The Daily Sunday Special: This Summer in Culture
131 snips
Aug 31, 2025 
Join Madison Malone Kircher, an Internet reporter at The New York Times, and Jon Caramanica, its pop music critic, as they dive into summer's cultural highs and lows. Discover their take on a high-profile engagement and its celebrity implications. They hilariously discuss the quirks of a fictional award show and the summer hit 'Golden' from the Netflix film 'K-pop Demon Hunter.' Also, explore the fallout from the 'Coldplay Gate' incident, and learn about the viral charm of Crumbl's unique cookies and TikTok advertising.
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How The Engagement Announcement Dropped
- Madison describes how Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement with an elaborate Instagram post featuring a floral arch and a large ring.
- She notes the caption joked ‘‘your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married’’ and mentions the standout diamond close-up and Cartier watch.
Watching Taylor On A Sports Podcast
- Jon recounts watching Travis Kelce's podcast episode with Taylor Swift multiple times and picking up distinct impressions from each host's presentation.
- He says Taylor was focused and selling an album while Travis and Jason acted more like roughhousing friends in the background.
Song Of The Summer Is A Broken Idea
- Jon argues the idea of a single 'Song of the Summer' is obsolete due to fragmented listening and declining monoculture.
- He points out streaming and niche tastes make one universal summer anthem unlikely.