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Second Thought

The Free Press

Second Thought is a new podcast from The Free Press tackling pop culture with a sharp, open-minded, and funny point of view. Hosted by Free Press co-founder Suzy Weiss and comedian Dan Ahdoot (Cobra Kai, Undercooked), the show cuts through the noise to explain what everyone is watching, talking about, arguing over, and quietly obsessed with—or will be soon. Expect cutting commentary, unexpected guests, and cultural translating for Gen Xers who want to understand their kids, millennials who are starting to feel like boomers, and everyone in between.

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  • 20 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 56 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • Friday · 51 min

    Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: A Summer Special

    The rich have never been richer–and us normal people simply can’t look away. From influencers posting about their vacations, to the cottage industries that pop up to help with everything from private school admissions to naming a yacht, there’s never been a better time to gawk at the decisions of the moneybags among us. At the dawn of the A-age, we’re living through a moment with over 3,000 billionaires, and for a short time, the world’s first trillionaire, Elon Musk was minted. His net worth has since dropped below the trillion dollar mark. Whether you are a rich person, aspire to be one, or protest them entirely, we’ve all got billionaires on the brain–and no one knows them better than Carson Griffith, a veteran wealth and power reporter and author of the newsletter Rich People Shit. This week, she joins Suzy and Dan to look back at all the craziest rich people stories this summer. They tackle Nantucket’s influencer ban, Ray Dalio’s 77th birthday in Ibiza, a record-breaking divorce in New Jersey, how peptides became all the rage, and more. Plus, Carson gives an inside scoop at the powerful’s private private habits–like the billionaire who ships his mattress overseas, the trainers teaching puppies to walk on yachts, and why the kids all want to go to Forte dei Marmi. Subscribe to Caron’s Substack: https://www.readrps.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • August 21 · 39 min

    Is Lindsay Clancy the O.J. of White Women?

    It’s a banner week for crazy women. Suzy and Dan dive into the conspiracy theories surrounding Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother on trial for strangling her three children and Real Housewife Lisa Rinna’s therapist-assisted attempt to crack the case. Then, Natalie Harp, Donald Trump’s fiercely devoted aide, managed to turn her longtime obsession with presidents into the ultimate fantasy: becoming virtually inseparable from one. And Cami Clark, wife of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, has a résumé that includes co-founding a women-focused luxury porn company she once tried—and failed—to get Jeffrey Epstein to invest in. Plus: the Pope gets the honor of meeting Matthew McConaughey, the surprising similarities between Trump and Muammar Gaddafi, and Dan celebrates his new comedy special, Yes, I Am Falafel Phil. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • August 14 · 40 min

    Brad Pitt is Drinking Again

    In this episode, Suzy Weiss and Dan Ahdoot unpack this week's very important culture news and spotlight the bizarre stories you probably missed. They celebrate Brad Pitt’s return to drinking “in a more restrained manner” after seven years of sobriety. They explore the Tokyo government’s decision to let men wear shorts to the office—and the resulting concern over “leg hair harassment” from the women forced to look at their hairy shins. And they investigate the extraordinary case of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday, whose alleged fabrications include being mute until age 11, illiterate until 18, running 600 miles in six days, and surviving a monthslong coma. Plus: Jussie Smollett and Karamo Brown’s blossoming relationship, what Olivia Rodrigo dating a finance guy means for Suzy’s romantic prospects, and why Bumble is giving up on women making the first move. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • August 7 · 47 min

    Jared Leto, Ariana Grande, and Naked Steakhouses


    In this episode, Suzy Weiss and Dan Ahdoot unpack this week’s very important culture news and spotlight the bizarre stories you probably missed. They discuss the sexual misconduct allegations against Jared Leto, Ariana Grande’s decision to step back from public life amid growing concern over the pop star’s health, and whether modern culture has forgotten the value of keeping things separate: therapy from the workplace, homes from restaurants, and steak from nudity. They break down the former Netflix executive suing after he was fired for revealing his ketamine use during a corporate trust exercise, the booming underground economy of home-cooked meals on Facebook Marketplace, and why a Florida steakhouse now wants you to eat your ribeye completely naked. Second Thought is supported by Cozy Earth. Experience ultimate comfort with Cozy Earth’s award-winning bamboo sheets, unbelievably soft and naturally cooling. Visit CozyEarth.com and use code SUZY for 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • July 31 · 47 min

    The Dark Side of Motherhood

    In this episode Suzy Weiss sits down with journalist Amy Chozick, who has spent her career covering some of America’s most polarizing women—from Hillary Clinton and Stormy Daniels to Elizabeth Holmes and Lauren Sánchez Bezos. They explore what these wildly different women have in common, why they’re judged so harshly, and what the public gets wrong about them. Then they turn to Chozick’s new novel and the growing wave of books exposing the darker side of motherhood and why it feels like part of you dies when you have children. Plus: a stirring defense of Lorena Bobbitt. Second Thought is supported by Cozy Earth. Experience ultimate comfort with Cozy Earth’s award-winning bamboo sheets, unbelievably soft and naturally cooling. Visit CozyEarth.com and use code SUZY for 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • July 24 · 47 min

    Tom Brady’s Midlife Crisis

    In this episode, Suzy Weiss and Dan Ahdoot unpack this week's very important culture news and spotlight the bizarre stories you probably missed. They examine Tom Brady’s increasingly strange post-divorce reinvention and his latest publicity stunt with Logan Paul, asking whether the GOAT is in the throes of a midlife crisis. They dig into the legal challenge to South Carolina’s face tattoo ban and debate whether face tattoos are really an expression of free speech. Then they ask the only question that really matters: Would you buy parasite-contaminated lettuce for 50 percent off and play “lettuce roulette” with a few days of explosive diarrhea? Plus: Why the outrage over Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is aimed at all the wrong things, the viral deformed raccoon uniting Seattle, and why Scientologists may deserve a little more respect than they usually get. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • July 17 · 55 min

    Inside the Golden Age of Porn

    Is porn empowering? Is it a scourge? And either way: Was it better in the ’80s? In this episode, Suzy Weiss and Dan Ahdoot sit down with writer Allie Rowbottom to dig into her new novel, Lovers XXX, set in the cocaine-fueled “golden age” of Los Angeles’ adult film industry. They discuss the evolution of pornography from VHS tapes to OnlyFans and why feminists remain deeply divided over whether porn liberates women or exploits them. Plus: the dark side of Los Angeles, the differences between East and West Coast strip clubs, and the enduring American greatness of Jell-O. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • July 10 · 43 min

    All the Details on Taylor Swift’s Gaudy Wedding

    In this episode, Suzy Weiss and Dan Ahdoot unpack this week’s *very* important culture news and highlight the bizarre, fascinating stories that you probably missed. They dissect Taylor Swift’s unhinged Madison Square Garden wedding, from the “schizophrenic” buffet menu and Chanel bag raffle to the bizarre guest list (why was George Stephanopoulos there?)—plus how one artist made money by selling cubes of trash collected outside the venue. They break down how AI is helping people talk to dead relatives, raising the question: Can your dead grandfather finally tell you he’s okay with the fact that you skipped law school? Plus: Paris Hilton’s surprisingly effective crusade against abusive “troubled teen” schools, why only Japanese people should ask guests to take off their shoes, and an airtight theory for why America will never dominate soccer: We have too much dignity to fake injuries like socialist European players do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • June 26 · 1 hr 28 min

    Child Star, Neuroscientist, Crunchy Mom: The Many Sides of Mayim Bialik

    Few public figures have a résumé as eclectic as Mayim Bialik’s: child star, sitcom icon, neuroscientist, Jeopardy! host, “crotchety” feminist, and unapologetic Zionist. On this episode of Second Thought, she joins Suzy Weiss for a conversation about growing up as a child actress, finding fame on Blossom, spending a decade on The Big Bang Theory, and why Hollywood has never quite felt like home. Plus: feminism, GLP-1s, abortion, plastic surgery, “naturalistic” parenting, generational trauma, whether toxic shock syndrome is real, being labeled both an out-of-touch liberal and a secret Republican, trying to raise “normal” kids in Los Angeles, and being a proudly Jewish actress in a post–October 7 world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • June 19 · 1 hr 15 min

