These Were The Pop Culture Stories I Couldn't Stop Thinking About This Year
Hi! I’m Stacy Lee Kong and this is Friday Things, a weekly newsletter about a pop culture story I can’t stop thinking about—and why it matters. If...
The Conversation We Should Have Had About Letitia Wright’s Anti-Vax Tweet
Hi! I’m Stacy Lee Kong and this is Friday Things, a weekly newsletter about a pop culture story I can’t stop thinking about—and why it matters. If...
This Isn’t The Christmas Movie Revolution We’ve Been Waiting For
Hi! I’m Stacy Lee Kong and this is Friday Things, a weekly newsletter about a pop culture story I can’t stop thinking about—and why it matters. If...
Hear Me Out: Michael B. Jordan Actually *Shouldn't* Join OnlyFans
Hi! I’m Stacy Lee Kong and this is Friday Things, a weekly newsletter about a pop culture story I can’t stop thinking about—and why it matters. If...
Sorry, But We’re Going to Have to Discuss Scott Disick’s Dating Habits
Hi! I’m Stacy Lee Kong and this is Friday Things, a weekly newsletter about a pop culture story I can’t stop thinking about—and why it matters. If...
If We’re Going to Talk About Britney Spears, We Also Need to Talk About Ableism
Looking back at the way media spoke about Britney Spears in 2007 and 2008 is… a trip. I don’t know if you remember, but the coverage was remarkably cruel....
Joe Biden (Probably) Won. Now What?
You guys, I only thought about one thing this week, and it was the U.S. election. After striving to be marginally less online over the past couple of months,...
The Last Thing the World Needs Is a ‘Saved by the Bell’ Remake
The first full-length trailer for the Saved by the Bell reboot dropped this week and I was surprised by how completely unenthusiastic I was about it. It...
This Newsletter Was Brought To You by Chris Pratt’s White Male Fragility
I’m sure you’ve seen the One Gotta Go meme before—it’s a completely innocuous internet game that has been applied to breakfast foods, ’90s TV shows, white...
The Internet Has Decided Cardi B's Nudes Aren't Wholesome. I Wonder Why 🧐
This is a story of two celebrities. One is a fit, hot, white dude. One is a fit, hot, Black woman. They both accidentally post nudes on Instagram, swiftly...
It’s Not Claudia Conway’s Job to Take Down Trump
Two years ago, I edited an editorial package about how teens had become the progressive role models we really needed and in one of the stories, writer Katie...
What’s Wrong With Chrissy Teigen Posting About Her Miscarriage?
Trigger warning: This post contains references to pregnancy loss. On Wednesday night, Chrissy Teigen posted a heartbreaking series of photos on Instagram....
Oh, We’re Still Doing Blackface? Cool 🙄
A stupid thing happened earlier this week, and while it doesn’t have the same urgency or impact as everything else that’s going on right now, I’m still...
So… I Was Wrong About the Paris Hilton Documentary
Trigger warning: This newsletter contains mentions of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. I know exactly what moment changed my mind about This Is Paris, a...
The End of 'Keeping up With the Kardashians' Is Not That Huge
This week’s announcement that Keeping Up With the Kardashians is ending was the perfect mirror for the show itself: Kim Kardashian West, Khloé Kardashian and...
It’s Okay If Brandy and Monica Don't Like Each Other
When Verzuz announced its next IG battle would be between my 90s queens, Brandy and Monica, I literally blocked the time in my calendar and sent a meeting...
Ugh, I Think Hasan Minhaj Just Become My Problematic Fave
Back in June, I saw this tweet and felt my heart sink. https://twitter.com/SheilaVee/status/1270048766884708352 Sheila Kumar, a former Patriot Act producer,...
What Is Netflix Doing??
And I’m not talking about cancelling Patriot Act, though yes, I’m upset about that, too. But I’m actually more baffled by the way it has handled a different...
Can We Celebrate Kamala Harris’ Vice Presidency and Still Fight To Abolish the Police?
Like lots of other people on my feed, I have been really caught up the momentum of the movement to abolish police. I've been sharing the memes, reading the...
This Is Not a Newsletter About Beyoncé
Okay, it’s a little bit about Beyoncé. But it’s mostly about her fans. Here’s the thing: the Bey Hive is passionate and smart and dedicated. Some factions of...
What the Megan Thee Stallion Discourse is Missing
Content warning: This newsletter contains references to sexual violence and transphobia. I‘ve been thinking about Megan Thee Stallion for weeks. Okay, I’ve...
You Know What We Could Be Better At? Talking About Celebrities’ Mental Health
Earlier this week, culinary historian and author Michael W. Twitty posted a really interesting Twitter thread about parasocial relationships, which he...
The Problem With That Chrissy Teigen Conspiracy Theory
Trigger warning: This newsletter contains mentions of sexual abuse, violence against children and suicide. Apparently, Chrissy Teigen has been “arrested and...
I Miss the Old Kanye
On July 4, Kanye West announced he was running for president and it was both perfectly on-brand and the last thing I'd expect from Kanye West circa 2005,...
It’s Time to Unfollow Terry Crews
How did Terry Crews go from feminist fave to that dude who sends weird tweets cautioning against racial justice? No, seriously—I’m asking. Because his recent...
Is There a Difference Between Lainey Gossip's Racism and 30 Rock's? (Um, Yes)
Three things happen on Monday that I’m still thinking about. First, Ben Mulroney stepped down from his role as host of CTV’s eTalk. Second, everyone from...
You Know, It Would’ve Been Okay If J. Cole Sat This One Out
I’m on the record as being pro celebrities using their platforms to amplify important social issues. But even I have to admit there can be a downside to...
The Myth of the Progressive Media Brand
So, lots of media news this week, huh? A quick refresher: On Monday, Christene Barberich, Refinery29’s co-founder and editor-in-chief, stepped down after...
There's No Value to Celebrity Solidarity If It's Not Backed Up by Action
I’ve been keeping a mental list of how celebrities have spoken out against police brutality and anti-Black racism—if they’ve spoken out, that is. At first,...
How to Be A Good Ally To Your Black Friends
Friday fam, I do not think it will surprise you to hear that I don’t have very many celebrity-related thoughts this week. As much as I believe it’s important...
Apparently Lana Del Rey Has Faced More Adversity Than 5 Women of Colour (And Ariana Grande)
Hey, remember when that successful white lady criticized women of colour, mistakenly believing that they were getting something that was rightfully hers? No,...
As Bryan Adams Demonstrates, Celebrities Are Still Shit at Apologizing
On Monday, Canadian music icon Bryan Adams posted a video of himself singing “Cuts Like A Knife,” his 1983 hit, on Instagram and Twitter—which was fine. In...
Adele Lost Weight. Is It Fatphobic To Notice?
Content warning: This newsletter contains references to fatphobia. “Hello, Adele! 😍 The Grammy-winning singer showed off her dramatic new look while...
Why Was Our Coronavirus Benefit Concert so White?
I had a weird moment while watching the #StrongerTogether benefit concert that aired on Sunday, and I've been thinking about it all week. It was during “Lean...
A Plea to Everyone Lusting Over Justin Trudeau: Please Stop
Hey, so. I have an awkward request to make. Don’t get mad, okay? Here goes... Please, please stop thirsting after politicians. Justin Trudeau’s hair flip?...
Drake Doesn’t *Have* to Talk About His Charity Work—But I Wish He Would
I get why celebrities might not want to publicize their charity work. At the very least, it must feel weird, condescending and self-congratulatory to send...
Chris Evans Has a New Politics Website And I Think It Is a Bad Idea
Last April, CNN broke the news that Chris Evans—who by that time was probably as famous for his left-leaning Twitter feed as for his turn as Captain...
Why in the World Are We Believing Anything Joe Exotic Says?!
After literal weeks of Tiger King memes, jokes and celebrity commentary, I finally watched the first few episodes of Netflix’s new “docu-tainment” mini-...
There’s Only One Good Celebrity Left (It’s Cardi B)
On Wednesday, Cardi B posted the best thing I saw all week: a video of herself straight up savaging other celebrities who had been tested for COVID-19...
Celebrities Are Actually Not Like Us at All, Huh?
Last week, I really hoped Friday Things would remain a coronavirus-free zone—I was thinking it could be a nice pop culture escape from the rest of the news...
Does Wendy Williams Have a Point About Nicki Minaj?
I feel like I need to start by acknowledging that I know Wendy Williams is… not great. This year alone, she’s made anti-gay comments, mocked Joaquin...
Lilly Singh Can’t Pronounce Carnival and It Is Driving Me Bonkers
Lilly Singh, the YouTube megastar-turned-late night talk show host is (once again) appropriating my Trinidadian culture–and she’s not even doing it well....
Harvey Weinstein Is Guilty and Actually, That *Is* a Victory
Trigger warning: this newsletter contains references to sexual assault. For a little while—like, 24 hours?—after a New York jury found Hollywood producer...
Whoopi Goldberg Is Mad at AOC and It's so Very Predictable
I’m kind of annoyed at Whoopi Goldberg. This week, U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was a guest on The View, which was interesting because Whoopi,...
Hey, Remember When Peter Kavinsky Was Every Feminist’s Internet Boyfriend?
Okay, maybe not every feminist, but there was definitely a wide swath of the internet that became temporarily obsessed with Peter Kavinsky—and Noah Centineo,...
I’m Still Thinking About Jay-Z’s Super Bowl Protest That Wasn’t
On Tuesday, Columbia University kicked off its new Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter Lecture Series with a conversation between Jay and journalism professor, New Yorker...
Let’s Talk About How We’re Talking About Kobe Bryant’s Death
Trigger warning: this newsletter contains references to sexual assault. On Sunday, when I heard that Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash, my first...