Millennial: Pretend Adulting, Real Talk

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Andrew recaps meeting Chloé and throwing her to the 'wolves' (Or as a normal people would call them, his friends) Vinyl records have outsold CDs for the second year running, and even cassette tapes are having a moment - what year is it?! Billie Eilish faces backlash for calling out artists who sell multiple variants of an album on vinyl, despite partaking in that practice herself. You don't want to see Pam angry: even Taylor's amount of vinyl variants have pushed her over the edge, and she's pissed! Pam provides a mini-review of Beyonce's Renaissance Act 2: Cowboy Carter and plugs her favorite tunes from the new album! Somehow Laura ended up on home surveillance footage Tiktok, and it's shocking how easy it is to go down THAT rabbit hole. What is it with people who have every single notification turned on? Let Pam water her flowers in peace! Andrew and Laura don't usually watch their live doorbell feeds, but when they do, it's because the neighbors are up to some shenanigans. Get the popcorn! PSA: You aren't obligated to hand over your home surveillance footage to law enforcement unless presented with a warrant or court order. This week's recommendations will keep you entertained and organized: X-Men '97 (Laura), Switched on Pop's podcast episode 'Beyoncé's Country' (Pam), and these custom vinyl dividers to keep your record collection nice and neat (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: Who's a petty bitch? raises hand It turns out many people self-identify as petty, so we indulge ourselves in our pettiness for a half hour. Break checking on the road, trolling online gamers, cold shouldering, and more! We've done and seen it all. We absolutely don't recommend sending your enemies exotic animal poop or gummy dicks to get petty revenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and REAL tech talk! With a heavy tech focus this week, we look at Meta's sneaky inclusion of a new content filter, the US Department of Justice's lawsuit against Apple, and the most horrifying revelation of all: the Facebook poke is having a resurgence. We're all fans of Apple products and have no plans to ditch our iPhones anytime soon, but we can definitely see how Apple makes switching to another smartphone brand difficult. The DOJ says this amounts to harming the competitive process and costing consumers more money. At this point, Smartphones are a public utility and probably do need some regulation - but to what extent? "We 'discovered' a revolutionary secure texting technology that no one has ever thought of integrating into iPhone (until we were legally forced)." Facebook "poke" usage is reportedly up by 13x after Meta increased the feature's prominence. Let your inner child cringe at the memories of flirt poking and creepy posting. Let. it. consume. you. What even IS poking? It's flirting, right? We visit our own poke pages and find some very stale pokes we left on read for 17 years. Sorry! This week's recommendations are a grab bag: 'Quiet On Set' (available on Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime) (Pam), Balatro (Andrew), and the glow deep serum by Beauty of Joseon (Laura). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: Are you a millennial who still cuts up the plastic rings that hold six packs together to save the turtles? This installment on compulsory habits instilled during childhood is for you! Close the fridge, turn off the water, and cut the lights: YOU'RE WASTING SO MUCH ENERGY, IT'S JUST FLOOOWWING OUT! Did D.A.R.E actually work on us as a generation? Probably with most things except weed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're taking this week off from recording a regular episode, so we're releasing a recent installment of After Dark to the masses! In this chat (which was recorded after our Love Languages episode in February with Dr. Morgan Levy), our string of friendship-oriented discussions continue as we discuss the idea of "loud budgeting." How can you temper the expectations of friends when your spending habits are misaligned, but you still want to be their friend? We also discuss friendship boundaries more broadly. We record a new installment of After Dark every week! You can hear every episode by joining our Patreon or by signing up for Mega #Millennial through Apple Podcasts. By subscribing, you'll be helping us run and grow the show, so THANK YOU! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real TikTok talk! Is a TikTok ban imminent? Where do we stand on whether or not it should be? FYI college applicants: words like "tapestry" and "beacon" are common tipoffs that you might have used ChatGPT to write your college admissions essay. We discuss how to use ChatGPT without revealing you did. We ask ChatGPT to write our hypothetical Harvard admissions essays, and the rumors are true: ChatGPT is really stuck on words like "tapestry" and "mosaic." How different is this latest trend from what has been happening since the dawn of time? People always look for ways to outsource work to save time. It's important to know how to use AI as a tool, not make it your entire strategy. This conversation reminds Pam (who is a stellar writer btw) of a college professor who really had it out for her and made her take remedial English. Critics were served some crow after months of criticism about Biden's age and cognitive sharpness when he showed up at the State of the Union and did okay. This political check in touches on all the fuckery: SCOTUS, Trump trials, and a foolish decision by the Fulton County DA. This week's recommendations will soothe and intrigue you: 'Jazz in the Rain' playlist on Spotify (Pam), Squishmallows (Andrew), and Neil DeGrasse Tyson's podcast Star Talk (Laura). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Let's go back to high school, specifically for the DANCES. How on earth did our schools think it was a good idea to include "Get Low" (a millennial fan favorite) in our middle school dances? And yes, there was bumping and grinding! "Con balls were my prom" "Come again?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Nicole and Lexi from the Fantasy Fangirls podcast! We discuss the popularity of their show and why people connect to fandom-oriented podcasts. And they've become full time podcasters!? Millennials always have to use their brains for hard adulting things (Don't forget that tax season is coming up!). Let's normalize using our brains for FUN things just as often! We learn about A Court of Thorns and Roses, what types of audiences would be interested in this fantasy series, and why it's been huge for nearly a decade. The ACTOAR TV show has been in the works at Hulu but seems to have hit some development snags - What's going on, and will it still see the light of day? What would Nicole and Lexi like to see from an ACOTAR TV series? We criticize because we care! As "prominent voices in fandom," we discuss the backlash we receive as podcasters and how we handle it all. Have we tempered our expectations for book-to-screen adaptations after the various works we've seen so far? And who's actually done it RIGHT? How many times can we forgive an author until they authorize too many changes from the original canon? (Nicole is still recovering from The Cursed Child....) Recommendations: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez (Pam), AViewFromMySeat.com (Andrew), Everand (Nicole), and Anomolie and Throne of Glass (Lexi) And this week in After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: Smut can be a fun and light topic to talk about, but this discussion gets real when we analyze why it's so popular: How can smut help improve one's self, your confidence, and your relationship(s)? Reading these books can also help someone find out what's exciting to you, in order to feel fulfilled with your partner(s) or yourself. How do us podcasters deal with with discussing smut when you might have kids listening? Well, we've got too many other problems to juggle (And smut discussions have seriously empowered listeners, so those talks are not going away) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Biden and Trump are each rolling out strategies to appeal to younger voters and... this is one of the results. What can major party candidates do to reach out to younger voters without being cringe? Maybe ask Chat GPT for ideas. Biden leaning into Dark Brandon conspiracy theories? Yes please! Biden answering complicated geopolitical questions while clutching an ice cream cone? Nooooo. It's time for the hosts to reveal their monthly and yearly spends in the era of streaming wars when the average U.S. consumer is spending nearly $1k a year on streaming services. How do we stack up? Inflation relief may be coming soon to your favorite fast food joint or snack company: McDonald's, PepsiCo, and Coca Cola have all announced plans to slow their roll on price increases, and even cut some prices altogether. Wendy is trying to fuck around and find out with dynamic pricing. Who's gonna wanna pay surge prices for a square hamburger?? Watch out for increased costs to check baggage - American Airlines just announced theirs, and we suspect other airlines will soon follow. This week's recommendations will keep you organized and entertained: Clipa bag hanger (Pam), TooGoodToGo (Laura), and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: MuggleSuck, Twilight Source and Hypable edition! Because we've worked with lots of muggles who suck. Persistent resistance to new ideas, walls of text sent at all hours of the night, and entitlement are a few of the things we've dealt with in our heyday as fandom creators. "How old is this person??" