Have You Heard About...
27 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★ - 41 ratingsWelcome to 'Have You Heard About...,' a pop culture podcast with a social conscious. We dismantle what you think you know about pop culture, telling stories and going deep on what these stories mean to our cultural collective. This is the podcast for true students-of-pop-culture, as culture enthusiast and host Mahsa does a deep dive into the stuff you want to hear more about, chatting with contributing guest hosts in provocative and candid conversations that will change the way you think about pop culture. We love engaging with listeners, so be sure to follow us on instagram @haveyouheardpodcast, and let us know what you think of the latest show. If you're enjoying it, please share and rate/review.
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Episodes
Princess Catherine's Cancer Announcement & Scandoval's Reality Reckoning: What Treatment of Women in the Media Tells Us About Ourselves
March 24, 2024 01:00 - 1 hour - 71.7 MBToday’s pod was meant to focus strictly on the reality reckoning and the aftermath of Vanderpump Rules explosive Scandoval that took over the pop culture zeitgeist a year ago. But, in light of Princess Catherine’s video announcement yesterday sharing the news of her cancer treatment, this podcast became something bigger. We’re going to be looking at not only how media treats women and how we’re complicit in it, but what that says about our own values and expectations on what it means to be a...
Britney Spears: The Woman In Me
March 12, 2024 14:00 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBThis is more than just a ghostwritten autobiography, it's Britney's ultimate manifesto of feminist rage. From the betrayal of having friends and family leverage her fame for their own agenda, to the unforgiving and relentless scrutiny she's faced simply for being human, Britney finally tells us her truth. A stark look at what happens when a teenage dream tries to break free from societal expectations, one thing remains clear; Britney's ultimate revenge is survival. And by the way, we are al...
The Big Business of Taylor Swift
October 11, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBHey... we're back! Kicking off the new season exploring the singular Taylor Swift who is currently the reigning champ of our pop culture zeitgeist, seemingly everywhere all at once (including the NFL!) Joined by friend of the pod, marketer, and fellow culture enthusiast Patty Connor, we go deep into the Taylorverse. She's generously always giving us something to talk about; the squads, the feuds, the prolific songwriting, and the nearly unmatched work ethic. We cover so much ground including...
The Provocative Business of Being a Kardashian
July 26, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 72.9 MBWe’re tackling one of our most requested topics today, a deep-dive on the First Family of Reality TV and their ascent into major A List status, the Kardashians! Joining the episode is Stacy Lee Kong, Founding Editor of whip smart pop culture site, Friday Things. We break down the Kardashians place in pop culture history and what makes them so compelling. Whether you love them, hate them, or claim not to care, there’s no denying the impact they’ve had on culture. From their business savvy an...
Tamara Taggart: Award-Winning Broadcaster, Advocate, & Mother
June 28, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 61.1 MBAward-winning Canadian broadcaster Tamara Taggart joins the show! Former co-anchor of the evening news in Vancouver, Tamara has been a fixture in Canadian media for over 20 years. Like so many women, Tamara wears many hats; she's an outspoken advocate for people with disabilities, a mother, a cancer survivor, and recipient of the Order of BC. We cover so much ground, including the wild west that is working in the media (with some eye-opening inside baseball tea!), her advocacy work, being o...
Gilmore Girls: A Retrospective
June 09, 2022 21:00 - 2 hours - 87.1 MBThis episode is a long time coming, an in-depth look at one of our favourite shows, the aesthetically cozy 'Gilmore Girls!' Cousin Mary is back as guest-host as we debate and revisit key elements throughout the series, exploring both the original run and four part 'A Year in the Life' revival on Netflix, the devoted fandom, and of course behind the scenes gossip; including potential cast drama and the much discussed exit of showrunner's Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino. Along the w...
Go Fug Yourself with Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
May 11, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 50.4 MBSo thrilled to have Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, the brilliant creators behind the iconic Go Fug Yourself on the podcast! So many of us have been reading the site since it started in 2004, and it continues to be an OG pop culture staple. What began as a fun side hobby between two friends has spanned nearly 20 years and 25 million page views a month, where they continue to make us laugh while covering red carpet style like no other. We get into so much in this interview; from their days...
True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us
April 13, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 41.3 MBThe episode for reality tv stans everywhere! How many times have we referred to reality tv as a guilty pleasure? Or trash tv? Or just generally felt embarrassed admitting to our reality tv vice? Author Danielle Lindemann joins us to chat about her new book, 'True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us.' As a sociologist and reality tv fan (who teaches a course on reality tv--where do I sign up for that!?), Danielle provocatively suggests that perhaps we shouldn't brush off reality tv as our c...
The Wild Boom of the Teen Magazines with Atoosa Rubenstein
March 22, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 43.5 MBWho better to deep dive the boom of the teen mags than legendary editor Atoosa Rubenstein!? As Founding Editor of CosmoGirl (at age 26!), and former Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen magazine, Atoosa's magic was a blend of understanding the teenage experience, while being acutely relatable to her readers (this, despite living a life of glamour and high fashion in NYC should not be underestimated). After leaving the industry in 2006 (and yes, we chat about why), she re-emerged recently with her Su...
