DirtCast

Dirtbag is going on an extended hiatus, to return eventually with something new and fresh and fun, so for the last episode, Madeleine and Megan talk about Elizabeth Holmes, 90 Day Fiance, and some other stories we wanted but were never able to cover. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know what we’ve somehow never done a podcast about? The meteoric rise of everyone’s favorite rapper/Instagrammer/joy bomb, Cardi B! Joining us to discuss her career and power are Jezebel Culture Editor Clover Hope and Deadspin Managing Editor Samer Kalaf, who Cardi once flirted with on camera.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE’RE JOINED BY SPECIAL GUEST AND CO-HOST JOANNA ROTHKOPF!!!!!!!!!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before Riverdale, Gossip Girl, and The O.C., there was Beverly Hills, 90210, an Aaron Spelling nighttime soap about sexy teens (played by very old adults) living in America’s wealthiest zip code. This week, Madeleine and Megan take a break from their shifts at the Peach Pit to look back at the series, the cast drama, the reboots, and where everyone is now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Kardashian scholar Mariah Smith joins us all the way from foggy Londontown to discuss the alleged affair between Cavs bench warmer Tristan Thompson, the father of Khloe Kardashian’s daughter, and Jordyn Woods, Kylie Jenner’s best friend and unofficial co-parent to her daughter, Stormi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Awards season is nearly, finally over and to discuss the highs (?) and lows (??) of the movies, people, and things nominated for the Academy Awards, Maddie and Megan are joined once more by Rich Juzwiak, senior writer and staff curmudgeon, to discuss what we will even happen on Sunday and WHY.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Maddie is on a small, restorative vacation Megan is joined by Jezebel senior writer Rich Juzwiak and pop culture reporter Hazel Cills to talk about the most surreal show on television: The Masked Singer.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Molly Lambert, host of the podcast Night Call, joins Maddie and Megan to discuss the true crime boom, exploitation, and whether or not Ted Bundy is hot or not (spoiler: he’s not, he’s a monster.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer, director, and diehard Renthead Bex Schwartz joins Maddie and Megan to talk about a musical whose legacy endures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DirtCast's Madeline and Megan take the stage for their first live recording at The Bell House for the Brooklyn Podcast Fest, joined by RuPaul Drag Race's very own Aja!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We just wanted to take another look at our best episodes of 2018. In this special end of year episode, Maddie and Megan chat about some of their favorite moments, from the release of A Star Is Born to the time Samantha Bee called Ivanka Trump a feckless cunt, and look back fondly at their favorite guests, from Vulture's E. Alex Jung to Kid Nation's Mike Klinge and Michael Thot. It was a big year for Asian American cinema, for Ryan Murphy, for Bradley Cooper, for Sex and the City, and for DirtCast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, a release that turned it from a book into a phenomenon. Maddie and Megan are joined by Josh Nalven and Aaron Horton, hosts of the podcast “New Wizards,” to discuss all things Potter, including favorite books, most hated characters, little known cast controversies, and just how rich we’ve all made J.K. Rowling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In preparation for season 7 of Vanderpump Rules, Maddie and Megan are joined by reality TV scholars Ryan Houlihan and Alex Bedder to discuss the show loved by Rihanna and Roxane Gay alike. What is it about this reality show that feels so much more real? How did the Toms end up with their own restaurant? And is pasta a codeword for cocaine??To buy tickets to the January 13 DirtCast live show, go to the thebellhouseny.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special Thanksgiving-themed episode of DirtCast, Maddie and Megan gorge themselves on the delicious world of food reality TV, from the gentle politeness of The Great British Bake Off to the ruthless competitiveness of Top Chef. They also give thanks for the celebrity news that got us all through 2018—for Ariana and Pete, we’re so thankful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year, People magazine finally gave the masses what they wanted: Idris Elba as “Sexiest Man Alive.” The annual celebration of attractiveness has often failed to reward attractiveness, especially considering 2017’s winner, not to mention 2013’s, 2009’s… Just what is People playing at? To help tackle this (and provide more celebrity tidbits than you can poke Chris Pine’s dick at), Maddie is joined by the effervescent Viviana Olen and Matt Harkins, founders of New York’s Tonya Harding Nancy Kerrigan 1994 Museum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maddie and Megan are joined by Jezebel writer Hazel Cills to talk about the looming presence of the male music producer—the amount of credit they seem to get, or in one particular case, seek. The hosts dive into Hazel's article, “Jack Antonoff and the Unrelenting Shadow of the Male Producer,” and discuss what it is about this "male feminist" that is so cloying. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Halloween special, Megan and the ghost of a Victorian man named Maddie talk horror movie special effects with Mike Mekash, a prosthetics and makeup artist from American Horror Story. From Day of the Dead to Twisty the Clown, gruesome special effects have infiltrated mainstream pop culture, becoming even more realistic along the way. We find out more about the process behind creating these terrifying looks, uncovering an unexpected truth about Ben Affleck’s back tattoo along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of Charlie, Bradley Cooper's scene-stealing Labradoodle in A Star is Born, DirtCast goes for a walkies through canine cinematic history. From Rin Tin Tin to Toto to Lassie to Beethoven, who were the good boys behind these Hollywood greats? To find out more, we chat with Brian Hargrove, husband of David Hyde Pierce/Niles from Frasier, and co-author of Moose/Eddie’s autobiography, My Life as a Dog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of DirtCast, Maddie and Megan play a game of Pop Culture Roulette, drawing at random from a bucket of TV-, celebrity-, and lion-related topics in order to determine which to tackle next. Got ideas for next time? Email us at dirtcast@jezebel.com. Also: a very sombre installment of the Dirtiest Dirt, in which a bet is won—but love is lost. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this spoiler-filled episode of DirtCast, we just wanted to take another look at A Star Is Born, the emotional 2018 remake of the 1976 remake of the 1954 remake of the 1937 film (itself inspired by a 1932 film). Why can't we stop thinking and talking about this movie, and what debt do we begrudgingly owe Bradley Cooper? We're joined by Lindsey Weber of the podcast "Who? Weekly" to discuss this birth of a star. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been 11 years since the premiere of controversial reality show Kid Nation, in which 40 children lived in a New Mexico “ghost town” in a society built and run by kids. But what was it really like participating in this wacky social experiment? How much were the kids directed, manipulated... and exploited? We talk to former citizens and leaders of Kid Nation, Mike Klinge and Michael Thot, about their experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Murphy just picked up two Emmys for American Crime Story, launched a new season of American Horror Story, and signed a multi-year, multi-hundred million dollar deal with Netflix. How is he this good? Is he this good, or does his impressive stable of actors deserve all the credit? We're joined by Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman of the podcast One More Thing to discuss the Ryan Murphy canon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hosts are joined by Jezebel culture writer Hazel Cills to talk about the death of rapper Mac Miller and the blame being placed at ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande’s feet. It’s far from the first time a woman has been attacked over the death of a “troubled” male artist: from Asia Argento to Courtney Love to Michelle Williams, why is it always the woman’s fault? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we got Sallyann Salsano, creator of Jersey Shore and the upcoming Hunter Mountain and Jersey Shore: Vacation to talk about the making of a successful reality show empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bobby and Madeleine are joined in the studio by Watch What Happens Live's Mariah Smith for a lengthy discussion about all things Bravo. From our favorite Real Housewives taglines to the enthralling antiheroes of Vanderpump Rules to the (often scary) Bravo fandom, no subject was too lowbrow to go unexplored. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vulture’s E. Alex Jung joins us to talk about Crazy Rich Asians, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and what (if anything) this resurgence in Asian American stories means for representation, the cultcha, or progress in general!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To her chagrin, Irene McGee is best known for getting slapped in the face 20 years ago on The Real World: Seattle. This week on DirtCast, Irene joins us to discuss the aftershocks of being on one of the most iconic reality TV shows of our time and how she eventually accepted and found humor in her less-than-ideal path to notoriety.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early 2000s, reality TV experienced a boom in shows focused of surgery, both plastic and beyond. What lead to this spike in popularity? The success of ER? The death rattle of a Clinton economy?  