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Ethical consumerism: is it truly possible, what are the pros and cons, and do we feel like we're better than everyone else when we make sustainable choices? :eyes: #Millennialproblems: Turns out lab-grown diamonds aren't totally conflict free (just like the millennial experience, yolo). We rag on the trend of using sustainability as a status symbol - ethical consumerism often comes with a high price tag, rendering it inaccessible for some. Let's be real: how often are we actually following up on the ethics of a company of product we like? If a deinfluencer convinces you to buy something you don't need in the name of minimalism, is that a net positive? In related news, an EU study has found that most influencers fail to disclose advertising, so how many times have we been advertised to without our knowledge? Andrew (aka your internet savvy big bro) has some helpful tips and tricks to spot when advertising is happening, even if it's not clearly disclosed. This week's recommendations are for all y'all on the move: Do a sibling road trip with your bro/sis/brother from another mother (Laura), prAna hiking gear (Andrew), and elastic shoelaces (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: The friendship series part 4: dealing with picky friends. Who else face palms over friends with no service industry background making a scene at restaurants? Excessive pickiness with little self-awareness can be a red flag for bigger issues. The stunning update to Andrew's Bumble BFF journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real LOVE talk! It's Valentine's Day, and for the occasion we're joined by friend of the show, clinical psychologist, and host of That Nerd Thing, Morgan! But first (ugh) Donald Trump is obsessed with the Supreme Court - what are they gonna do about the Colorado ballot case and his immunity appeal? Ever wonder how conversations around love languages became so mainstream? Like all good millennials, we took a Buzzfeed quiz to find out what our love languages are. What is yours? The father of the love languages framework, Dr. Gary Chapman, is a homophobic sexist douche, but is there still something to be gained from his theory of love languages? Andrew is such a love bug this episode, Morgan pushes him to share what makes him feel loved! What's more important? Knowing your partner's love language, or knowing your own? Were you looking for a common theme in this week's recommendations? We have two! STAY HOME IF YOU'RE SICK FOR THE LOVE OF GOD (Laura), Emergen-C (Andrew), “Where Are Your Boys Tonight? The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008” by Chris Payne (Pam), and BookClubs.com (Morgan). And in this week's installment of After Dark: The Friendship Series part 3 - Loud Budgeting. Are we comfortable enough with our friends to speak up when we can't afford to do something? How have we handled friendships where there is a significant disparity in incomes and spending behavior? "I don't want to spent gas money to listen to you complain about your ex for 3 hours girl!" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! First: DC Circuit Court issues a breaking announcement: the President actually isn't above the law! As relations crumble between music giant UMG and TikTok, Taylor Swift, BTS, and other major acts may leave the platform. The latest drama with TikTok is leaving many creators without the musical tools to create their regular content. To add insult to injury, music has been removed from old videos. Our very own Andrew in the Air has been impacted - will our TikTok behavior change forever? A good reminder that nothing is guaranteed? You've heard of tiny houses, but have you heard of people buying tiny houses off Amazon? For all the good reasons to invest in a tiny house (sustainability, affordability, minimalism) there are caveats (renting land for the tiny house to sit on, lack of value appreciation, and lack of multiple bathrooms). While there is a lot to appreciate about tiny houses, let's not forget that these are just fancy mobile homes with good PR. We're practical with this week's recommendations: Whiskey making kits (Laura), BrickEconomy.com (Andrew), and Rain-X original glass water repellent. And in this week's installment of After Dark: Andrew is one step closer to making his cruise ship dreams become a reality. Touching grass and eating ass comes with new friends who like cruises! A panel divided: Laura enjoys cruises, Pam is triggered by the thought, and Andrew is thinking about the 274 night cruise around the world. What is the party scene on a cruise ship like? Sex, drugs, & (sometimes) rock 'n roll. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real JON STEWART IS COMING BACK TO THE DAILY SHOW OMG OMG OMG talk. As a Jon Stewart super fan, this is the revival Laura has been waiting for. Why did Jon's Apple TV+ show come to an end? And why did he leave us during the Trump years? Trevor Noah made the Daily Show his own, and updated it in many much-needed ways. Will the second era of Jon Stewart as host keep up the momentum? Whether it's Jon Stewart or Mean Girls, it is our time to watch childhood nostalgia come back around. Are we tired of the entertainment sphere recycling the same ideas over and over? No Elmo, we're not doing okay. Pam finds catharsis in the latest news about the scrapped Lizzie McGuire reboot, but sometimes even the most anticipated revivals can feel hollow and out of pace with the original material, so maybe Lizzie is better off. How soon is too soon to reboot a beloved story or franchise? (Hollywood vs fan takes on this question) This week's recommendations are (sort of) on theme: The West Wing special to benefit When We All Vote on Max (Laura), Planet Fitness (Andrew), and "The Greatest Night in Pop" on Netflix (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Our friendship series continues! This week's theme: timeliness and reciprocity. How being chronically late with little to no communication has impacted past friendships for the panel. What are we looking for in terms of reciprocity? Are relationships always 50-50? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! We're watching the results of the New Hampshire Republican primary come in over the course of this show, but tbh, there were no big surprises. Friend of the show and host of Shaken and Disturbed John Thrasher is back with us this week to talk about the intersection of true crime and stan culture. We ask John to specifically look at the recent release of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who served 8 years in prison on second degree murder charges in the killing of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Gypsy Rose has seemingly gone from inmate to influencer overnight. Is there a pipeline from prison to fame? After the initial spike in interest and popularity, some of the social media tides seem to be shifting as more detractors speak up about the attention and celebrity being afforded to Gypsy Rose. Does stan culture in general infantilize high-profile people and make their hardcore fans operate under the delusion that they can do no wrong? We touch on famous figures we used to stan and when and why those shifts happened for us. Are we guilty of confirmation bias? This week's recommendations are across the board: "American Nightmare" on Netflix (Laura), Love's travel stops for a delightful roadtrip experience (Andrew), StoryGraph for reading recommendations (Pam), and Pokémon Go for the throwback and motivation to get outside (John). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Friendship bitch fest! We love our friends, but they're not always the best at communicating or making plans. "I don't know what to do for my boyfriend's birthday, can you give me ideas? Also you're not invited." PSA: A friend agreeing to be in your wedding is doing you a favor. Be respectful of their time and communicate what you need from them in advance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Hot on the heels of the Iowa caucus earlier this week, we aren't at all surprised by the outcome. Are pre-teens ruining Sephora, or are we turning into "olds"? The lack of pre-teen spaces (shops, online spaces, for socializing) is leading to some adolescent girls leaning into trends that may not be healthy for them at this age. The value of social currency still impacts us all, but it was at its height for our panel during those tween years. What are the impacts of Gen Alpha not having their own Lizzie McGuire, Limited Too, and skincare brands? Lest we forget that we are easily influenced: let's discuss the rise (and soon to be fall) of the Stanley Cup (no, we're not talking about hockey). Suburban moms and kids getting in on viral trends are basically the kiss of death. Given the Stanley's spot as a hot gift this holiday season, how long does it have before it's usurped by the new hot trend in hydration? Given these challenging economic times, our theme for this week's recommendations is 'little luxuries,' or things you can still do to treat yourself without breaking the bank: Paleo Pines, which is on sale for $23.99 through 1/22 (Laura), TheLipStickLesbians on Tiktok for all your lipstick recs (Pam), and Celsius energy drinks (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark: How boomers ruined Facebook, and why our parents joining the platform changed the dynamics of how we were using it. Are we too hard on boomers? "They started it!" What are we thankful to boomers for? Rock n roll and birthing us (we guess). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and our TENTH YEAR of real talk! What could have possibly happened in the two weeks we were off air? The panel recounts, and pays special tribute to the dearly departed creator of avocado toast. We have to kick off 2024 with another round of 'New Year, New Laws.' What progress (or regress) will our union see this year? Laura might have ruined indoor vaping for Pat by scaring Andrew with some info from the American Heart Association. Sorry Pat!! Illinois and California are taking steps to combat censorship and discrimination, while North Carolina and Montana are trying to stop teenagers from accessing porn. Pornhub says "good luck with that!" Nevada has given Laura another reason to prioritize a trip to see Andrew in 2024. Will Georgia's state income tax reductions come at the expense of higher costs elsewhere? More than 20 states will raise minimum wages for workers which is great and all, but people are still battling inflation! The Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse has entered the public domain, so get ready for creators to leverage this iconic version of the Mouse. New laws from abroad: England and Wales' ban on XL Bully breed, NZ makes a far-right pivot, and more! Start the new year right: Watch 'Leave the World Behind' on Netflix (Laura), 'The Artful Dodger' on Hulu (Pam), and use Waze when driving for the police alerts (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Is Mr. Brightside by The Killers the anthem of the millennial generation? The millennial experience we love sing shouting about in bars: desperately wanting something we can't have. We age ourselves by reflecting on other possible millennial anthems, many of which are 20+ years old! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are off the next two weeks, so enjoy this recent installment of our flagship Patreon benefit After Dark in the mean time! Happy Holidays and have a safe New Years! Do you ever worry about being overheard gossiping in public? Well buckle up: the latest trend on TikTok involves regular people eavesdropping and then relaying the gossip they overhear in great detail to the masses. Let’s think about this, would someone want to find out they are being cheated on over TikTok? Did Andrew ever drive your Uber? If so, he has a catalogue of all the best gossip he’s heard from passengers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real year-end talk! Chloé, Marc, and Pat join us for another holiday gift exchange and 2024 predictions! How many of our 2023 predictions were wrong? Tbh the majority. In a show first, the USPS has failed us with getting all gift exchange packages delivered on time. "Touch grass, eat ass." #Millennial's new slogan encouraging expanding your social circle! What's to come in 2024 according to our panel? Biden will win re-election, Trump VP pick predictions, Andrew's yearly death prediction, how AI will break news, and upcoming entertainment release predictions. This week, we're giving our RECOMMENDATION OF THE YEAR! Future (Laura), Lancome Monsieur Big in Waterproof (Chloé), the Steam Deck (Marc), Bumble BFF (Andrew), getting a foldable chair with a canopy (Pat), and Dossier for dupe fragrances (Pam). And in this final 2023 installment of After Dark: Oxford's 2023 Word of the Year is... Rizz? Does this resonate with anyone? We review previous words of the year and evaluate whether they have any staying power, or if being designated 'word of the year' is a death sentence for a word's popularity. What happened in prior years to inspire these selections? Much like a Magic 8-Ball, answers are (somewhat) unclear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real 2023 talk! This week, we wrap up 2023 by running through the most memorable moments, news stories, snafus, and phenomenons. What is time? You're telling me that head of lettuce lasted longer than Liz Truss as PM happened in 2022? Shut up. How could we forget the Chinese spy balloons? (Don't worry, they haven't forgotten about you or all the sweet intel they picked up.) The Titan submersible, aka the reason we're all getting coal in our stockings this year aka the funniest memes of 2023 aka the reason we're all going to hell. "Tell the rich. I want them to know it was me!" Barbenheimer took the world by storm this summer, and Glitch McConnell is still shook. A melancholy, heartfelt Beatles reunion rounded out the year with the wholesome energy we all needed. See, AI ain't all bad! How could we forget the Renaissance and Eras tours? Laura gets called out for replacing George Santos with a better congressman named Santos. #WestWinggirlieforlife What was the most memorable 2023 moment for our Patrons? Strikes, Tay Tay, the Titan submersible, Prince Harry's "todger," and the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. This week's recommendations will set you up for success this holiday season: Lethal Company (Laura), CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser (Andrew), and Beyonce's 'Renaissance: a film.' And in this week's installment of After Dark: Thinking of hate stalking an ex or former friend this holiday season? You probably shouldn't but tbh, we love mess. Turns out there are some really common reasons we all hate stalk. Is it to feel better about ourselves? MAYBE. We toy with posting Insta polls to see how many of our exes participate. "The last time I texted him Happy Birthday he didn't answer lol." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Girl bye: The rise and fall of George Santos, from the House of Representatives to Cameo. Don't forget to check out the #Millennial and MuggleCast Overstock Store for all your holiday shopping needs! Apparently avocado demand in the US is ruining the planet and leading to spikes in violence. WHY CAN'T WE JUST HAVE AVOCADO TOAST IN PEACE? Laura is buying an avocado tree. Has she thought this through? No. Does she have anywhere to plant it? Also no. What other guilty pleasures do we partake in despite knowing the negative consequences of using them? We wish we knew how to quit Amazon. Patrons also weigh in on their guiltiest pleasures, including long showers, styrofoam go-cups, eating meat, and more. The Biden campaign is exploring legal strategies for dealing with the inevitable impact of AI deepfakes on the 2024 election. What deepfakes do we predict we'll see? Tons of misinformation, but absolutely fake nudity. This week's recommendations are helpful and productive: Consumer Class Action Lawsuit Database (Laura), GHOST Protein (Andrew), and Naturium bath and body products (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Do the hosts of #Millennial validate the Shopping Cart Theory? Honesty time: who always returns their shopping cart and who leaves them rolling free in the parking lot? Do we do the right thing when no one's looking? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real Thanksgiving drama talk! RIP Andrew's Black Friday joy. Don't forget to check out the #Millennial and MuggleCast Overstock Store for the podcast fan in your life this holiday season! This week's episode is a Confessional-palooza serving up some piping hot tea from our listeners' most dramatic Thanksgiving encounters. Estranged sibling say something shitty? Dad ruined the pie by putting raw Turkey in the fridge with it? Uncle Bobby ruin Thanksgiving by describing his erection in gory detail? We've got it all chronicled here! How do you even when Grandma's friend Irish goodbyes after having explosive shits in your guest bathroom? "Why aren't you married yet?" "Idk Ethel why aren't you dead yet?" Is it Thanksgiving if the menu doesn't involve mashed potatoes? How to handle Dad being a little too giving to an employee? This week's recommendations will give you a reprieve from stressful interactions this holiday season: Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patches (Andrew), ‘Doctor Who: Special 1 - The Star Beast’ (Pam), and 'Spider-Man 2' on PS5 (Laura). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Our own Thanksgiving tea! There's always that one person who insists on driving a joke into the ground. A significant other who can't even fake it at family functions... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're off this week because of Thanksgiving, but today we're publicly releasing one of our favorites from our After Dark archives! In September, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were canceled for writing character letters about their 'friend' Danny Masterson. The character letters spilled out into public, which inspired us to write character letters for each of the three of us, as if we were on trial and needed an assist from each other. We had a lot of fun writing these letters and sharing them with one another on air, and we hope you enjoy them too. For more great content like this, pledge to our Patreon or sign up for a paid subscription on Apple Podcasts. You'l receive a new After Dark installment every week, along with ad-free episodes of #Millennial! Happy Thanksgiving, and we'll see you next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Check out the newly launched #Millennial and MuggleCast store on Etsy! Grab extras of our awesome Patreon gifts while supplies last! American news roundup: are y'all tired of this shit? So are we. Let's keep it fun and short! Another social media legacy encounters some woes: Tumblr is reportedly downscaling after failing to 'turn around' the site. With Tumblr's attempts at growth in recent years falling flat, their CEO admits it's time to pivot. Is Tumblr already dead to us? We reminisce about the apps and sites of yesteryear: MySpace, AIM, Vine, Foursquare, and more! Our walk down memory lane makes us realize that Google is at its best when it acquires companies for its ecosystem - not so much when they try their hand at launching their own platforms. Listeners sound off on some of their favorite OG internet fixtures: forums, Stumbleupon, Nimbuzz, Livejournal, Xanga, and Neopets. Don't forget to send your funniest, cringiest, most annoying Thanksgiving stories to our Confessional! This week's recommendations are helpful and fun: Get your flu shot and covid booster if eligible (Laura), PointsYeah (Andrew), and 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' on Netflix (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Do you ever worry about being overheard gossiping in public? Well buckle up: the latest trend on TikTok involves regular people eavesdropping and then relaying the gossip they overhear in great detail to the masses. Let's think about this, would someone want to find out they are being cheated on over TikTok? Did Andrew ever drive your Uber? If so, he has a catalogue of all the best gossip he's heard from passengers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and some (real quick) election talk! We kept an eye on a couple of important races and ballot measures, but were excited to see Ohio enshrined abortion rights in its constitution AND legalized recreational marijuana. Toke up y'all! We also took a few moments to get to know our new Speaker, a predictably homophobic Trump sycophant. DoorDash warns consumers: if you don't tip in advance, expect a longer wait. Andrew and Pam say the solution is to require tips in advance, Laura isn't so sure about that. Tl;dr American tipping culture is a scam that fucks over the working class and consumers. Millennials and Gen Z are setting new records for the purchase of alternatives to luxury products, aka DUPES. How has the culture evolved from brand pride to dupe pride? Would our adolescent selves have survived middle school this way? Good dupes vs bad dupes: a lot of stuff can be "duped," but you shouldn't skimp on things like mattresses, shoes, and skincare. This week's recommendations are DUPE themed in honor of our dupe discussion: Heatless curler headband ($27 instead of the hundreds you'll spend on brand name curling irons) (Laura), Anker products for your charging and backup battery needs (Andrew), and Trader Joe's Daily Facial Sunscreen (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: A listener feels the sting of a close friend forgetting their birthday. Have we ever been on the receiving end of this hurtful behavior? Additionally, have WE ever been the flaky friend? Andrew's the friend who tends to do all the planning and booking reservations - does this ever get tiresome? What to do if you spend more time on your friends than they do on you... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Buckle up for a slightly unhinged ep - in a historic moment for the show, we recorded this one in the MORNING! Andrew and Pat are the "cool" Halloween neighbors between throwing sexy parties and giving out full size candy bars. Get ready for more adaptations: 'The Hunger Games' is set to get the stage play treatment. (Real talk, does anyone want to feel immersed in the Panem environment?) 'Spongebob the Musical' ran so that Ethan Samuel Slater could throw his family away for Ariana Grande. Is 'Hunger Games' trying to pull a 'Harry Potter' by continuing to expand the universe? A new study out of UCLA indicates that teens are looking to see less sex depicted on screen. Were we just way hornier as teens, or is there something more to this? How have depictions of sex in popular media changed since we were kids? The introduction of intimacy coordinators on set has had a noticeable impact on the nature of sex scenes depicted in tv and film. A confessional prompts us to have a spicy conversation in After Dark: "Can my neighbor hear me using my vibrator through the walls?" There is no common thread in this week's recommendations: Yeti Nano microphone (Laura), Rollo Thermal Printer (Andrew), and investing in an electric fabric shaver to keep your sweaters looking fresh this fall (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: As promised in the main show, we're getting personal about getting down when you live in connected or shared spaces with neighbors and family. Tips for keeping things discreet if you're at home or in a dorm... Vibrator recommendations! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real DEATH talk! This is your LAST chance to get this year's physical gift by signing up at the BAE tier over on our Patreon! Sign up today, and fill out the form to receive this year's gift: signed album art with a couple of surprise gifts (and some secret bonus content!). Funeral director and home death educator Lauren Carroll of Deathwives joins us to talk about a very spooky topic: DEATH! Just kidding, death doesn't have to be scary! Without death, there can be no life. Lauren soothes our fears and anxieties about death, and explains her tips for having a better relationship with it. It's decided: we're all having water cremations. TBD on what we do with our ashes (Laura might blast hers into space). Be sure to check out the Deathwives Class Library, and if you're in the New York City area, you can get $100 off their live death doula training on 11/11/23 with code OMGIMDEAD. According to home improvement app Thumbtack, 40% of millennials believe their house is haunted. While this is really just a brilliant October promotional opportunity, it inspires a conversation on the panel of our own creepy experiences with the paranormal. As always, our recommendations run the gamut: 'The Fall of the House of Usher' on Netflix (Laura), @PersonalFinanceClub on Instagram (Andrew), and freezing your cookie dough for seamless baking this holiday season. And in this week's installment of After Dark: The #Millennial HR team is going to have to intervene because Andrew is OUT OF CONTROL! While we're talking about death, Andy decides (by coin toss) who will be his Legacy Contact on Facebook when he dies. Pam and Laura share tales of being haunted by the Facebook profiles of dead people. "Hi! If you're receiving this email, I am out of life and will not be returning ever. Go to hell." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Don't forget to subscribe and fill out our form to receive this year's physical gift - signed album art with a couple of *surprises*. We recommend following NotYourGoodJew on Instagram for more information on the war. Karma is my rocket ship of a career changing cinema goers' etiquette: Pam recounts her experience at the 'Eras Tour' movie. "Mother said it was okay" for Swifties to dance in the aisles, sing their hearts out, and take a million selfies with their friends. As Andrew says, don't yuck someone else's yum! BREAKING: Andrew has never seen 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' and Pam and Laura are devising ways to help Andy lose his RHPS "virginity." It's the end of an era as we know it: Best Buy (aka standard depressing brick and mortar electronics store) has announced it will stop selling DVDs and Blu-rays in 2024. Why do some still prefer physical copies, and in another 10 years, will DVDs and Blu-rays be the new collectible nostalgia item? (We hope not, the early 2000s were a cursed time, let them RIP.) With Disney also announcing it is discontinuing the sales of physical movies in certain regions, it seems certain that the days of buying physical copies of movies, games, and music may be entering their sunset era. This week's recommendations check all the boxes: Juan Luis Guerra (Laura), this Sony DVD/Blu-ray player for the nostalgia (Andrew), and the Singer sewing machine for beginners (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Did someone say Spooky Szn? Laura's ready with some folklore and tales out of Appalachia. "If you heard mothman's ass cheeks clapping in the woods... No you didn't." (Credit to supporter Sean for this gem!) Superstition and the melding of cultural influences that produce today's unique blend of horror folklore tales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! We're excited to announce our 2023 physical gift for BAE+ Patrons: signed album art with a super secret gift you can only get as a BAE Patron for a limited time! #iykyk Do we judge people who work with ghostwriters to publish their memoirs? Is it dishonest to use a ghostwriter and not credit them? Is there a difference between using ghostwriters for fiction vs non-fiction? We expect to need to hire experts to do a variety of jobs for us - why is ghostwriting any different? TikTok has fallen: our latest social media fav is considering rolling out an ad-free subscription tier. Will Pam and Laura be able to resist the temptation? Is Meta setting itself up to fuck around and find out? The platform is reportedly rolling out paid ad-free plans and the requirement for non-paid customers to opt in for free with personalized ads to get around European Union data privacy regulations. How many European citizens do we think will go for this? And getting into truly ridiculous subscription model territory: Tinder's new Select model will cost $499 per month and come with additional features to boost the advantage of meeting their "most sought-after users." "If I'm paying $499/month for Tinder can it just blow me?" This week's recommendations are practical with a pinch of the abstract from Andrew (because ofc): Touch grass and become less dependent on streaming apps (Andrew), Glossier's new Stretch Foundation (Laura), and the Cuisinart immersion blender for all your fall soup needs (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Inspired by the story of known con artist Coco Berthmann, we talk about internet ghosts: the people you thought you knew who ended up being someone else entirely. Laura shares a personal MuggleSuck example of a friend she met through fandom who ended up lying about their entire life story. For more fandom drama, we recount a scandal that is still rocking us to this day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Need a primer on the House Speaker drama that has unfolded in the House of Representatives in the last week, but don't have the energy for long-winded explanations? Laura's got your back with a quick and dirty 2-minute explainer! Please don't forget to take our 2023 Listener Survey! You can help shape the future of the show - survey is open through October 9th, don't miss your chance to leave your mark on #Millennial! Nearly 3 decades after the murder of Tupac Shakur, a major break in the case has led to an arrest for his murder. Pam and Laura get into the overlap between pop culture and true crime by digging into the logistics of why it took so long for authorities to make an arrest despite long-term certainty around who was responsible for Tupac's murder. Phones in Japan make a shutter sound when you take a photo, even if they're on silent mode. Why? While the privacy concerns are certainly valid, consumers have found creative ways around this. How do we think Americans would react to implementation of a similar policy? Have we been guilty of taking sneaky pics in public? (Yes.) This week's recommendations will keep you health and informed! 'In The Dark' season 2(Laura), requesting free covid tests courtesy of the US government (Andrew), and 'Hip Hop Evolution' on Netflix (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Apparently coffee consumption is okay to a certain degree, and diet sodas might give us cancer. Are we making any changes to our caffeine consumption habits? At what points in life have we hit caffeinated beverages the hardest? What life events made us change our habits? Which of the hosts drinks the most coffee? The answer may surprise you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Laura is off, but she’ll be back next week! In her absence, Andrew and Pam welcome their friend (and former Hypable staffer!) Tariq Ra'ouf, to the show! You can find Tariq online at Twitter and Instagram. It looks like the Writer’s Strike has officially come to an end! We react to the news at the WGA has reached a tentative deal with the AMPTP Pam fills us in on what happens next now that picketing has stopped, and Andrew details some of what fans can expect after writers in Hollywood resume work. It’s a pop culture palooza this week! To kick things off, we dive into the rise in popularity of universities offering courses on some of today’s biggest pop stars. Is teaching classes on Taylor Swift and Beyonce a smart tactic in getting students excited to learn, or is it all just good PR for the universities greenlighting these classes? Is there space in the classroom for pop culture? We definitely think so! As our discussion on cool college courses comes to a close, Andrew and Tariq get vulnerable as they discuss dropping out of university. Check out Professor Julian Wamble on TikTok, who teaches a Harry Potter course! ‘Fourth Wing’ fans, rejoice! Your excitement over our recent recommendations of the Rebecca Yarros written novel didn’t go unnoticed! To wrap up the show, we host a little spoiler free book club dedicated to this year’s hottest fantasy read! We talk about what it is that sucked us into the book and kept us reading. Pam and Andrew have some fun recounting the spicy plot point they didn’t see coming. ‘Fourth Wing’ sequel, ‘Iron Flame,’ is coming out this November— will any of us be heading out to Barnes & Noble’s planned midnight release parties for the book? We take the opportunity to reminisce a bit on all the midnight release parties we attended growing up. This week’s recommendations: ‘Crying In H Mart’ by Michelle Zauner (Pam), WaterPiks (Andrew), and recording artists Jungle and Whethan (Tariq). And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: WTF news is back! Tariq joins us as Andrew shares a carefully curated list of news stories centered on the overarching theme of “butts.” This time around we’re trying something new: ending this latest installment of WTF news on a high note with some cute news! Is After Dark always this gross, Tariq asks? *shifty eye emoji* Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Off the top, we tune into the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on banned books and free speech, see the full clip HERE. We'll love you forever if you take a few minutes to fill out our 2023 listener survey to help us improve the show! Rumors of an NSYNC reunion began swirling earlier in the year when the first trailer for ‘Trolls: Band Together’ seemingly made several references to iconic 90s boy bands. Anticipation reached a fever pitch when all five members of NSYNC attended the MTV Video Music Awards to present the Best Pop Video award to Taylor Swift. A couple of other cryptic messages from the band culminated in NSYNC announcing their first single in over two decades... for the 'Trolls 3' movie. In a deep dive on Vulture, we learned that studios and publicists are able to successfully skew movie rating scores. Do movie reviews mean anything to us? Are we easily influenced by the Tomatometer? Have we ever been influenced by reviews or even publicists trying to wine and dine us? Cancel culture in 2023 vs 2017: Lizzo sued by former backup dancers for creating a hostile work environment and Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis take heat for writing character letters for Danny Masterson in the wake of his rape convictions. What is the line between boss/friend for Lizzo's backup dancers? Have inappropriate behaviors towards underage minors reduced, or just shifted and look different now? This week's recommendations will keep you entertained, educated, and well-rested! 