Normally Podcast: Elon Musk To The Rescue!

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show - "Normally Podcast: Elon Musk To The Rescue!"

Release Date: March 20, 2025

Hosts: Mary Kathryn Hamm and Carol Markowitz
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show by Premiere Networks

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1. Introduction to Current Events

In this episode of the "Normally" podcast segment, hosts Mary Kathryn Hamm and Carol Markowitz delve into the intertwined worlds of technology, politics, and media. They examine recent controversies surrounding Elon Musk, the Democratic Party's internal struggles, and the ripple effects of cancel culture on public figures.

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2. Elon Musk and Tesla Under Political Scrutiny

The discussion kicks off with the contentious act of demolishing Tesla vehicles by certain groups, a move that seemingly garners no ire from Democratic factions. Mary Kathryn highlights the controversial stance Democrats are taking, viewing the destruction of Tesla cars as negligible because "Elon Musk is bad."

Notable Quote:

Mary Kathryn Hamm [05:09]: "I just want to tell you, that is a weird dude. I am just baffled that they went with that guy as the vice presidential nominee while calling the other side weird."

The hosts also touch upon Elon Musk's fluctuating Tesla stock, noting a significant drop from $479 in December to $225, reflecting broader economic and political sentiments.

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3. SpaceX's Rescue Mission vs. NASA/Boeing Efforts

A significant portion of the episode centers on SpaceX's successful mission to rescue astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the International Space Station. The astronauts were initially stranded due to a malfunction in Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, intended for a short-term mission but extended to nine months.

Notable Quotes:

Carol Markowitz [07:12]: "Elon Musk calculated that there would be some political backlash to his alignment with Donald Trump. But again, the product is good."

Mary Kathryn Hamm [11:21]: "I didn't see the dolphins. I thought people were like, joking."

The duo criticizes the Democratic Party's handling of the situation, suggesting that political motivations delayed the rescue. They applaud SpaceX's efficient execution contrasted with Boeing and NASA's shortcomings.

Notable Quote:

Carol Markowitz [12:21]: "If our astronauts get stuck up at the space station, we have budgetary problems to get them back. I feel like we should just spend the money, you know."

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4. Democratic Party's Internal Struggles and Electoral Shifts

Transitioning to political analysis, the hosts discuss insights from Ezra Klein and David Shore regarding the Democratic Party's waning influence and shifting voter demographics. The conversation highlights a growing divide where higher-educated, affluent individuals lean Democratic, while the middle and working classes drift Republican.

Notable Quotes:

Ezra Klein [19:40]: "In places where liberals have an enormous amount of power... they cannot blame Elon, they cannot blame Trump, they cannot blame the Republicans in the Senate. They have the power. They're not delivering."

David Shore [22:40]: "Young people have gone from being the most progressive generation since the baby boomers and maybe even in some ways more so, to becoming potentially the most conservative generation that we've experienced maybe in 50 to 60 years right now."

The hosts critique the Democratic Party for not adapting to these changes, leading to electoral losses and a disconnect with younger voters.

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5. Cancel Culture and Online Relationship Ethics: The Harry Sisson Case

Mary Kathryn and Carol delve into the scandal involving leftist influencer Harry Sisson, who engaged in multiple online relationships with young women. The conversation underscores the pitfalls of cancel culture, where individuals face severe repercussions for personal misconduct, often with little distinction between professional capabilities and personal failings.

Notable Quotes:

Mary Kathryn Hamm [31:15]: "I have friends on Twitter saying things like, don't me too. This Harry Sisson. I'm not saying destroy this kid's life, but you made the rules."

Carol Markowitz [35:15]: "Just assume everything you tell a stranger on the Internet is going to be public. Live like that."

The hosts advocate for personal responsibility while cautioning against excessive public shaming that can ruin lives without due process.

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6. Snow White Movie Controversy and Hollywood's Accountability Culture

The final segment addresses the decade-long controversies surrounding Disney's live-action "Snow White" movie. Issues range from casting choices, such as the initial plan to include actors with dwarfism, to actress Rachel Zegler's conflicting statements about the story and her political disputes with Gal Gadot.