Or maybe our cultural fascinations with gore and, conversely, physical perfection? With the help of reality TV expert Rich Juzwiak, we try to figure out the answer, while also discussing (and not showing!!!) the latest in the genre, like Botched and the strangely charming Dr. Pimple Popper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.K.’s Love Island is many things: A reality TV series that’s captivated the hearts of several nations, a horrifying (yet occasionally sweet?) display of heterosexuality at its most revolting, and the undoing of any stereotypes you might have about British superiority and fanciness. Joining us to discuss our new favorite show is Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair writer and one of the wittiest voices on the internet (and off). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2010, Alexis Haines (formerly Alexis Neiers) made reality TV history when she, facing prison time for her involvement in the infamous bling ring, screamed and sobbed on a reporter’s voicemail, saying the now iconic line, “Nancy Jo? This is Alexis Neiers calling.” Since her time on Pretty Wild, Alexis has opened up about the serious drug addiction that controlled her life for her tween and teen years and now seven years sober, she is a certified addiction counselor and doula. She joins us on this week’s episode to discuss the opioid crisis, her path to sobriety, and the challenges of staying clean while also being followed by TMZ. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The romcom is the zombie of genres. Since its perceived heyday, spanning the late 80s to the early 2000s, it has been declared “dead”—and then “revived”—many many times. And now it is alive again! Maybe! With the success of Netflix’s Set It Up, this renaissance feels a little more promising. 2017 also saw the less conventional but highly promising (not to mention successful) The Big Sick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If there’s one thing celebrities love to do, it’s get married to other celebrities whom they hardly know. But as they also love to tell interviewers, “When you know, you know.” Except, of course, they usually don’t. On this week’s episode, we discuss the alarmingly swift engagements of fiances Ariana and Pete, Justin and Hailey, and the overlooked David and Katharine (who really ought to be receiving a larger share of our incredulity), followed by a look back at Hollywood’s wildest whirlwind engagements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

popculturediedin2009 is one of the best celebrity gossip bloggers on the internet, which is interesting because A.) he's only 19 years old and B.) he's covering celebrity gossip from a full decade ago. This week, the prodigy behind the popular tumblr, Twitter and Instagram account joins us in the studio to talk about Lindsay Lohan, his early love of Anna Nicole Smith, and the familiar comfort of early aughts tabloids. It's widely agreed that pre-2010 is the last time celebrity gossip was good, so why not stay there? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gateway is a six-part series about Teal Swan, a new brand of spiritual guru, who draws in followers with her hypnotic self-help YouTube videos aimed at people who are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. Some followers move to Teal’s healing center, a spiritual startup where they produce content and manage social media accounts. Teal insists her therapy saves lives, but her critics say Teal’s death-focused dogma is dangerous. Gizmodo reporter Jennings Brown traveled to rural Utah and to the forests of Costa Rica, with extensive access to Teal and her inner circle, to understand Teal’s teachings and investigate the deaths of some of her followers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With everyone (including Shonda Rhimes) obsessed with the outing of Soho Grifter Anna Delvey, we take a look back at the recent history of grifters and scammers, from Hipster Grifter to Antoni Porowski from Queer Eye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk to Jo Livingstone, culture staff writer at The New Republic, about the word “cunt,” its history, recent use in pop culture, and the comparison people drew between Roseanne Barr’s show being cancelled after she fired off a racist tweet, versus Samantha Bee's “cuntroversy.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We take a leisurely stroll through Bravo’s wild thicket of non-Housewives reality programming, from NYC Prep to Southern Charm. Joining us is Jezebel’s Ellie Shechet and one very special and knowledgeable guest: Angela Pham of Gallery Girls!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twenty years ago, Sarah Jessica Parker was splashed with dirty rainwater in the wake of a passing New York City bus and the world has never been the same. To discuss the influence of Sex and the City on culture, television, women’s lives, and cupcakes, we are joined by Jezebel’s very own Joanna Rothkopf and Bobby Finger for a supersized tribute to a show that creates all sorts of feelings in people, from good to bad to in between!!