'Hot Ones' featuring NSYNC (coming Thursday) (Pam), scheduling "learning time" for yourself (Andrew), and establishing a good pre-sleep routine of journaling, meditating, and winding down (Laura). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Inspired by Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, let's get canceled for writing character defense letters for each others' crimes against humanity. "Hey all he had to do was buy you a slice of pizza to avoid being axe murdered." Pam is on her Vigilante Shit! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Laura "wins" a longstanding "game," and Andrew toasts to the end of an era. LendingTree and Credit Karma have conducted surveys of millennials and Gen Z’ers to look at reasons why our age groups may be incurring debt in the pursuit of love. Younger generations are more likely to accrue "dating debt" than older generations. We get personal and share how much we've spent on dating. Even though it feels like we're always spending, spending, spending, traditional shopping is dying. (Yet another thing to blame millennials for!) Believe it or not, the majority of consumers (54%) prefer shopping in-store, as opposed to online. (We could never.) If you think listening to podcasts helps combat loneliness, how do you think it helps podcast hosts? This show is our social lives!! If you lean on podcasts for companionship, check out this article in the Washington Post about how people use podcasts to fill this gap. What is the relationship between arousal and focus? What content do we consume to help us focus? This week's recommendations will empower and entertain: SHOOT YOUR SHOT (Andrew), 'Once More with Feeling' by Elissa Sussman, and Baldur's Gate 3 (Laura). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: Laura opens up about a crazy squatting situation her complex experienced last year. The reason police couldn't do anything about it is WILD. Andrew provides a neighbor update, and may or may not be doing surveillance droning to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! We kick off the show on a somber note as another one of Andrew’s death predictions comes true. The hosts reminisce on the legacy of legendary ‘The Price Is Right’ host Bob Barker, as well as recently passed artists Jimmy Buffet, and Smash Mouth’s Steve Harwell. The drones are coming-- at least in New York. The NYPD is officially using surveillance drones to monitor large, outdoor events. If you’re worried about how surveillance drones flying overhead might affect your privacy, you’re not the only one! The hosts weigh in on whether or not they trust law enforcement departments with this new surveillance technology. America is getting loud no matter where you live, and new research now proves that high levels of noise pollution could come with some pretty big health risks. Andrew shares his concerns over living in a developing neighborhood with frequent construction noise. Pam and Laura ruminate over whether or not they’re worried about hearing loss as they age. Home interest rates are high, so when should you buy? Unfortunately, the answer doesn’t seem so clear cut. If you’re feeling mortgage rate envy, you’re not alone! (But that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Andrew and Laura. Both are locked in to some pretty sexy interest rates!) Laura shares how having student loans affected her as a first time home buyer. This week’s recommendations are geared toward enriching your mind and body! CeeCee’s Closet sleep Bonnets (Pam), CeeCee’s Closet African exfoliation net (Laura), and ‘Fourth Wing’ by Rebecca Yarros (Andrew). In this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: School’s back in session for students all across the country, so we’re hitting you with our very own Back to School special! The hosts reminisce on their old school days. What silly traditions did each of our schools have? Will we be hitting up our respective high school reunions? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Spotify has a $38 million white noise problem. They're paying ad dollars for their own algorithm to direct listeners to independent white noise podcasts instead of Spotify's own white noise music. Some white noise podcasts are raking in $18k per month - we clearly got into the wrong podcasting business. Still, we try our hand at #Millennial branded white noise. Would you sub?? More steamer price hikes: Disney+ has announced a 27% price increase, which Hulu promising a 20% increase. Take one well-educated guess about which streamers are on the chopping block for our panel. Hurricane Hilary gave something unexpected to the US Southwest, and we look at the up and coming hurricane names for the 2023 forecast. Watch out for Hurricane Gert! It was not until the year of our Lord 2023 that menstrual products' absorbency was tested with blood, not water. #Tampongate strikes again. 'TikTok Music' is in beta mode in Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, Mexico, and Singapore. Is this the future of learning about new music?? How do we find new music? We've got hot recommendations fresh off the press this week! NOAA's National Hurricane Center (Laura), VPNs (Andrew), and ‘Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins And in this week's installment of After Dark: An Illinois law forcing parents to share part of their revenue with their children is going into effect in 2024. What aspects of this law would have helped us when we were unpaid minor workers? Another MuggleSuck entry: Andrew recounts a time when a certain someone wanted to pay him in experience and exposure, not cold hard cash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real friendship and romance talk! The Hot Indictment Summer hits just keep coming: TRUMP. IS. INDICTED. FOR. A. FOURTH. TIME! This week's episode is a mailbag show, so we're covering as many confessionals and pieces of feedback as we can (*in 90 minutes, Andrew is flying the night of our recording, and he'll kill us if we give him another 2 hour edit). Uh oh, we influenced too close to the sun: using ChatGPT to write cover letters. The Adventures of Ronald the SAG President and Nancy the Throat Goat. Ugh Chrissy, stop inviting yourself to your coworkers' weddings. No one invited you! A confessional writer grapples with supporting their child's preferences while also protecting them from a family of Trumpers. We're all inspired by a confessional writer who did a boudoir photoshoot for her husband-to-be. Free those titties! Is it possible to say "I love you" too soon? What's the right amount of time? Why is being unfollowed on social channels by people we personally know so hurtful? Do we spite unfollow people? Honestly, there's no thread to connect this week's recommendations: The TWA Hotel at JFK International Airport (Laura), Pluto TV (Andrew), and Beauty of Joseon sunscreen (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Instead of breaking a celebrity death, TMZ recently broke news of a death HOAX! We reflect on the celebrity deaths that shook the culture, and look at why TMZ isn't following the same rules of journalistic ethics as more mainstream outlets. Does that somehow make them better at breaking news? Hide your nudes - a member of the panel has sold footage to TMZ before! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership! If you have federal student loans that will go into repayment this fall, be sure to check out the SAVE plan and enroll before interest resumes 9/1! Andrew might start a side hustle filming reaction vids. His latest: reacting to a baby bear in Yosemite National Park. Spotify users who support us on Patreon can now get our exclusive audio content right within the Spotify app! Woohoo! Tired of dating apps? Some are kicking it old school with Date-Me Docs (think personal ads in newspapers). Here's one directory Would we connect with someone through a Date-Me doc? We analyze a real life example of one and try to play matchmaker for Pam (she's not having it). Our inbox is open: send us your dating docs, OkCupid profiles, etc, and we'll give anonymous, on-air reviews! 'Try That in a Small (Sundown) Town:' we dig into the controversy behind this chart-topping song from Jason Aldean, and why the tune and its music video are proving so divisive. Laura grew up in Forsyth County, Georgia, which not-so-long-ago had sundown laws in place. For a taste, check out this early episode of Oprah where she visited the belly of the sundown beast (warning: offensive, frequent use of racial slurs). The lyrics and imagery of 'Try That In A Small Town' serve as a racist dogwhistle, harkening for the days of Jim Crow and sundown policies. Laura shares her perspective growing up in a place where the echoes of history are still resounding to this day. You know we always come with the best recommendations: 'Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America' by Patrick Phillips (Laura), 8Sleep Pod Cover (Andrew - click the link for $200 off!), and Tyler Childers as a palette cleanse for all the Jason Aldean talk (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: We're life pathing. What we mean by that is, we're discovering what our life path numbers are! Some of our life path results resonate, some make us feel attacked tho. What's the best way to use tools like this? Is there one "right" way? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and REAL talk! In breaking Trumpdates: Orange Julius has had four new indictments dropped against him, this time, out of a Washington D.C. court. Read the full indictment here. Hot indictment summer is still hot y'all! Glitch McConnell and the Congressional Geritocracy: give term limits a chance! We review some of our oldest senators and representatives: basically, if you've existed longer than the chocolate chip cookie recipe, please consider retiring. Kplzthx. Are age limits ethical for elected positions of leadership? FYI, aliens aren't called UFOs anymore - the 2023 approved term is UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). In a recent congressional hearing, former military officials auditioned for lead roles in an upcoming X-Files spinoff series. The US has possession of "non-human" bodies of UAP pilots?! Is Andrew's biggest 2023 prediction coming true? Bonus rec from Andrew: Find Starlink - this is a free app that lets you see when you’ll be able to view Starlink satellites flying over your area! It's getting hot in here, so turn on all your fans. Heat waves across the globe are cause for concern and discomfort as we navigate some of the hottest months on record. Is there any cause to be optimistic? Our friend Micah provides an official statement of his experience flying out of Las Vegas on a day with record heat, straight from the MuggleCast news room. National outlets tend to lead with the most deadly news updates for engagement, but you'll likely be able to find more positive updates in your local news. Consider composting, recycling, voting, making home efficiency improvements, and more to help "paint your corner of the sky a little bluer." Check out this episode of #Millennial in which one of our listeners helped us understand best recycling practices. This week's recommendations will keep you entertained and clean?! The newest season of 'Black Mirror' on Netflix (Laura), using bar soap instead of body wash to stick it to Big Bath (Andrew), and 'What We Do in the Shadows' on Hulu (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Concert etiquette: what happened to it? In recent months, trends of hurling objects directly at performers have picked up. Did we go feral during the pandemic? We share our biggest pet peeves re: bad behavior at concerts. PUT YOUR FUCKING SIGNS DOWN. Why spend $500 on concert tickets just to spend the entire show watching it through your iPhone? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real BARBIE talk! Our resident Barbie expert and social media manager Chloé educates us on the history of Barbie, and delves into how her legacy is represented on the silver screen. Barbie was originally based on a German escort doll?! The real life Barbie and Ken were brother and sister?! Justice for Allan and Midge!!! Is the message of this movie that men are stupid? We don't think the haters are aware Ken-ough to understand the layers of Barbie. With the success of 'Barbie,' Mattel has some major tailwinds to help project it towards future motion pictures adaptations of their other properties: think magic 8 ball, Doug, and American Girl dolls! Wtf is girl dinner? If you're anything like us, you've been eating girl dinner for years not knowing it was a "thing." Girl dinner isn't a prescribed menu, it's a #lifestyle. For some of us, the center of girl dinner is cheese. For others, it's diet coke and a blunt. Popeyes was prepared: they rolled out their girl dinner menu when the trend went viral. This week's recommendations are mostly fun with one notable super responsible exception! 'They Cloned Tyrone' on Netflix (Laura), Figo Pet Insurance (Andrew), 'Fourth Wing' by Rebecca Yarros, and princessmovies.to for a super legitimate, totally legal way to watch all the Barbie movies for free (Chloé over here trying to get us sued). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available to Patrons and Apple Podcast subscribers: Comparing our millennial and gen z experiences of diet culture in the 90s and 2010s. Chloé has some tea about the perception that gen z is more body inclusive and positive (they're not). We take a a walk down memory lane and reminisce (or cringe) about our public school lunchroom experiences. California out here with the bougie cafeteria set ups, we were totally robbed out East! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real STRIKE talk! We ain't crossing the picket line: why we support the WGA and SAG strikes. Writers, actors, directors, and other creators are receiving PENNIES on their streaming residuals, meanwhile corporate execs are yachting and complaining about not having money. Studios are hoping background actors will agree to one day of shooting and granting the studio perpetual ownership of their likeness with no further compensation. Other industries, like airlines and parcel shipment services, are also staring down the barrel of looming strikes. Are we at a cultural turning point in the push for workers' rights? Shoutout to unions, who got us weekends, paid sick leave, higher wages, and safer working conditions to name a few of their accomplishments. We explore some examples of historical strikes, and examine what caused them to be successful vs what caused them to fail: Flint United Auto Workers Sit-in, Memphis Sanitation Workers’ strike, Postal Workers’ Strike, Air traffic controllers walk-out, Hornel Minnesota Meatpackers, UPS Workers’ Strike (1997), and General Motors Workers’ strike (2019). AI is a hot topic across the board, but it is no stranger to controversy in the writing world: G/O Media, who owns sites like Gizmodo, A/V Club, Jezebel, io9, and Kotaku, announced that they would start testing AI-written content, a controversial announcement made days after laying off several writers. The AI articles were simply published with by an author named “Gizmodo Bot,” and one of the first ones published at the entertainment site io9 went really badly. Where is the line with using AI to streamline work? How are we continuing to use Chat GPT? This week's recommendations will literally make you cool for the summer: Glossier's Universal Pro-Retinol (Laura), after sun gel with aloe and lidocaine (Pam), and Spotify's AI DJ (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: We can't talk about AI without talking about the AI face filters that are triggering us on Tiktok. Tiktok's 'Aged' filter is either making you look like a hot granny or a melting crypt keeper. The slippery slope of using face filters on social media and on Zoom: you forget that having smooth, textureless skin isn't reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real THREADS talk! But first, Laura gives a 30 second blitz update about our fucked up student loan situation. Last week, Meta launched its Twitter competitor, Threads, and we were among the early adopters. #influencers We provide a full review of Threads: the good, the bad, the missing features. Will Threads steal our hearts, or can we just not quit Twitter? Personal threads wishlists: following tab (for n00ds), hashtags (for n00ds), and close friends list (for n00ds). With a number of recent and upcoming adaptations of popular toys and brands, we take a trip down memory lane to the 90s and give some recommendations we believe would KILL with millennial audiences. Dark Side of Barney: "I always say I love you, but you never say it back so now I'm on Lexapro." With Furby making a comeback, could we see attempts for a Furby movie? It might sound like a stretch, but don't forget they made an Angry Birds movie. Tfw you realize popular 90s board games could be adapted into horror films. :eyes: We've got a bone to pick with major brands ditching their rewards and birthday perks programs! Don't y'all have enough money? Stop taking my free birthday coffee away! Pam breaks some bad news to Laura about Sephora's birthday gift. :'( Do brands really think eliminating these loyalty perks will save them substantial money? How can they evolve to meet shoppers' preference for online purchasing habits? This week's recommendations are FUN and FUNDAMENTAL: Read about the Biden administrations proposed SAVE income-based repayment plan (Laura), 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' on Netflix (Pam), and 'The Diplomat' on Netflix (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available to Patrons and Apple Podcast subscribers: Every high school as an "incident," and we spill the tea on each of our high schools' most remembered mishaps and events. Pam tells a story with a twist that you WON'T see coming - we're clutching our pearls. "Yeah, totally no problem that the gym coach has a window looking directly in the girls' locker room. This is fine!" Would we go to a high school reunion for revenge? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real ONLYFANS talk! OF Creator Tiara joins us today to share her experience as a content creator on OF, and to help aspiring creators know what to keep in mind as they pursue success in the OF space. Also, we're debunking a lot of commonly held beliefs about OnlyFans: first, not all creators cater to pornography or nudity. Many do, but Tiara explains the popular fetish niche her work fits into. Tiara sets the record straight: content creation is never easy, and monetizing fetish content is not as easy as taking a few casual pictures of your feet and profiting. Why does OnlyFans work better for some creators than Patreon? We learn what kinds of fetish content clients request, and why a 10 minute video is usually the maximum length that video will run. ???? We learn how creators deal with things like taxes, customer complaints, and the stigma that can be associated with OF. Check Tiara out and support her on her various platforms! This week's recommendations are a total grab bag: 'Devour' on Steam (Laura), 'Outlander' on Starz (Pam), Demi Lovato's 'Cool for the Summer' (Andrew), and Tiara's favorite tights brands: H&M, Snag, Charming Lady, and Wolfords. And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: Tiara stays on to share that *spicy* content we know y'all were looking for. You knew we'd only expose the goods in AD! What is foot worship, and how can we monetize it? The tale of the $150 pair of panties! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and REAL ocean talk! And it's REAL ocean talk because this week we're joined by Mckenzie Margarethe, a marine scientist and naturalist focusing on realistic conservation and ocean education. We have to spend some time talking about the Titan submersible, where they went wrong, why the internet was so quick to jump to comedic takes, and learn more about Mckenzie's experience watching this story unfold as an expert in her field. Misinformation and armchair researchers abounded during this crisis, making Mckenzie and others in her field do a big :facepalm:. The Titan story provides a great reminder of the need for proper deep sea exploration, and considerations for how we protect our oceans along the way. We have to ask... are the orcas coming to kill us all? Mckenzie has a few resources she recommends if you want to get involved in the conversation of ocean conservation: check out Pique Action's list of Climate Creators to watch in 2023 and picking a sea creature you're passionate about and educating yourself on it. Check Mckenzie out on Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter! Since we're on the topic, let's chat about other types of extreme tourism billionaires like to blow money on, risking their lives in the process: Mt. Everest, The Mariana Trench, going to space, and others. Which of these things would we do if we had the money? (Real talk, we're idiots but we're not THAT stupid.) Tragedy tourism can have some overlap here as well - what attracts people to tragic, historic sites? What is the difference between a tragic event that evokes solemnity vs comedy? We've got some recommendations that will hold your attention this week! 