Pop Mystery Pod

Was it white and gold or blue and black? The important thing is, when “The Dress” took over the internet for a glorious week in 2015, the internet was still fun. Joining Tess to talk through the historic and fascinating phenomenon of The Dress, and what it says about today’s internet is Jamie Loftus @jamiechristsuperstar  (The Bechdel Cast, My Year in Mensa, 16th Minute, Lolita Podcast. Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About ...

Sean Diddy Combs’ long-time partner and co-parent died at the young age of 47. At the time, her death was ruled the result of pneumonia, but insiders have expressed suspicions around why Porter really died. Given what’s been alleged about Combs in recent years, Tess unpacks the facts and rumors around Porter’s life and death. 

Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod 

Pop Myst...

It’s been half a year since anything meaningful happened in the Baldoni/Lively case. So why do we keep seeing headlines about it? Tess has some ideas. 

Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod 

Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill. 

Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.

Support independent pop journalism and joi...

As we cross what appears to be the midpoint of Sean Diddy Combs’ federal trial, Tess rounds up highlights from witnesses like Cassie Ventura and Kid Cudi, and assesses the prosecution and defense’s strategies thus far. 

Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod 

Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill. 

Theme song b...

Making a dinosaur buddy cop movie is all fun and games, until you’re Whoopi Goldberg and you actually have to shoot this thing with sworn enemies. Joining Tess on this bonkers journey that sent Tess into the courthouse archives is the hilarious Tom Lenk @tommylenk (“Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Tilda Swinton Answers a Craigslist Ad.”

If you must, watch “Theodore Rex” here. 

Fo...

There’s only one Patti LuPone. Which is why the s**t hit the gold plated fan when Andrew Llyod Webber tried to have two Norma Desmonds. Tess is joined by Paul Caiola, one of the hosts of “That Aged Well,” (@thatagedwell) as the two of them dissect the fascinating and high drama turns of Patti Lupone’s “Sunset Blvd,” firing, and the antics that followed. 

Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @pop...

To be, or not to be? Aye, there’s the central question at the heart of the classic work “Tommy Boy” the 1995 broad comedy starring the late Chris Farley. This movie is more than a work of staggering childish genius. It is also a sophisticated adaptation of “Hamlet,” as in, the Shakespeare one. Joining Tess for a close reading of “Tommy Boy” through a Shakespearean lens is the comedian and podcaster Lisa Chanoux @LisaChanou...

The landslide of allegations against Sean Diddy Combs was started by a singular person - R&B singer Cassie Ventura. Cassie’s allegations formed the framework for the federal case against Sean Combs, which is set to kick off  May 5, 2025. Tess takes a deep look into Cassie’s harrowing escape and the surprising stories Cassie’s intersects with. 

Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmy...

Selena Quintanilla was 23 years old, and well on her way to becoming an international megastar when she was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her fan club. Though a biopic starring Jennifer Lopez paints a fairly simple picture of this tragic death, the truth appears less black and white. Only two people really know how and Selena died that day, and one of them was Selena. Joining Tess to talk through th...

If there is such a thing as the typical college experience, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen,  the two most famous child star twins of all time, were probably never going to have it. Nevertheless, they persisted…kind of. Joining Tess to talk through the Olsen twins transition to otherworldly fashion icons is writer, actor, and comic Guy Branum. 

See Guy’s new one-person show “Fruitful” live in Chicago May 6th, St. P...

The Olsen twins are endlessly fascinating celebrities. They were selected for stardom before they could walk. They’re both an inspirational story and I cautionary tale. They’re just so important. Joining Tess to talk through the wild mystery that is the Olsen twins existence is writer, actor, and comic Guy Branum. 

See Guy’s new one-person show “Fruitful” live in Chicago May 6th, St. Paul May 7th. And watch “Hacks,...

Forget skeletons in the closet. Barbra Streisand has a mall. In her basement. Like, a real one. Joining Tess to tour this fascinating and unhinged corner of American architecture is writer, director, and podcaster Chelsea Devantez. Chelsea’s memoir  “I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This, But I’m Going to Anyway,” is out now. Her podcast “Glamorous Trash” is  pop perfection and a must-listen! 

Got 48 hours? Che...

Before she was proclaiming she’d invented “gay pop,” child dance phenom-turned heavily costumed try-hard helmed a junior girl group called XOMG. The group claimed to offer aspiring pop stars as young as 8 years old a line into their show biz dreams. Some claim what followed was a candy-flavored nightmare. 

Joining Tess to talk through Jojo’s turn as a teacher and her life as a child star, is comedian, actor, podcas...

“Plaintiff would pay for her statement regarding Tupac.” In this chilling line from an assault case filed against Sean Diddy Combs, legal representatives for Ashley Parham, an alleged victim’s of Sean Combs synopsize what is a shocking and brutal claim of sexual assault by Combs. Parham’s story is deeply disturbing. It also provides telling insight into Comb’s alleged network of trafficking and coercion…and seems to point ...

Cameras wrap on “It Ends With Us.” Now, the real battle begins. After Blake Lively alleges that she’s been harassed while filming this movie, her attempts at wrestling back agency stall out.  Ultimately, Lively is able to get back some power…but at what cost? And who is really making her pay? 

Tess has sifted through the many legal filings in this case. As this story’s concludes (for now) what does it have to tell us abo...

Betrayal. Gaslighting. Things not being what they seem. These are themes in the movie “It Ends With Us,” but they could also describe the dramatic and seemingly constantly escalating conflict between actor and fashionista Blake Lively and her co-star and director Justin Baldoni. Tess has sifted through the many wordy legal filings and blurry screen grabbed texts, and a narrative seems to emerge around what actually happene...

You don’t have to be a Swiftie to know there’s bad blood between Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and Scooter Braun. What exactly went down between these three powerful and strong personalities? Who was really in the wrong here, and how did Kanye taking the mic from Taylor at the VMAs lead to the re-recorded albums known as “Taylor’s Version?” 

Joining Tess to parse and explain this twisted and juicy tale is performance artist ...

Few murders have rocked the music world like the untimely deaths of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. Neither slain rapper has ever had their killer brought to justice. Recent allegations against Sean Diddy Combs, the producer who have Biggie Smalls his start, have forced questions about Diddy’s involvement in this dark and violent tale. 

Joining Tess to talk through Diddy’s role in the Tupac and Biggie murders is writer, ...

A sweet movie about a talking pig turned a whole new generation of children into vegetarians. Those children often remained vegetarians into adulthood, and played a role in transforming the plant-based food industry. How did “Babe” make such a lasting impact on kids, and why were so many of those ‘90s babes girls? 

Joining Tess to talk through this phenomenon are psychologist and author Dr. Carla Manly (@drcarlamanly); a...