Podcrushed — Blakely Thornton (Jan 14, 2026)

Hosts: Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, Sophie Ansari

Guest: Blakely Thornton

Episode Overview

In this wide-ranging and candid conversation, cultural commentator and creator Blakely Thornton joins the Podcrushed crew to rewind to his formative years, excavate the intersections of identity, privilege, and pop culture, and let loose with searing, hilarious observations on everything from locker room groupthink, AI, celebrity, and the state of media. Blakely also gets deeply personal, unpacking his experience as a Black, closeted gay kid in competitive sports and exclusive prep schools, and reflecting on how those adolescent struggles forged his humor, resilience, and fearless voice today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Blakely’s Early Years: Identity, Tennis, and Fitting In

[06:19–10:05]

• Grew up in Dallas, Texas; sixth grade (1997) was tennis-obsessed after watching Venus Williams in the US Open.
• Social circles: “All of my best friends were Jewish. I went to Sunday school more than church. Went to Hebrew school so I could do the dance Torah portion. That was really formative for me.” (06:54)
• Early encounter with gender and sexuality: While friends were attracted to Buffy, Blakely wanted to be her—“I don’t want to be with Buffy. I more so want to be Buffy.” (07:48)
• He describes a sense of “cellular knowledge” that being gay was “bad and wrong” in his environment, leading to performative aggression and hypermasculinity: “Let me get you before you get me. If you can come at me for being gay, I can’t deny that or fault that.” (11:03)

2. Suppression, Popularity, and Coming Out

[10:39–13:22]

• Blakely admits he was a popular bully at times, weaponizing intimidation as a defense: “I was definitely a bully…That’s from knowing that about myself.” (11:03)
• Didn’t discuss his sexuality with anyone until his mid-20s; the longstanding suppression now makes authenticity non-negotiable: “…it’s almost intolerable for me to be anything but myself at this point…” (12:53)

3. Sports, Masculinity, and Breaking Away

[08:24–10:05; 15:16–19:33]

• Transitioned from tennis to football, ultimately playing as a fullback at UPenn.

• Found the football environment both homoerotic and homophobic—compounded levels of discomfort and humor.

• Notable memory of rejecting football’s groupthink after witnessing the dangers and conformity of the sport:

  "I was on kickoff return…statistically insurmountable amount. I was like, I’m not doing that…That was the beginning of, like, oh, straight male groupthink is just stupid. Like, this is why we start wars. Like, they get in rooms, they’re like, 'Well, I can't back down. Well, you can't back down.'" — Blakely Thornton (16:23)

• Deeply traumatic hazing experience: “My freshman year…all the freshmen leave, they proceed…there’s this thing called gojo…they just throw it on your face pretending they’ve ejaculated on you…That delayed my coming out 10 years. That one moment.” (18:12)

4. Finding Belonging and Role Models

[21:35–22:56]

• Tennis offered an egalitarian space, a sense of belonging outside of team sports and their politics.
• “I could be myself…kind of mouthy and aggressive. And also I kind of had like Serena and Venus Williams as kind of icons to put that into.” (22:56)
• Pop culture was always safe haven and fascination for Blakely: “The first big feelings were probably literally that kiss. I was like, oh, I am not—That was a big feeling of like, I do not enjoy this.” (24:23)

5. Culture, Privilege, and Pop Commentary

[38:37–45:10, 47:38–49:04]

• Prep school background: “My school was like Gossip Girl, but more racist. It was like billionaires, oil, and cattle barons.” (23:38)
• Privilege instilled an immunity to celebrity awe: “Being among that, like, it wasn’t my privilege but it was immense…and you don’t understand how weird it is until you go to college.” (40:56)
• Readiness to call out hypocrisy and false merit in celebrity, fashion, and even Anna Wintour at the Met Gala.

6. The Changing Media & Brand Landscape

[55:52–59:23]

• Critique of tech’s absorption of culture: “They buy all the aspects of culture. And I think it’s interesting that now Hollywood…has made itself a sector of tech.” (55:52)
• Challenges for up-and-coming artists to balance authenticity and self-branding in a digital-first world, often earning more from brand deals than art.

7. Blakely’s Origin Story as a Virality-Surfing Commentator

[59:23–64:14]

• Started as a digital strategist for big brands, taught execs social media, later worked for creative agencies and ran influencer campaigns.
• Accidentally went TikTok-viral on a whim, later amplified on Instagram.
• Known for fearless, tagged commentary: “Anything you say, you should be willing to say to a person’s face…I tag people. If you have a problem with what I said, come see me.” (62:11)
• Notables like Tom Holland have interacted with his posts.

8. Entertaining Pop Culture Debates

[41:31–45:07]

• “Dan being Gossip Girl made no motherfucking sense.” (41:31)
• “If you replace ‘Brooklyn’ every time they use Brooklyn with ‘bisexual’, [Dan] actually makes more sense as a character.” (42:44)
• Thanksgiving ‘Gossip Girl’ episodes are an annual comfort tradition.

9. On Trends, Gender, and What to “Roll Credits” On

[71:02–73:40]

• Wants “reboots” to end: "I’m so fucking tired. I don't care anymore…Give me an original story."
• Calls for an end to gendered acting awards: “Why do we gender act performances? Are we saying Russell Crowe out-acted…Meryl Streep?” (72:23)
• Champions dismantling of gender norms, more female directors, and more authentic storytelling.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Football & Masculinity:

  “A football locker room is all at once the most homoerotic and homophobic place in the world… There is nothing gayer than a football locker room. Why are you wagging your dick in his face?”
  — Blakely Thornton, 18:52

• On Wealth & Privilege:

  “Being amongst that, like, it wasn’t my privilege, but it was immense. And you were surrounded by it. So, like, understanding people, I think that upbringing allows me to, like, get in Anna Wintour's face at the Met Gala. Because I'm like, you're never gonna intimidate me.”
  — Blakely Thornton, 41:22

• On Pop Commentary Style:

  “People are like, you're scary. It's like, no, just don't be a Nazi. Just have a sense of humor about yourself.”
  — Blakely Thornton, 63:37

• On AI & Culture:

  “I hate AI so much.”
  — Blakely Thornton, 67:34

• On Survival & Authenticity:

  “I would tell 12-year-old Blakely it’s gonna get better. Being you will be your superpower. And just always be open to people, even if it hurts. And it’s better to be open and get hurt than be closed off.”
  — Blakely Thornton, 81:54

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Early Sports and Identity (Tennis & Bar Mitzvah Track): [06:24–08:16]
• Football & Locker Room Culture: [09:39–19:33]
• First Kiss and Internal Realizations: [23:38–24:23]
• Gossip Girl and Prep School Reflections: [38:37–45:10]
• On Pop Culture and Commentating: [59:23–64:14]
• On AI in Media: [67:34–68:46]
• Final Advice to 12-year-old Blakely: [81:40–82:52]

Tone Highlights

• Irreverent, sharp-witted, and deeply self-aware, Blakely leverages humor to break down both the pain and absurdity of growing up as an outsider.
• The hosts' banter keeps the energy light while steering toward introspection.
• No-nonsense honesty about celebrity, privilege, and the price of “success.”
• Critical, yet playful, in pop culture hot takes and social critique.

Summary Takeaways

This episode uniquely blends the vulnerable with the hilarious, as Blakely Thornton maps the contradictions of privilege, pop obsession, and queer adolescence in America—with refreshing candor and incisive critique. He champions authentic selfhood and calls for an industry (and society) less obsessed with conformity and more curious about the real stories, told by a richer diversity of voices.