'Titanic's Final Mystery' on Paramount+ (Laura), ‘Funny You Should Ask’ by Elissa Sussman (Pam), and Hulu's 'The Bear' (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and for Apple Podcast subscribers: Y'all know we can't top off the last couple of weeks of submersible coverage without gossiping about some Titanic conspiracy theories. JP MORGAN SANK THE TITANIC ON PURPOSE IN AN INSURANCE FRAUD SCHEME/TO KILL OPPONENTS OF FORMING THE FEDERAL RESERVE. jk jk. With its close pop culture connection to Titanic, it was impossible that there wouldn't be conspiracy theories about the doomed submersible. Who thinks these billionaires faked their deaths and are now living the rest of their days on a private island? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real submersible talk! We're certainly hoping for good news for the five aboard the Titan submersible, but we can't help but marvel at the hubris and lack of regulations that got us here. UPDATE: Bud Light is no longer the number 1 selling beer in the US: it has been replaced by Modelo Especial. Andrew strikes back: after being triggered last week by Laura's character assassination of Corona Light, Andy stands in defense of his beloved pilsner style lager. Illinois is banning... book bans! They're the first state to do this in response to local and national increases in book banning attempts in the last year. Can the Biden admin really tout their latest achievement re: Ticketmaster as a crackdown on junk fees? Sure, consumers can expect to start seeing these upfront now, but it doesn't (yet) prevent ticket companies from charging these fees. Reddit, aka "the front page of the internet" is under fire due to another douchey tech CEO doing douchey tech CEO things. Reddit announced that they will begin charging developers for API calls to Reddit servers, resulting in a potential yearly cost of $20 million for developers who maintain third party Reddit apps. The rub? These third party apps are widely regarded to be better than Reddit's official one! To top the drama off, CEO Steve Huffman has been mishandling communications on the subject and threatening Reddit's community of unpaid moderators. In response, thousands of subreddits have gone dark, and many others have begun posting explicit content in protest. And because life isn't crazy enough, a global cyber attack successfully breached several government agencies and private companies last week, including the US Department of Energy, Shell Oil, and University of Georgia, among others. While we're on the topic of security, let's talk credit card security! We share our tips and tricks for keeping your credit cards secure, and make some recommendations around our favorite credit cards. Andrew's a big fan of the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card This week's recommendations are all over the place: Keep an eye on SCOTUS decisions to be released Thursday for potential student loan updates (Laura), NerdWallet (Pam), and 'The Other Two' for the best depictions (and predictions) of Hollywood (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: There's nothing more cringe than a workplace icebreaker, and we're inspired to discuss them and childhood cringe by this tweet. We each bring a never before shared childhood cringe story - some of these revelations are SHOCKING! We each bring our own ice breaker question to the table, and pose them to each other. The answers we give are... enlightening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we record on arraignment eve, the crew brings some news for your consideration from the last week. Don't miss our Breaking News coverage of the indictment being unsealed -- activate a free Patreon trial today! Did Sarah Stusek bring a GoodReads review bombing and lost publishing deal on herself after she called a reviewer a bitch? Does current social media culture putting reviews front and center for creators inspire this kind of bad behavior? Tbh, we don't think a 4 star rating is something to lose your shit over. The eastern US received a lesson in how to live with wildfire smoke blanketing the region, and Californians gave a collective side-eye. It's a whole new world for Laura, who'd never had to contend with toxic wildfire smoke. Pam and Andrew give their tips for monitoring the AQI (air quality index) and taking safety precautions. Epic fail y'all: Netflix is reporting record signups in the wake of its crackdown on password sharing, meaning many of us didn't cancel our subscriptions. The data they're reporting on is questionable though... watch this space. This week's recommendations will make you feel smarter: 'Happy-Go-Lucky' by David Sedaris (Laura), 'Burn It Down' by Maureen Ryan (Pam), and 'Jury Duty' on Amazon Prime / Freevee (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: It's another MuggleSuck - this time, Andrew reflects on an interaction with appreciation, but Pam and Laura are still giving bombastic side-eye. Laura brings an example of promises made, promised back pedaled. And a listener from the early days accuses one of us of taking a bong rip on air. We launch a formal indictment and investigation to identify the perpetrator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! The GOP was of course messy while we were off air, and unlike Marie Condo, we do not love mess. Happy(?) Pride. On top of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation sweeping the nation, brands are really fucking up just in time for pride month. Tbh, Bud Light deserves their current sales losses on the basis of their beer sucking ass, but they've managed to piss off a large cross-section of the country with their reaction to backlash over their ad featuring a trans woman. Are people actually outraged by things like this, or are they looking for new ways to be relevant? Asking for Kid Rock's music career. Target is also fucking up - out of concern for their employees, they've pulled and diminished elements of their Pride displays in stores. Never thought we'd see the day where Bud Light and Target were in the dog house for caving to queerphobia, but here we are! RIP disposable income: as part of debt ceiling negotiations, federal student loan repayments will officially be restarting this fall. We poll the #Millennial Facebook group to see how listeners are feeling about resuming student loan payments and hear what others are doing to prepare. Everyone agrees: interest is the real killer here. If interest were taken out of the equation, we'd all have a much easier time repaying our principal balances. Critics and audiences seem to be split over HBO's newest buzz series, 'The Idol.' At what point does violence and nudity become gratuitous and unwatchable for us? Is there ever a place for it? Movie ratings are a joke, and the MPAA's ratings system is not applied consistently. This week, we're recommending 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' (Laura), 'Variety Actors on Actors: Katherine Heigl, Ellen Pompeo (Pam), and Spindrift Spiked (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Family vloggers - are they going too far? Nikki Phillippi and her husband canceled plans to adopt from Thailand after learning they would be legally barred from showing or talking about their child for one year. Is there a lesson to be learned from the early 2000's slew of family reality TV shows? Children who grew up in these situations are now speaking out and alleging emotional, financial, and sometimes physical abuse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're off this week, but we're sharing a preview of what's available on our Patreon! In this recent installment of After Dark, we pop bottles (or boxes) of wine and review "The 36 Questions That Lead To Love" and pose our favorites to one another. Will we fall further in love with one another, or will we realize this has all been one big mistake? Listen to find out! New installments of After Dark are released weekly! And we're excited to share that our Patreon now offers FREE TRIALS! Visit Patreon.com/millennial to grab a free, 7-day trial and see everything we have to offer. We can't do this show without the support of listeners like you. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BREAKING NEWS: Andrew joins Bumble BFF! How is matching with new friends online similar to dating? Is it worse to be ghosted by a potential date or friend? As summer approaches, we look at other countries' travel advisories for visiting the United States. Unsurprisingly, they warn of increased risks of gun violence and terrorism. While staying safe is most important during your travels to the US, we have some general tips for visiting that will make your trip easier. We recommend avoiding Florida (she can't sit with us), remembering to tip, watching out for our massive portion sizes, and paying attention to parking signage to avoid tickets! Pam provides our latest social media update: we begin with Montana, which has just signed a new bill that would ban TikTok in the state beginning in 2024. How would this be accomplished? Montana's political leaders clearly don't understand the internets. Instagram's Twitter alternative could be up and running as soon as the end of June! You heard it here first folks - Andrew proposes it be dubbed "Textagram." Speaking of the birthday boy, Andrew is one of the lucky(?) few to have received an invite to join Blue Sky. Does this scratch the Twitter itch? This week's recommendations are a grab bag: Bumble BFF (Andrew), 'Prehistoric Planet' on Apple TV+, and Vinyl record sleeves (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: ABC recently announced its "strike proof" fall TV lineup in light of the ongoing WGA strike. That is to say, we hope everyone is buckling up for a lot more unscripted television. On that note, we spend today's After Dark talking reality TV horror stories: often, contestants come out after the fact speaking to unhealthy living conditions, emotional abuse, and other unsavory elements. Pam and Laura are big 'Love is Blind' watchers, and cover a recent expose where former cast members speak to living in squalled conditions and being forced to work 20 hour days to the brink of exhaustion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Clusterfuck 2023 rages on with CNN platforming Orange Julius, Florida being a total Florida man, and George Santos living up to his "who the fuck is this guy?" reputation. Was there a public benefit to CNN's Trump Town Hall, or was it a complete ratings whore move? Shortly after the town hall, Trump posted this deep fake of CNN's Anderson Cooper, harkening back to our warnings a few weeks ago about the part AI will play in future election seasons. On the topic of AI, Chat GPT delivered an original Disney tune about Mickey's impending destruction of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. We all agree overuse of cell phones at concerts is annoying - but how far are we willing to go to curb this annoying habit among concert goers? Bono and Garth Brooks are using Yondr cases, to create phone-free environments during their respective Broadway and Las Vegas residency shows. Guests will need to place their phone in a Yondr case, and can only unlock it upon exiting the venue. Not only do we see major health and safety risks to using something like this, it also takes away from the experience of concert-goers who want to share their own experiences at shows. From "I can't even" to "I don't have the emotional capacity for this right now": how the internet has developed its own take on therapy speech, and why it's annoying AF. Just like online discourse, we're all susceptible to adopting certain ways of speaking based on the environments we spend the most time in. Being influenced by celebrities, or even our professional lives can do this! This week's recommendations have no throughline: Pestie (Andrew), dog toys for mental enrichment (Laura), Chappell Roan (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Why do millennials and younger care much less about passing down family heirlooms than prior generations? JK, we know why: we can't afford houses big enough to take all your shit grandpa. Are there any items we have been offered, or know we will be in the future? Do we want them, and should we feel guilty if we don't? The family drama really kicks up when someone kicks the bucket - why are we fighting about who gets what things? We're all gonna die anyway. Andrew's last beer with his grandma. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real money talk! This week's episode is all about money, honey! With continued concerns about inflation and the potential of a looming national default, what should American workers have in mind? NerdWallet has some recommendations for how you can best protect yourself in the event the US defaults on its debts. Laura has a financial boner for high-yield savings accounts, and the panel discusses how this is a great first step for anyone looking to build their wealth. Andrew is disappointed with his current portfolio given stock market losses - will he sign up for Apple's high-yield savings account?! Inspired by this tweet, we discuss things we've bought that were a value add to our lives, and those things that were... not. We've got some themes to recommend: invest in items that make you feel good, like ergonomic chairs or massage guns! Patrons recommend good skincare, TSA pre-check, quality mattresses, and more! Our recommendations this week are money savers, educational, and organizational! Nintendo Switch Game Voucher (Andrew), 'The Inflation Blame Game' episode of 'The Problem with Jon Stewart' on Apple TV+ (Laura), and Zebra Midliner pens (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available to Patreon and Apple Podcast subscribers: Is moving to be closer to friends a good idea? Or should you temper your expectations? We've got some tea to spill on the topic of people moving for the wrong reasons! Is a member of the #Millennial team planning to move...? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrew and Pam hung out over the weekend and bankrupted the show on coffee expenses. #rip As predicted, the Hollywood Writers Strike HAS BEGUN! Is it just us, or does it seem like neighbor paranoia is increasing? Recently, multiple cases have occurred where people opened fire on others for innocent mistakes or even delivering groceries. What's to blame for peoples' increased paranoia of security in their neighborhoods? Is having a home security system a slippery slope for some? We share cases of our own paranoid neighbors and whether we think there is merit to their concerns. Last week the Texas State Senate passed a bill that would require every public school classroom in the state to prominently display the Ten Commandments. We wonder how educators will explain things like "adultery" to kindergarteners. #Millennial provides podcast-approved messaging for Texas educators to explain the 10 commandments to their grade-school aged students, and a special guest joins us ~from above~ for the task. Is doxxing ever justified? Pam clues us into a story originating on TikTok, where a creator's video featuring two women making fun of her went viral, resulting in the doxxing of the video's bullies. If you get caught being a dick, do you deserve to have your family harassed, be fired from your job, or have your reputation tanked online? This week's recommendations will secure your tech AND your skin! Google Authenticator (Andrew), Super Goop is available for FSA purchase (Laura), and Jack Black intense therapy lip balm (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available to all Patrons this week: #Millennial's Life Pro Tips! Laura was recently inspired to bring this to the table after she pushed back on an expensive medical bill that should have been covered by insurance. What a time to be alive: slow closing toilet seats and voice assistants really do come in clutch and deserve more credit. Andrew's life hack for getting off an annoying phone call guilt-free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our friends Eric and Micah join us from MuggleCast for a discussion all about reboots, inspired by the recent news of a Harry Potter TV series and a Twilight reboot in the works. But first: TUCKER. IS. OUT! LEMON. IS. OUT! Why did FOX and CNN fire two of their most popular on-air personalities on the same day? Andrew is wet. Dark Brandon also officially announced he'll be running for re-election in 2024. Get ready for the campaign sequel no one asked for! Is the premise of a Harry Potter TV reboot exciting? Yes. Could they fuck it up? Also yes. Because there are no new ideas: Lionsgate is reportedly working on a Twilight TV show. Is there enough content to justify a multi-season show? How soon is too soon for a reboot or reimagining of a beloved series? Despite the opportunity for a Harry Potter series to expand on the wizarding world and deliver a fresh interpretation of the series, the failed Fantastic Beasts series and JKR's shitty transphobic views loom heavy. We discuss how we balance the major JKR issues with continuing to podcast about Harry Potter, and the feedback we receive from listeners who aren't happy with our stances. This week's recs will keep you entertained, informed, and coffee-stain free! Folex Carpet Cleaner (Andrew), 'Tetris' on Apple TV+ (Laura), 'MUNA' album (Pam), 'Stardew Valley' (Eric), and NPR's 'Up First' (Micah). Check out Eric's podcast, Thank You For Spieling (which also includes episodes of The Last of Us) And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: We continue the main show's discussion and focus on the importance diversity will play in casting for all the TV reboots that are inevitably coming. Will the Harry Potter show stick with 'Cursed Child' canon and cast a black Hermione? How could a Twilight TV show right a very cringy wrong with the casting of its Quileute tribe? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Andrew uncanceled this week? Only time will tell. It's protest week here at the show! What kinds of resistance are we seeing across the country and across industries? One of Andrew's faves, Orville Peck, recently announced that he would not be canceling shows in Tennessee due to current legislation restricting gender affirming care and drag shows. "You are not sticking it to these governments by not showing up, you are only hurting the communities.” Orville Peck isn't the only artist to be confronted with sociopolitical conflicts of interest: KORN, My Chemical Romance, Iron Maiden, Green Day, and The Killers have canceled shows in Russia over the last year in protest of Putin’s war. Should artists take a firm stance and NOT perform in states pushing anti-LGBTQ agendas? Republicans are finding themselves painted into an electoral corner after recent moves from a federal judge to retract FDA approval for the abortion pill, mifepristone. In the meantime, what can people who live in states with restricted access to abortion do? Does protesting make a difference in America? What does the act of protesting do for the cause and for the individual? People in affected states can consider community support opportunities, supporting organizations expanding access to contraceptives, consider employment opportunities with companies that have pledged to help their employees circumvent anti-abortion laws in their states, pursue obtaining a vasectomy, or if all else fails, look into moving. The resistance doesn't end there, y'all! The Writers Guild of America voted to authorize a strike this week, and the effects in the coming weeks and months could heavily impact our entertainment options. If such concerns as minimum pay, better residuals, and contributions to health and pension plans aren't addressed satisfactorily by May 1st, the writers strike will officially kick off. We reminisce about the last writers strike in 2007, when it felt like reality TV was the only TV. There's a reason for that! If the strike happens, viewers will feel the first impacts on late night talk shows, but scripted television will also suffer once it runs out of scripted content to shoot. This week's recommendations will keep you entertained and looking fly: Greta Van Fleet (Andrew), Resident Evil 4 Remake (Laura), and Wet N Wild breakup proof liner (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: Trigger Warnings. After Cornell University recently vetoed efforts from the student body to require trigger warnings on course syllabi, we discuss the pros and cons of trigger warnings, and whether we think they are useful. Do trigger warnings infantilize students in an academic context? How can college professors exercise better sensitivity in the classroom? Are we now the olds that the kids talk about being out of touch? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! We're Andrew-less this week, but it's ok, Pam and Laura canceled him temporarily. We chat about the new Barbie trailer that took the world by storm, and use this as a jumping off point to talk childhood nostalgia and what it means to see it represented on the big screen. But first, some men are triggered by the viral marketing highlighting all the Barbies' high-profile jobs and noting that all the Kens are "just Ken." Cry about it! How did we play with Barbies as kids? Confessions of orchestrating Barbie sexy time. Everyone had a jank Barbie they colored on and gave haircuts to, right? In light of our girls' episode this week, we host an AMA for our Patreon supporters, and answer questions about best and worst dating experiences, favorite makeup and clothing brands, and how we feel about aging (spoiler: we're leaning into it). How have Pam and Laura handled workplace misogyny? We're also hype about the crew announcement for the upcoming Artemis II mission - the first woman and black man will be making a trip around the moon in 2024! This inspires us to chat about our first childhood dream jobs. This week's recommendations will keep you fresh! Lume Deodorant (Laura) and Raw Sugar's multi-miracle leave-in conditioner & heat protectant (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Spoiler warning! Love is Blind season 4 finale predictions and reactions to the current season's cast. (Mostly trash.) And we've got some questions from our AMA we saved to cover because they're a little ~spicy~ for primetime. If Andrew were straight, would we date him?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices