ICYMI
329 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 days ago - ★★★★ - 581 ratingsJoin Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim twice a week as we gaze deep into the online abyss—and tell you what’s gazing back.
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Episodes
Was #FreeBritney Right All Along?
June 26, 2021 09:00 - 31 minutesOn Wednesday, Britney Spears spoke in court against her current conservatorship, which began in 2008. In recent years, fans have speculated that Spears was being controlled against her will by her father through this conservatorship, and started the #FreeBritney movement in an attempt to break her out of it. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle break down the history of Spears’ conservatorship, the conspiracy theories that arose around #FreeBritney, and what the pop star’s statement chang...
The Saga of Nina Simone’s Twitter Account (ft. Kamala Harris)
June 23, 2021 09:00 - 32 minutesWhat do Chloe Bailey, Nina Simone, and Vice President Kamala Harris have to do with one another? We’re here to help you figure that out. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison talk about how a cover of Simone’s “Feeling Good” turned into a story that ultimately felt anything but. But first, they examine Rachel Lindsay’s recent comments about the Bachelor franchise. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Derek John, and Jasmine Ellis. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Si...
You’re Using “Woke” Wrong
June 19, 2021 09:00 - 30 minutesFrom “woke bae” to “woke-a-cola,” the word woke has taken the internet and mainstream media by storm. But how many people who use the word actually know what it means? On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison (but, really, mostly Rachelle) explain the decades-old origins of the word, and how its meaning has evolved as it’s gone from Marcus Garvey to being sung by the likes of Erykah Badu and Childish Gambino to being wielded as a slur by the likes of Mike Huckabee. Podcast production by Danie...
Are Those TikTok “Missed Connections” Real?
June 16, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutesOn today’s episode, Madison is joined by producer Daniel Schroeder to talk about people accusing Billie Eilish of queerbaiting on Instagram. They then discuss the way TikTok seems to be replacing Craigslist as the spot for finding missed connections—but are the videos real? To find out, Madison interviews Val and Kaycie, two women who had a serendipitous encounter on a rooftop bar, only to lose touch before being reconnected via TikTok. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder & Derek John. Su...
Trisha Paytas Wants to Be Frenemies
June 12, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutesOn today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison explain the latest drama surrounding online provocateur Trisha Paytas. They recap Paytas’ history online, how they’re connected to David Dobrik’s Vlog Squad, and why their podcast Frenemies is in predictable turmoil. Then, two new High Speed Downloads, first on the grifting of internet chef Darius Williams (aka @DariusCooks) and then on the woman who got arrested for disguising herself as her daughter and going to school in her place. Podcast productio...
Raging Bulls––t: Paul vs. Mayweather
June 09, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutesOn today’s episode, Rachelle finds out that Madison is an anthro-paul-ogist. Internet star Logan Paul faced off against Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match this weekend, so Madison takes Rachelle through the troubling origins of the Paul brothers, how they’ve been able to maintain their internet fame across multiple platforms despite a series of serious allegations, and why this fight is nothing more than a money-making publicity stunt. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. S...
Who Weekly? Explains Bennifer 3.0
June 05, 2021 09:00 - 28 minutesOn today’s show, Madison and Rachelle have a short discussion of the recent beekeeper drama on TikTok. Then, they’re joined by Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, hosts of the Who Weekly? podcast, to discuss Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez getting back together. They talk about what it was like when the pair first got together in the early 2000s, why it feels so exciting to see these two stars indulge again in their past romance, and how Bennifer 3.0 will play in a new era of social media gossip. ...
Why Does TikTok Think I’m an Ex-Mormon?
June 02, 2021 09:00 - 27 minutesOn today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle examine a case of mistaken identity. One of TikTok’s best features is its algorithm, which specializes in surfacing videos seemingly tailor-made for the user. That is, until the algorithm gets an idea about the user that’s very, very wrong. They discuss why TikTok is convinced Madison is an ex-Mormon and Rachelle is a Marvel fanatic, and then field a number of listener voicemails about all the hilarious and sometimes alarming ways TikTok has gotten the...
How the Kardashians Broke the Internet
May 29, 2021 09:00 - 27 minutesOn today’s episode, Rachelle is joined by producer Daniel Schroeder to discuss the online legacy of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. After 14 years and 20 seasons, the series is finally coming to a close, so Daniel and Rachelle look back at its infamous origins, trace the show’s evolving relationship with social media, and look ahead to what life might be like for all of us after the series goes off the air. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to th...