Part Two: Jillian Harris & The Wild Influencer Economy
February 23, 2022 08:00 - 50 minutes - 35 MBMahsa and guest-host Rachel are back at it with Part Two of the Jillian Harris/Influencer Economy deep dive! We get to the meat of it in this second half, and do our best to answer the big questions around the relatively new career of influencing, including exploring this unique parasocial relationship and tackling what, if anything, influencers owe their followers. As we debate the merits of influencers sharing their (curated) world with us, we wonder how much of it they need to share, par...
Part One: Jillian Harris & The Wild Influencer Economy
February 16, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 44 MBThis is by far the most asked for episode from our listeners, and your complicated feelings on the subject fascinates us! Mahsa and guest-host Rachel delve into the world of Jillian Harris. From her stint as the Bachelorette to her BFF persona on Instagram, to the evolution of using her platform to speak out on social causes, we have so much to talk about. This episode is largely shaped by our amazing community on Instagram. We posed the question: "Do you follow Jillian Harris, why or why no...
Yellowjackets
February 02, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 45 MBA deep dive on the best new show we have seen in a long time, the wildly chilling Yellowjackets! Mahsa and guest-host Mary cover lots of ground, so this is spoiler and speculation heavy - fair warning. From what makes the show resonate with so many people, dream casting scenarios, the most imaginative theories on Reddit (we can agree that Adam isn't Javi though, right!?), to the refreshing diversity, and so much more. Sometimes a show is internet popular and takes over Twitter and Reddit; o...
The Rise & Fall of Elizabeth Holmes: Tried and Convicted
January 25, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 45.8 MBThe verdict is in, and while it was a mixed bag, Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty on 4 charges of defrauding investors. Pop culture writer and critic Kayleigh Donaldson joins us as we deep dive the never-ending Elizabeth Holmes story. From the rise and fall of her company Theranos, that promised to revolutionize the healthcare industry by running hundreds of tests through just a few drops of blood, to going from the cover of Forbes to potentially serving time behind bars. We break it all do...
Caroline Calloway: The OG Social Media InstaScam
December 15, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBThe podcast episode we've been wanting to do forever; the definitive guide to Caroline Calloway's rise to fame, subsequent fallout, and iconic place in pop culture as an OG social media scammer is here! Guest-host Maggie Patterson, fellow podcaster and expert in online scams in business, joins the discussion. We cover so much ground, starting from the beginning; how Caroline's ivy-league fueled childhood led her to Cambridge, where her idyllic 'American abroad at a storied Ivy League Institu...
Culture Journalist Anne Helen Petersen & her Must-Read Newsletter 'Culture Study'
November 24, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 43.3 MBSuch a pleasure to have culture writer and author, Anne Helen Petersen, on the show. A former senior writer at Buzzfeed News, she now pens her own newsletter all about the culture that surrounds us, 'Culture Study' on Substack. She's also written several books; Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman; Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation; and coming out on Dec. 7th, Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home. A pr...
Part 2: The Rachel Hollis Takedown, and a Critical Look at 'Girl, Wash Your Face'
June 23, 2021 07:00 - 47 minutes - 32.9 MBWe're back at it in part two of the Rachel Hollis deep dive/takedown! We explore the hot mess that is 'Girl, Wash Your Face,' and wonder about the world we live in when a book like this not only gets published, but finds a devoted set of fans. Highlights (really, lowlights), include: marriage problems can be solved through daily sex (even if you don't want to), if you're unhappy that's your fault (no matter what!), and being very hydrated is a cure-all. Spoiler alert, we really, really disli...
Part One: The Rachel Hollis Takedown
June 16, 2021 07:00 - 48 minutes - 33.7 MBThe podcast is back after a short break! And we come back with a vengeance as we take on Christian mommy blogger/entrepreneur/author/Tony Robbins wannabe/no stranger to controversy Rachel Hollis. In Part 1 of 2, Mahsa and guest co-host Rachel do a deep dive/takedown, breaking down the controversy that surrounds Rachel Hollis, past and present. And yes, we dissect every bit of that TikTok video and subsequent non-apologies. Yes, apologies plural because to the shock of no one, she had to apol...
Minisode Roundup: Chrissy Teigen's Twitter Drama, Ex Bachelor Colton Underwood Coming Out, the Death of Prince Philip, and Natasha Lyonne & Chloe Sevigny's Enduring Friendship
April 21, 2021 07:00 - 17 minutes - 12.4 MBThe minisode series tackles some of the stories/movies/books/tv shows I'm currently following in a snazzy roundup way-- you brush up on current pop culture all in about 20 minutes (hooray!) This week, I explore Chrissy Teigen's complicated relationship with Twitter. Why did she leave the social media app of which she's dubbed the informal 'Mayor of Twitter,' why is she back, and what does the Twitterverse think? I break it down. Colton Underwood comes out as gay on Good Morning America and r...
VC Andrews & the Wild Bestseller 'Flowers in the Attic'
April 14, 2021 07:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MBJoin Mahsa and guest host Mary as they explore the illicit and wild world of VC Andrews novels, with a synopsis of cult classic 'Flowers in Attic.' We discuss transitioning from the coming of age books of our Gen X/Millennial generation (the classics- Judy Blume, Goosebumps, Sweet Valley Twins, Babysitters Club, Christopher Pike); to the scandalous world of VC Andrews novels, where we hoped our parents didn't read the back cover (spoiler alert, they did and were mad). We chat about what mad...
Minisode Roundup: Rachel Hollis Drama, Sharon Osbourne Exits The Talk, Chet Hanks 'White Boy Summer,' and Q Anon doc 'Q: Into the Storm'
April 07, 2021 07:00 - 20 minutes - 14.5 MBThe new minisode series will tackle some of the stories/movies/books/tv shows I'm currently following in a snazzy roundup way-- you brush up on current pop culture all in about 20 minutes (hooray!) This week I breakdown that very problematic Rachel Hollis post (she's always been problematic this is yet just another example), parallels with Sharon Osbourne exiting The Talk, the mystery that is Chet Hanks, and a new Q Anon documentary I'm been watching (with many breaks because it's not for th...
Minisode Roundup: Rachel Hollis, Sharon Osbourne, Chet Hanks, and Q: Into the Storm
April 07, 2021 07:00 - 20 minutes - 14.5 MBThe new minisode series will tackle some of the stories/movies/books/tv shows I'm currently following in a snazzy roundup way-- you brush up on current pop culture all in about 20 minutes (hooray!) This week I breakdown that very problematic Rachel Hollis post (she's always been problematic this is yet just another example), parallels with Sharon Osbourne exiting The Talk, the mystery that is Chet Hanks, and a new Q Anon documentary I'm been watching (with many breaks because it's not for th...
Actress, Comedian, TikTok Sensation: Mary-Alice Farina
March 30, 2021 07:00 - 54 minutes - 37.2 MBWe chat with our favorite TikTok comedian Mary-Alice Farina, whose spot-on impression of Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep doing a riff on Anna Wintour in 'The Devil Wears Prada,)' went viral in the summer of 2020. We talk the rise of comedy on social media in a COVID world, the value and role of social activism in comedy, dealing with trolls, and the new school of funny influencers who have provided some much needed levity in these strange times. The ways in which we get our news has changed, ...
College Admissions Scandal: Operation Varsity Blues on Netflix
March 24, 2021 07:00 - 1 hour - 47.8 MBThis is the real-life story of the College Admissions Scandal that took the US by storm in 2019. Rick Singer, an elite 'college counsellor,' worked with some of the wealthiest American families to secure their kids a spot in the Nation's most coveted schools, through hefty donations and an elusive side door. Eventually, he gets caught, and works with authorities to indict over 50 parents, including Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli (parents of influencer Olivia Jade), and celebrated actre...
THAT Royal Interview: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Bombshell Interview with Oprah
March 17, 2021 07:00 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBWere you silent, or were you silenced? We dissect the television event of the year: Oprah sits down with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, to chat about their lives post leaving their positions as senior royals in the British Royal Family. As Oprah said, 'nothing is off limits,' and it wasn't--they all delivered. From the how and why they left the Royal Family, the racially charged press implications, navigating tricky family dynamics, Princess Diana's last gift, and the afte...
Framing Britney Spears
March 10, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 52.5 MBMahsa and guest co-host Mahan grew up in the Britney Spears era where she ruled all. You either wanted to be with her, or you wanted to be her best friend. We saw her explosive rise to fame in the 1998 release of bop 'Baby One More Time,' where she became unquestionably one of the world's biggest stars, and girls everywhere were tying up their shirts and midriffs became a thing. But, as paparazzi became more aggressive and her mental health turned into punchlines, the one's closest to her s...
What happened between Sasha Exeter & Jessica Mulroney
March 03, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 56.9 MBIn June of 2020, Toronto influencer Sasha Exeter posts an 11 minute video to her Instagram calling out Jessica Mulroney, stylist and alleged bff of Meghan Markle, for exerting her privilege by coming after her livelihood in racially charged threats. The story doesn't play out like you typically see; after an initial apology by Mulroney she doubles down with 'receipts' that claim to exonerate her. They do just the opposite, and we break it all down. Follow along and let us know what you thin...
Fake Heiress: Anna Delvey
February 19, 2021 08:00 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBJoin 'Have you heard about....' host Mahsa and cohost Joe as we do a deep dive on the wild story of Anna Delvey (Sorokin), the fake heiress who tricked Manhattan's elite into believing she was an heiress and nearly got away with it.... until the money ran out. Making headlines again after being released from prison this week, we break down the sordid details, and how she (almost) got away with it. For a more dynamic experience, follow us on Instagram @haveyouheardpodcast. We post cool articl...