    How Our Culture Became ‘Cult-Like’

    According to Luke Burgis, our biggest social problem isn’t loneliness or polarization or the decline of trust in institutions. Our problem is that most of us don’t even really understand ourselves. We dress dress alike, flock to the same restaurants, and chase the same goals not because we’re adjusting our behavior to fit in, but because the people around us have fundamentally transformed our inner desires and flattened our personalities That’s the subject of Burgis’s new book, The One and the Ninety-Nine, which explores how to build a “solid self” in a world of mimetic desire, social contagion, and intoxicating group dynamics. In this episode, Suzy Weiss and Dan Ahdoot cover all of this with him, plus Knicks mania, Cacio e Pepe, voice notes, and the unwritten rules of “dude-on-dude” phone calls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • June 12 · 1 hr 13 min

    Jeff Ross on Tom Brady, Trump, and the Roast of Kevin Hart

    Roast comedy is one of the last places where truly unfiltered commentary still lands in public, says “Roastmaster General” Jeff Ross. Few people understand the art of the insult better than Ross, who has presided over the brutal, hilarious takedowns of everyone from Joan Rivers and Justin Bieber to Charlie Sheen. Today, he joins Suzy Weiss to break down his new Netflix special, Take a Banana for the Ride, which manages to be both hilarious and serious—addressing the loss of both of his parents as a teenager, the grief that shaped him, and how comedy became a way to build resilience and develop a thicker skin. In their conversation, they also discuss why the Tom Brady roast unexpectedly helped thaw old tensions between Brady, his former team, and Bill Belichick, how Ross persuaded Brady to step back onto the dais for the roast of Kevin Hart, the resurgence of the word retarded in public use, Ross’s relationship with Donald Trump, why he adopted a geriatric dog during the pandemic, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • June 5 · 1 hr 13 min

    I Am Not a Robot (but My Boyfriend Was)

    For a year, tech writer Joanna Stern turned herself into an AI guinea pig. She let artificial intelligence into every corner of her life: testing robot assistants, commuting in autonomous vehicles, reading AI bedtime stories to her children, and even going on a road trip with her AI boyfriend, Evan. That experiment became her new book, I Am Not a Robot. In this episode, Joanna breaks down what we can expect from the next wave of AI technology. One question hangs over the episode: When the podcast host bots of the future are interviewing AI guest bots for the listening audience bots, who exactly will buy the mattresses? Plus: “rizz camming,” Dua Lipa’s restaurant recommendations, Backrooms, why online reviews are useless, Gen-Z jeans, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 28 · 1 hr 25 min

    Scooter Braun on Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and Becoming the Internet’s Villain

    Scooter Braun reflects on how he became one of pop music’s most powerful kingmakers, helping to engineer the careers of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande—and the controversies that reshaped his public image, from Kanye West’s antisemitic spiral, which ended their relationship, to the Taylor Swift masters dispute that turned Braun into one of the internet’s biggest villains. Braun says he barely knew Swift personally and argues the feud was flattened into a simplified tale that painted him as an exploiter in a story far more complicated than the public understood. He opens up about the intensity of the backlash—and how the online fury pushed him into a suicidal low point. They also discuss the changing economics of music, celebrity, fandom, and power in the social media era. Plus: why Braun thinks Spencer Pratt could actually become mayor of Los Angeles, and how he felt watching most of the music industry stay silent after Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 22 · 1 hr 6 min

