I can’t believe other smart Slate podcasts have been cancelled and this keeps limping along. Candace is truly an embarrassment. She has no depth to her, and I’d write her off as being too young to have insight, except I’d much rather talk to my 14 year old daughter and her friends about some of these topics, so it’s not about youth. She tries so hard to be funny, so maybe if she pulled back on that sweaty desperation, she’d say something interesting. They clearly love her here and at NPR, so she must offer something in person. Back in the beginning, this podcast used to be good. If I see they’re trying a new host maybe I’ll give it another chance. But for now, this is bad.

I’ve started listening again - I did not enjoy her hosting style

so frustrating because i’m SO interested in every topic you guys choose to cover, but there seriously needs to be some fact checking, more research, or experts on these episodes! my last straw was when you talked about dan and phil and said when they both came out they also announced they were together? that certainly never happened lol. sad because i love the topics you choose and the hosts are fun to listen to, i just wish the episodes were more well-researched.

The novel by the author discussed in this episode is, in part, a story about rape and how that unravels a longtime friendship—and what it means to be a survivor. It is not primarily about the ex-bff, Izzie, or her family, but unfortunately the hosts made it seem this way. The way the hosts emphasized, especially at the beginning, that “they love mess” was tonally off and extremely dismissive to the author’s experience of sexual assault (and her ex-friend’s). There could have been more research here (one of the hosts could have read the book, at least?) and more care for the sexual assault narrative.

The idea of this show is solid, but I think where it tends to miss is the host treating the subject of each episode as if it’s disposable fluff. On one hand, yes, we all understand this is silly internet stuff, but if it’s 100% trivial, why do an episode? There has to be a balance of also asking an interesting question - and treating it as an interesting question. I think Candice usually achieves the first, but often fails on the second, partly because of her cutesy delivery, but also because she seems determined to make everything seem light when it doesn’t need to be. I really, really like Nadira Goffe, who manages to effortlessly bland these two things. The latest ep on the new Bad Art Friend is a perfect example - smart, incisive, confident commentary that was also funny and charming. Make her the permanent co-host! She’s what a show like this needs.

The world cruise ep was the last straw for me. Oblivious and obnoxious, the dismissive “the food waste of it all, the climate change of it all” is such a spoiled and short sighted POV. Can’t handle any more of these immature takes

this has been one of my favorite shows but has gone quickly downhill. frequent mispronunciations, errors and the constant alarm have made icymi almost impossible to listen to. really disappointing

I’ve been a listener since the beginning and something I’ve missed is how the episodes used to be somewhere between 25-30 minutes. For over the last year the episodes are are now stuff with mostly uninteresting filler. I’m not sure what is going to happen now that Rachelle is leaving. I don’t think it’s fair how much people complain about Candace’s voice.

they really need to fact check these episodes before they get posted. SLANDEROUS

Wow scared about the future if Rachelle isn’t there and we are stuck with Candice… but that to say I’m glad Rachelle is getting out and doing new things. Really sad that we are stuck with Candice her vocal fry and shallow comments.

Averaging a 3-star review because I mostly love Rachelle. But the show hasn’t been the same since Madison left. Candace was and continues to be a poor replacement, and I’ve missed Rachelle each episode she was away. Sadly, I’ll have to stop listening when Rachelle leaves. Candace is intolerable without her. (And was out of her depth and sounded ignorant when she was a guest on Culture Gabfest.)

Stuck thru all the transitions but honestly thought the chemistry was off when finally the new host was brought on. Now that Rachelle is leaving I’m so sad and wish I felt differently but just the new show ain’t it. Since Maddison left. Rachelle tried and tried!! I could feel something was forced but I dunno maybe Candice’s energy just doesn’t work for me . Hope it works for others but Rachelle leaving is the last straw to what was once one of my favorite previous weekly podcasts. Give Rachelle more money or control or whatever would make her stay!!! Miss the old show is all I'm saying officially unsubscribing

I found this while searching for podcasts on layoff support, the first 10 minutes is just ads. Ugh. Moving on to a podcast that actually has a point.

Really enjoyed the interview with Ann Maddox.