The Backyardigans Have the Hottest Song on TikTok
May 26, 2021 09:00 - 27 minutesOn today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle open with High Speed Downloads on two viral stories: the photos of Tessa Thompson, Rita Ora, and Taika Waititi sharing an apparent three-way kiss, and the journey of the woman who live-tweeted her cross-country flight to pursue a man who might be just not that into her. Then they examine how the song “Castaways” from the Nickelodeon show The Backyardigans has become so popular on TikTok that it topped the Spotify Viral 50 chart. Where did this trend be...
How the Internet Became Shrek’s Swamp
May 22, 2021 09:00 - 28 minutesOn today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison chronicle the long, complicated life of Shrek online. They argue that the film, which premiered in 2001, was primed to become an internet meme before Shrek fans even got their hands on it. And then they explain all the different iterations, some funny and some downright creepy, of Shrek content that have kept the green ogre alive on the web for 20 years. You can check out the Shrek syllabus here. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. F...
Should You Post That Israel-Palestine Meme?
May 19, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutesFor the past week, while the violence between Israel and Palestine has escalated, a separate battle has accelerated on social media, one fought with rocket emojis and celebrities like Israeli actress Gal Gadot and Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid getting involved. If you don’t post, are you tacitly anti-Palestine? Anti-semitic? If you do post and you fumble some of your history, are you nothing but a hashtag activist? (What about if you get it right?) In this episode, Madison and Rachel...
Chrissy Teigen Was Never the Good Guy
May 15, 2021 09:00 - 28 minutesOn today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison discuss the latest news about Chrissy Teigen and Courtney Stodden. Earlier this week, Stodden, who rose to fame as a teenager in the early 2010s after marrying middle-aged character actor Doug Hutchison, came forward saying that they had been harassed on Twitter by Teigen, who sent tweets wishing for their death. Teigen has since apologized, but this news highlighted the disgusting ways people used to talk about young girls on the internet, and how Tei...
Sorry SNL, Gen Z Didn’t Invent That Slang
May 12, 2021 09:00 - 28 minutesRachelle and Madison discuss Elon Musk’s episode of Saturday Night Live. Specifically they break down the ”Gen Z Hospital” sketch, where everybody seems to be speaking in internet slang, and the backlash to it. Rachelle explains how all the language used isn’t just from the internet or from Zoomers but from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). This isn’t a new thing, of course—white Americans have been appropriating Black culture for as long as America has been around—but as this Paper...
So You’ve Been Banned on Twitter
May 08, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutesOn today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison discuss Facebook upholding their ban of Donald Trump from their platform—sort of. Then they interview someone about their own experience getting banned: legal journalist Rachel Stone, who was banned from Twitter after she jokingly threatened the man who cautions you to take a break from scrolling through TikTok. Finally, the debut of our new segment Galaxy Brain, where we explore some of the wildest theories on the internet, starting with a listener em...
The Price of Fan Fiction
May 05, 2021 09:00 - 30 minutesOn today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle answer a couple of listener questions in a new segment we’re calling Read Receipts. First, they explore the origins of the “this shit bussin’—sheesh” meme that’s all over TikTok and why teens are getting their parents to do it. Then Rachelle digs into the drama currently embroiling the fan-fiction website Archive of Our Own, explaining whether the nonprofit’s latest fundraising drive is a scam (it’s not), and why the site both is and isn’t a safe haven...
There’s a Chadwick Boseman NFT?
May 01, 2021 09:00 - 25 minutesOn today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison explain the controversy surrounding an NFT of Chadwick Boseman’s head that was connected to, but not sanctioned by, the Oscars. Then they run through a series of High-Speed Downloads covering why Ryan Gosling trended last weekend, Mark Zuckerberg’s sunscreen photo, a flash of TikTok drama involving Doja Cat, and the celebration of Ed Balls Day. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Si...
How Babby Is Formed
April 28, 2021 09:00 - 31 minutesMadison and Rachelle pour one out for Yahoo Answers. To remember the site’s important place in internet history, they’re joined by J.T. Sexkik, the creator of the infamous video “How Is Prangent Formed.” They talk to him about his earliest memories of the question-and-answer forum, its wildest moments, and what the internet is losing with its demise. Plus, we exorcise our IKEA shopping demons with a little help from TikTok comic Scott Seiss. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek Jo...
“Body Positivity” Is Meaningless
April 24, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutesOn this episode, Madison and Rachelle discuss how the phrase “body positivity” has lost all meaning. They talk about how the body-positivity movement started as a way to advocate for fat acceptance, including with respect to such tangible issues as healthcare and employment, but how the phrase has been co-opted into memeable soundbites on TikTok and Instagram that serve no real purpose beyond gaining likes and follows. (At least Lizzo gets it.) They also share how an excessive focus on body-c...
