• 27 minutes 11 seconds
    A bad week for AI

    The vibe shift around Artificial Intelligence is happening. The Pope released his manifesto warning that AI poses a threat to humanity. Meanwhile, our social feeds are filled with graduates booing mentions of AI at their commencement speeches. And more celebrities are speaking up. Elamin Abdelmahmoud talks with culture writer Amil Niazi and religious studies professor Judith Ellen Brunton about the cultural reset that seems to be well and truly underway.

    29 May 2026, 3:40 pm
  • 30 minutes 52 seconds
    Why hockey romances are taking over television, and Hacks ends

    t’s happening all over again -- a hockey romance based on a Canadian book series is taking over television. Off Campus is the number one show on Amazon Prime and it’s based on Toronto author Elle Kennedy’s romantic comedy novels. Gillian McKercher and Steve Dangle Glynn join guest host Amil Niazi to dive into the new series, and discuss how hockey’s place in pop culture is changing today.


    Plus, after five seasons, HBO’s Hacks is getting its curtain call. One of the smartest and funniest shows on TV, the comedy-drama follows the friendship between an older stand-up comedian and her younger comedy writer as they navigate the entertainment industry. But it's also a show that criticizes the current practices of big entertainment companies. Discovery. Pop culture writer Kevin Fallon is here to talk about its final season with guest host Amil Niazi. 

    28 May 2026, 3:40 pm
  • 26 minutes 13 seconds
    Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, and why Olivia Rodrigo's babydoll dress makes people feel uneasy

    Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is a new AppleTV comedy-thriller starring Canadian actor Tatiana Maslany. Commotion guest host Amil Niazi is joined by film critic Radheyan Simonpillai and culture critic C.T. Jones to talk about the new series and why it's so polarizing for some audiences.


    Plus, over the past week, videos of an Olivia Rodrigo performance in Barcelona have gone viral largely due to her choice of outfit: the babydoll dress. What was once seen as a symbol of feminist fashion in the ‘90s (think Courtney Love), the dress has taken on a much more problematic, infantalizing dimension for younger women raised in the shadow of #MeToo and the Epstein files. Music journalist Brittany Spanos explains how the babydoll dress has come to represent dramatically different things to different generations, and how Rodrigo’s use of it blurs the line between these varying interpretations.

    27 May 2026, 3:40 pm
  • 28 minutes 31 seconds
    Shein buys sustainable fashion brand Everlane, and the Griffin Poetry Prize town hall

    The big fashion story of the moment is Shein buying Everlane. The companies are total opposites: Shein is the king of ultra-fast fashion and Everlane marketed itself as an eco-conscious and ethical clothing brand. Elamin Abdelmahmoud chats with Clare Press, the host of the sustainable fashion podcast, ‘Wardrobe Crisis’ about what this acquisition says about our relationship with sustainable clothing.


    Plus, Canadian poets haven’t won the most prestigious prize for Canadian poetry for the past 4 years, ever since International poets became eligible to win it too. And Canadian poets are not happy. Yesterday, prize organizers held a town hall to hear all sides. Poet Paul Vermeersch was there, and he’ll share what he heard and saw with Elamin

    26 May 2026, 3:40 pm
  • 29 minutes 27 seconds
    The Enhanced Games is a 'love child of the manosphere,' and remembering cellist Cris Derksen

    Held on May 24 in Las Vegas, the Enhanced Games is a rarity among international sporting competitions, in that it permits – and actively encourages – athletes to compete using performance enhancing drugs, thus earning the dubious nickname of the “Steroid Olympics.” Sports writers Morgan Campbell and Adam Skolnick discuss whether the games are just a silly spectacle, or a troubling bellwether of where sports – and wellness culture as a whole – could be heading. 


    Plus, classical music lost a legend this month. Cris Derksen was a prolific Cree cellist and composer, who was known for defying genres. Musician Jeremy Dutcher joins Elamin Abdelmahmoud to honour his friend, Cris Derksen, who died at the age of 45. 

    25 May 2026, 3:40 pm
  • 27 minutes 37 seconds
    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is over. What now?

    It’s the end of an era – when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert goes off the air (May 21). TV critic Eric Deggans, comedian Ashley Ray and political columnist Justin Ling join Elamin the morning after the finale to take stock of Colbert’s impact -- and the show that will fill his slot: Comics Unleashed.

    22 May 2026, 3:40 pm
  • 30 minutes
    Talking about revenge in I Love Boosters and Is God Is, and how women are driving F1's popularity

    With release of ‘I Love Boosters’ from Boots Riley and ‘Is God Is’ - the debut film from Aleshea Harris, Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by film critic Sarah-Tai Black and culture critic Rania El Mugammar to discuss the buzz around these two releases and the different ways these two films explore themes like revenge and justice.


    Plus, the Canadian Grand Prix is this weekend! As Montreal gears up to welcome F1’s best drivers, TV host and F1 super-fan Michelle Jobin explains why women are growing the sport and what people can expect from Canada’s biggest race weekend. 

    21 May 2026, 4:10 am
  • 15 minutes 29 seconds
    The Boys series finale: Did it stick the superhero landing?

    After five critically acclaimed seasons, the superhero satire series ‘The Boys’ drops its final episode today. TV critics Kaiya Shunyata and Ben Rosenstock reflect on how the show reinvigorated the superhero genre with its real-world political commentary, and whether fans will be satisfied with the finale.

    20 May 2026, 4:10 am
  • 11 minutes 27 seconds
    The lore behind Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano's 17-second fight

    This past weekend the most anticipated MMA fight happened — Ronda Rousey v. Gina Carano, two pioneers of the sport, and the first matchup of its kind to stream live on Netflix. Pablo The Don from the Those Wrestling Girls podcast joined Elamin Abdelmahmoud to explain why this fight is such a big deal, and what it means for Rousey and Carano.

    19 May 2026, 4:10 am
  • 32 minutes 15 seconds
    Iceman, Maid of Honour, Habibti — are we ready for a Drake summer?

    Drake is the most-streamed artist in the world, but his best rap is about being an underdog. With three new albums out at once — Iceman, Maid of Honour and Habibti — Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by culture critics Matt Amha, Pablo The Don and We Love Hiphop podcast host Friday, to review the new releases and unpack Drake's place in music right now.

    19 May 2026, 4:10 am
  • 34 minutes 8 seconds
    What TV is getting right — and wrong — about sex work

    At the beginning of the new Canadian documentary ‘Modern Whore,’ Andrea Werhun asserts that sex workers have often been cast as victims or villains in pop culture. With so many examples of sex work on TV right now — from 'Hacks' and 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' to 'Euphoria' — the group chat takes stock of what's changed and how far we still have to go. Boarlord, Arabelle Raphael and Lux Alptraum are all insiders of the sex industry, and join Elamin to weigh in on what's shaping sex work in pop culture.

    18 May 2026, 4:10 am
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