Pop Mystery Pod

The Olsen twins are endlessly fascinating celebrities. They were selected for stardom before they could walk. They’re both an inspirational story and I cautionary tale. They’re just so important. Joining Tess to talk through the wild mystery that is the Olsen twins existence is writer, actor, and comic Guy Branum. See Guy’s new one-person show “Fruitful” live in Chicago May 6th, St. Paul May 7th. And watch “Hacks,” the comedy Guy just won a Golden Globe for. See the “Tiny Tycoon” TV Guide cover here. Read sourced article: Washington Post “Less is More: How the Little Stars of “Full House” Hit the Big Time Watch sourced documentary “Celebrity Profile: The Olsen Twins” here. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill. Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPodFollow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods. Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Forget skeletons in the closet. Barbra Streisand has a mall. In her basement. Like, a real one. Joining Tess to tour this fascinating and unhinged corner of American architecture is writer, director, and podcaster Chelsea Devantez. Chelsea’s memoir  “I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This, But I’m Going to Anyway,” is out now. Her podcast “Glamorous Trash” is  pop perfection and a must-listen! Got 48 hours? Check out “My Name is Barbra.” Want to see more of that Malibu house? Check out “My Passion for Design.”  Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill. Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPodFollow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods. Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Before she was proclaiming she’d invented “gay pop,” child dance phenom-turned heavily costumed try-hard helmed a junior girl group called XOMG. The group claimed to offer aspiring pop stars as young as 8 years old a line into their show biz dreams. Some claim what followed was a candy-flavored nightmare. Joining Tess to talk through Jojo’s turn as a teacher and her life as a child star, is comedian, actor, podcaster, and singer Jade Catta-Preta @jadecattapreta. To learn more about this story check out the Rolling Stone article “Jojo Siwa Promised Them Stardom. They Say They Were Thrown in the Trash.”  Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill. Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPodFollow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods. Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Plaintiff would pay for her statement regarding Tupac.” In this chilling line from an assault case filed against Sean Diddy Combs, legal representatives for Ashley Parham, an alleged victim’s of Sean Combs synopsize what is a shocking and brutal claim of sexual assault by Combs. Parham’s story is deeply disturbing. It also provides telling insight into Comb’s alleged network of trafficking and coercion…and seems to point to figures still hiding in the darkness.  Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPodFollow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic wherever you get your pods. Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cameras wrap on “It Ends With Us.” Now, the real battle begins. After Blake Lively alleges that she’s been harassed while filming this movie, her attempts at wrestling back agency stall out.  Ultimately, Lively is able to get back some power…but at what cost? And who is really making her pay?    Tess has sifted through the many legal filings in this case. As this story’s concludes (for now) what does it have to tell us about media and how easily we can all be manipulated by it?   Read the New York Times story “‘We Can Bury Anyone:’ Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine” by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire, and Julie Tate.    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.   Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.   Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Betrayal. Gaslighting. Things not being what they seem. These are themes in the movie “It Ends With Us,” but they could also describe the dramatic and seemingly constantly escalating conflict between actor and fashionista Blake Lively and her co-star and director Justin Baldoni. Tess has sifted through the many wordy legal filings and blurry screen grabbed texts, and a narrative seems to emerge around what actually happened behind the scenes. It may not be the narrative you expect.     Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.   Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.   Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod   Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic wherever you get your pods.    Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You don’t have to be a Swiftie to know there’s bad blood between Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and Scooter Braun. What exactly went down between these three powerful and strong personalities? Who was really in the wrong here, and how did Kanye taking the mic from Taylor at the VMAs lead to the re-recorded albums known as “Taylor’s Version?”    Joining Tess to parse and explain this twisted and juicy tale is performance artist and Taylor Swift expert Amber Kenny.    Read “The Many Faces of Scooter Braun” by Anna Sillman here.    Watch “Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood” on Max    Watch “Miss Americana” on Netflix.    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.    Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.   Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod   Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods.    Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Few murders have rocked the music world like the untimely deaths of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. Neither slain rapper has ever had their killer brought to justice. Recent allegations against Sean Diddy Combs, the producer who have Biggie Smalls his start, have forced questions about Diddy’s involvement in this dark and violent tale.    Joining Tess to talk through Diddy’s role in the Tupac and Biggie murders is writer, podcaster, and digital strategist Wynter Mitchell Rohrbaugh @wynter.    To learn more about this case check out the documentary “Murder Rap”, or read some of the Rolling Stone pieces used for research in this episode.    “Bad Boy for Life: Sean Combs’ History of Violence    “The Hunt For Tupac’s Killer: Confessions, Conspiracies, and Confusions.”    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.    Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.   Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod   Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods.    Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A sweet movie about a talking pig turned a whole new generation of children into vegetarians. Those children often remained vegetarians into adulthood, and played a role in transforming the plant-based food industry. How did “Babe” make such a lasting impact on kids, and why were so many of those ‘90s babes girls?    Joining Tess to talk through this phenomenon are psychologist and author Dr. Carla Manly (@drcarlamanly); author of books including “The Sexual Politics of Meat” and “Pedaling Resistance,” Carol Adams (@cja_from_dallas); and food scientist Dr. Jessica Ruiz Hallstrom @vegspice_eats.    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.   Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.   Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod   Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic wherever you get your pods.    Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

So this actually happened: one of the most unpredictable and eccentric NBA players of all time put the entire United States (and maybe the whole world) at risk when he found himself cozying up to one of the world’s most notorious dictators. Joining Tess to talk through this strange and hilarious story is writer, actor, and comedian Megan Koester (@bornferal).    Read Megan’s writing here.    To learn more about this story, check out the documentary “Big Bang in Pyongyang” and “The Hermit Kingdom”    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.    Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.   Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod   Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods.    Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.