Pop Culture with Chanté Joseph

For our final episode of the season, Chanté sits down with podcasters Rose Frimpong and Temi Oladimeji to chat through a summer of music feuds, dramatic TV and oversharing on TikTok

What’s the deal with celebrities promoting cryptocurrencies? This week, Chanté chats to actor and crypto-skeptic Ben McKenzie, star of The OC and Gotham, about how cryptocurrencies infiltrated Hollywood and his transition from actor to investigative journalist

This week, Chanté sits down with pop culture writer and Strictly Come Dancing fan Michael Hogan to discuss the latest Strictly scandal and why the show is such a big deal in the UK

This week, Chanté Joseph meets Rapman, the writer and director of Supacell, one of the most watched shows on Netflix, to discuss what it takes to make a hit series, how he’s redefining the superhero genre and what he plans to do next

Hailey Welch, AKA the ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl, is everywhere after her viral street interview. Chanté Joseph talks to the journalists Alaina Demopoulos and Cat Zhang about Welch’s overnight celebrity, the proliferation of street interviews on the platform and what this means for ‘virality’ in 2024

It’s festival season! But are festivals any good for the environment? This week Chanté chats to Lewis Jamieson of Music Declares Emergency and the Grammy-nominated House DJ Jayda G about how festivals can become more sustainable and why the music industry can be an important voice in the fight for climate justice. Jayda G’s documentary Blue Carbon can be watched here

Ten years ago, misogyny in gaming reached new heights with Gamergate - an online harassment campaign and a right-wing backlash against female journalists and developers in the gaming industry. A decade later, Chanté Joseph talks to the Guardian’s video game editor Keza McDonald and Ash Parrish, a video game reporter for The Verge about what’s changed in the industry and why some believe we’re seeing a resurgence of this online hate campaign

With Billie Eilish’s Lunch in the charts and queer female artists winning big at this year’s Grammy awards, Chanté Joseph speaks to the queer music writers Charis McGowan and Sean B O’Neill about the trend for authentic and sexually explicit queer female pop music, and how we got here

As Love Island returns, Chanté Joseph speaks to former contestant Nas Majeed and Guardian writer Simon Usborne, about the increasing pressure to achieve the perfect male body

As Swift’s economy-shifting Eras tour comes to the UK, Chanté speaks to journalist and fan (but not ‘Swiftie’) Elle Hunt about the singer’s journey from country star to billionaire and asks whether her world domination is good for the music industry

Following the shocking news of Matthew Perry’s death, Chanté speaks to the Guardian’s Zoe Williams about how he captured the spirit of a generation. Plus, music journalist Alim Kheraj on Britney Spears’s memoir.

DJ Target joins Chanté to talk about his career in grime and the new series of The Rap Game UK on BBC3. Plus Kiss FM’s Henrie Kwushue’s iconic black British pop culture moments

Over the past week celebrities have been showing support for those suffering on both sides of the conflict. But do we want stars to speak out on complex political issues, and if so how can they do it authentically?

Oh brother! The seminal reality programme is back on our screens for a 20th series. What made it so popular and how has it influenced British TV and pop culture since its debut in 2000? Chanté speaks to former task producer Daniel Nettleton

Beyoncé has announced the film of her Renaissance tour will hit cinemas soon, following hot on the heels of Taylor Swift’s Eras movie. Is this all about making money? Plus, Chanté speaks to multi-award-winning R&B singer Mahalia ahead of her UK tour

Actress and writer Franchesca Ramsey joins Chanté this week to talk about the deal the Writer’s Guild of America has struck with Hollywood studios and what life has really been like on the picket line

Russell Brand faces allegations of sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse by four women, which he denies. This week Chanté looks back at the noughties and asks why the culture around comedy and women was so different back then

It’s Fashion Week season. After animal rights protests on the Coach runway and Naomi Campbell’s controversial collaboration with fast fashion giant PrettyLittleThing, does sustainability have a future in fashion?

Chanté will be joined by the matchmaking expert, author, entrepreneur and television host, Paul C Brunson (Married at First Sight UK and Celebs Go Dating). Together they will go behind the scenes to discuss the dynamics of TV dating, the key to a successful relationship and how pop culture plays a significant role in our love lives – whether we want it to or not

If it’s got you talking, Chanté’s got it covered. We’ll be going beyond the gossip with smart takes on the latest pop and internet culture. Catch Pop Culture with Chanté Joseph every Thursday from 14 September

The writer and presenter talks to Chanté about her Q&A with Elliot Page and how trans people have been represented in pop culture

Today, Britain celebrates Windrush Day. Chanté speaks to music journalist Lloyd Bradley, ‘Queen of Lover’s Rock’ Sandra Cross and grime MC D Double E about the influence of Caribbean culture on British music

As the sixth series starts, we ask what makes science fiction so popular and are we still looking to the far future for our dystopia?

This week Chanté talks to Paul C Brunson from Married at First Sight UK about what goes into pairing couples and he spills the tea on the forthcoming series

This week Chanté reflects on the history of party holidays. As she gears up to go to Days Like This in Malta, she talks to Ant and MK who created DLT. And she chats to DJ S, founder of legendary garage night Pure Silk, about taking over Ayia Napa in the mid-1990s

Eighty-one-year-old Martha Stewart has made history by becoming the oldest woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. Chanté talks to model Nicola Griffin, who appeared in Sports Illustrated in her 50s, and speaks with journalist Poorna Bell about the different expectations for older women of colour.

Social media influencers and YouTubers including KSI and Jake and Logan Paul are making millions by taking their internet feuds into the boxing ring. How did the world of boxing become the arena for social media beef?

Gal-dem, Buzzfeed News and Vice have all hit financial trouble and are either shutting down or close to it. Chanté talks to the Guardian’s media editor Jim Waterson and Gal-dem’s former politics editor Moya Lothian-McLean about where it is all going wrong.

As the US pays tribute to Jerry Springer and the internet continues to delight in Drew Barrymore’s confessionals, Chanté talks to Trisha Goddard about the art of a good conversation. And she talks to journalist Michael Hogan about why the British struggle with late-night chatshows

Dr Who has announced drag queen Jinkx Monsoon as the next villain on the show. Is it problematic that they are cast as a villain or is this an iconic moment for the queer community?

Music fans are battling long queues, technical issues and huge prices in order to see their favourite artists perform. Why has it become such a struggle? Chanté speaks to the Guardian’s deputy music editor Laura Snapes and Emma Reid from Outlier Artists

From David Guetta using an AI Eminem in a set, to an entire AI-generated Kanye West verse going viral. Is artificial intelligence making music better or is the industry under threat?

You don’t need to look far to see that gaming is everywhere with film versions of Tetris, Super Mario Bros and Dungeons & Dragons in cinemas this week. Chanté talks to Rhianna Pratchett, video game writer on Tomb Raider, Timi and Joey from The Nerd Council podcast and the Guardian’s video games editor Keza MacDonald about why it is dominating

The fourth and final season of Succession has arrived. Buckle up for more luxury yachts, holiday homes, helicopters and Machiavellian storylines. But why does Succession make us want to watch the lives of the super-rich? Chanté talks to writer Michael Hogan, and Mickey Down the co-creator of the TV series Industry

This week Chanté looks at whether pop culture can get the portrayal of neurodiversity right – from Bart in The Simpsons to Phil Dunphy in Modern Family. And why people self-diagnosing on TikTok can be problematic

Awards season reached its climax with the Oscars this week. Despite being the biggest event in Hollywood, are viewers really that bothered any more? Chanté speaks to Michael Schulman, author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat and Tears

Pop Culture with Chanté Joseph is back for series 2 with more deep dives into the week’s biggest stories in popular culture. Join her every Thursday from 16 March

As we enter 2023, astrological predictions for the year have already started to appear on social media. But it’s not only TikTokers who love astrology. Chanté talks to Clara Amfo, host of Written in the Stars, a reality TV dating show that matches people based on their natal charts

Chanté is joined by TV critic Scott Bryan and producer Yasmin Philgence to talk through the biggest pop culture moments of 2022

You’ve heard of Spotify Wrapped, now get ready for dating wrapped on Tiktok. Chanté talks dating disasters, situationships and (not) finding love in 2022 with her personal agony aunt Candice Brathwaite

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix docuseries has racked up more than 81m viewing hours, and that is only for volume one. As the second volume drops today, we ask: do we really need more of their story?

The writer and host talks to former Love Island contestant Tyler Cruickshank about the challenges of returning to normality after being on reality TV, and what impact appearing on a show can have on a person’s career prospects

Last week, Bo’ Selecta creator Leigh Francis risked reigniting his feud with Craig David saying the singer should stop talking about being mocked on the programme because it was 20 years ago. Chanté talks to comedian Dane Baptiste about why British comedy has a problem with depictions of race.

Chanté talks to Jameela Jamil, creator of the I Weigh platform, about why the term ‘heroin chic’ is so dangerous and asks why women’s bodies are always under scrutiny

Matt Hancock has been on our TV screens night after night eating sheep’s vagina, fish eyes and getting covered in gunk. This week Chanté speaks to someone who has known him for 15 years and asks what was his plan when he decided to go on the show?

The Crown season five has arrived, and with it a whole load of controversy. Politicians, actors and royal commentators have all thrown criticism at the Netflix series, accusing it of exploiting the royal family and sensationalising real-life events. This week Chanté Joseph is joined by the writer of the Emmy-award winning TV series The Tudors, Michael Hirst, to find out if The Crown has lost its shine

Rihanna fans have been waiting for this moment for six years. The singer has released Lift Me Up, a single on the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It’s her first release since she launched her Fenty Beauty empire, became a billionaire and a mother. As she storms back into our lives, we ask – what makes Rihanna such an icon?

Every week, Pop Culture with Chanté Joseph digs deep into the stories we can’t stop talking about. If you love pop and internet culture, and want to get into how it’s shaping and impacting our lives, then subscribe to this show. New episodes drop every Thursday – launching on 3 November. Search, subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts.