POP CULTURE MONDAYS...ON THURSDAYS

We are back! It has only been one week, but in the world of pop culture, it feels like an entire decade has passed. 

 

In This Episode:

• The "Year-Long" Week & Oscar Leftovers: We touch on the lingering vibes from the Oscars before diving into why the news cycle felt like it was on steroids this week.

• The Bachelorette’s Historic Cancellation: ABC has officially scrapped the upcoming season of The Bachelorette. We discuss the...

Happy Thursday, you pop culture junkies. 

This week, we dive into the Timothée Chalamet "high art" discourse, the ongoing beef between fast-food giants, and a ten-year-old taking Paris by storm. Plus, we’re revisiting the ‘90s through the lens of modern TV and questionable finance interviews.

On This Week’s Menu:

• The Chalamet Controversy: We break down Timothée’s recent comments regarding the ballet and opera. Was it a sincere ...

Welcome back to Pop Culture Mondays on Thursdays, you pop culture junkies. This week, we are diving into the bizarre intersection of geopolitical crisis and "aesthetic" content. From the luxury high-rises of Dubai to the depths of the looksmaxxing subculture, we’re unpacking a week that felt more like a fever dream than a news cycle.

What’s In This Episode:

• The Dubai "Frontline": We look at how influencers in the UAE are reactin...

Grab your tissues and your skates—this week, we’re oscillating between "crying in the club" and "main character energy." From a tiny monkey seeking maternal warmth in a plush toy to an Olympic icon reclaiming her narrative, we are dissecting the high highs and the messy lows of the zeitgeist.

In This Episode:

• The Gospel of Pan-kun (Punch): We’re breaking down the story of the Japanese baby monkey rejected by his mother who found...

Happy Thursday, you pop culture junkies. 

 

In this episode of Pop Culture Mondays on Thursdays, we’re breaking our usual "no-politics" rule because the internet simply wouldn’t let us look away. From viral memes to heavy hearts, here is everything moving the needle this week.

 

• The Pam Bondi Meme-fication: Normally, we skip the Sunday shows, but the "50,000 memes" spawned by Pam Bondi’s latest media appearances were too creative...

Happy Thursday, you pop culture junkies. 

 

This week, Brooke is dissecting the cultural reset that was the "Benito Bowl"—a halftime show that managed to be a celebration, a protest, and a meme-factory all in one 13-minute set.

And from high-fashion Olympic hauls to the increasingly bizarre world of looksmaxxing, we’re covering it all. AND…Baby Jane Doe!

 

This week’s newsletter: https://popculturemondays.com/2026/02/09/bravo-benit...

Happy Thursday, you pop culture junkies. 

This week, Brooke navigates the strange disconnect between media narratives and reality, starting with the Melania documentary. We look at the "social discourse" (read: the jokes) surrounding the film, the defaced billboards, and the media trying to convince us it was a massive hit. (Spoiler Alert: Brooke did the math. It was not.)

Also in this episode:

• The Grammys & The Moment: It wa...

Happy Thursday, you pop culture junkies. 

This week, the world feels heavy. Brooke opens the show by acknowledging the heartache coming out of Minneapolis and sets the stage for why, right now, we all need a brief, necessary escape. We’re taking a deep breath and diving into the distractions that are keeping us afloat.

 

In this episode:

• The Beckham Saga Continues: We are back on the Beckham beat. Brooke breaks down the incredibl...

Happy Thursday you pop culture junkies!

There was no newsletter this week because of the holiday, so we are pouring everything into the podcast today.

You know Brooke tries to keep this a politics-free zone, but sometimes the real world is just unavoidable. She touches on the current state of the pop culture "geist"—for better or for worse—and vent-sessions about that 2016 meme that she absolutely cannot stand (you know the one).

T...

Happy Thursday you pop culture junkies!

This week, we are recovering from a chaotic Golden Globes ceremony. We break down the absolute snub of Ryan Coogler’s massive hit Sinners—seriously, how do you ignore the biggest movie of the year in the major categories? We also discuss the elephant in the room: the ceremony’s complete failure to recognize the heavier realities of what is going on in the world today.

On a somber note, we pay...

Happy Thursday, you pop culture junkies!

 

We’re kicking off 2026 with a week that feels more like a fever dream than reality. Today, we’re dissecting the total collapse of the wall between politics and pop culture. From Nicolás Maduro’s arrest photos turning a grey Nike tracksuit into the first "must-have" fit of the year, to the internet’s obsession with the stars of Heated Rivalry, we’re covering the moments that are actually sh...

Happy Wednesday you pop culture junkies.

 

Yes, we know — Pop Culture Mondays on Thursdays is out on Wednesday - and it hits a little different this week because this is a special Christmas Eve episode, and honestly? We’re delivering gifts.

 

This week’s pod dives headfirst into the full-blown phenomenon that is the hit show “Heated Rivalry,” a.k.a. the gay hockey show that has completely taken over the internet. People are losing ...

Happy Thursday, you pop culture junkies.

This week’s conversation includes:

• A devastating weekend in the news: We talk through the senseless shooting at Brown, the horrific terrorist attack at a Jewish event in Australia, and the tragic deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner. We also unpack the deeply troubling, inhumane response from the current U.S. President—and why moments like these demand leadership, empathy, and moral clarit...

Happy Thursday you Pop Culture junkies.

 

This week, Brooke is not holding back. She dives headfirst into the Quentin Tarantino discourse that’s been dominating every corner of the Internet, from film Twitter to gossip feeds to group chats everywhere. And for the first time on the pod, Brooke opens up with deeply personal anecdotes about her own experience with Tarantino—stories she’s never shared publicly. It’s raw, revealing, and...

Happy Thursday, you pop culture junkies. We kick things off by revisiting last week’s PCM newsletter, where we dove into menopause in pop culture — and how, finally, it’s having its moment. From celebrity conversations to brand campaigns, menopause has gone from whispered to widely amplified, and we love to see it.

We also touched again on two delightful cultural nuggets:

Ralph Lauren Christmas — what is it and why?

Parmigiano Regg...

Happy Thursday you pop culture junkies!

 

This week’s pod takes a look at the hilarious social media reactions to the rainstorm in Los Angeles. Angelenos really do lose it the moment a single raindrop hits the ground, and the memes did not disappoint. We also dive into the newest gourmet food sensation in New York, Meadow Lane, opened by a social media influencer and quickly becoming the Erewhon of the East Coast.

 

Plus, we get i...

Happy Thursday, you pop culture junkies!

This week, Brooke dives headfirst into the intersection of culture wars and pop culture, starting with the now-viral Gold’s Gym locker room incident and how TikTok, Twitter, and the rest of the internet decided to litigate every angle of it. From performative outrage to surprisingly thoughtful commentary, Brooke breaks down how the discourse unfolded across platforms—and what it says about w...

Ethan to provide    Happy Thursday, you pop culture junkies!    This week, Brooke talks about some of her favorite highlights from the NYC marathon and how she’s paying more attention to marathoners than ever before. And of course there is World Series and the bling the boys were wearing and our love of all things Ohtani. And the man formerly known as Prince Andrew makes an appearance. Because the memes!     Rounding this week out ...

Happy Thursday you pop culture junkies!

 

This week, Brooke (who recorded the podcast before Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica) showcases what was unfolding online before it hit. The good, the bad. The ugly. Jamaica is deeply personal to Brooke and she is able to paint a picture of what the island is like.

 

Read more