On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by Slate Good Job columnist Laura Helmuth . In a recent Slate piece , Kate spoke to employees who say their bosses’ use of AI is making their work life harder. Laura and Kate discuss why bosses are using AI at such higher rates than their employees, and how employees can push back against their bosses’ attempts to shirk their responsibilities in favor of chatbots. This podcast is produced by Vic Whitley-Berry, Daisy Rosario, and Kate Lindsay. Hoste...
Apr 15, 2026•31 min
Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh join forces one last time to break down (what else?) the week’s top sports stories. Then, the panel is joined by Hang Up all-star guests from across the years (including John Wertheim, Jeff Passan, Louisa Thomas, and more) to share memories from the show’s seventeen-year run and make predictions of the sports world for the next seventeen. Finally, Lindsay closes us out with an Afterball capturing what the WNBA was like seventeen years ago. ...
Apr 14, 2026•1 hr 27 min
Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a novel that follows a young college student who starts a flirtation, and then affair, with a college professor who ends up getting her pregnant. Author Rufi Thorpe takes us through what happens next, as Margo decides to keep the baby and then joins OnlyFans in the earliest days of the site. The novel is now a TV show on AppleTV starring Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman, and our friend at Death, Sex & Money, Nick Offerman, who plays Margo’s father ...
Apr 14, 2026•57 min•Ep. 567
On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by creator Annie Rauwerda, who runs the popular @depthsofwikipedia account, to talk about 25 years of Wikipedia and the platform’s recent decision to ban AI . While Wikipedia has long been seen as an infinite well of knowledge, it’s kept alive by hundreds of thousands of dedicated human volunteers. From the teenager who’d drive to historical sites to find official sources to the persnickety editor whose only activity is deleting the phrase “compris...
Apr 11, 2026•31 min
Donna Summer was a hit-maker for two decades and a dance floor deity for more than three. Her collaborations with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte were formative in dance, electronic, and rock music, influencing everyone from David Bowie and Blondie to Madonna and Moby. But the rock establishment was stinting in its appreciation—whether at Comiskey Park in Chicago in 1979 or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the 2000s. In this encore episode from 2017, Chris Molanphy examines how Summer became ...
Apr 10, 2026•31 min
What’s the worst thing Steve, Dana, and Julia have ever done? And would you still love them if you knew the answer to that question? That’s not a subject for today’s episode, but these three do get into The Drama , the dark, polarizing rom-com directed by Kristoffer Borgli starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson which is animated by such disquieting inquiries. Next, it’s time for elk meat, Montana golden hour, and feckless city slickers as our hosts take on Taylor Sheridan’s latest The Madison. St...
Apr 08, 2026•1 hr 2 min
On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by Slate contributing writer Imogen West-Knights to talk about Shy Girl , the controversial novel whose U.S. publication was cancelled over suspected AI use . The incident reveals just how unprepared the publishing industry is to confront the rise of AI-generated material, but also how AI is secretly already being used in many creative industries—whether anyone likes it or not. This podcast is produced by Vic Whitley-Berry, Daisy Rosario, and Kate ...
Apr 08, 2026•31 min
In the summer of 2006, a teenage girl began posting video diaries to a then-new site called YouTube under the handle lonelygirl15. Within weeks she was a phenomenon—even though no one knew the truth of who she really was. The frenzied quest to change that, to solve the mystery of lonelygirl15, would ultimately land her on the front page of newspapers and the covers of magazines. Twenty years on, lonelygirl15 is both an artifact of an earlier online era and an origin point for the internet as we ...
Apr 08, 2026•59 min
Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh recap a chalky March Madness marked by coaching drama and uncertainty about college basketball’s future. Then Alex and Lindsay ask Ben about the early MLB season, from the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system to a new wave of impressive rookies. Finally, the panel speaks with author and soccer journalist Ryan O'Hanlon about the real story behind Wrexham A.F.C. and how high the celebrity-owned club can realistically climb. Ben also has an ...
Apr 07, 2026•1 hr 17 min
When Doree Shafrir started fertility treatments in her late thirties, she thought it would be relatively simple. It ended up taking multiple rounds and sinking her family into debt. Doree and her husband host the podcast Matt and Doree's Eggcellent Adventure: An IVF Journey . She also co-hosts Forever 35 , and writes the work advice column for Slate, Good Job . Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus...
