlfriend, a parody of the rampant Justin Bieber "Beliebers" of the era. The week after, she had to decide if she'd drop out of college or pursue the life of a job that didn't quite exist yet -- a full-time YouTuber. In part 1, Jamie takes a look at Laina's ascent, and how the image of the YouTube star was first conjured from thin air by a bunch of Silicon Valley weirdos, and perfected by YouTubers themsel...
Sep 17, 2024•54 min
In part two of this definitely minisode series, Jamie talks with ex-Mormon YouTuber and author of How to Leave the Mormon Church: An Ex-Mormons Guide to Rebuilding After Religion Alyssa Grenfell about how the LDS may have found a back channel to bankroll its most powerful influencers, without leaving a paper trail. Alyssa walks Jamie through how she thinks it's done, and how the LDS has succeeded and fumbled its relationships with influencers in the past. Buy Alyssa's book!: https://www.howtolea...
Sep 12, 2024•48 min
This week, Jamie takes a treacherous voyage into a complicated question -- why on Earth are there so many successful Mormon influencers? In this two-part series, she looks at how the origins and the values of the Mormon church deceptively align with the conservative "tradwife" influencing space of today... and yes, she will get into the tradwives. Contained herein: Joseph Smith shoving his face into a hat, a new Hulu reality series that is deceptively boring, Ballerina Farm, and the Mormons' ear...
Sep 10, 2024•50 min
Sixteenth Minute exclusive! We’ve got the first in depth interview with Bryan Gaw, aka the Left Shark himself. This week, Jamie revisits the 2015 Super Bowl saga that was Left Shark — the costumed cartilaginous fish that went rogue in 2015 beside Katy Perry during a chorus of ‘Teenage Dream,’ capturing the world’s heart. The person inside is just as lovable, and Jamie takes the bus to West Hollywood to meet dancer-turned-celebrity-stylist Bryan Gaw to revisit ...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr 9 min
This week, the curvy wife saga concludes. Jamie talks to Cate Navarrete of the Body Positivity Alliance and Tigress Osborn of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance about where this moment falls in the decades-long history of fat activism, and how mainstream media narratives tend to depoliticize civil rights issues. Also, Jamie mumbles the lyrics to "Hot Wife" by curvy wife guy to herself. Also, Jamie learns what "hotwife" means. *airhorn* Learn about NAAFA here: https://naafa.org/ F...
Aug 27, 2024•1 hr 10 min
In 2017, Robbie Tripp posted about his "curvy wife" Sarah, inspiring months of discourse and a permanent internet turn of phrase. This week, Jamie revisits the saga and speaks to Curvy Wife Guy himself ahead of the release of his new single, which is obviously called "Hot Wife." How did a couple build a 'desert empire' on a controversial post, and what does that say about the internet economy? Tune in next week for part two, where Jamie takes a closer look at how this story resonated with women ...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 18 min
This summer, a fish named Alice fell from the sky and directly into the lawn of junior doctor Ben Beska. And so, of course, he tweeted about it... only to lose his newly beloved fish just a week later. What followed was what it looks like to go viral in 2024. Jamie speaks with Ben Beska over the course of two months to track the journey; plus, we talk to Stanford psychiatrist Dr. Elia Aboujaoude to learn what going viral has the potential to do to your mind. Follow Ben's fish adventures here: ht...
Aug 13, 2024•1 hr 4 min
This week, we're taking a tangent -- my dad, Mike Loftus, passed away two weeks ago, and this episode is twenty minutes about that. I've needed some extra time to get our upcoming episodes together, but I've wanted to share more about him and the last two weeks. I really miss him. We'll be back to regular episodes next week. As promised, the links: Obituary: https://www.waittfuneralhome.com/obituary/MichaelP-Loftus Patriot Ledger writer Eric McHugh wrote this really comprehensive, thoughtful pie...
Aug 08, 2024•26 min
This week, Jamie solves an age-old internet mystery -- whatever happened to Naomi H, the Twitter furry who lost an internship after telling off a man she didn't realize was on the National Space Council to "suck my dick and balls?" After half a decade, Jamie speaks exclusively with Naomi H to get to the bottom of it, and talk about how the internet has shaped Naomi H's life for better and for worse. Follow Naomi H: https://x.com/NaomiH_Origins See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 23, 2024•1 hr 11 min
In 2017, HQ Trivia was the app to rule them all, nearly the heir apparent to Jeopardy! Millions of people would stop what they were doing every day to answer trivia for absurdly small cash prizes, most often from "Quiz Daddy" Scott Rogowsky. Less than a year and a half later, it was over -- but not before a broadcast with The Rock, a weirdly specific salad-based threat from a founder, and a tragic death took place. So... what happened? Jamie takes the bus to Scott Rogowsky's storage unit in Mari...
Jul 16, 2024•1 hr 12 min
This week, a bonus interview from our 65-foot-hot-dog episode — 404 Media’s Jason Koebler talks to Jamie about how we need to remind people that writers aren’t robots. Then, Jamie reminds you she is not a robot. Listen to the 404 Media Podcast here: https://www.404media.co/the-404-media-podcast/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 09, 2024•33 min
What happens when public artwork becomes the main character? For the last two months, a culture war has raged around a gigantic sculpture of a hot dog in Times Square... and playing right into the artists' hands. Jamie goes to New York to talk about the secret agenda of the hot dog with creators Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw. Then, a talk with Carol Adams, the author of 'The Sexual Politics of Meat,' about why the hot dog is still a subversive symbol, why I needed to go vegan a decade ago, and how ...
Jul 02, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Legit question for rural Americans - How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play? This week, Jamie finds out from the 30-50 hogs asker himself -- Willie McNabb. Plus, we catch up with Professor John Tomacek about the VERY REAL issue of feral hogs, and Karl Kasarda of inRangeTV about how 30-50 feral hogs tied into a larger conversation about American gun laws. Follow Dion Green and the Fudge Foundation here: https://fudgefoundation.org/ Follow...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 21 min
In the summer of 2021, hundreds of Black TikTokers went on strike and demanded proper credit and compensation for dances they made famous. Why? Because, the most famous TikTokers of the pandemic, white teens Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae, had become extremely famous off of Black choreographers Jalaiah Harmon, Keara Wilson, and others' work -- a continuation of age-old appropriation and theft. Jamie talks with Savage dance creator Keara Wilson, commentator Amanda Bennett, and algorithmic scient...
Jun 18, 2024•1 hr 15 min
In November 2022, one Philadelphia man took it upon himself to eat a rotisserie chicken every day for forty days. Why? Jamie flew across the country, went to his house, and interrogated him. Follow Alex here: https://x.com/AlexiconTom Get Raw Dog here while you're at it: https://bookshop.org/p/books/raw-dog-the-many-histories-of-hot-dogs-jamie-loftus/18785131?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwyJqzBhBaEiwAWDRJVD9r1z2NOcI0CT3yvq3h68RY6tW9BdoKm7dkRjMrcr7rLlCOYNwtsRoCks8QAvD_BwE See omnystudio.com/list...
Jun 11, 2024•59 min
If a tree falls in the garden where a woman enjoys drinking coffee with her husband and no one’s there to hear it, should the Internet harass her anyway? In 2022, Daisey sent one innocuous tweet that launched a thousand takes. Follow Taylor Lorenz: @TaylorLorenz on all platforms Follow Julia Claire: @ohJuliatweets / @juliaclairegrams Follow Bridget Todd: @BridgetMarie on twt / @bridgetmarieinc on insta See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 04, 2024•54 min
In the summer of 2023, a Boston cop humiliated himself by tumbling down a public slide in the most embarrassing way possible. This week, Jamie tries to find his pig ass, and admits her background as a Terminally Boston Woman. Interviews with Molly Conger and Jeff Raymond. Follow Molly: https://x.com/socialistdogmom Follow Jeff: https://www.masstransparency.org/author/jraymond/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 28, 2024•1 hr 8 min
In 2015, the world was gripped by one question: is this dress black and blue, or white and gold? No, no, I refuse to argue with you about it — but the story of The Dress is the dying breath of a pre-algorithm driven social media, the peak of Buzzfeed, and contains some dark truths about the internet. Featuring interviews with Taylor Lorenz (@taylorlorenz), author of Extremely Online and Max Fisher (@maxfisher22), author of The Chaos Machine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 21, 2024•1 hr 5 min
This week, it's Kelly and Antoine Dodson's sixteenth minute — Jamie interviews Professor Gabriel Peoples, author of 'The Forgotten Kelly Dodson: Viral Performance and the Interplay of Excess and Erasure' about what happens when someone is erased from their own story. https://gender.indiana.edu/about/faculty/peoples-gabriel.html Read "The Forgotten Kelly Dodson": The Forgotten Kelly Dodson Follow Antoine Dodson here: https://www.tiktok.com/@antoinedodson34 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
May 14, 2024•41 min
This week, it's Antoine and Kelly Dodson's sixteenth minute — Jamie interviews Antoine about the 'bed intruder' saga of 2010. Read "The Forgotten Kelly Dodson": The Forgotten Kelly Dodson Follow Antoine Dodson here: https://www.tiktok.com/@antoinedodson34 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 07, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Sixteenth Minute (of Fame) is a weekly show that gives a sixteenth minute of fame to the Internet's most notorious characters of the day. Jamie Loftus talks to the characters themselves, and tries to get to the bottom of how they made it to the top of your feed for a fleeting moment -- and what that does to warp your brain. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 30, 2024•4 min