    ‘Call Her Daddy,’ ‘Euphoria,’ and the New Template for Girlhood

    In this episode, Suzy Weiss sits down with writer Freya India to discuss how the internet, influencer culture, and therapy-speak have made adolescence more miserable than ever for girls. India’s new book, Girls®: Generation Z and the Commodification of Everything, examines how algorithm-driven platforms push young users toward extremes in beauty, body image, mental health, and relationships. It’s not vague cultural forces like “the patriarchy” that are warping girls’ self-worth, she argues. The real drivers are companies, and the social media platforms engineered to maximize engagement. India says that the effect isn’t just heightened insecurity, but a total flattening of personality. Across the world, girls are being pulled toward a homogenized end state—where everyone wants to look like the Kardashians, talk like Alex Cooper, and medicate or shop their way out of anxiety. They also explore rising male insecurity around appearance, how “femosphere” podcasts like Call Her Daddy mirror the same dynamics as the manosphere, the rise of OnlyFans, Euphoria, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 15 · 58 min

    Legendary Screenwriter on Hollywood, the Future of Entertainment—and Compulsive Gambling

    Read Allan Loeb in The Free Press: https://www.thefp.com/p/hi-my-name-is-allan-and-im-a-compulsive On this week’s episode of Second Thought, Suzy Weiss sits down with screenwriter Allan Loeb—he wrote, among other films, 21, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, The Dilemma, and Just Go with It—for a wide-ranging, entertaining conversation about Hollywood, AI anxiety, compulsive gambling, and the strange psychology of risk. Loeb opens up about creating imaginary friends whose net worths he obsessively tracked as a child, which developed into a gambling addiction that has checkered his adult life. He recounts losing fortunes shorting Tesla and spiraling through blackjack systems in Bahamian casinos—all while becoming a renowned Hollywood writer. Suzy and Allan unpack the future of storytelling in the age of AI, why Hollywood may not be dying nearly as fast as everyone claims, Tom Holland’s attachment style, and why baseball is “the crystal meth of gambling.” Then, comedian Dan Ahdoot joins the panel for a rundown of the week’s biggest culture stories—from the hantavirus panic to Billie Eilish’s new James Cameron-directed documentary, to the roast of Kevin Hart (the women took the night!). It’s a funny and moving episode that you won’t want to miss. Want more Suzy? Subscribe to “The Free Press” today to get her weekly culture column—fresh in your inbox every Friday afternoon: https://www.thefp.com/s/second-thought?sort=new Follow Suzy Weiss: Twitter: https://x.com/SnoozyWeiss Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzyisonline/ Follow Dan: Twitter https://x.com/standupdan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standupdan/ Subscribe to The Free Press: https://www.thefp.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 8 · 38 min

    Would You Travel to Korea for a New Face? Ben Kawaller Did.

    Ben Kawaller just flew to South Korea to inject salmon sperm into his face. On this week’s episode of “Second Thought,” Suzy Weiss, Dan Ahdoot, and Ben unpack the bizarre rise of the male beauty economy. Ben recounts his surreal trip to Seoul, where he underwent a series of cutting-edge cosmetic procedures—including “Crowtox,” laser treatments, and the infamous Rejuran salmon DNA injections. They also discuss Ben’s new podcast series, “Strange Bedfellows,” which explores the complicated political and cultural history of the LGBTQ coalition. From the shift from “gay” to “queer,” to the tensions within the movement itself, the discussion digs into how identity politics, gender ideology, and coalition-building reshaped American culture over the last several decades. Plus: theater etiquette collapse, the Met Gala, Jeff Bezos funding the arts, Spirit Airlines shutting down, why nobody knows how to behave in public anymore—and whether fashion is actually art. Smart, funny, provocative, and completely unhinged. You don’t want to miss it. Want more Suzy? Subscribe to “The Free Press” today to get her weekly culture column—fresh in your inbox every Friday afternoon: https://www.thefp.com/s/second-thought?sort=new Follow Suzy: Twitter: https://x.com/SnoozyWeiss Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzyisonline/ Follow Dan: Twitter https://x.com/standupdan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standupdan/ Follow Ben: Twitter: https://x.com/benkawaller Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benkawaller/ Subscribe to “The Free Press”: https://www.thefp.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 1 · 44 min

    Inside the Reality TV Machine with Sophia Rivka Rossi

    From The Hills to Glee to the rise of girlboss media—Sophia Rivka Rossi has seen and shaped our culture from the inside out. Today, she pulls back the curtain. On this week’s episode of Second Thought, Sophia joins Suzy Weiss to unpack the machine behind reality TV, the secret sauce behind Ryan Murphy’s dominance, and what happens when you finally stop outsourcing your inner life to online psychics, holistic healers, and empaths who insist they can clear your energy over WhatsApp. Then, joined by co-host Dan Ahdoot, the trio dives into the buzziest stories of the week: the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (Suzy was in the room), the controversial new Michael Jackson biopic, Megan Thee Stallion’s very public breakup—and more. It’s mandatory listening. Follow Suzy Weiss: Twitter: https://x.com/SnoozyWeissInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzyisonline/ Follow Dan: Twitter https://x.com/standupdan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standupdan/ Follow Sophia: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rivfifi/ Substack: https://www.betweenfriendsmedia.com/p/between-friends Subscribe to The Free Press: https://www.thefp.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • April 24 · 55 min

    Claudia Oshry Gets Real: Internet Fame, Blake Lively, GLP-1s & More

    On this week’s episode of Second Thought, Suzy Weiss sits down with comedian, media mogul, and professional pop culture savant, Claudia Oshry, for a conversation about what it actually takes to survive, and even thrive, online. As host of one of the internet’s most popular pop culture podcasts—The Toast, which she hosts with her sister Jackie—Claudia talks about the reality of being “internet famous,” getting canceled early in her career, and her relationship to fame, confidence, and public opinion. Then, Dan Ahdoot joins the conversation to dive into the pop culture stories of the week: why Blake Lively might be misunderstood, the too-online intensity of Olivia Rodrigo fans, Demi Lovato’s redemption arcs, the fraught personal dynamics of GLP-1s—and more. Follow Suzy: Twitter: https://x.com/SnoozyWeiss Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzyisonline/ Follow Dan: Twitter https://x.com/standupdan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standupdan/?hl=en Follow Claudia: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlwithnojob/ Subscribe to The Free Press: https://www.thefp.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • April 20 · 25 min

    Recession Indicators with Suzy and Dan

    Today, Suzy Weiss sits down with Dan Ahdoot to talk about the big stories of the week, including Justin Bieber’s Coachella performance, the supposed unmasking of Satoshi Nakamoto, and whether $40 is too much to pay for half a rotisserie chicken. Follow Suzy Weiss: Twitter: https://x.com/SnoozyWeiss Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzyisonline/ Follow Dan Ahdoot: Twitter: https://x.com/standupdan/with_replies Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standupdan/?hl=en Subscribe to The Free Press: https://www.thefp.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • April 17 · 1 hr 21 min

    We’re All Living in Casey Neistat’s World

    Today, on our inaugural episode of Second Thought, Suzy Weiss sits down with one of the most influential people in YouTube’s history: Casey Neistat. Casey has millions of followers and billions of views to his name—and he saw early on that YouTube would change everything. It certainly changed his own life. In this conversation, Casey talks about riding the wave of the YouTube tsunami, his love of old technology, and how his career illustrates Andy Warhol’s infamous prediction that “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Plus: the creative power of brothers, Lena Dunham, and who inherited the mantle of Jackass. He also answers some harder questions: Has the rise of the creator economy and the parasocial relationships that came with it been a net positive? Is it possible to win the algorithm without exploiting your audience? Can artistic expression survive the onslaught of artificial intelligence? On all fronts, the man who saw around the corner of our last media revolution isn’t so sure. Subscribe to Second Thought for new episodes every week. Follow Suzy Weiss: Twitter: https://x.com/SnoozyWeiss Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzyisonline/ Subscribe to The Free Press: https://www.thefp.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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