Interesting Times with Ross Douthat Will It Ever Be Cool to Be Conservative?
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Dec 18, 2025 
Ross Douthat, an opinion columnist known for his cultural insights, dives deep into the cultural landscape of conservatism in modern media. He discusses the right's rising influence in pop culture, exemplified by Sidney Sweeney's fashion moment. The conversation also touches on the implications of technological fragmentation, how conservative celebrities navigate their identities, and the paradox of political ambiguity in Hollywood. Douthat explores whether a stable coalition among right-leaning artists can emerge, reflecting on the broader implications for art and society.
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From Consolidation To Fragmented Cultural Power
- Cultural consolidation produced a narrow set of dominant progressive norms enforced through platforms and studios.
- The fragmentation of media after that era created openings for heterodox and right-leaning cultural spaces.
Fame Without Performing Politics
- Sidney Sweeney's jeans moment shows celebrities can avoid performing progressive orthodoxy and still be culturally prominent.
- That non-performance can draw organized right-wing attention even without clear ideological announcements.
Heteronormativity Can Read As Conservative
- Public expressions of heterosexual domesticity now sometimes code as conservative in today's cultural map.
- Taylor Swift's album exemplifies how personal themes can be read as a rightward cultural signal.