What We Tok About When We Tok About Piss
April 21, 2021 09:00 - 27 minutesOn this episode, Madison and Rachelle talk to Rolling Stone senior writer EJ Dickson about PissTok, a new TikTok trend in which people are making jokes about urination kinks. She recently reported on the videos, which have attracted tens of millions of views, for her magazine. They discuss how kink has become memified, what this says about the rise of sex positivity in mainstream discourse, and whether or not it’s a step in the right direction. Also, Madison places a call to Apple support. Po...
Will You Accept This SponCon?
April 17, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutesIn this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher discuss the latest development in the world of The Bachelor and how it all plays into the show’s relationship with social media. First they dig into the news that former Bachelor Colton Underwood has come out as gay on Good Morning America. Then they get into the show’s love-hate relationship with Instagram, examining how the series has become a launchpad for influencers and explaining how social media has become its public editor, ...
A Vaccine Is Not a Personality
April 14, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutesOn this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher look at the way the COVID vaccines have seemed to develop online personalities. They discuss how the memes and merch inspired by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson can actually encourage vaccine hesitancy—which is all the more disappointing since there are actually some pretty informative TikToks out there about COVID-19. Next, they speak to a few Slatesters who might not have purchased vaxx merch but definitely made their own r...
Everything Is Tumblr Now
April 10, 2021 09:00 - 28 minutesIn this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher start with a couple of High Speed Downloads: Madison summarizes the latest online drama surrounding self-help guru Rachel Hollis (featuring Harriet Tubman), and Rachelle chronicles the Kardashian fury that was unleashed after somebody posted an untouched-up photo of Khloe. Then, an exclusive interview with Dion Beary, a writer and online community builder who founded the Tumblr blog This Is White Privilege. They talk with Beary abou...
Every Generation Has Its Cringe
April 07, 2021 09:00 - 27 minutesOn this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher report from the latest front in the battle between millennials and Gen Z. First, they trace the conflict back to its origins in skirmishes over middle parts and skinny jeans. Then they speak to culture writer Jenny G. Zhang, who recently encountered the fury of thirtysomethings when she tweeted about what using reaction GIFs says about your age. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the ...
What’s Really “Up” With That TikTok Dance
April 03, 2021 09:00 - 24 minutesOn the latest episode, hosts Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher talk to Mya Johnson and Chris Cotter, two teen TikTok stars who created a dance challenge set to Cardi B’s No. 1 hit “Up.” Fellow TikTok creator Addison Rae appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to perform their dance, along with seven other popular TikTok dances, without giving credit to any of the creators. A Twitter user tweeted a side-by-side video of Chris and Mya’s original choreography and Addison’s Tonig...
Lil Nas X is Going to Hell
March 31, 2021 09:00 - 22 minutesOn this episode of ICYMI, Slate’s new podcast about internet culture, hosts Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher get lewd. (Sorry, Mrs. Hampton.) First, they read some erotica about the big, unstuck boat. Then, they explain why Lil Nas X’s supposedly shocking turn—stripping for the devil in his new video for “Montero” and selling “Satan Shoes” with blood in them—is really just the logical next step for the “Old Town Road” rapper. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. S...
Clubhouse Doesn't Want You to Hear This
March 27, 2021 09:00 - 30 minutesOn the second episode of ICYMI, Slate’s new podcast about internet culture, hosts Madison Malone Kircher and Rachelle Hampton take listeners on an all-access tour of Clubhouse, the invite-only audio app that already has millions of users, including everyone from Elon Musk and Drake to Oprah and Joe Rogan. Madison somehow ends up taking a shower with hundreds of other users? The app also doesn’t allow people to record and publish audio, so this episode will probably get us banned. Then, they t...
RIP Online Celebrity
March 24, 2021 09:00 - 27 minutesOn the first episode of ICYMI, Slate's new podcast about internet culture, hosts Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher make sense of two recent controversies about online celebrities. First, they explain the recent drama around Kylie Jenner’s call for her followers to donate to a makeup artist’s GoFundMe—and how it connects to a whole year of influencers failing to read the room during the pandemic. Next, they dig into the reckoning currently roiling YouTube, recounting the rise and fal...
Introducing ICYMI
March 22, 2021 02:09 - 1 minuteJoin hosts Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher as they gaze deep into the online abyss—and tell you what’s gazing back. New episodes drop every Wednesday and Saturday starting March 24th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices