Podcast
Midwest Besties
Hosted by Lauren & Emily · EN
The pop culture podcast for the rest of us.
TV, Books, Reality, Movies, Celeb Gossip, and More.
22episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 124 - The Beckhams are Fighting Again
1w ago00:57:56Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn this week’s pop culture potluck, the besties have a lot to discuss. First up: the explosive Vanity Fair article on Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network (spoiler alert: it’s not going well). Then, they dive into Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, and explain why they think it’s an absolute masterpiece. The conversation continues with the latest Beckham family drama (Team Brooklyn), the New York Knicks’ NBA Finals victory, and a roundup of all the TV shows currently consuming the besties’ lives. Support the show
Transcribe →FLYOVER DEEPDIVE - Summer House: The Aftermath
1w ago00:33:36Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIt’s finally here: the end of the road for Summer House Season 10 (we mean it this time). The besties unpack The Aftermath sit-downs, including Lindsay giving Amanda every possible reason to run far, far away from West—only for Amanda to go to Italy with him anyway. We also cover Kyle and West’s conversation, which somehow lasted several minutes while providing exactly zero new information, and Ciara’s long-awaited chat with Meija. Sadly, the most baffling revelation of all is that Meija is apparently still talking to West. Ladies, stand up. Support the show
Transcribe →Episode 123 - Love Island USA's Newest Fan
2w ago00:49:18Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailWe got our first heat wave of the season, besties—not just from these Midwestern temps, but from all the pop culture news, too.On today’s episode, we share our concerns about how World Cup international teams will handle America’s humidity (it’s what’ll get ya), discuss how horror movies are bringing audiences back to theaters, and follow Lauren’s ascension into the Love Island fandom.We also delicately discuss Ariana Grande’s shocking tour footage (Content Warning: Discussion of Disordered Eating), share the latest Taylor news, talk about what we’re reading, and more.So grab your headphones and crank up the AC, because this episode is a scorcher.Support the show
Transcribe →FLYOVER DEEPDIVE - Summer House Season 10 Reunion Part 3
2w ago00:29:16Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailI’m tired of this reunion, Grandpa! Emily and Lauren are back to discuss the Summer House Season 10 Reunion Part 3. And wow! We hope you weren’t hungry because West and Amanda gave us nothing. And much like when your idiot coworkers don’t come to the meeting prepared, we now have to reschedule the drama for a later date, with Summer House: The Aftermath premiering next week. Bravo literally said, “That’s too damn bad, keep digging!” But we digress. In this episode, we discuss the revelations we did get, including West’s word-salad relationship with Meija, Jesse’s feelings of betrayal, the fact that West and Amanda are now, indeed, “exclusive,” and whether their actions at this reunion constitute a fireable offense. Support the show
Transcribe →The Boy Mom™ Essay that Broke the Internet
3w ago00:49:45Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn this week’s pop culture potluck, the besties talk about what is possibly the darkest of your for you page: Boy Moms™. Jenny Mollen’s weird Instagram post with her son and bizarre Substack essay left us with questions and concerns. We also chat about Taylor Swift’s original song for Toy Story and whether this will finally get her that coveted Oscar. We switch to TV to give our thoughts on the Hacks series finale and dive into the latest episode of Bravo’s In the City. Support the show
Transcribe →FLYOVER DEEPDIVE - Summer House Season 10 Reunion Part 2
3w ago00:36:14Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn this fly over deep dive, your favorite besties get into the Summer House season 10 reunion (part two). The girlies discuss Amanda’s walk-off, West and Amanda giving us absolutely nothing, and Kyle trying to justify his bad behavior. They discuss Dara’s articulate read on West, a sweet moment between Carl and Lindsay, and so much more! Support the show
Transcribe →Episode 121 - She's Definitely Not Our Wife
4w ago01:09:01Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailThe Summer House Season 10 Reunion Part 1 is officially here, and after weeks of us being absolutely rabid waiting for it, it did not disappoint. Who else is ready for the “She’s Your Wife. She’s Not My Wife” merch? WE ARE! Emily and Lauren dissect the intense episode from start to finish: Amanda’s cocktail of zoned out and coming in hot, Kyle barely keeping it together, Bailey giving us fabulous non-ScAmanda content, KJ’s vulnerability, and so much more. And hey, guess what? This isn’t (just) a Summer House podcast! We do a quick round robin of the new In the City cast members and, unfortunately, have to issue Kyle Cooke an apology about his and Amanda’s disgusting apartment. Amanda’s Mom–where were you? Emily gives her thoughts on Off-Campus (spoiler alert: we give it a big IYHWIYWTFAYD(™)), the Hacks final season, Real Housewives of Rhode Island’s first beefs (SLAM PIG with a side of Crakas), and we finish up by checking in on Tay-Tay. Refer a friend? Get a sticker! Send us a DM, and we’ll get you hooked up to show your Midwest Bestie pride! Support the show
Transcribe →Episode 120 - Everyone Needs to Get ON Off Campus
May 2201:06:29Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailThe besties are back with a jam-packed episode. Emily and Lauren recap the Summer House season finale that lowkey felt like a series finale(yes, Lauren cried) and unpack the explosive reunion trailer. Lauren shares her newest TV obsession, Off Campus, while Emily gets into Widow’s Bay—romance and horror are SO BACK BABY. We also discuss why we know longer ride for Mary Beth Barone, the latest male loser on TV, Danny Booko from The Valley, and why he’s awful. In Table Scraps, we cover Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt’s breakup, Jacob Elordi and Kendall Jenner’s PR relationship, Taylor Swift’s chronically bad style, and Avery Woods doxxing someone on TikTok.Support the show
Transcribe →FLYOVER DEEPDIVE - Famesick by Lena Dunham
May 1300:32:55Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn this Flyover Deep Dive, the besties unpack Famesick by Lena Dunham. In her memoir, Lena gets into it all: skyrocketing to fame with Girls, her deeply dysfunctional friendship with Jenni Konner, Adam Driver (spoiler: apparently he really is just Adam IRL), and her six-year relationship with Jack Antonoff. Lena’s story is always set against the backdrop of her chronic illness–suffering from near-constant pain, endometriosis flares, surgeries, and her mental health. She gets into her complicated family dynamics, putting her work before her health at any cost, and overcoming drug addiction. Support the show
Transcribe →Episode 119: The Met Gala Sucks Now, But Girl, The LEWKS!
May 700:53:28Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailPop culture Potluck is BACK, and we have a smorgasbord! In this episode, we discuss our complicated feelings about the Met Gala and share our favorite and least favorite looks. Just because 90% of our closet is Old Navy doesn’t mean we don’t know fashion, hunty.We also give the lowdown on the dark energy of Hulu’s new reality show lineups, including Vulture’s new Reality Masterclass, which features our arch-nemesis, N*** V****. We are not happy about it. What is making us happy is Middle of Nowhere, Kacey Musgraves’ 10/10 new album, and Running Point Season 2! Mindy Kaling, give us all the shitty sets and big suits! We also dissect the big Summer House reunion audio leak and whether Amanda Batula is a psychopath or just getting a really bad re-edit. That and oh so much more. Listen and leave us a comment! Support the show
Transcribe →