Slate Culture

Hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh and  Lindsay Gibbs break down the NBA Finals and the savvy draft and trade decisions that led to this year’s showdown between two small-market teams. They also unpack the NHL Finals rematch between Edmonton and Florida and whether a Canadian team can finally reclaim glory. Finally, they speak with New York Times sports business reporter Ken Belson about looming tax code changes proposed by the Trump administration that could spell major headaches for NFL owners. On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, the panel discusses the vibe-crushing  “foul up 3,” strategy plaguing the end of high-stakes NBA games.  NBA Finals (4:41): Pacers vs. Thunder NHL Finals (19:49): Panthers vs. Oilers Sports Tax Issues (31:10): Will Trump kneecap sports team owners? (Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.) Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen. You can email us at hangup@slate.com. Podcast production and editing by Kevin Bendis, with production assistance from Ben Richmond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode: Zak, Elizabeth and Jamilah help a listener who just got told that her toddler is overweight. Now, she’s wishing the pediatrician hadn’t said anything — and she’s also feeling like she failed as a parent. So, we’re here to explain how she didn’t fail… and talk about what healthy bodies can look like. And then, we’ll circle up for a round of checkins… and on Slate Plus, we muse on whether it’s just a phase. If you’re not part of the Slate Plus community, we hope you’ll consider joining! Keep reading to learn how. Zak’s check-in: un-unibrow? Elizabeth’s check-in: date with Oliver <3   Jamilah’s check-in: age brackets  Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get to hang out with us on the Plus Playground every week for a whole additional grab-bag of content — and you’ll get an ad-free experience across the network. And you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus – or try it out on Apple Podcasts. Podcast produced by Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by Sara Petersen, author of Momfluenced, to chat about season two of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Mormon women once pioneered mommy blogging, so how did we get from vlogging to…swinging? The influencers who make up the reality show cast, known as “MomTok,” claim their racy antics are breaking stigmas and modernizing gender roles. In reality, they’re weaponizing their misunderstanding of feminism for their own personal gain.  This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story of Nevermind, Nirvana’s genre-defining breakthrough, is a familiar one. Less well known is the saga of Billboard’s Modern Rock chart—and how college-rock staples of the 1980s like R.E.M. and The Cure gave way to heavier, more commercially dominant groups of the ‘90s like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and The Smashing Pumpkins. What sparked the grungification of the charts? How did Modern Rock become the new Top 40? And how did the Seattle sound pave the way for post-grunge bands like Sublime, Third Eye Blind, and even Creed? Join Chris Molanphy as he explores alternative rock’s evolution from the cutting edge to the middle of the road. Podcast production by Olivia Briley and Kevin Bendis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Jenée is joined by Seema Yasmin, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, poet, medical doctor, author, and professor. Together, they’ll help a listener set on decorating their home with their old burlesque photos and posters without looking too narcissistic, another feeling isolated when her friends invite her ex-girlfriend to parties and events, a listener upset that their friend didn’t stick up for them after their music choices got them labeled a “horrific bigot,” and a listener concerned their friends are becoming doomsday preppers.   Want more Dear Prudence? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/prudie-plus to get access wherever you listen. This week’s podcast is produced by Jenée Desmond Harris, Maura Currie, and Daisy Rosario, with special thanks to Anuli Ononye and Sophie Summergrad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode: Zak, Elizabeth and Jamilah are talking about a tricky dynamic between a stepson and his step-grandparents. Our listener doesn’t differentiate between her stepson and her bio kids in her home — but when her parents interact with the kids, it’s a different story. So, our listener is wondering what’s normal… and how to patch up this issue with her husband, who’s upset by it. After that, of course, we’ll circle up for a round of triumphs and fails. Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get to hang out with us on the Plus Playground every week for a whole additional grab-bag of content — and you’ll get an ad-free experience across the network. And you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus – or try it out on Apple Podcasts. Podcast produced by Maura Currie.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Christina Cauterucci is joined by Erik Piepenburg, author of Dining Out, a new book that explores the history of gay restaurants in the United States. Piepenburg traces how restaurants have long served as essential spaces for queer people as places to gather, connect, and express themselves at a time when most public spaces were hostile or unsafe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are going back to college and telling the tale of two Greek life chefs on TikTok. Kevin Ashton gained almost 5 million followers after posting recipes and behind-the-scenes footage of his life as a sorority house chef at the University of Nevada, Reno. Beloved by students who review his meals on their accounts, Ashton has brought a new spotlight onto the less glamorous side of Greek life. In contrast, pastry chef Grant Grocost has found an audience taking his followers into the messy frat house he cooks for at the University of Tennessee. Both chefs have gained traction from fans who create videos comparing the two and specifically their relationships to the students they cook for. But is the beef between Kevin and Grant, or between TikTok and Greek life? This podcast is produced by Vic Whitley-Berry, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay, with production assistance from Kevin Bendis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s show an all-star team of super agents join Julia to gab including guest host Amy Nicholson, film critic for the Los Angeles Times. Their first mission: Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the supposed final installment of the Tom Cruise action juggernaut. Like Cruise on to a vintage biplane, Dana jumps on the call to discuss all the film’s death-defying stunts, clunky exposition, and lasting cultural impact. Next, they’re joined by Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion to dish on Sirens, Netflix’s pastel-hued dramedy starring Meghan Fahey, Milly Alcock, and Julianne Moore. Finally, Slate’s music critic Carl Wilson arrives to grapple with the hugely successful, but critically polarizing, new Morgan Wallen album I’m the Problem. In an exclusive Plus segment, Amy, fresh from the Riviera, shares with Julia and Dana her favorite films and moments from the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Endorsements: Amy: The 19th season of the British game show Taskmaster, wherein a group of comedians are made to do impossible tasks by host Greg Davies. Carl: The Mock Trial-centric live episode of the musical improv podcast Off Book, and the podcast itself while you’re at it.  Julia: The quintessentially American, summertime experience of eating a hotdog on a ferry as well as the 2011 film Money Ball. You can also hear more from Amy on her podcast Unspooled and from Carl on his substack Crritic!.  Want more Culture Gabfest? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Culture Gabfest show page. Or, visit slate.com/cultureplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One week into a new WNBA season, hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh chat with co-host Lindsay Gibbs about Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and what’s ahead in the league’s looming collective bargaining talks. Then tennis writer Ben Rothenberg joins to preview the French Open and break down key storylines on and off the court. Later, the hosts tackle the future of the controversial "tush push" in the NFL. Lindsay wraps up with an Afterball on the persistent pay gap between men and women in tennis. WNBA (3:04): It's still the Caitlin Clark show. French Open (23:59): Will Sinner return to domination Tush Push (45:44): The Eagles' favorite play is here to stay Afterballs (57:28): The long and continued history of sexism in tennis (Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.) Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices