They say music is the gateway to the soul, so get to know the world's most successful stars better than ever before with Straight Up: the music podcast that sits down with some of the biggest names in culture to talk about the songs that shaped them. From the song that soundtracked their childhood and their first romance to the song that makes them feel invincible and the one that makes them cry, Straight Up digs deep to reveal the real person behind the work. Expect intimate, informal conversations unlike any interview you’ve ever read, and always recorded over a strong drink.
Lena Dunham remains one of the most controversial people in pop culture, but that hasn’t stopped a glittering roster of A Listers from appearing in her fun new London-based Netflix romcom Too Much. We assess some of her biggest online scandals, while looking at how autobiographical the show really is. Plus, an explainer of the Salt Path: the latest furore to rock the publishing industry. Are readers right to feel betrayed by writer Raynor Winn’s alleged lies and does publishing have a fact-checking problem? We’ve also got yet another juicy little Beckham family feud update for you, hunnies, plus a debate on whether prenups are feminist and two fab book recs!
We love hearing from you, DM us @straightuppod, email at [email protected] and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!
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Brad Pitt’s carefully crafted F1: The Movie promo run has us thinking about how celebrities script their own stories and how easily we buy into them. From Brad’s quiet erasure of abuse allegations by Angelina Jolie to Chris Brown packing stadiums despite a long history of violence, we’re diving into the messy, age-old question: can you really separate the art from the artist? Also this week: a gorgeously candid Charlize Theron interview, Tim Key’s rom-com of the summer The Ballad of Wallis Island and Netflix’s jaw-dropping exposé on the cult of American Apparel and the toxic founder Dov Charney.
We love hearing from you, DM us @straightuppod, email at [email protected] and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!
Huge thanks to our sponsor Yonder, the incredible lifestyle rewards credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at yonder.com/straightup
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Billionaires, botox, and a newly single Orlando Bloom – this week we’re diving into Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s ultra-extravagant Venice wedding, a spectacle that’s reminded the internet that money definitely can’t buy taste. From the Hollywood attendees that made headlines like Sydney Sweeney and Leonardo DiCaprio to the inevitable backlash to the whole thing, we’re getting into it all. Also, as Khloe Kardashian follows in Kylie Jenner’s footsteps and comes clean about her plastic surgery, we’re asking just how much we should applaud the KarJenners for their new transparency. And Ellie reports back from Glastonbury!
We love hearing from you, DM us @straightuppod, email at [email protected] and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!
Huge thanks to our sponsor Yonder, the incredible lifestyle rewards credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at yonder.com/straightup
Borrow responsibly. £15 a month. 18+ and UK only. Rep 66.0% APR var. T&Cs apply.
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We’re on hols this week, hunnies, but ofc we weren’t going to leave you without an ep! So, we’ve dug into the archives and stitched together one of our very first specials: a *very* juicy two-parter on the iconic Noughties ‘It Girls’ Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Nicole Richie, which feels extremely relevant right now thanks to the publication of the amazing new book Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves. In this deep-dive, we cover everything from the toxic rise of tabloid culture and the paparazzi, to how this era ended up shaping celebrity and pop culture as we recognise it today. We know most of you haven’t heard this one yet and so we want to rectify that, bc we’re very proud of it!
We hope you enjoy and we’ll be back to usual business next week! We would love to hear your thoughts, pop culture recs and future special ideas so DM us @straightuppod or email at [email protected]. Plus follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too! And please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x
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It’s wedding szn hunnies so we get into the bonkers and wonderful world of weddings, from the most absurd and insufferable wedding tropes to our favourite wedding pop culture, including two excellent book recs. Plus, a few top tips from recent bride Kathleen!
We really hope you love this bonus special! We would love to hear your thoughts on all things weddings or ideas for future bonus eps, so DM us @straightuppod or email at [email protected]. Plus follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too! And please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x
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The backlash against Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover supposedly satirising the male gaze has left us grappling with difficult questions, from how much moral responsibility Sabrina owes her young fans to whether this satire serves any greater purpose. Tying in with the release of Laura Bates’s brilliant new book The New Age of Sexism, we debate everything from how messy female ‘empowerment’ has become and what misogyny actually looks like in our terrifying age of AI. On theme, too, is our review of Alex Cooper’s new documentary about her meteoric Call Her Daddy fame: how does her sexual agency compare to Sabrina’s? And on a lighter note we start off with a juicy debrief on Dua Lipa’s new British Vogue cover. Enjoy hunnies!
We love hearing from you, DM us @straightuppod, email at [email protected] and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!
Huge thanks to our sponsor Yonder, the incredible lifestyle rewards credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at yonder.com/straightup
Borrow responsibly. £15 a month. 18+ and UK only. Rep 66.0% APR var. T&Cs apply.
Get 20% off the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives, London Nootropics, using our code straightup at londonnootropics.com
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It’s a big week for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, with the judge dismissing Baldoni’s $400m countersuit against Lively and his $200m defamation suit against the New York Times. Who is now winning and where does that leave the trial in March? We bring you up to speed with all the latest developments, as well as news of another legal drama: nine women have accused Jared Leto of sexual impropriety. Now his ‘Mars Island cult’ feels very disturbing indeed. First up, though, we’re talking babies: from Nara Smith’s fourth pregnancy announcement to Jamie Laing’s podcast rebrand. Plus, a primer on Billie Eilish’s new boyfriend, as well as a much overdue debrief on Maya Jama’s adorable hard launch with Ruben Dias. And is the fallout from Bonnie Blue's now cancelled sex stunt valid? Finally we review BBC’s What It Feels Like for a Girl, which might just be the best show of 2025!
Please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x
We love hearing from you, DM us @straightuppod, email at [email protected] and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!
Huge thanks to our sponsor Yonder, the incredible lifestyle rewards credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at yonder.com/straightup
Borrow responsibly. £15 a month. 18+ and UK only. Rep 66.0% APR var. T&Cs apply.
Get 20% off the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives, London Nootropics, using our code straightup at londonnootropics.com
Try BookBeat for free for 60 days (w 40 hrs of listening) and stream millions of audio using our code straightup at bookbeat.com
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A friendship ‘breakup’ is an experience more than 80% of women have been through and it can be even more gut-wrenching than ending a romantic relationship. Yet in our society that prioritises romantic over platonic love, there’s no social script for dealing with it. We dive into a topic that still feels like a taboo despite its clear universality, with the help of many of your deeply honest and moving DMs, which proved to us just how devastating – and common – friendship break-ups can be. We cover everything from ghostings and estrangement to boundaries and therapy-speak, as well as how politics, exes and different life stages can lead to rifts and resentment. Hopefully, if you’ve been through something similar, then this ep will help you feel less alone!
We really hope you love this bonus special! We would love to hear your thoughts on all things friendship, so DM us @straightuppod or email at [email protected]. Plus follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too! And please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x
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On today’s show: BookTok is engulfed in controversy after an Australian rugby star was seemingly handed a book deal after just a month of posting on BookTok and with no former writing experience or manuscript to his name. We discuss the accusations of white male privilege, the inner workings of influencer publishing and whether we need more ‘literary men’ in our age of incel culture. Plus, is Sydney Sweeney selling droplets of her used bath water to male fans genius marketing or normalising objectification? And, following the news of Bella and Gigi Hadid’s secret sister, how wise is genealogical testing? Finally our usual film and TV recs (including a very honest And Just Like That review), and a highly revealing update on the Beckham feud.
Please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x
We love hearing from you, DM us @straightuppod, email at [email protected] and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!
Huge thanks to our sponsor Yonder, the incredible lifestyle rewards credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at yonder.com/straightup
Borrow responsibly. £15 a month. 18+ and UK only. Rep 66.0% APR var. T&Cs apply.
Get 20% off the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives, London Nootropics, using our code straightup at londonnootropics.com
Try BookBeat for free for 60 days (w 40 hrs of listening) and stream millions of audio using our code straightup at bookbeat.com
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Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa’s *very* hard launch and rumours of multiple joint TV projects has got us wondering: is this a rare example of a PR relationship? We dive in! Plus, an explainer of TikTok’s Odd Muse drama: can founders get called out without it being bullying? Also, a little look at Kris Jenner’s face lift and how one surgeon seems to be becoming the most popular man in Hollywood. And of course we had to debrief on the Netflix show starring Julianne Moore and Meghann Fahy that everyone is talking about: Sirens. Why are we so obsessed with eat the rich satire and gorgeous cult leaders?
Please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x
We love hearing from you, DM us @straightuppod, email at [email protected] and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!
Huge thanks to our sponsor Yonder, the incredible lifestyle rewards credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at yonder.com/straightup
Borrow responsibly. £15 a month. 18+ and UK only. Rep 66.0% APR var. T&Cs apply.
Get 20% off the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives, London Nootropics, using our code straightup at londonnootropics.com
Try BookBeat for free for 60 days (w 40 hrs of listening) and stream millions of audio using our code straightup at bookbeat.com
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From Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips to Kayla Jade and Ari Kytsya, OnlyFans influencers are everywhere. In this bonus ep, we’re deep-diving into the porn star meets social media matrix. How did OnlyFans become such a cultural and economic powerhouse? And who are ‘bops’ and ‘mattress actresses’ taking over TikTok? This special covers it all: sex stunts, stigma, empowerment, Margot’s Got Money Troubles, the celebs making millions on OF, explainers on our fave creators and the problem with sex extremism.
We really hope you love this bonus special! We would love to hear your thoughts on all things OnlyFans, so DM us @straightuppod or email at [email protected]. Plus follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too! And please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x
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