The girlies dive into some of Hollywood’s most infamous celebrity feuds — Joan Didion vs Eve Babitz, Joan Crawford vs Bette Devis, Kim Cattrall vs Sarah Jessica Parker, and the recent lawsuits between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. Digressions include Kim Cattrall’s scatting, Ryan Murphy being a constant threat to society, and the age-old pattern of women fighting over the worst man you’ve ever heard of.

This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and monthly zoom hangs visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

In the first episode of the new year, the girlies explore the world of celebrity public relations — from the emergence of the modern celebrity to the intricacies of managing a public image. They discuss the storied history and secret theory of PR to answer the important questions: How do you destroy a celebrity’s image? Can it ever be rebuilt and if so, how? Is the key to image rehabilitation simply being a man? Plus, the girlies debut a fun new game, Can You Remember Why We Hated These Women? Digressions include revisiting the phenomenon of being woman’d, holding space for the name Tree Paine, and urging Khloe Kardashian to get a new publicist.

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Allison Hagan. Research assistance from Kylie Finnigan.

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

SOURCES

Ivy Lee: "Father of Modern Public Relations"

The History of Modern Public Relations 

The Drama of Celebrity

Press Agents of Change: Early Hollywood and the "New Publicity".

Media and the Rise of Celebrity Culture 

About Public Relations 

Public Relations Through the Ages: A Timeline of Social Movements, Technology Milestones and the Rise of the Profession.* 

The Evolution Of PR As We Know It 

What's the Difference Between PR and Marketing?. 

The Long and Strange History of Celebrity 

Image repair discourse and crisis communication 

Apologies of the Rich and Famous: Cultural, Cognitive, and Social Explanations of Why W Explanations of Why We Care and Why We and Why We Forgive. 

Why Actress Sarah Bernhardt Was the First Modern Celebrity 

Understanding Authenticity and The Lawrence-Hathaway Carnival Ride of Attraction/Revulsion 

Taylor Swift does not exist  

Understanding Celebrity Is Celebrity Culture on its Way Out? 

The Godfathers of Star PR 

Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni: A timeline of the feud and lawsuit between It Ends With Us co-stars 

PR expert reads between the lines of the Baldoni-Lively publicity saga 

What does it mean to get ‘woman’d’? 

The PR astroturfing strategy explained 

Fred Inglis, A Short History of Celebrity

Sharon Marcus on The Drama of Celebrity

Why Actress Sarah Bernhardt Was the First Modern Celebrity  

Stars by Richard Dyer

Richard Dyer Star Theory

Image repair discourse and crisis communication

Saint Francis the Influencer

Medieval Saints and Modern Screens  

As a special 2025 treat, bestie of the pod, Nick Garros, returns for a truly unique episode recorded on Yom Kippur. Join Julia and Nick in starvation mode as they judge YOU on judgment day. Topics include the time Julia got gagged by a James Charles fan, Nick’s tiny home journey, advice for how to date a LOLer, a listener who really needs to get a restraining order, and so much more!

This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and monthly zoom hangs visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

In the final episode of the year, the girlies celebrate 4 years of Binchtopia (!!!!!) and give their long-awaited pop culture recap of 2024’s most absurd moments. Digressions include the wool-less sweater epidemic, the Bible’s copyright laws, retractions on former Wicked slander and, of course, JoJo Siwa.

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Allison Hagan. Research assistance from Kylie Finnigan.

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

The girlies bring you a seasonal episode to discuss some terrifying Christmas lore — the Germanic tale of Krampus and the panopticon horror of the Elf on the Shelf. Digressions include our thoughts on the United Healthcare CEO shooter, why we should be shaming people more, and a quick digest of our recent nightmares. 

This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and monthly zoom hangs visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

The girlies explore the concept of Doomsday, revisiting the countless times we’ve thought the world was coming to an end. From luxury arks and poisonous comets to God’s wrath and alien invasions, they consider the fact that the world has never ended…yet. Digressions include cozy season in the studio, being Twitter clean, and Eliza’s mom’s podcast debut.

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Allison Hagan. Research assistance from Kylie Finnigan.

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

SOURCES

Halley’s Comet, Covid-19, and the history of ‘miracle’ anti-comet remedies

People Have Always Been Obsessed with the End of the World 

How it Ends: The Ancient Roots of Doomsday Prophecies and End of the World Beliefs 

ESOTERICA Volume IX (2007) 

Storming The Ark 

End of World in 2012? Maya "Doomsday" Calendar Explained 

2012: The End of the World as We Know It?  

Maya Expert: The 'End Of Times' Is Our Idea, Not The Ancients' 

Y2K bug

Apocalypse Then: When Y2K Didn’t Lead To The End Of Civilization 

The lessons of Y2K, 20 years later 

What Drives Doomsday Preppers 

Heaven’s Gate cult members found dead 

Doomsday Prepping Poised to Become $2.46 Billion Industry. 

In uncertain times, the prepper supply business is booming 

We Should All Be Preppers

Is There a Future in the Doomsday Economy?.

Here's a look inside a 15-story underground doomsday shelter for the 1% that has luxury homes, guns, and armored trucks

‘End of the world vibes’: why culture can’t stop thinking about apocalypse 

Psychology Reveals the Comforts of the Apocalypse 

Creation Story of the Maya 

Our Fascination With The End Of The World 

Our never ending obsession with the apocalypse 

Doomsday Psychology: The Appeal of Armageddon 

The Resiliency of Apocalyptic Belief 

The Christmas the Aliens Didn’t Come  

Survivalists and Preppers 

Comet Hale-Bopp: Facts about the bright and tragic comet 

Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake

The girlies sit down for a chatty episode about their current ailments. Namely, the various hip and back problems that for some reason plague us in our 20s, the spiritual enlightenment/terrorism of the Adrianne Lenker concert, the Wicked press tour, and more.

This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and monthly zoom hangs visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

The girlies are joined by literary it-girl Emmeline Clein to discuss her new book, Dead Weight, and the evergreen topic of eating disorders. They dive into the over-maligned Tumblr pro-ana communities, why eating disorder treatment is often counterintuitive to healing, how the intersection of big tech and diet culture has muddied the waters between health and sickness, and more! Digressions include why boyfriends should never go grocery shopping and how to support a friend in recovery.

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Allison Hagan.

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

Julia is joined by bestie of the pod Nick Garros for a wide-ranging and eye-opening Q+A. They discuss the best way to get revenge, the importance of eating beads, advice for getting hit by a car, the time Nick almost killed his grandma, and so much more! 

This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and monthly zoom hangs visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

The girls go off-the-cuff to discuss some post-election thoughts.

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Allison Hagan.

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

The girlies bring you a silly Election Day episode to distract you from the horrors and feelings of impending doom. They discuss the craziest smear campaigns of elections past, why “our candidate is a great guy to have a beer with” has always been a winning message, and some truly wild political memorabilia from America’s history. Digressions include some wonderful, apolitical headlines from the esteemed Daily Mail and how we’re planning to spend the most stressful day of the last four years. 

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Allison Hagan. Research assistance from Kylie Finnigan. 

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

SOURCES

The Role of Music in the 1840 Campaign of William Henry Harrison

William Harrison: Campaigns and Elections

The Whig Campaign of 1840: The Editorial Policy of George D. Prentice

The Campaign of 1840: William Henry Harrison and Tyler, Too

The New Political History and the Election of 1840 

Political Buttons and the Material Culture of American Politics, 1828-1976 

Whig Women, Politics, and Culture in the Campaign of 1840: Three Perspectives from Massachusetts 

Getting the Message Out: Presidential Campaign Memorabilia from the Collection of Allen A. Frey

Quirky Tools of Past Presidential Campaigns Find a New Audience 

Political Fashion Statements From the 1952 Presidential Campaign 

Women Unite for Ike! 

John Quincy Adams: Campaigns and Elections 

A Brief History of Presidential Campaign Merch 

Cash for kitsch: Let’s talk about campaign merchandise

The Forgotten Joy of 1960 Presidential Campaign Jingles

7 Campaign Gimmicks Used by Presidential Candidates   

Sewing Box, Andrew Jackson, 1828 

6 Presidential Campaign Slogans That Fell Flat 

These Artifacts Show the Best—And Worst—of American Election Ephemera 

Win or Lose: Memorable Presidential Slogans 

Incredible Political Fashion Statements From Past Elections

The Forgotten Joy of 1960 Presidential Campaign Jingles

Why did early presidents not campaign? It’s all modern presidents seem to do  

The Origins of Modern Campaigning 

Edna Mae Phelps Political Collection 

Miniature Log Cabin 

What Ten Artifacts from the Smithsonian Collections Can Tell Us About the Crazy History of American Politics 

The Long Tradition of the Smear Campaign 

“Pulp Fashion”: Paper Dresses of the 1960s

Keep the Ball Rolling

The IKE Dress: Did it Really Deliver its Promise?

William Harrison: Life Before the Presidency 

Vote for Me: West Virginia Political Memorabilia 

Al Smith: Provocative Slogan Button.... 

Jeb Bush Wants to Sell You a $75 Guacamole Bowl