Apr 07, 2026•44 min
On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by writer and content creator Josh Lora, who goes by TellTheBees on Substack , TikTok , Instagram and YouTube . After yet another meaningless Chappell Roan controversy , this time involving a young fan and a security guard, Kate and Josh look into why Chappell Roan is always such a lightning rod for discourse. What seems like celebrity gossip ends up being used by bad actors online to smear Chappell Roan and discredit her progressive values. This p...
Apr 04, 2026•44 min
On this week’s show, Dana is joined by Slate’s own Nadira Goffe and Richard Lawson, of the Critical Darlings podcast. Their first agenda item is Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat , the second installment of the workplace comedy/reality show hybrid which places an unknowing everyman in a made-up scenario populated entirely by actors. Does the second season deliver a heart-warming moral test in the form of comedy or a manipulative prank? They discuss. Next for more funhouse mirror television, th...
Apr 01, 2026•53 min
On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by Defector co-owner Alex Sujong Laughlin, whose recent piece about “ lip filler accent ” identified a new way TikTok is changing how we speak. Even people who don’t have any plastic surgery at all appear to be picking up on the trend, because when it comes to status, sounding like someone who has had plastic surgery is really all that matters. This podcast is produced by Vic Whitley-Berry, Daisy Rosario, and Kate Lindsay, with help from Kevin Bend...
Apr 01, 2026•33 min
Hosts Lindsay Gibbs and Ben Lindbergh discuss the maddest moment of March—from the UConn buzzer beater, to Women’s Final Four redux. Alex Kirshner rejoins for two interviews: the first with author and professor Seth Tannenbaum about the growing class divide inside baseball stadiums, the subject of his new book, Bleacher Seats and Luxury Suites: Democracy and Division at the Twentieth-Century Ballpark . The second with Nina Mandell about an Ohio gymnastics dynasty, chronicled in her book: A Fract...
Mar 31, 2026•1 hr 13 min
A listener we're calling Natalie received over a million dollars after being sexually abused by her university gynecologist in one of the largest abuse settlements in American history. She talks about the strange math of converting a bad experience into a dollar amount, and why she’s barely spent any of it. *This episode includes descriptions of abuse. Please take care while listening. Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membe...
Mar 31, 2026•47 min
On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by New York Magazine features writer Rebecca Jennings, who recently profiled the now-cancelled Bachelorette , Taylor Frankie Paul. Paul’s season was pulled after a video of her 2023 domestic violence incident was published by TMZ, following news of another domestic violence investigation from February of this year. While the video is upsetting, knowledge of Pauls’ 2023 arrest is not new, and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives continued to use her vol...
Mar 28, 2026•38 min
The 100th episode of Hit Parade has put host Chris Molanphy in a reflective mood. So in Part 2, he unfurls the story of the late, great American Top 40 host Casey Kasem—a perennial inspiration for this podcast and the chart king that Chris calls “the original poptimist.” Enjoy this long-distance dedication, as Chris pays tribute to a radio hero with a preternatural understanding of the power of pop to unify. Get more Hit Parade with Slate Plus! Join for monthly early-access episodes, bonus episo...
Mar 27, 2026•52 min•Ep. 270
Welcome to a very special Money On Film miniseries! Over three episodes, Slate Money’s Felix Salmon and Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe revisit three films at the intersection of culture and finance. On this episode, Nadira and Felix take a trip to a bathhouse for spirits in 2001’s Spirited Away . Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the film follows a girl named Chihiro, who becomes trapped in the spirit world and must save her parents, encountering soot sprites, river spirits, a giant baby, and many ...
Mar 27, 2026•29 min
This week, Dana, Julia (fresh from the launch of her new media venture L.A. Material ), and guest host Dan Kois set their gaze to the heavens with a discussion of the lost-in-space adventure yarn Project Hail Mary. Based on the book by Andy Weir and directed by genre movie savants Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the sci-fi blockbuster stars Ryan Gosling and a big rock creature puppet. Next, they hop across the pond for the launch of SNL UK , the British revamp of the venerable American comedy ...
Mar 25, 2026•1 hr 1 min
On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by Jonquilyn Hill, host of Vox’s Explain It To Me podcast. First, they recap musician Afroman’s free speech victory in court after he used security camera footage to make music videos for his songs about the police raiding his home in 2022. While songs like “Lemon Pound Cake” will live to see another day, Justin Timberlake’s legacy may be in peril now that footage of his infamous DUI arrest has been made public. But it’s what the footage doesn’t sh...
Mar 25, 2026•26 min
For over a century, fans of Sherlock Holmes have been analyzing, debating, and creating new texts with Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters. But when a fan theory emerged about the BBC TV show Sherlock that posited the inevitability of a gay romance between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson—it wreaked havoc on the community. In this episode, which originally aired in 2018, we explore the Johnlock Conspiracy, with help from historians, journalists, and the fans at the heart of the controversial idea...
Mar 25, 2026•53 min
Career pivots can be terrifying. How do you know when the time is right? Is it ever too late to switch jobs? What if the next thing is worse? This week, we’ve assembled a panel of career change experts to answer your questions about whether and when to make big moves. Sophia Chang is a former hip-hop talent agent who started a mentorship nonprofit. Ed Zitron launched his own PR firm but then branched out and started writing and podcasting about the tech industry. Luke Peterson is a Minnesota far...
Mar 24, 2026•1 hr 8 min
Welcome to a very special Money On Film miniseries! Over three episodes, Slate Money’s Felix Salmon and Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe revisit three films at the intersection of culture and finance. On this episode, Felix and Nadira discuss dating and money in Celine Song’s 2025 romantic comedy Materialists , which centers on a love triangle between a millionaire matchmaker (Dakota Johnson), a hunky financier (Pedro Pascal), and an old flame and out-of-work actor (Chris Evans). While not part...
Mar 24, 2026•27 min
Hosts Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh discuss the WNBA's new CBA, which contains massive salary increases, revenue sharing, and historic precedents for all women’s sports. Then host Alex Kirshner arrives for a conversation with Ben and his Effectively Wild co-host Meg Rowley to recap the World Baseball Classic and preview the MLB season. In this week’s bonus episode for Slate Plus members, the hosts chat about the abundance of athlete-hosted podcasts –is anyone listening? WNBA CBA: (8:18): Fro...
Mar 23, 2026•1 hr 10 min
On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by Slate senior writer Scaachi Koul, who profiled author Lindy West . West’s new book, Adult Braces , details, among many things, her coming to grips with being in a polyamorous relationship. But opening up this complicated story to an audience has incited a tidal-wave of feedback about not just West, but also her partners, Aham Oluo and Roya Amirsoleymani. West is no stranger to online trolls, but something about this time feels different—and the ...
Mar 21, 2026•43 min
To mark Hit Parade’s 100th episode, host Chris Molanphy is doing something he’s never done: He’s going to talk about himself—and just how nerdy you have to be to host a show like Hit Parade. Chris reflects on the origins and depth of his chart fandom, and ponders existential questions like: What makes a person want to track these rankings? Why do we care about what, or who, is No. 1? Join Chris for this exploration of how the charts have informed, inspired and infiltrated his life—and yours, too...
Mar 21, 2026•56 min•Ep. 269
Welcome to a very special Money On Film miniseries! Over three episodes, Slate Money’s Felix Salmon and Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe revisit three films at the intersection of culture and finance. On this episode, we’re headed to Wall Street to watch a Felix Salmon favorite: Margin Call , the 2011 thriller-drama starring a long list of famous people, including Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore, and yes, Kevin Spacey. Directed by J. C. Chandor, the film takes place at an ...
Mar 20, 2026•28 min
On this week’s show, Dana and Steve are joined by long-time FOP Isaac Butler (and author of the forthcoming book The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art, and the Birth of America's Culture Wars .) They step into this week’s cultural trenches by way of an animatronic beaver den in Pixar’s Hoppers . Does the kooky eco-romp revive Pixar from its much-discussed slump? They discuss. Next, they step to the frontlines of middle-age malaise in the new HBO limited series DTF St. Louis, a sex comedy and meditat...
Mar 18, 2026•1 hr 3 min
On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by Slate staff writer Nadira Goffe to answer the question everyone is asking since he appeared in a viral moment from the Oscars’ red carpet: Who TF is Jake Shane? The TikTokker has a podcast, an upcoming Hulu show, and a role at a candy company, but is best known for just being around famous people. He insists he’s not a journalist, but he’s not quite a celebrity himself, either. Is this our first “professional clout-chaser” (non-derogatory)? This...
Mar 18, 2026•39 min
Soon after his wife started experimenting with ChatGPT last summer, Rob* says her demeanor began to change. He says she started using mystical speech, running all communication through AI, and filed for divorce. Now, Rob is left to wonder how much he’s to blame for the end of their marriage and how much can be explained by “AI-induced psychosis.” Also in this episode, Anna talks to psychologist Dr. Zak Stein, director of the AI Psychological Harms Research Coalition , about his theory of chatbot...
Mar 17, 2026•51 min
