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Engagement Party

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Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes.

After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds.

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20 episodes
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Avg 38 min
English

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Yesterday · 36 min
Letterboxd Is the Last Best Corner of the Internet
The film review app Letterboxd is a social hub for movie fans everywhere. But has democratizing criticism somehow lowered the bar, or is this the last truly great social media app? Plus, how makeup "dupes" sparked the internet’s latest class conflict. About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Subscribe to the Engagement Party newsletter! The weekly send lets you catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
September 18 · 47 min
The Novel of the Century Is NSFW
With The Disappearers, Marlon James has written an explicit and violent epic that’s been called “the novel of the decade, if not the century." He joins the party to talk about queer Jamaican culture, ’80s music icons, and the gay sex scene that even his editor thought he should leave out. About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Subscribe to the Engagement Party newsletter! The weekly send lets you catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
September 11 · 30 min
Should Nepo Babies Embrace the Label?
Nepo babies have sparked debate for years, but chart-topping singer-songwriter Stella Lefty, who also happens to be the daughter of a billionaire, is reigniting the conversation. Audie and Ari debate how the rich and privileged should navigate fame and success — and they don't entirely agree. Plus, why an Ivy League dean wants you to be skeptical of the explosion of college admissions content online. About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Subscribe to the Engagement Party newsletter! The weekly send lets you catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture online. On deck: an Emmys watch party drinking game (booze optional, laughs guaranteed). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
September 4 · 38 min
Dating Apps Were Never About Romance
The internet is full of dating horror stories and think pieces the death of traditional romance. It’s a concept built for virality. But is the moral panic real? Audie and Ari turn to relationship writer Karley Sciortino to talk navigating romance in the age of the apps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
August 28 · 38 min
Television's Prestige Hangover Era Is Here
Television's golden age is over, replaced by one that’s decidedly more, as they say, “mid.” Audie and Ari weigh in on whether TV really got worse, the industry's post-prestige identity crisis, and the ingredients for making some of your favorite shows with TV’s best director, Hiro Murai (Widow's Bay, Atlanta, Station Eleven). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
August 21 · 32 min
RushTok is Southern Soft Power
This week, the internet turned its eyes to an annual 2020s tradition: watching freshman girls rush sororities at big Southern state schools via an endless stream of social videos. What does our obsession with RushTok tell us about the South, the internet, and America? Plus, what's up with the influencer backlash on Nantucket, and why is mahjong so hot right now? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
August 14 · 42 min
Lauren Weedman From 'Hacks' Has Main Character Energy
As generational warfare feeds TV scripts from Beef to Hacks, Emmy nominee Lauren Weedman joins the party to talk about hanging with Gen Z on the Hacks set, the art of scene stealing, and finding main character energy after 50. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
August 7 · 39 min
How Ella Langley Won the Electoral College of Culture
"Choosin’ Texas" broke the Billboard charts – so why can’t we all agree it’s the Song of Summer? Audie breaks down why the answer may say more about the state of the music industry than Ella Langley. Plus: Boy Throb is Ari’s latest summer music obsession, and he doesn’t care if it’s a psyop. Like what you heard? Sign up for our newsletter to catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture. Something in your feed you want us to talk about on the show? Email us a video at engagementparty@cnn.com and we’ll feature you on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 31 · 35 min
Eddie Huang and the Power of "Sad Boy Lit"
Writer and chef Eddie Huang joins the party for a conversation about "sad boy" literature, finding love, and the worst relationship advice he's ever received. Like what you heard? Sign up for our newsletter to catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture. Something in your feed you want us to talk about on the show? Email us a video at engagementparty@cnn.com and we’ll feature you on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 24 · 47 min
Gen Z's '90s Nostalgia Has Some Gaps
The '90s are everywhere these days — clothes, music, TV — and brands are doing everything they can to capitalize on the revival. Audie and Ari explore what’s driving the modern fascination with a decade they lived through, what Gen Z's rose-colored glasses miss about the era, and what they wax nostalgic for (mix tapes!). Plus, comedian Rob Anderson joins Audie to discuss why nostalgia is so damn funny. Like what you heard? Sign up for our newsletter to catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture. Is there something in your feed you want Audie and Ari to talk about? Email us a video at engagementparty@cnn.com and we might feature you on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 17 · 38 min
'The Odyssey' Is Epic But The Discourse Is Not
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey isn't just a movie — it's an event. Audie and Ari sift through the hype, backlash, and what the online chatter says about the cultural moment. Plus: how Venmo is warping our relationships with money and each other, and why Love Island watch parties rival ones for the World Cup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 10 · 32 min
Will Meta’s AI Glasses Ever Be Cool?
Meta’s trying hard to sell people on its AI glasses, but will partnering with Ray-Ban and celebrities like Kylie Jenner let them shed the pervasive take that they’re creepy and cringe? Plus, why fro-yo’s in the midst of yet another revival, and whether the viral “airport theory” of rolling up to security when you’re flight’s due to board is smart or horrifying (Audie and Ari disagree). About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 3 · 39 min
The Summer of Peptides and Celebrity Weddings
Is this officially the summer of peptides and celebrity weddings? Audie and Ari consider what Serena Williams’ Wimbledon comeback means for the rise of GLP-1s and the evolution of body positivity. Then they dive into Taylor Swift, our parasocial obsession with celebrity romance, and unveil their official taxonomy of weddings. Finally, what was up with that “tapping” scene in The Devil Wears Prada 2? About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 26 · 41 min
‘Nunmania,’ the Woke Pope, and Gen-Z's Loneliness Content
From pop stars like Rosalía and Lilly Allen in habits to nuns blessing Spurs players and praise for the “woke Pope,” Catholicism is in, and everywhere. But is it just about the aesthetics? Plus, why are people celebrating having no friends in their TikTok videos? And are those adorable videos of World Cup fans delighting in America’s air conditioning, oversized servings and ranch dressing for real? About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 19 · 39 min
The Anti-Toxic Masculinity of Modern-Day Rom-Coms
Amazon's wildly popular "Off Campus" is just the latest in a parade of BookTok-beloved titles to gain new fans as streaming shows, and the pairing of explicit sex and non-toxic masculinity means these aren’t your mom’s rom-coms. And as fans react to Phoebe Bridgers’ announcement of a phone-free arena tour this summer, Audie and Ari debate the merits of locking away devices for live events. Plus, "Wild Card" host Rachel Martin is over menopause-friendly salmon recipes in her feeds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 12 · 40 min
'Obsession' Fever, 'The Republic of Wasia,' and Why Tan Lines Are Hot Again
"Obsession" and "Backrooms" are breaking box office records. Audie and Ari dissect both films' YouTube origins, the secrets of their success, and why the whole horror genre is killing it right now. Then, friend of the show Elise Hu helps break down how the "Republic of Wasia" became a meme and a moment, and why not everyone who's mixed-Asian feels included. Plus: Why are tan lines in again? About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading, and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 10 · 50 min
Audie & Ari on Ambition, Purpose, Poetry (from The Sam Sanders Show)
What are the pieces of pop culture — movies, music, TV, books, speeches — that you return to over and over again? Sam Sanders calls them “Modern Scriptures,” and on the latest episode of his podcast, he joins his longtime friends and fellow NPR colleagues Ari Shapiro and Audie Cornish to hear all about theirs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 5 · 39 min
The 'Summer House' Scandal and Andrew Lloyd Webber On Revivals
The racially charged love triangle drama on the long-running reality series "Summer House" has echoed far beyond the Bravo-verse, and Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro are unpacking why Ciara's responses have gone so viral. Plus: Andrew Lloyd Webber of "Phantom of the Opera" and "Sunset Boulevard" fame joins to talk "Cats," sobriety, and letting go of creative control. Kara Swisher wonders why Pete Hegseth is pirouetting across her socials. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 29 · 28 min
Protein-maxxing, 'blue dot fever' and the slopbowl downfall
From PopTarts to soda, food brands are adding protein to almost everything, and people are going to gross lengths online to get enough of it, from the stars of Netflix show "Love is Blind" to the internet "boy kibble" creators. But can protein be...MAGA-coded? And does fiber have what it takes to become the internet’s new favorite food trend? Plus, Alan Cumming calls for an end to “slop bowls,” and what's really behind musicians like the Pussycat Dolls canceling their tours this summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 22 · 33 min
Yes, We're Still Hate-Watching 'Euphoria'
Season three of HBO’s 'Euphoria' is coming to a close, and its characters...are not teens anymore. Neither are the stars. From Zendaya to Sydney Sweeney to Jacob Elordi, the cast has grown up with the show. In this episode of Engagement Party, Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro dissect the careers and controversies surrounding Sam Levinson's 'Euphoria.' Plus, what the sale of original Bob Ross paintings says about the line between art and kitsch, and what's up with all these AI Michael Jackson cartoons. Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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