Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh return to talk about the latest in the NBA playoffs where the Warriors are in trouble, and the Knicks are…fun to watch? Then they talk about Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback quagmire. In the third segment, they discuss Boston Red Sox third or first baseman (depending on who you ask) Rafael Devers, and the history of asking players to switch to a different position. Ben has this week’s Afterball on Ayami Sato, the first...
May 12, 2025•1 hr 6 min
While snark pages are universal, the UK website Tattle.Life has gained a reputation for being particularly cruel and relentless against influencers. Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay give a full breakdown of the website, which was founded in 2018 by a woman whose identity has never been revealed. She, along with other diehard users, reject the dramatic narrative the site has earned, and insist they’re just there to hold influencers accountable. Where, then, does this reputation come from? And what wi...
May 10, 2025•29 min
On this week’s show, it’s one of the Gabfest’s most cherished traditions: the yearly call-in show. Dana, Julia, and Stephen answer listen-submitted questions that run the gamut – can cooking for one be a joy? Should philosophy be studied more? And how did you make your most recent friend? In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel gets into Lena Dunham's latest addition to the canon of "writers writing about moving out of New York." Email us at culturefest@slate.com . Podcast production by J...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim check in with the “ Caveman Skincare ” method and they pour one out for Skype. Then, they dive into the internet controversy surrounding a TikTok running influencer and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Kate Mackz is the host of a TikTok series called The Running Interview Show where she jogs with celebrities. Last week, Mackz — who up until this point, did not discuss politics much on her page — interviewed Leavitt for the series and it ended up creating...
May 07, 2025•24 min
Products often tell you exactly how they’re intended to be used. But why leave it at that? As a culture, we have long had a knack for finding ingenious, off-label uses for things. In this episode, we take a close look at a few examples of products that are ostensibly meant for one thing, but are better known for something else entirely. We explore Q-tips, which we are explicitly told not to put into our ears; the Hitachi Magic Wand, the iconic sex toy marketed as a body massager; the musical was...
May 07, 2025•48 min
Isabel Allende didn’t publish her first book until she was 39, after losing nearly everything in the wake of the Chilean military coup. More than four decades later, she’s become one of the most beloved Spanish-language authors, with over 80 million copies of her books sold worldwide. After political exile, writing books became Allende’s way of making sense of the world. She wrote through divorce, affairs, and moving across continents. But after the devastating loss of her daughter Paula, even w...
May 06, 2025•47 min
Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh talk about the NBA playoffs, where the Minnesota Timberwolves did a number on the Lakers. They explain why Bill Belichick and his girlfriend have become such a problem for the University of North Carolina. Finally, the Kentucky Derby and the return of the controversial trainer Bob Baffert. On the bonus episode, available exclusively to Slate plus members, the gang talks about the NHL playoffs and the Mikko Rantanen revenge tour. NBA Playoff...
May 05, 2025•51 min
While J.K. Rowling celebrates a new UK ruling that classifies “women” as biologically female, casting for the upcoming HBO Max adaptation is underway. Which fans have stuck by the series despite the author’s views , and will others be able to resist the siren call of a brand new TV series? Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay welcome ICYMI’s new producer Vic Whitley-Berry to talk about their feelings of betrayal watching the creator of their childhood favorite series incessantly target trans people onli...
May 03, 2025•49 min
On this week’s show, Julia Turner is joined by Slate’s own Dan Kois and Sam Adams. They start by talking about the second season of Andor , the Star Wars series that might have more in common with The Wire than The Mandalorian . Then, they talk about The Wedding Banquet , a remake of the Ang Lee classic. Finally, they get into the story of the discovery of a new color called olo. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Julia, Sam, and Dan answer a listener question about a piece of art that they ap...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay break down the drama surrounding an influencer’s new book that has kicked off a whole controversy before it’s even been released. Christina Najjar, better known as Tinx , has made a successful career as a TikTok influencer who doles out dating advice to her more than 1.5 million followers. Her new book is a summer beach read following an influencer who escapes to the Hamptons after getting canceled. But TikTok creators have been suspicious leading up to the book’s re...
Apr 30, 2025•28 min
In West Virginia, Republicans hold one of the largest supermajorities in the country, and it’s growing. Just 11 Democrats — down from 14 last year — are in the 134-member Legislature. It's a political reality that isn't necessarily conducive to advancing LGBTQ rights. But that's Andrew Schneider's job. As head of Fairness West Virginia , Andrew has spent a decade as the only full-time lobbyist at the state capitol working on LGBTQ issues. His approach? Winning people over through listening rathe...
Apr 29, 2025•50 min
Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh talk about the NFL Draft and the media’s response leading up to its most shocking picks. Ben provides his April baseball rundown, and later, the panel is joined by The Entertainment Strategy Guy for an interview about major media buyers’ feelings about F1. On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, the panel discusses Nottingham Forest, the small but scrappy Premier League club vying for a Champions League spot. NFL ...
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 8 min
J.D. Vance killed the Pope. Demi Lovato keeps their twin Poot locked in the basement. Lea Michele still can’t read. These things, unfortunately, aren’t true, and are instead just some of the inside jokes the internet has decided to collectively agree on over the years. In this episode, Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay break these internet lies down, and ask: Why do we make these jokes, and what happens when an inside joke breaks containment? This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Ber...
Apr 26, 2025•21 min
It’s been nearly a decade since Rihanna released a studio album—and fans and critics alike have wondered when, if ever, a follow-up to 2016’s Anti might arrive. Which is ironic, because in her heyday, Rihanna was the most productive hitmaker on the charts. Churning out at least one album a year in the late aughts and early ‘10s, Rihanna’s approach to the charts was closer to early Motown or the Beatles than Beyoncé or Taylor. The result: the Barbadian pop deity scored more No. 1s than any 21st c...
Apr 25, 2025•52 min•Ep. 237
On this week’s show, Julia, Stephen, and Dana are together and talk about Sinners with Slate Culture Writer Nadira Goffe. Then, they talk about a new animated series from Ramy Youssef called #1 Happy Family USA . Finally, they take a listener's suggestion and listen to a few episodes of the new podcast, Good Hang with Amy Poehler . In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Nadira rejoins the panel to go deep on Sinners . Email us at culturefest@slate.com . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Chicken Soup for the Soul was the brainchild of two motivational speakers who preach the New Thought belief system known as the Law of Attraction. For more than 30 years, the self-help series has compiled reader-submitted stories about kindness, courage, and perseverance into easily digestible books aimed at almost every conceivable demographic: Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul , Chicken Soup for the Grandma’s Soul , Chicken Soup for the Golfer’s Soul , and on and on. Since 1993, these books ha...
Apr 23, 2025•44 min
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay run through the lows of Coachella, before breaking down a lawsuit against one of the festival’s most visible e-commerce brands, Revolve. Earlier this month, Revolve was hit with a $50 million class-action lawsuit accusing them of deceiving more than 1 million customers using social media marketing tactics. The lead plaintiff named three influencers as co-defendants, saying they didn’t disclose that Revolve paid them for sponsored posts and had she known the posts wer...
Apr 23, 2025•23 min
To fly a plane, pilots must prove to the Federal Aviation Administration that they’re physically and mentally fit. But when it comes to mental health, the rules are complicated and, some say, outdated. Pilots who need antidepressants are limited to a short list of approved medications and must take a mandatory six-month leave. Even common diagnoses like anxiety or depression can trigger reviews that could ground them. The F.A.A.’s rules are born out of desire to keep the public safe, but in this...
Apr 22, 2025•48 min
Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh preview the NHL playoffs. Can the Maple Leafs or Jets finally break a Canadian Cup curse? The panel also give their NFL draft predictions, and discuss Paige Bueckers joining the Dallas Wings and Unrivaled. For Afterballs, Ben does a deep dive into how last-minute timeouts have (and have not) led to MLB pitcher injuries, and what became of the long-forgotten pitcher Dick Windbigler. On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus m...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay check back in now that states have begun passing laws that supposedly crack down on family vlogging and child influencers. While a new Utah law requires family vloggers to put money away for their kids, it misunderstands almost everything about how being a creator works. Without politicians who understand social media leading these bills, they could end up posing a threat to the entire creator industry. This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Olivia Briley, Candic...
Apr 19, 2025•24 min
On this week’s show, Julia, Stephen, and Dana are reunited! The panel starts with Apple TV+’s new prestige offering, Your Friends and Neighbors , starring Jon Hamm. Then, they talk about A Minecraft Movie, already the most financially successful movie of the year. Finally, they bat around the purpose of, and responses to, the all-female Blue Origin flight that happened on Monday. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, a conversation about The Pitt season finale. Email us at culturefest@slate.com ....
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim break down the controversy surrounding 30-year-old influencer Remi Bader, who was recently accused of lying to her audience for undergoing a procedure without telling them. Bader gained popularity on TikTok where she’d post “ realistic ” clothing hauls as a size 16 woman. Soon, she was heralded as a body positive influencer and the face of a movement she didn’t necessarily attach herself to. But when Remi started rapidly losing weight, her followers clocked it immedi...
Apr 16, 2025•25 min
Kareem Rahma, host of the viral web series Subway Takes , says he’s been working since he was 14 and hasn’t really taken a break. In high school, he worked service jobs. In college, he bought and re-sold motorcycles, jeans, and whatever else he thought he could flip. This week on the show, Kareem explains why he’s had so many jobs, including posts at Vice and the New York Times, and he discusses the financial maneuvering that allowed him to pivot to comedy in his 30s. You can check out his podca...
Apr 15, 2025•50 min
Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh break down Rory McIlroy’s thrilling victory at the Masters on Sunday. Also on the show: a preview of the NBA playoffs, and an in-depth look at quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s messy split from the University of Tennessee. For Afterballs, Ben shares the introduction to his new narrative podcast, “ Ella Black: Lost and Found, ” the story of the first woman to write about baseball for a national publication, and how she disappeared mysteriously. O...
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay dig deep into the Mel Robbins lore. The lawyer-turned-self-help-guru’s “let them theory” has taken over TikTok, encouraging people to let go when faced with situations or behaviors they cannot change. However, not only does “let them” remind the pair of another trendy (but problematic) self-help phrase, but it also might contribute to unhealthy social behaviors that, thanks to the internet, have resulted in a loneliness crisis for Gen Z. This podcast is produced by D...
Apr 12, 2025•26 min
It’s been nearly a decade since Rihanna released a studio album—and fans and critics alike have wondered when, if ever, a follow-up to 2016’s Anti might arrive. Which is ironic, because in her heyday, Rihanna was the most productive hitmaker on the charts. Churning out at least one album a year in the late aughts and early ‘10s, Rihanna’s approach to the charts was closer to early Motown or the Beatles than Beyoncé or Taylor. The result: the Barbadian pop deity scored more No. 1s than any 21st c...
Apr 11, 2025•54 min•Ep. 236
The infamous annual ritual of spring break—where thousands of college students head to the same warm location and go crazy—can seem like it’s always been here. But it hasn’t. The spring break phenomenon is a holdover from midcentury teen culture that has endured by changing, just enough, to be passed from one generation to the next. In this episode we’re going from the beaches of Fort Lauderdale to Daytona, from the movie screen to the TV set, from MTV to Instagram reels, from its start to its s...
Apr 09, 2025•44 min
Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim break down the saga revolving around a fashion industry employee who got fired after posting a viral TikTok about whether or not influencers were boring. From the “ Brokey ” challenge to internet history-making GIFs , more and more people are getting fired because of social media. But is it fair — or even legal — for a company to fire someone just because they post online? And how much control should your job have over your social media? Plus, the emerging creator wh...
Apr 09, 2025•25 min
On this week’s show, Slate’s own Sam Adams sits in for Julia as they discuss the new Michelle Williams limited series “Dying for Sex,” about a woman who leaves her husband to experience a sexual awakening after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis. Then, the trio discuss the documentary “Secret Mall Apartment” about a group in Rhode Island who managed to keep an apartment in a busy mall for years in the early aughts. Finally, Carl Wilson joins for a conversation about the new album from Lucy Dacu...
Apr 09, 2025•55 min
At a time when skepticism about conventional medicine has become even more mainstream, we’re revisiting a story about the causes and effects of that mistrust. Archie Matlow’s mother refused to get a surgery that could have saved her life, which led to her and Archie trying to love each other while bitterly at odds. You can listen to the full audio piece Archie made here, and you can order their memoir, Dead Mom Walking , here . Also make sure to check out Archie’s New York Times piece, titled Wh...
Apr 08, 2025•38 min