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Memorial Day happened, which means summer is officially HERE. To kick off the most glorious season of all, Jezebel pop culture reporter Hazel Cills and culture editor Clover Hope join us to discuss what could possibly be the song of the summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Royal Wedding is over, and now, a woman who starred on Suits is the Duchess of Sussex. We’re joined by Jezebel’s royal correspondent Kelly Faircloth, who has spent the past week immersing herself in wedding madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Met Gala may have come and gone, but the memory of gowns, glamour, celebrities and Rihanna lives on forever. Jezebel’s deputy editor and resident fashion EXPERT Julianne Escobedo Shepherd joins us to dissect why we love to hate to love fashion’s biggest night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the next two episodes, we sit down with the father and mother of celeb-reality television, real life couple Mark Cronin and Lisa Lopez, whose shows The Surreal Life, Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, and all their spin-offs dominated VH1 from 2003-2009. Now working on their latest creation, Bravo’s Below Deck, the pair indulge us in looking back and dishing dirt on casting and corralling volatile people, being friends with New York, and all the tawdry delights that they’ve given us throughout the years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Harvey Weinstein scandal has brought new focus to an old concept that never fully went away: the casting couch, the sexist and harmful trope of female actors having sex with producers for movie roles. Joining us in the studio is Jezebel staff writer and resident historian Kelly Faircloth to talk about the history of the casting couch--and the association of actresses and sex work--that dates as far back as the restoration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We sit down with Jezebel pop culture reporter Hazel Cills to unpack the grossest dirt of all: the nasty mess of influencer drama. We take a walk down memory lane with Jeffree Star, excavate the Bhad Bhabie/WoahhVicky/Lil Tay fracas, and reminisce about that time Logan Paul offended literally the entire world with one vlog...and both Pauls offend us with their presence.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Jordan Peele’s Oscar win for “Get Out” and John Krasinski’s directorial breakout “A Quiet Place,” horror films have become in demand for A list talent. What does that mean for the genre? What does it mean for the press cycle? What makes a good horror film good and a bad horror film bad, and are bad scary movies actually the BEST scary movies? Joining us for the discussion is writer, editor, and lifelong horror fan, Corban Goble  (Pitchfork, the Players Tribute, Inverse). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman of the podcast "One More Thing" join us to discuss their theory that Glee star Lea Michele possibly, maybe, can't read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Madeleine and Megan have a nice chat with Jezebel staff writer Kelly Faircloth to talk about the end of Fixer Upper, the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, and the reasons why HGTV is so damn compelling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Madeleine and Megan are joined by friend of the podcast Kate Dries to look back at our favorite home improvement show of the aughts, TLC’s Trading Spaces, which is being rebooted for 2018. Joining them in conversation is our pal Ryan Creed, who just so happened to appear on the show at the end of its run. Listen along as he takes us behind the scenes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Days after the shocking end to a lackluster season of the best show on television, Ru Paul’s Drag Race All Stars, we sit down with Miss Congeniality herself, BenDeLaCreme, to talk about the self-elimination, reality television, and the high art of lip syncing for your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week’s episode was all about British teen dramas and this week, we’re keeping in theme--only this time we’re traveling to Korea (through our televisions at least) where KDrama reigns supreme and male celebrities have to step away at their peak for mandatory military service. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If it’s wrong for an adult to love British teen shows like Skins and My Mad Fat Diary, then we don’t want to be right! Joining us this week on DirtCast is new Jezebel staff writer Ashley Reese to talk about her passion (which we share) for the raw and extremely out there British teen shows of the late aughts and slightly after. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices