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.
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 121 - She's Definitely Not Our Wife
6d 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
2w ago01:06:29Tap 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
3w ago00:32:55Tap 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!
4w ago00:53:28Tap 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 →FLYOVER DEEPDIVE - Yesteryear By Caro Clare Burke
Apr 3000:39:58Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailBesties, it’s Book Club Time! This week, Emily and Lauren take a break from discussing TV the internet can’t stop talking about to discuss the BOOK the internet can’t stop talking about. Yesteryear, by political and pop culture podcaster Caro Claire Burke, takes us inside the mind of the fictional tradwife social media influencer Natalie Heller Mills. The story is about what happens when Natalie wakes up to discover she is actually in the 1855 pioneer era. This book is a WILD RIDE, and the Besties talk about it all—influencer culture, religious trauma, the manosphere, and of course, Goldie Hawn in Overboard. So many spoilers, so if you want to read this book and haven’t read it, don’t listen. If you have read it and are dying to talk about it with someone, welcome! Support the show
Transcribe →The Loose Tum in Jennifer Tilly's $40K Purse
Apr 2300:53:12Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn this week’s pop culture potluck, we start off strong with the latest Summer House gossip. We chat about West and Amanda’s at the Yankees game, Ciara’s Glamour Cover, Mia’s WWHL interview, and recap S10 E12. We give our final thoughts on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as the season finally wraps up, and get into Coachella Weekend Two. We chat Sabrina’s set, Olivia Rodrigo’s new single, and Kacey Musgraves’ last-minute show. We switch gears to TV, sharing what we’re watching now, including Big Mistakes, Running Point, and the final season of Hacks.Support the show
Transcribe →Episode 117: Alex vs Alix: The Hot White Girls Are Beefing
Apr 1600:52:22Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailWhat is up, Daddy Gang?! It’s us, your besties! And this week in our Pop Culture Potluck, we have quite the spread! First, we discuss the trailer for the new Summer House spin-off, In The City. Lauren talks about how Danielle has personally victimized her. We follow up on the Summer House Scamanda scandal and how we are low-key loving Amanda and West owning their pieces of SH*T era. We break down Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber’s Coachella performances. Two artists living their truth, or the painful example of the double standard of female/male pop stars? PLUS, we break down Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper and TikTok’s Alix Earle’s mystery internet beef that we are LIVING FOR (Spoiler Alert: They are two different people). Plus, Jorginho clears Chappell’s name with another epic 3-point-font Instagram Story (we give him a big NO DUH), new books we're reading, and the exhausting GLP-1 discourse we can’t seem to escape.Support the show
Transcribe →Carl’s a Mess! The Aftermath of the Summer House Scandal
Apr 900:54:39Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailCarl’s a mess, and so are we! In this week’s pop culture Pot Luck, the besties discuss the aftermath of the Summer House Scamanda (™). Emily explains the latest Lindy West memoir, Adult Braces, and the besties break down Belle Burden’s recently released book, Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage. In table scraps, we touch on Ina Garten and how Meghan Markle straight up copies her, the latest Sussex missteps, Real Housewives of Rhode Island, and The Valley premiere. Pull up a chair because this is a big ol’ meal! Support the show
Transcribe →The Summer House Love Triangle Scandal Explained
Apr 100:54:34Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailHave you checked on your Bravo fans lately, Besties? You should. They are not okay. In this very special episode, Lauren and Emily go FULL detective mode and take you through the Summer House scandal that has ROCKED the internet. If you've been in a coma for the past week, newly separated Amanda and newly redeemed f*** boy West are an ITEM. One small problem – West is the on-again, off-again love of Amanda’s best friend (and fellow Bed BugTM) Ciara. This story is developing so quickly that we got our first-ever breaking news while recording (and it legit made us feel like Katie Couric). Outside of Summer House, the Besties discuss the season finale of Love Story (Constance Zimmer is the GOAT), Lindy West, the new hot book, Strangers, and why magazines are so back, baby.Support the show
Transcribe →Episode 114: Chappell Roan Hates Nepobabies
Mar 2600:52:45Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailDespite allergy season woes, your besties are locked in this week! In this pop culture potluck, we dig into Chappell Roan’s latest security drama, and do our best to delicately discuss Taylor Frankie Paul, The Bachelorette cancellation, and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (trigger warning: domestic violence). We move into lighter territory to recap the latest Summer House episode, where we are yelling justice for Bailey and in awe of Ciara, Mia, and KJ’s vulnerability. We chat about TV we’re super excited about, including The Pitt, The Valley, and Hacks. We end the episode by letting you know what we’re currently reading—that’s right, we don’t just watch Bravo TV all day, okay?!Support the show
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