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Straight Up

Straight Up

Straight Up 247 Episodes Sep 17, 2026

Straight Up is a pop culture podcast hosted by best friends and journalists Kathleen and Ellie. Each episode offers unfiltered discussions on trending topics, entertainment news, and personal anecdotes. New episodes are released every Thursday.

Episodes

THERAPY: ChatGPT, false memories and weaponised ‘therapy speak’
THERAPY: ChatGPT, false memories and weaponised ‘therapy speak’ Sep 17, 2026 56:33 This week we’re revisiting our ep on the dark side of the therapy boom, from unqualified therapists planting false memories in vulnerable people and an obsession with labels to ‘therapy boasting’ on Hinge and the weaponisation of ‘therapy speak’. Plus, what makes a good therapist, and can AI offer an accessible alternative to what has become a luxury? We’ll be back with our usual pop culture debri
Alix Earle, her Alex Cooper feud and the business of influence
Alix Earle, her Alex Cooper feud and the business of influence Sep 10, 2026 52:42 Mega-influencer Alix Earle’s new reality show has dropped on Netflix and so we’re unpacking it all, from all the details of her feud with Alex Cooper to the family’s bizarre dynamics. Could Earle Meets World be Gen Z’s answer to The Kardashians? Also this week: series two of The Gentlemen starring Maya Jama, as well as the brilliant film spin-off of French comedy Call My Agent! featuring an excell
Ali G, the Met Gala backlash and cleavage’s big comeback
Ali G, the Met Gala backlash and cleavage’s big comeback Sep 3, 2026 52:48 Ali G is back after more than 20 years, sparking a backlash over the character’s racist stereotypes with cinemas saying they’ll boycott the new film. And speaking of controversial comebacks, the planned John Galliano exhibition at the Met has been pulled, so this week we’re discussing cancel culture, second chances and when some things are better left in the past. Also on the show: the sky-rocketi
North West, Meghan Markle’s return and the man-child epidemic
North West, Meghan Markle’s return and the man-child epidemic Aug 27, 2026 1:02:56 Why do so many adult men seem stuck in arrested development? We review the buzzy new novel from the “male Sally Rooney” Jem Calder, whose rom-com I Just Want You to Be Happy charts a dysfunctional age-gap relationship between a 35-year-old man-child and 23-year-old woman. Also on the show: our thoughts on the backlash to North West’s “age inappropriate” Dazed cover, Meghan Markle’s new career move
The Ariana Grande discourse, ACOTAR and Nicole Kidman’s Vogue backlash
The Ariana Grande discourse, ACOTAR and Nicole Kidman’s Vogue backlash Aug 20, 2026 55:23 Ariana Grande’s tour has been getting rave reviews, but the increasingly feverish discussion around her weight has us asking whether it’s more harmful to comment or stay silent, and what this and the tragic case of Jason Arday tell us about how journalists can lose sight of the real people behind headlines. Also this week: romantasy fans rejoice as Sarah J Maas reveals the covers, titles and blurb
Nara Smith, the tradwife discourse and this year’s buzziest crime thriller
Nara Smith, the tradwife discourse and this year’s buzziest crime thriller Aug 13, 2026 1:02:38 Nara Smith came on Call Her Daddy to rebuke her status as “poster girl” for the tradwife movement, but do we buy her rebrand? We discuss whether her content glamourising hyper-feminine domesticity causes real-world harm or whether she’s being held to unfair standards. Plus, rave reviews of masterpiece non-fiction thriller London Falling, the epic third season of House of the Dragon, and Epstein-co
FRIENDSHIP BREAKUPS: ghosting, group dynamics and comparison culture
FRIENDSHIP BREAKUPS: ghosting, group dynamics and comparison culture Aug 6, 2026 1:05:05 This week we’re revisiting one of our most popular episodes on a topic that still feels like a taboo despite its clear universality, with the help of lots of deeply honest and moving DMs from the huns. A friendship ‘breakup’ is an experience more than 80% of women have been through and it can be even more gut-wrenching than ending a romantic relationship. Yet in our society that prioritises r
Our plastic surgery nightmare, Love Island and marital misery in The Invite
Our plastic surgery nightmare, Love Island and marital misery in The Invite Jul 30, 2026 1:01:50 This week we’re diving into Jia Tolentino’s viral essay on the new age of cosmetic enhancement, from how algorithms are changing our faces to whether Botox really helps women get ahead at work – and why our own feelings on tweakments have recently radically changed. Also on the show: Olivia Wilde’s brilliant new film The Invite, where she and Seth Rogen play a miserable middle-class married couple
Katie Price’s doc, The Odyssey and Justin Bieber vs Madonna
Katie Price’s doc, The Odyssey and Justin Bieber vs Madonna Jul 23, 2026 58:08 We are so excited to be reunited and resuming normal service this week with a very overdue pop culture catch up! First up: reviews of Christopher Nolan's much talked-about Hollywood epic The Odyssey and "perimenopausal" crime caper Ride or Die starring Hannah Waddingham, before we dive into the fascinating new Katie Price docu-series. Plus: the new data showing that nine out of 10 of Britain's bes
The best books of 2026 so far
The best books of 2026 so far Jul 16, 2026 1:09:09 This week we’re sharing our favourite reads of the year so far, from the novels we couldn’t put down and 2026’s most-talked about titles to the memoirs that kept us up at night. Consider this your summer reading inspo: including the ultra-hyped Strangers by Belle Burden, Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash and Devil Wears Prada-style thriller Workhorse. As promised, we’re also reviewing the trad-wife thri
Why we’re all bored of everything
Why we’re all bored of everything Jul 9, 2026 51:30 We have more entertainment than any generation in history, so why does everything feel boring now? Fatigue, the death of originality and digital overwhelm are things we’ve been mulling over a lot recently, after finding ourselves sick of the onslaught of mid-level media, the memeification of politics, nihilism, AI slop and remake after re-release upon algorithm-driven copycat. Is this all just a s
Taylor Swift’s wedding, Olivia Wilde and the rise of singles nights
Taylor Swift’s wedding, Olivia Wilde and the rise of singles nights Jul 2, 2026 1:14:06 Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are supposedly getting married this weekend, so we discuss how much of a spectacle it will be. Plus, what Olivia Wilde’s unfiltered Call Her Daddy episode says about the demonisation of mothers, what the glamourisation of smoking says about today’s weight-loss era, and why the exploitation of Marilyn Monroe feels so deeply relevant today. Also, the return of Caroline

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