The Assignment with Audie Cornish

Episodes

• Is Sobriety the New Flex?Former Gawker editor A.J. Daulerio got sober before “sober-curious” was trending. As an original arbiter of internet culture, he’s got a long view of today’s drinking discourse — and advice for anybody questioning their relationship with their vices. About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Subscribe to the Engagement Party newsletter! The weekly send lets you catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  252|36min
• How a Lesbian Bar Sparked a Week of 'Woke 1' WhiplashFrom a viral story on a lesbian bar’s masking policy to Nikole Hannah-Jones' essay on making school segregation a personal issue to the “Cornell Seven,” Audie and Ari connect the dots on the internet’s reckoning with "Woke 1.” About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Subscribe to the Engagement Party newsletter! The weekly send lets you catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  251|35min
• Kandi Burruss on Life After Reality T.V.It's been 20 years since Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise changed the face of reality T.V. In this special bonus episode, former Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss joins Audie to talk about why reality shows feel so different these days, Kandi's about-to-be-very-public divorce, and what it’s like watching her daughter on her own new Bravo show. About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Subscribe to the Engagement Party newsletter! The weekly send lets you catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  250|25min
• Letterboxd Is the Last Best Corner of the InternetThe film review app Letterboxd is a social hub for movie fans everywhere. But has democratizing criticism somehow lowered the bar, or is this the last truly great social media app? Plus, how makeup "dupes" sparked the internet’s latest class conflict. About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Subscribe to the Engagement Party newsletter! The weekly send lets you catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  249|35min
• The Novel of the Century Is NSFWWith The Disappearers, Marlon James has written an explicit and violent epic that’s been called “the novel of the decade, if not the century." He joins the party to talk about queer Jamaican culture, ’80s music icons, and the gay sex scene that even his editor thought he should leave out. About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Subscribe to the Engagement Party newsletter! The weekly send lets you catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  248|46min
• Should Nepo Babies Embrace the Label?Nepo babies have sparked debate for years, but chart-topping singer-songwriter Stella Lefty, who also happens to be the daughter of a billionaire, is reigniting the conversation. Audie and Ari debate how the rich and privileged should navigate fame and success — and they don't entirely agree. Plus, why an Ivy League dean wants you to be skeptical of the explosion of college admissions content online. About the show: Welcome to Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro’s Engagement Party, where the hot takes are the smart takes. After years of working side by side, Audie and Ari have made it official with their pop culture video podcast. Party hopping between what you're watching, reading and scrolling, these longtime friends unpack what matters in our endless feeds. Subscribe to the Engagement Party newsletter! The weekly send lets you catch up on the latest trends, obsessions and culture online. On deck: an Emmys watch party drinking game (booze optional, laughs guaranteed). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  247|29min
• Dating Apps Were Never About RomanceThe internet is full of dating horror stories and think pieces the death of traditional romance. It’s a concept built for virality. But is the moral panic real? Audie and Ari turn to relationship writer Karley Sciortino to talk navigating romance in the age of the apps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  246|36min
• Television's Prestige Hangover Era Is HereTelevision's golden age is over, replaced by one that’s decidedly more, as they say, “mid.” Audie and Ari weigh in on whether TV really got worse, the industry's post-prestige identity crisis, and the ingredients for making some of your favorite shows with TV’s best director, Hiro Murai (Widow's Bay, Atlanta, Station Eleven). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  245|37min
• RushTok is Southern Soft PowerThis week, the internet turned its eyes to an annual 2020s tradition: watching freshman girls rush sororities at big Southern state schools via an endless stream of social videos. What does our obsession with RushTok tell us about the South, the internet, and America? Plus, what's up with the influencer backlash on Nantucket, and why is mahjong so hot right now? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  244|30min
• Lauren Weedman From 'Hacks' Has Main Character EnergyAs generational warfare feeds TV scripts from Beef to Hacks, Emmy nominee Lauren Weedman joins the party to talk about hanging with Gen Z on the Hacks set, the art of scene stealing, and finding main character energy after 50. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  243|40min