Notable Quotes:

Mary Kathryn Hamm [36:00]: "Rachel Zegler was the lead in Spielberg's remake of West Side Story, which is how she got this gig. And she was absolutely fantastic in that movie."

Carol Markowitz [39:22]: "It says, from MAGA backlash to ableism discourse to the diverging political positions of its two stars, Snow White has been plagued by enough controversy to drive anyone to a poisoned apple."

The discussion criticizes Disney's approach to handling political and social issues within its productions, suggesting that such controversies harm the brand's reputation and financial performance. They express hope for Disney's recovery and a return to more universally appealing content.

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7. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Mary Kathryn and Carol wrap up the episode by reflecting on the polarized media landscape and the challenges faced by public figures navigating both political pressures and personal integrity. They emphasize the importance of transparency, accountability, and adaptability in both politics and entertainment industries.

Notable Quote:

Mary Kathryn Hamm [40:01]: "Just assume everything you tell a stranger on the Internet is going to be public. Live like that."

The hosts encourage listeners to remain informed and critical of the narratives presented by dominant media and political entities.

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Key Takeaways:

• Elon Musk's Influence: Elon Musk remains a polarizing figure whose actions significantly impact both the tech industry and political discourse.
• SpaceX vs. NASA/Boeing: SpaceX's successful rescue mission underscores the importance of private sector efficiency in space exploration and emergency responses.
• Democratic Party Dynamics: Shifts in voter demographics and internal inefficiencies are posing serious challenges for the Democratic Party's future.
• Cancel Culture Implications: The Harry Sisson case highlights the complexities and potential injustices inherent in current cancel culture practices.
• Hollywood's Accountability Crisis: Ongoing controversies in major film productions like Disney's "Snow White" reflect broader issues of accountability and political infighting within the entertainment industry.

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References to Timestamped Quotes:

• Discussions range from [05:09] to [40:04], with notable focal points at intervals such as [07:12], [11:21], [19:40], [22:40], [31:15], [35:15], [36:00], and [39:22].

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Conclusion: This episode of "Normally" offers a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between technology, politics, and media, emphasizing the profound effects of leadership decisions, party dynamics, and cultural accountability on society at large. Mary Kathryn Hamm and Carol Markowitz provide insightful commentary, enriched with real-time reactions and thoughtful analysis, making it a valuable listen for those navigating the complexities of today's news landscape.

Transcript

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[Carol Markowitz]

Hey guys, and welcome back to Normally the show with normalish takes for when the news gets weird. I am Mary Kathryn Hamm.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

I am Carol Markowitz. How are you doing over there? Mary Kathryn, we had a whole conversation off air just now about how freezing we are in Florida. Do you feel sorry for us with our like 67 degrees?

[Carol Markowitz]

I don't feel sorry for you in 67 degrees. I'm gonna be walking out my door in a bikini like, hey everybody, summer's here, so look out for that.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Yeah. Our producer is also from Florida and he and I were chatting about how it's been a very cold winter and we haven't gotten to the beach nearly as much as we wanted to.

[Carol Markowitz]

So I hope that things improve for you. I do.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Thank you. Thank you for caring.

[Carol Markowitz]

You're welcome.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

So we got a lot going on today. People keep blowing up Teslas and Democrats don't seem to have a problem with this because Elon Musk is bad.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes. And actually not only do they not have a problem with it, Jimmy Kimmel sort of joked about it on his comedy show.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Right. I love that she just air quoted comedy show. Which is exactly how you have to do it when talking about Jimmy Kimmel. He's like the angriest little man ever.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. And then meanwhile, Tim Walsh, former vice presidential nominee, current I think still governor of Minnesota, is doing a sort of a barnstorming tour of his own. And he had this to say about Tesla on the road, speaking to the base of the Democratic party, saying on.

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[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Just telling you, that is a weird dude. I, I am just baffled that they went with that guy as the vice presidential nominee while calling the other side weird. He's just odd.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, I think they just saw a football guy who can talk on TV and were like, dudes like football. Let's go with that.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Right?

[Carol Markowitz]

He's calling JD Vance weird. We also don't like JD Vance. Nailed it. So he's out trying to drum up support or become the leader of the Democratic Party perhaps.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

But just add, he during the campaign specifically said he does not own any stocks or bonds and he was very proud of that fact. And now he's celebrating stock dropping of an American company. And I just want to. Sorry, just one add side point to the stock thing. I tweeted this today, but a year ago Tesla stock was $171 a share. Today after a three month decline from its high of 479 in December, it's at 225. And I tweeted may all of my stocks collapse with a 30% increase year over year. I would be very happy with that outcome for any stock I buy.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, I mean, look, I've had my issues with plenty of American companies before. I remember Costco and Target at times have annoyed me. But it does seem weird as a person who wants to be a leader of the country and is hoping for economic good for everyone to trash an American company and delight in what he sees as a failure. The truth is, as you point out, is that Tesla's not failing. In fact, it creates really good products that people like. I'm sure Elon Musk calculated that there would be some political backlash to his alignment with Donald Trump. But again, the product is good. It is a cool and high performing electric car, which is what lefties used to like.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

So now they're setting them on fire. But the contrast to me of sort of delighting in the travails of Tesla or just straight up vandalizing property versus what Elon Musk's SpaceX did yesterday.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Oh, it was amazing.

[Carol Markowitz]

The contrast is so bad for Democrats. And I just want to celebrate that there was something to celebrate this week because there were two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who went up in June of 2024 to the International Space Station. They went on a Boeing Starliner, which is in this big sort of commercial space Competition. One of the main competitors to Elon Musk's SpaceX, they go up in this craft, it malfunctions. So they are stuck on the International Space Station for nine months. I think in total. In the end, they were supposed to be gone for eight days. The reason they came back to Earth is because SpaceX arranged for that to happen. It was not because of Boeing. The Boeing pod that they were in got sent back to Earth without them in August and they were stuck on the International Space Station. Now, there's been some dispute in the media as to whether we should refer to these astronauts as stuck or stranded because once they realized that that looked bad for the Biden administration and the fact that Elon might be the one rescuing them, they decided, no, no, no, no, they're not.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

They're no longer stranded.

[Carol Markowitz]

No, they're just there seven months beyond where they were supposed to be there. So they, like somewhat like NPR and ap, started switching the verbiage on this for a while. At any rate, after all this, In September of 2024, SpaceX sends up another vehicle with two guys in it, two spaces left for these stranded astronauts so that they can come back to Earth. Why didn't it happen till March? That's one of the questions. But yesterday it splashed down, or two days ago. As you're listening to this, the Dragon capsule created by SpaceX splashes down with that crew they sent up in September and the addition of the stranded astronauts, Butch and Sunny. They all come down to Earth, parachutes into the beautiful Gulf of America off the coast of Tallahassee. They land in the water. It's all very smooth. And this is the part that got me, Carol, because I was watching. I didn't plan to watch because these things make me nervous. I'm not a space person because I just get too nervous for everyone involved. The dolphins came out of the Gulf of America to swim around the capsule and welcome the astronauts.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Did that really happen?

[Carol Markowitz]

That's a real thing that happened.

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[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

I thought people were like, joking.

[Carol Markowitz]

No, I was watching it live and I was like. And I thought to myself, because the reason I'm nervous about space stuff is because of Challenger. I'm a Challenger kid. It's my first real news memory is the Challenger exploding and Reagan talking about it. So I think it stuck with me. And I would just like to thank the Gulf and the dolphins and Lisa Frank and Elon Musk for coming together to heal my childhood trauma. And I was like, what a beautiful thing. So they load up the Vehicle comes, the boat comes to get the capsule. They unload everybody. They're smiling, they're thumbs upping. This would have been, if not for our weird polarization and our weird media consumption these days, would have been a everyone glued to their television moment a couple of like a decade ago. And it's different now, partly because people don't want to cover that Elon Musk accomplished this. But I think a lot of people were watching in real time, online, just in fractured and different groups than they would.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

I didn't see the dolphins.

[Carol Markowitz]

Dolphins were real.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

I actually can't believe that. And I have to go back and watch it. Well, Elon was on Sean Hannity last night and he blatantly said that the Biden administration rejected letting SpaceX rescue the astronauts last year. And he said it was for political reasons. That's just a fact.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. So. And the astronauts have been more cagey about this. They were asked about it. They're, of course, very excited that Elon Musk is bringing them back to Earth. But they said, look, I believe one of them said, I believe Elon Musk on this point, I think it is factual that they had a vehicle they could have come home in starting in September of last year.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

Which is, you'll note, a couple months before the election Day and a couple months after Elon Musk endorsed Biden. I'm just saying now, NASA says they didn't get word from Elon that he was willing to do this earlier, or they could have done it earlier. And they had budgetary and logistical concerns worried about that.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

If our astronauts get stuck up at the space station, we have budgetary problems to get them back. I feel like we should just. That's one of those. We should just spend the money, you know.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. I do feel like this is one of those things that. Were reporters a bit more interested in this? And we may find out at some point there would be some foiaing going on to find out exactly what was the timeline that Elon offered and was it rejected for sort of fudged reasons so that this would happen not in conjunction with election year. While he's endorsing Trump, I think there's a, there's a fair chance that something medium shady went on there.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

It sounds like the astronauts think that, though the female astronaut at one point said something to that effect, that Elon was stopped from bringing them home.

[Carol Markowitz]

That seems like a problem to me. And here's the thing for Democrats, and we're going to lead into a discussion of what's ailing Democrats because some of them are trying to face up to it is for all of Trump's fault. If you are the party that is cheering the destruction of Teslas and the falling of stocks while another person is a quirky, amazing, almost like comic book character industrialist who is bringing people back home safely from space that NASA was unable to get back and Boeing was unable to get back, you're going to suffer in that comparison.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

You're going to lose to that guy. Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. And every. And they are every normie watches that splashdown and the dolphins and is like, wow, I'm really glad we have this guy.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Yeah. Because why wouldn't you be? Right? It's just you root for America and that's what you should be doing.

[Carol Markowitz]

Thank you, dolphins and Elon Musk.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

I'm gonna go back and rewatch that because I can't breathe.

[Carol Markowitz]

There's still blue water dolphins like, hi, what's up? Like, it's amazing.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Wow. We'll be right back on. Normally.

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[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

In good shape or not good shape?

[Carol Markowitz]

It's not great.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

It's not great.

[Carol Markowitz]

No, it's so not great that at this point, Ezra Klein sounds like me. Ezra Klein, the longtime sort of liberal leader, I believe, is founder of Vox Liberal Thought leader, is now like, hey, we're not offering people a product that works for them. Right. Cities are creating environments where families cannot and do not want to live. And we're going to have to stop saying we're the good guys with the good product if we can't offer a good product to people.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

That's right. And how are. How are liberals taking that so great?

[Carol Markowitz]

I mean, this is the problem, right? Is Ezra Klein actually wants to talk about this problem. And he's written a book called Abundance with an Atlantic writer, Derek Thompson, and they spoke to Bari Weiss about this issue. So we'll play a little clip of them chatting about this.

[Ezra Klein]

I do think that one thing that we're saying over and over again in this book is that in places where liberals have an enormous amount of power, where their power is unmolested by Republican influence, they cannot blame Elon, they cannot blame Trump, they cannot blame the Republicans in the Senate. They have the power. They're not delivering. They're spending more per capita than any other place, but they can't actually deliver results. And I think one thing that we're seeing. To go back to a question you asked earlier where you said, are these people delusional? Are you trying to change their minds when they leave Los Angeles and they leave San Francisco? Are you trying to grab them and shake them and say, no, absolutely not?

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[Ezra Klein]

Values are right. It is the state that has failed. And we're trying to find a way to align the quality of governance with the expectations that those residents have.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Yeah. Is it the lack of molestation by Republicans?

[Carol Markowitz]

So the problem for them is. Well, there's two things. One, talking to Barry Weiss is going to become, like, ripe coded. So their advice will not be taken, maybe when it should be. And two, that if your values are correct, but the state is the problem, and the state is the only vehicle you have ever imagined delivering your promises with.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

How are you going to fix that problem? Because you might have noticed the contrast of SpaceX and NASA in the last segment.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Yeah, I don't know what they're going to suggest because if they've been selling this idea, that first of all, that only they could fix it. And what they need is a Republican proof government to do it. And some of their brighter people are pointing out, well, we have that in some places like San Francisco and other cities, and it's failing. I don't know how they get over that.

[Carol Markowitz]

I don't know either. And they're talking. But I do think, far be it from me to praise Ezra Klein, but since he is sounding like me lately.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

You'Re really just praising yourself. You're like, I am so smart.

[Carol Markowitz]

I do appreciate that he is engaging with this. Right. They're just saying the thing that you're not supposed to say, which is like, hey, all these liberal cities are ours and it's not going so great for the people we think we are serving. And I think that is an important part of the realization. He also talked to David Shore, a data analyst, about his thoughts on why Democrats lost. And this, this is in the New York Times. So you can't write code, this one. And it's like Democrats need to face why Trump won. David Shore is a person who I think earlier than many came to the conclusion, certainly earlier than many on the left came to the conclusion that there's an education split happening between the parties. Not necessarily race split or an ideological split. It's high educated, high income people are becoming Democrats and middle class and working class voters with lower education attainment are becoming Republicans.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

And that is something that was very noticeable in 2024. And they're having to engage David Shore to try to figure this out. But David Shore has a story of his own from 2020. Right. Carol?

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Yeah. Tell us. You reminded me of this right before we went on that he was canceled in 2020. I mean, I'm sure it was really bad. I'm sure he like killed multiple people or something similar. Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

Well, in true 2020 style, and this is, I think it is funny because we've covered a couple stories where like someone canceled by the left had to be resurrected to like, oh, wait, we're.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

We need this person.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. We need your information now. So David Shore in 2020 merely pointed out, using data analysis, which was his job, that Nixon and Republicans during the 60s had benefited from violent forms of protest. This was pretty well respected social science research. It wasn't anything crazy. It was a fact, one might argue.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

It actually didn't end up working out that way for Trump. So it's even. It's interesting that he still ended up unpersoned for that.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes, sure. Had publicized research. This is reason reporting from the social scientist Omar Wazow, showing that violent protests tend to backfire on progressive goals, tipping the 1968 election in favor of law and order candidate Richard Nixon, for instance, whereas peaceful protests often succeed. So he was just saying in June of 2020, like, we should think about tactically what this means for us. And for citing this uncontroversial thing, he was deemed very problematic, pretty racist, and needed to be fired from his job.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

So it was a crazy time, kids. People got fired for stuff like that. And I, I don't know. Did the left learn their lesson? You know, it's interesting because you actually said the, the line. You know, they're not allowed to say things. There's still not allowed to say certain things. They're still very much guarded in what they're allowed to say. I'm sure the memory of these firings and, and cancellations and all that, it has to still be fresh for them. It wasn't that long ago. And I'm sure that a lot of people on the left are afraid to say what they believe to be the truth.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

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[Carol Markowitz]

And good on David Shore, by the way, for being willing to continue to talk about the data, even in the New York Times, where he's probably going to get backlash from their readers. And he points out, among other things, he said, this is the thing I'm most shocked by in the last four years, that young people have gone from being the most progressive generation since the baby boomers and maybe even in some ways more so, to becoming potentially the most conservative generation that we've experienced maybe in 50 to 60 years right now. I don't think they're conservative.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

No, I don't think so either. Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

What they are is clearly seeing the Democratic Party as not an option for them.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Right. Because what are the Democrats really offering them right now? Blowing up Teslas? Like, you could, you could be real mad at Elon Musk with us. Like, yeah, it's, it's tough. And, you know, he, he tweets like, as Democrats try to shape the story against Trump. The most effective critiques of Trump are actually similar to the ways Democrats ran against Mitt Romney. He gave a huge tax cut to the wealthy and trying to cut programs of Social Security and Medicare. We're in a very different time. The attacks that landed on Romney don't touch Trump. It's a fully different universe now.

[Carol Markowitz]

No. And I think they're wrestling with the fact that this vision they have of themselves, what was a party of the working and middle class, that we're gonna like do the best we can and help everybody exist on, on a higher plane and all that stuff, and we're going to do it with some of these rich people's money. Became just like really rich elites telling everyone else what to do exclusively. And those people were not interested in that. Covid was like the distillation of that and what ends up happening. This is shore again. He says, I would just say this shouldn't be all that surprising. I think now we identify the Democratic party as straightforwardly liberal, a shift from where it was in the past. But the Democratic party used to be a coalition between liberals, moderates and conservatives. And as liberals became the dominant coalition partner, it makes sense. The conservatives and moderates in the coalition who were disproportionately non white, given that this ideological polarization happened among whites 20 or 30 years ago, would start to shift. That's another alarm bell for them. Young people and non white voters shifting to the right.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

We're going to take a short break and come right back with normale.

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[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

There's a story right now about a very popular leftist influencer, Harry Sisson. Am I pronouncing his name right?

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, I think you got it right.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

He apparently had many online relationships with these young ladies. I don't even want to call it relationships because were they relationships?

[Carol Markowitz]

Mary Katherine well, so that's the thing. So this is like a big gossipy story on the left leaning and right leaning media right now. Perry Sisson was like a hacky hack hack TikTok guy for Biden. Like whatever Biden said was great. He was like, oh my gosh, he.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Was the only guy who thought Biden won the debate. That's true.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's a great way of explaining him.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

So he became very popular. He has like millions of followers and he's young guy, he's like 20 years old. And so some of these women come out and say, oh, he was DMing me and he was telling me we were exclusive and he was snapchatting me and saying that we were an item. But it turns out he had like 12 women he was DMing and talking to. So I dig into this because I'm like, I believe that Harry Sisson is probably a player and a hypocrite who says, as many male feminists do, I love women and I work for women and I want you to be empowered. But is he probably trashing them behind their backs?

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[Carol Markowitz]

Betraying them? Sure. So I'm willing to believe that. I go through the stories and what I was surprised to find is that a woman who said she'd been played by this guy and that nine months in she thought they were exclusive, but they weren't. She'd never met him, ladies. And like, I'm Look, I think you were done wrong, probably in some real ways. If you ever met a man in person, you are not in an exclusive relationship with him.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

I would say you're not even in any relationship with him. Yeah, it's not real life. Like, I. This is something that I think we need to explain to our kids, that if you're having just an online relationship, that's not a relationship. But having said this, and why I relate it back to what's going on with Democrats is they have to live under their own rules. They cancel people for far less than this. Aziz Ansari was canceled for offering a woman the wrong wine in his apartment, and he barely has worked since then.

[Carol Markowitz]

That was one of the more egregious mistakes.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Well, I called that the end of the me, too. And I think that that was probably pretty close to correct. But, you know, Aziz Ansari was also a feminist and also on the left and also defending all that. And then he got caught up in it. And I'm sorry, you're going to have to live under your own rules. And so I have friends on Twitter, you know, saying things like, don't me too. This Harry Sisson. I'm not saying destroy this kid's life, but you made the rules. And I think that he needs to have to play by them, too.

[Carol Markowitz]

Well, and for anybody who is a public figure or who is involved in the dming back and forth, let's all just be real that anything you give someone is subject to release at some point. Right. So think about with whom you are doing that. Be able to vet whether that person is being honest with you. This is just like old grandma advice from kids.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Just assume everything you tell a stranger on the Internet is going to be public. Live like that.

[Carol Markowitz]

But I do not mind women getting together and being able to call out a player and say, like, hey, watch out for that one. Buyer beware. I think that's fine, but let's not ruin his life. And I think, ladies, just be careful who we're engaging with in those ways. Yeah.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Yeah. Well, our last story is on the Snow White movie, which is finally coming out after what seems like a decade of bad press.

[Carol Markowitz]

It actually has been a decade, by the way.

[Thrivent]

It's.

[Carol Markowitz]

I read the timeline in Vanity Fair.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Is it really? I was gonna say it's like, three.

[Carol Markowitz]

Years, but no, 2016 is when it was announced. And it has had controversies every, like, year and a half since then. Yeah. So here we are.

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[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

This movie. So some of the controversies have been that they were gonna have Little people play the dwarves. But then somebody had a problem with that.

[Carol Markowitz]

I think Peter Dinklage had a problem with it, which I was a little surprised.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

He reversed himself and said, no, we want. I don't know, it is completely confusing what is going on there. But so they replaced it with CGI dwarves. And then, of course, their actress, Rachel Zegler, who plays Snow White, she has been just somebody who makes all kinds of kind of comments to the media that end up alienating people. It's just been a real bad time for them.

[Carol Markowitz]

Well, and Zegler was the lead in Spielberg's remake of west side Story, which is how she got this gig. And she was absolutely fantastic in that movie. There's no reason she couldn't have been good in this one. And yet she just kept talking about how much she disliked the story of Snow White and then all of her outside politics on top of it in really gross ways sometimes. And, yeah, it just hasn't gone well for the marketing.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Yeah. And the thing is with Disney, people love this brand. I mean, we both know people who are, like, really committed to Disney in so many different ways. Even people, you know, ostensibly on the right. But she. In 2022, she said that the original version of Snow White had a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. Weird. So we didn't want to do that this time. I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again. There's nothing Disney people like more than the original versions. Yeah, her trashing this was a problem. And then, of course, she went on after the election to say that Trump and Trump supporters specifically, should never have a moment of peace. And then she got into a political disagree with Gal Gadot over Israel and so on and so on and so on. But, you know, I root for Disney. I am not like Tim Walls. I am not hoping that an American company fails. I will say that Disney stock was $114 a year ago. It's down 12% at $100 today. This is a company in trouble, and they can and should turn it around. I hope that they do. It's very hard living three hours away from Disney World and never taking my kids anymore because I don't trust them. I would love to see them fix themselves, and I would love to see them see what's going on here. And this movie might have a decent opening. They're. They're predicting $50 million weekend, which is better than other movies right now, but still far less good than other Disney releases. I'd love to see them recover and take a saner path the way a lot of companies are doing right now. A lot of companies are seeing the light and say, saying, this woke thing hasn't worked out for us and. And taking a saner path.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. I mean, this is, I believe the liberals call it, accountability culture. I just want to note on the controversy front that the way it's framed in Hollywood publications and in mainstream media is that Rachel Ziegler and Gal Gadot had diverging and equally loud political opinions.

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[Carol Markowitz]

It says, from MAGA backlash to ableism discourse to the diverging political positions of its two stars, Snow White has been plagued by enough controversy to drive anyone to a poisoned apple. Gal Gadot's position is that she is Israeli and should therefore be allowed to exist. She's Israeli and Jewish.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

That's her take.

[Carol Markowitz]

And, like, those things should exist on the earth. That's her big take. Yeah.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

And she doesn't even, like, say it. She just, like, wants to continue exist.

[Carol Markowitz]

She gave a speech where the thesis of the speech was like, it shouldn't be controversial for me, an Israeli Jew, to exist.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's her big. That's her big statement.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Right, right.

[Carol Markowitz]

Also, can I say that they were off the rails on this movie from the beginning when someone asserted to anyone that we could suspend disbelief that Gal Gadot is not the hottest woman in the movie.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Fact. Yeah. I think, actually, I also. Two things. I think that they're trying to shift the blame over to Gal for when this movie inevitably tanks. That's one thing. And then the other thing is, and I wrote about this for Fox, is I think they're trying to drum up the controversy between these two actresses so that we will go see this movie.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

I think it's too late for that kind of thing.

[Carol Markowitz]

Del's the only reason I would be there, and I do. I think you're right, Carol. This is their chance for a hard reset after this one.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

Take it, Disney. Take it. We want to go back to Disney World. We want to trust you again. Be normal. Just be normal. Theme of the show, you know. Thanks for joining us on Normally. Normally airs Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you can subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us@ normallythepodmail.com thanks for listening. And when things get weird, act normally.

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[Carol Markowitz]

[e-mail] Catch the new Hulu original comedy Mid Century Modern, from the creators of Will and Grace, executive producer Ryan Murphy.

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Mid Century Modern stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Leigh Graham and Linda Lavin. Mid century modern premieres March 28th. Streaming on Hulu.

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