In which we catch up on the holiday break, the latest in RHOSLC and pop culture, and our plans for 2024! About: Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the stories, as together they look beyond the headlines of troublesome YouTubers or scandal-ridden A-Listers, and delve deep...

What you're about to hear is a Patreon exclusive episode, in which we recap Justin Bieber's Youtube documentary series. The episode slots in right before our final episode in Child Star Hell, and gives you a sneak peek of what happens over on Patreon.  Subscribe now for many more episodes like it! About: Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields...

What you're about to hear is an exclusive Patreon bonus episode, which slots right after the first episode from our Child Star Hell series from earlier this year. Subscribe now on Patreon to hear this and many more like it! About: Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the...

VIRGIL'S READING RECOMMENDATIONS!!!!!! IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER! SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU EMAIL VIRGIL@BIGSOYNATURALS. WORLD, SAY YOU WANT TO "BORROW" A "COPY" The Colonial Present by Derek Gregory Palestine Speaks by Cate Malek Let Me Stand Alone by Rachel Corrie My Name Is Rachel Corrie by Rachel Corrie The Iron Cage by Rashid Khalidi Letters From Palestine by Kenneth Ring & Ghassän Abd Allh Zionism And Its Discontents by Ran Greenstein Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism...

In which we talk Goerge Santos cameos, celebrity amputations, Ozempic housewives, and much more!    Skips:   Paris Hilton and Demi Lovato Prepare for the Holidays by Making Their Dogs Pet-Friendly Cakes [People] Bhad Bhabie Is Pregnant! Rapper, 20, Expecting First Baby with Boyfriend Le Vaughn [People] Paris Hilton Reveals She Didn't Change Son Phoenix's Diaper for One Month After His Arrival: 'I'm Scared' [People] Felicity Huffman finally speaks out about Varsity Blues admissions...

We're back! From talking about The Jonas Brothers that is... In this week's hot topics special we talk about Jamie Lynn Spears' flop era, the end of #Scandoval, and the dystopian irony of the Squid Games reality show.  About: Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the stories,...

It's the grand finale 🚨 As his band implodes, Nick Jonas begins a full frontal assault on gay people, and finds himself an unwitting conspirator in the culture war. Elsewhere, Danielle Jonas ascends to sainthood as Sophie Turner hurtles towards freedom! About: Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find...

On the eve of their fifth album, a stupid fight finally breaks The Jonas Brothers apart. Churned through Disney's Fame Machine and eager to shed their virginal reputations, what awaits them on the other side? Sex, drugs, and a whole lot of gay rumors!   About: Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find...

The Jonas Brothers are officially in free fall! As Disney cancels their contracts, sales plummet, and Joe grows chest hair, a perplexing new reality show cause fans and the press to ask: What were these former teen heartthrobs ever famous for, exactly? Sources:  Actress Demi Lovato to spend Thanksgiving in rehab: report, 11/17/2010 [NYP] Jonas Bros. Manager Looks for Next Star on Web, 12/7/2010 [CBS] Ashley Greene and Joe Jonas Split, 03/17/11 [People] JOE JONAS GOES IT ALONE, 04/11...

With their show cancelled, tour in chaos, ticket sales drying up, and no new album in sight — walls are closing in on the Jonas Brothers in 2010! How did things fall apart so badly for them and the music biz only five years into their career? Palestine Resources: Official BDS Movement Site NATIONAL MARCH ON WASHINGTON: FREE PALESTINE [People's Forum] Gaza: “Each Day Seems Darker Than the Last” [IWPR] Who Is Allowed To Do Science? [Defector] Sources: Nick Jonas Debuts His New Rock Band...

Chaos descends on the Jonas Brothers while tensions brew amongst the aging trio. As ticket sales dwindle and their contrived relationship drama threatens the chaste archetypes Disney forced on them, can the band even survive Obama's first term in office?  Palestine Resources: Eating For Free BDS Episode w/ Alex V Green [Part 1] Eating For Free BDS Episode w/ Alex V Green [Part 2] Where the Palestinian Political Project Goes from Here [NewYorker] The Second Week [TheNewInquiry] “We Cannot...

After the Jonas Bros historic 2008 deal with Live Nation, industry gossip erupts around their credibility as tweenage rockstars. Camp Rock soon fails to make a High School Musical sized splash. Can their promise rings carry them into the future intact? Sources:  The Jonas Brothers in full bloom, 03/26/2008 [LA Times] Joe Jonas to Miley Cyrus: We Got Your Back!, 04/23/2008 [Just Jared] The Jonas Brothers Light Up White House Dinner, 04/27/2008 [Just Jared] The Kids are Alright, 05/08/08...

The Jonas Bros forge purity rings to mark their deal with Disney's devil, and are swiftly plugged into the fame machine built for Britney Spears. As she's put under conservatorship, Spears' team abandons her to make the tweens famous instead!  Sources: The Jonas Brothers Sign Record Deal With Disney's Hollywood Records, 02/08/07 [PR Newswire] Dangerous Diabetes: Affliction of the Stars, 12/20/2007 [ABC] JONAS, ZAC & CORBIN, OH MY!, 04/27/2007 [Tiger Beat] How Disney Is Reviving A Band...

Let's go back to beginning: before the Jonas Bros. were Disney virgins, they were tween Broadway extras doing anti-drug pop punk PSAs in New Jersey. But God's kingdom isn't so peaceful; a church scandal and a dropped record deal soon change everything!   Click here for tickets to Crooks & Nannies' album release party 09/30 at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia! Sources: Research collected from old clippings and Nick Jonas’ original website detailing his Broadway era. [NJB] Growing Up...

We just can't help ourselves: our latest episode is the premiere of our brand new fall series, The Jonas Brothers' Chastity Crusade! In the first episode, we dive into the comically obvious PR spin being applied to Joe's divorce from Sophie Turner!   Click here for tickets to Crooks & Nannies' album release party 09/30 at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia!   Links: Johnny Brenda’s, Crooks and Nannies [Tickets] Sophie Turner’s Self-Quarantine Life With Joe Jonas Involves DJ’ing and...

In the finale of our series on Ariana Grande, things finally fall apart. Rumors of an affair with Wicked co-star Ethan break the internet as Scooter Braun jet skis in Europe. But is the story tabloids have told really what happened behind closed doors? Sources: Spongebob Musical Clip [YouTube] [2020] Why Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez Split After 2 Years of Marriage: Source [People] [July 17, 2023] Ariana Grande Is Dating Her 'Wicked' Costar Ethan Slater After Dalton Gomez Split: Sources...

Our audio sync issues have been fixed!   Fresh off more scandals than she had rings, Ariana Grande "quarantine n chills" with now ex-husband Dalton Gomez. A pandemic looms, and the long shadow it casts over Grande's Midsommar-themed 27th bday bash spells doom for these star-crossed lovers! Links: Ariana Grande sued for copyright infringement over ‘7 Rings’, 01/17/20 [CNN] Ariana Grande Dating Luxury Real Estate Agent Dalton Gomez, 03/25/2021[ET] ARIANA GRANDE QUARANTINE & CHILL...

Following immense tragedy, Ariana Grande experiences a year of contrasts in 2019: record breaking achievements are overshadowed by more scandals and controversies than any other contemporary in her lane. That hair? She's gonna wish she never bought it! Links:  Victoria Monét Is Ready for the Work [Harper's Bazaar] Ariana Grande Sick During Sweetener Tour [ET] Ariana Grande mocked for Japanese tattoo typo: ‘Leave me and my grill alone’, 01/13/19 [The Guardian] Princess Nokia Accuses...

About: Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the stories, as together they look beyond the headlines of troublesome YouTubers or scandal-ridden A-Listers, and delve deep into the inner workings of Hollywood's favorite pastime. The truth, they've found, is definitely stranger...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains long conversations about violence, terrorist attacks, suicide, drug use, and alcohol addiction.  As moral panic descends, let's be brave, and critically examine the mess Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater made of everything! In this week’s third installment of our deep-dive series, we look into Ariana’s modern pop culture moments and the events leading up to the Manchester bombing attack, as well as Mac Miller's death in 2018--both of which fundamentally...

As moral panic descends, let's be brave, and critically examine the mess Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater made of everything! In this week’s followup to Part One, we look into Ariana’s big-break moment and her debut commercial album to learn what turned the Nickelodean actress in the world's next big superstar.  Links: Scooter Braun, NPR 2022: [NPR] 10 Fun Fitness Facts with Ariana Grande, February 29, 2012 [SHAPE] Kristen Stewart & Ariana Grande Talk Breakups | Interview | On Air With...

As moral panic descends, let's be brave, and critically examine the mess Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater made of everything! In this week's episode, we dig into their careers and personal lives to seek...absolution? Forgiveness? Healing? A ponytail joke? Sources: The happy-go-lucky 25-year-old Jewish guy who plays SpongeBob on Broadway [Times of Israel] Before she was a superstar, Ariana Grande was a Florida Panthers superfan [Florida Sun Sentinel] Ethan Slater Is SpongeBob SquarePants...

To get things started with a bang on our return from summer vacation, we brought on the most hotly discussed and begged for guest in E4F history: Joan's sister, the legendary fashion scholar and Barbie officianado, Rashida Renée! We talk Barbie, Barbie, Barbie, Barbie, and Barbie! Links: ‘Barbenheimer’ Even Bigger Than Expected: ‘Barbie’ Soars to $162 Million, ‘Oppenheimer’ Jumps to $82 Million [Variety] The Brain Behind ‘Barbie’: Inside the Brilliant Mind of Greta Gerwig [Rolling Stone]...

We come back from our short-lived hiatus to bring you updates on possibly the biggest news story of 2023… Links: Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky Have 'Separated' After 27 Years of Marriage (Exclusive) [People] 'RHOBH' Star Kyle Richards and Country Singer Morgan Wade Fuel Romance Speculation With Matching Rings [Radar] Weird Events Happening In The Last Week Before Split [TikTok] PHOTOS: Here’s Why Fans Suspect Kyle Richards and Mauricio Have Split as RHOBH Star’s Bestie Morgan Wade...

This week we've got the legendary BibleGirl on to tell it. What exactly? Everything! Quitting drag, bulding a drag merch empire, the Target controversy, and the liberation of Britney, bitch! Links: Biblegirl Spills the Tea On Drag Race & Target's Pride Month Collab [Out] BIBLEGIRL'S SLUMBER PARTY [Grizzly Kiki] Meet BibleGirl: The Jewish Drag Queen People Love to Hate [Queerty] Inside #FreeBritney: A Stan Movement to Help Their Pop Savior [2020]  [PAPER] Britney Spears supporter...