This was the first election where the online far-right radicalization of young boys and men revealed itself in exit polls. After years of being fed diet-incel podcasts, one thing is clear: Gen Z will not, by some inherent virtue of youth, save us. Today, Taylor Lorenz and I break down the “epidemic of male loneliness”, the influencers exploiting it, the conservative media machine that funds them, and why we can’t just make a “leftist Joe Rogan.” Support me + listen to bonus episodes on...

In America, the only thing standing between you and wealth beyond your wildest dreams is tying for fifth with a trans person. Today, media critic Ari Drennen takes us into the bizarre world of the 24-year-old whispering policy into Donald Trump’s ear. Support me + listen to bonus episodes on Patreon! Start managing your money better and cancel unwanted expenses at www.rocketmoney.com/fruity.  Follow Ari's Substack. Me on Instagram. A Bit Fruity on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices....

The slogan of YouTube’s most popular debate channel, Jubilee, is “provoke understanding & create human connection.” So why is all of its content a cesspool of bigotry, rage-bait, and pseudoscientific slop?  Support me + listen to bonus episodes on Patreon! Huge thanks to the show's sponsors: Get 15% off a cuter, more sustainable way to clean at www.blueland.com/fruity. Get an exclusive 60% on Incogni! https://incogni.com/fruity Subscribe to Big Joel’s YouTube channel! Me on Instagram. A...

Well, I got Swiftied. As I sat there, sifting through ever more creative and graphic death threats, I wondered: is it time for a podcast episode? Today, Amanda Montell (of Sounds Like a Cult) takes us on an exploration of how online music fan culture co-opted the harassment tactics of the far right, which co-opted the social justice tactics of Black Twitter. Let’s go, girls. Support me + listen to bonus episodes on Patreon! Huge thanks to the show's sponsors: Protect yourself online, wherever...

H-O-T-T-O-G-O, Chappell Roan is someone we do not actually know. But what do we do with the (very real) feelings and relationships we form with the people on our screens? Today, Eliza of Binchtopia and I discuss fame — global fame and niche micro “fame” — to understand where we parasocially flew off the rails, and what the future of celebrity might look like with boundaries in place. Support me + listen to bonus episodes on Patreon! Listen to Eliza's music. Huge thanks to the show's...

How does a harmless interest in yoga turn into a crusade against homosexuals in public schools? Specific though it seems, we’ve all seen it happen: a friend with a seemingly innocuous interest in wellness starts “doing their research”, and one year later, bam: QAnon. Sparked by some recent beauty influencer drama, Derek Beres of Conspirituality helps us identify the far right’s Goop-iest seduction tactic. Support me + listen to bonus episodes on Patreon! Get an exclusive 60% on Incogni!...

Your gender is not determined by your anatomy, your chromosomes, your hormones, or even your internal sense of self. It is determined by J.K. Rowling. Today, Natalie Wynn (aka Contrapoints) and I unpack the harassment campaign against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and what it reveals about people who can “always tell.” Support me + listen to bonus episodes on Patreon! Get an exclusive discount on NordVPN (that I wish I had when I first signed up for it, but hey):...

Is Kamala bumpin’ that? Is BRAT summer over? Who killed it? Today, Maia of Rehash and I attempt a cynical but fair analysis of meme culture, Gen Z nihilism, and political standom. Support me + listen to bonus episodes on Patreon! Rocket Money is a real one for sponsoring the show. Start managing your money better and cancel unwanted expenses at www.rocketmoney.com/fruity. Register to vote here. Me on Instagram. A Bit Fruity on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

I stay away from heterosexual mess, but this time it came to me. Today, Taylor Lorenz and I work backwards to understand how a 21-year-old bed spring factory worker from Tennessee became a culture war symbol because of a drunken joke about fellatio. None of these words are in the bible. Support me + listen to bonus episodes on Patreon! Listen to Taylor’s podcast, Power User. Rocket Money is a real one for sponsoring the show. Start managing your money better and cancel unwanted expenses at...

A special episode where we hear from listeners of the show who were lovers, nurses, relatives, students, and friends of people who died from AIDS. Support me + listen to bonus episodes on Patreon! Thanks to Blueland for supporting the show. For 15% off a better way to clean, head to https://www.blueland.com/fruity. Me on Instagram. A Bit Fruity on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A drug that needs no introduction and a culture of fatphobia that lives on. Today, we are ALL beating the Ozempic allegations.  Use code "fruity" at https://incogni.com/fruity to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan! Support me on Patreon! To uncover and cancel the unwanted expenses you’ve forgotten about, try Rocket Money. Listen to Aubrey’s incredible show, Maintenance Phase. Me on Instagram. A Bit Fruity on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

How does a white gay guy from England go from “trans-Korean” troll to a member of the conservative media establishment? It’s easier than you think! Today, Taylor Lorenz helps us unpack the anatomy of the right wing grift — because if all else fails, just become a Fox News star. Support me on Patreon! Huge thanks to the sponsors of today’s show! For a more sustainable, chicer clean, try Blueland. To uncover and cancel the unwanted expenses you’ve forgotten about, try Rocket Money.  Find more...

Girlbossing too close to the sun can cause a real trainwreck. Today, we examine the unstable foundation of Amy Schumer's feminist brand of comedy and how it all fell apart. Support me on Patreon! Thanks to Rocket Money for sponsoring the show. Uncover and cancel your unwanted expenses at www.rocketmoney.com/fruity.  Here’s Maia’s YouTube channel, and here’s her fantastic podcast Rehash. Find more of A Bit Fruity. Find more of Matt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Until a month ago, college students in America were dweeby snowflake liberals, too socially anxious to notify the waiter of an incorrect order. Now, they’re (allegedly) well-connected, well-funded terrorists. Who are the students protesting for Palestine, what do they want, and why is the media obsessed with misrepresenting them? Support me on Patreon! Thanks to Blueland for sponsoring the show. For 15% off a better way to clean, head to www.blueland.com/fruity. Find more of A Bit Fruity....

Autistic nonbinary TikTokers. Loud, flamboyant gay men. The twink who filmed himself having sex in the Senate hearing room. Are gay rights being eroded across the country because some of us are… annoying? It’s tempting to think so, but it isn’t true. Sadly, we can never Blaire White-ify or Pete Buttigieg-ify ourselves to freedom. Support me on Patreon! Find more of Devon’s work. Find more of A Bit Fruity. Find more of Matt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new docu-series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” is shedding light on the abuse that early-2000s child stars faced behind the scenes of our favorite Nickelodeon shows. The doc focuses especially on Drake Bell (of “Drake & Josh” fame), but leaves out half the story. Is a program that claims to be raising awareness about abuse ultimately just perpetuating it? Support me on Patreon! Huge thanks to Blueland for sponsoring today’s show. Get 15% off a cuter, more sustainable way to...

From “sex is real” to Holocaust denial — if it happened to the wizard lady, it can happen to you. Support me on Patreon! Watch more from the brilliant Natalie Wynn a.k.a. ContraPoints. Find more of A Bit Fruity. Find more of Matt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2018, I called “Love, Simon” a “gay movie made by a straight woman for straight people.” Today, I tell you why I was wrong. Support me on Patreon! Huge thanks to Blueland for sponsoring today’s show. Get 15% off a cuter, more sustainable way to clean at www.blueland.com/fruity Find more of Becky. Find more of A Bit Fruity. Find more of Matt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A rant. Support me on Patreon! Learn more about Trans Lifeline. Big thanks to Rocket Money for sponsoring today’s show. Save more and get your life together at www.rocketmoney.com/fruity. Find more of A Bit Fruity. Find more of Matt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I get called a “groomer” on Twitter every day — which is weird, because I want nothing to do with your kids. What is it with queers and kids that gets conservatives so livid? Today, we explore The Gay Agenda’s exhausting past — beginning with the present. First, UK drag queen Crystal tells us how she successfully sued a right-wing activist who defamed her as a “paed*phile.” Then, Chelsey Weber-Smith (of American Hysteria) takes us through the last century of American history, where myths...

Peter Staley was a 24-year-old, closeted finance guy when he was diagnosed with HIV. Having been handed a death sentence, he quit his job and devoted what life he had left to fighting the homophobic governments that were letting him and his friends die. Peter tells us about living through the darkest years of gay history, the pivotal role of lesbians in the AIDS movement, and the silent mental health and drug battles he grappled with after realizing he was going to survive. Support me on...

Taylor Swift has the power to swing the presidential election. What if nothing else matters? Support me on Patreon! Find Angela on Twitter, not X. Find more of A Bit Fruity. Find more of Matt. Huge thanks to Blueland for sponsoring this episode. Get 15% off a cuter, more sustainable way to clean at www.blueland.com/fruity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How the manufactured hysteria over a single can of beer brought an end to the golden age of rainbow Doritos and “Homo Estás” Chipotle ads — at least until we’re profitable again. Support me on Patreon! (www.patreon.com/mattbernstein in case the hyperlink is being weird!) Find more of A Bit Fruity. Find more of Matt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is there valor in scamming your way through a system that failed you, even if you hurt people along the way? What is the value of the lies we tell ourselves about ourselves? Can you be morally bankrupt and a camp icon? The questions of America, explored with friend of the show Kat Tenbarge. Find Kat on Twitter and Instagram. Find more of A Bit Fruity. Find more of Matt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices