Midwest Besties
The pop culture podcast for the rest of us. TV, Books, Reality, Movies, Celeb Gossip, and More.
Episodes
In this week’s Deep Dive, the besties have MANY opinions on Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl: Encore. We’re breaking down what we like, what we don’t, and what really isn’t doing it for us.
Anyone ever wake up to find they’ve been gaslit by a king? Charles Spencer, apparently. Princess Diana’s younger brother has released Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, and his press tour is putting King Charles in quite a tizzy. The Besties break down the royal drama on this week’s Popculture Potluck. We also talk about Meghan’s Mom Chat leak (is nothing sacred over there?). In non-royal news, we ...
This week on Midwest Besties, we’re doing a major recap of the Emmys, and talk Sydney Sweeney’s horrifying sports ad. We discuss how Amanda Hirsch will do anything for a paycheck, including a Polymarket ad about the Lindsay Clancy trial. We also check in on The Toast and they are still as awful and unfunny as ever. In happier news, we celebrate that Lady Gaga is officially a mom, and catch up on the late...
Listening to a podcast episode about two white ladies’ love of Ina Garten? How easy is THAT?!
On this week’s Popculture Potluck, Lauren and Emily take a deep dive into their mutual love, respect, and adoration for television cook and author Ina Garten—otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa. We break down Ina’s recent interview with our li’l diva antihero Lulu Garcia-Navarro, her &ldquo...
In this week’s episode, the besties pour one out for Dolly and unpack Meghan and Harry’s messy move back to Britain. We get into TV news, including Hulu canceling Not Suitable for Work and the Gilded Age Season 4 trailer. Lauren discusses Brighton Butler’s surprise engagement (trigger warning: white woman nonsense), and Emily tackles the truly important issues by ranking her best chip-and-sandwich ...
Content Warning: Child loss, violence, suicide, drug use, and postpartum mental illness. Please listen with care.
This week, the Besties are discussing some much darker subjects than usual—but don’t worry, we still have our usual stupid content roundup because, as you know, we contain multitudes.
We discuss Hayden Panettiere’s devastating passing and the internet discourse surrounding the Lindsay Cla...
This week, we’re catching up on all the pop culture that matters! We’re talking Reece starring in Chicago, breaking down the House of the Dragon finale (and, more importantly, Rhaenyra’s smoky eye), and unpacking Nara Smith’s insistence that she is NOT a TradWife. Plus, The Toast is MAGA, House of Stassi, Adults on FX, Sterling Point on Prime, and Emily’s ongoing OG RHONY rewatch.
In the latest edition of Besties Read Books™, Emily and Lauren dive into the romance queen of Canada’s latest summer must-read, Our Perfect Storm.
We rank it against Carly Fortune’s other books, dive into the friends-to-lovers trope, our own love stories (Lauren’s a Mastermind), and admit that even though we love to dog on the romance genre, we’re also some of its biggest fans.
No, this isn’t the beginning of a dirty limerick—it’s the latest petty gossip the besties are LOVING. In our most random Pop Culture Potluck yet, we unpack influencer Paige Lorenze’s beef with a Nantucket antiques store owner and his possibly sexist new store policy.
Also in this episode: Summer House’s Kyle Cooke and Southern Charm’s Salley Carson’s new romance; the In the C...
The besties break down the Emmy nominations, biggest snubs, surprise picks, and their predictions. Then they dive into DCC: America's Sweethearts Season 3 to debate if Kelli and Judy are simply complicated divas...or are they actually evil? (Maybe both.)
Next, they unpack the latest Sussexes news, including Meghan's surprising decision to return to the UK. Finally, they wrap up the episode by sharing everything they'...
Our favorite artist, Taylor Alison Swift, is married! And while our hearts are full, the nuptials have left us majorly scratching our heads. Madison Square Garden? Stadium seat chair covers? Adam Sandler officiating? Chanel bag raffles?!?
Take us to the lakes where all the poets went to die, because this wedding was so tacky it's killing us.
Also in this podcast, we discuss Lizzo's flop era and how (much like our skin...
You've asked for more deep dives into the books we're reading, and we listened! Originally recorded back in May as part of our Pop-Culture Potluck, we're releasing this Flyover Deep Dive as a standalone episode dedicated to one of the summer's most talked-about books: Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden.
This haunting work of nonfiction tells the story of Burden's separation and divorce from her hedge-fun...
In this week’s pop culture potluck, the besties have a lot to discuss. First up: the explosive Vanity Fair article on Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network (spoiler alert: it’s not going well). Then, they dive into Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, and explain why they think it’s an absolute masterpiece. The conversation continues with the latest Beckham fami...
It’s finally here: the end of the road for Summer House Season 10 (we mean it this time). The besties unpack The Aftermath sit-downs, including Lindsay giving Amanda every possible reason to run far, far away from West—only for Amanda to go to Italy with him anyway. We also cover Kyle and West’s conversation, which somehow lasted several minutes while providing exactly zero new information, and Cia...
We got our first heat wave of the season, besties—not just from these Midwestern temps, but from all the pop culture news, too.
On today’s episode, we share our concerns about how World Cup international teams will handle America’s humidity (it’s what’ll get ya), discuss how horror movies are bringing audiences back to theaters, and follow Lauren’s ascension into the Love Island fa...
I’m tired of this reunion, Grandpa! Emily and Lauren are back to discuss the Summer House Season 10 Reunion Part 3. And wow! We hope you weren’t hungry because West and Amanda gave us nothing. And much like when your idiot coworkers don’t come to the meeting prepared, we now have to reschedule the drama for a later date, with Summer House: The Aftermath premiering next week. Bravo literally said, &...
In this week’s pop culture potluck, the besties talk about what is possibly the darkest of your for you page: Boy Moms™. Jenny Mollen’s weird Instagram post with her son and bizarre Substack essay left us with questions and concerns. We also chat about Taylor Swift’s original song for Toy Story and whether this will finally get her that coveted Oscar. We switch to TV to give our thoughts on the Hac...
In this fly over deep dive, your favorite besties get into the Summer House season 10 reunion (part two). The girlies discuss Amanda’s walk-off, West and Amanda giving us absolutely nothing, and Kyle trying to justify his bad behavior. They discuss Dara’s articulate read on West, a sweet moment between Carl and Lindsay, and so much more!
The Summer House Season 10 Reunion Part 1 is officially here, and after weeks of us being absolutely rabid waiting for it, it did not disappoint. Who else is ready for the “She’s Your Wife. She’s Not My Wife” merch? WE ARE! Emily and Lauren dissect the intense episode from start to finish: Amanda’s cocktail of zoned out and coming in hot, Kyle barely keeping it together, Bailey giving u...
The besties are back with a jam-packed episode. Emily and Lauren recap the Summer House season finale that lowkey felt like a series finale(yes, Lauren cried) and unpack the explosive reunion trailer. Lauren shares her newest TV obsession, Off Campus, while Emily gets into Widow’s Bay—romance and horror are SO BACK BABY. We also discuss why we know longer ride for Mary Beth Barone, the latest male loser ...
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