I understand that a lot of this show is based on the hosts opinions. I don’t mind that, and I think Rachelle is really thoughtful. I think they should include sources in the show notes when they reference an article/news piece. I went to find out more on a topic they covered and the facts that they sighted were inaccurate (like enough that the conclusion they came to should have been…the opposite.) Yikes 😬

This is bad

I thought this would be a fun way to keep up with pop/Internet culture. I know it’s not the deepest subject but there are ways to cover it that are more thoughtful and interesting. These two have little of interest to say and much of it is quite mean spirited, and almost all delivered in phrases heavily borrowed from TikTok videos/memes. They have some interesting guests but their interviewing skills are just not developed enough to allow these episodes to work. I still listen when I have burned through absolutely everything else, but it always puts me in a terrible mood so I should probably cut it out!

I can’t anymore! I began listening to ICYMI and stuck with Rachelle and her co hosts/guests for a long time, and enjoyed it less and less. I was never looking for some pretentious, high brow podcast content to consume - if I was I would never have listened to this but this past year/season has been appallingly ridiculous. The final episode I’ve stomached is the dreadful latest one the FanCams episode. Where Rachelle and Candice - two valley type girls who hold no diverse opinions or any positive attitudes whatsoever - spent an hour insulting actors, their craft, calling them all “stupid”. It’s just - talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Oh the Irony!!! It’s become unlistenable and as a Slate subscriber and listener to this show since the start- I can no longer endure it. Y’all have lost me, not that y’all care, so bye!

I don’t think I’ve ever left a review for a podcast before, but I am extremely disappointed with the most recent episode of ICYMI about Gypsy Rose Blanchard. I’ve been listening to this podcast for years and was excited when Rachelle found a new cohost in Candice. However, Candice’s takes sometimes feel off and this episode really solidified it. It is beyond common knowledge that Gypsy Rose is a victim of horrific abuse. She has been both publicly accountable for what she’s done and has served time in an abusive legal system. Questioning her victim status, calling her manipulative, and acting as if her act of self defense against her abuser makes her a questionable person is just really gross. I don’t know if I’ll be able to listen to episodes with Candice anymore and I wish Rachelle would have weighed in on this episode because I’d bet she would have been more respectful toward survivors.

I started listening to this show 15 months ago, when I found it really informative and with interesting takes on deep internet culture I don’t always know about. But it’s gone really down hill in the last 6 months. The hosts spend too much time making up obscure inside joke stories about each other, and it’s turned into more of a pop culture gossip show with no clear POV. Sadly, I’ll probably give up on this one soon.

Why do they seem so behind on everything if you’re not going to cover things when they happen then cover them more deeply and get facts right. 10/20/23 Okay, we’re back and I’m happy.

I appreciate all the enthusiasm, but please stop screaming into the mic when you get excited. It is unpleasant in the earbuds. I’m right here, and I love to hear your opinion. There’s no reason to yell other than that all the flowers to Rachelle and Candace!

Have listened for awhile but the takes are pretty immature, un self aware, and like they just were exposed to the internet yesterday. No real nuance just rattling off talking points. Also, very funny when they critique journalism or media because have they heard themselves?

It kept coming up in my Spotify Daily Drive. The “internet culture” of it all felt distant from my interests. But I listened anyway. At the beginning I liked the hosts and their chemistry, the way their lexicon wove intrigue into the topics in a way I hadn’t considered. As time went on, I found myself seeking out new episodes. I really love this podcast! I don’t always know what the topics are but that’s the great thing…they walk you through it! They never assume their listener is on the same page and it makes every episode so accessible. Rachelle and Candice are incredible storytellers, honest contributors, and insightful interviewers. Whether you think the topics are relevant to you or not, you will walk away knowing something that, most likely, will make you an interesting conversationalist when you find yourself forced to make small talk with someone “cooler” than you.

I’ve been a fan of the show when I started listening late 2022. I love their deep dives and takes on reality tv and tik tok trends. I think once they start to dedicate whole episodes to tv shows like Succession or Suits, that’s when they lose me. It feels a little too much like a recap podcast for a show that has a very specific fan base. While I love Rachelle and Candice’s banter, I sometimes find that it takes Candice a while to get to her point so I have to listen to the show in 1.2x sometimes 1.5x speed

I love this podcast but the most recent episode on life coaches was surprising to me. I’m a licensed therapist. We don’t need to go to Yale and we don’t need to attend conferences (???). I’ve listened to a few other podcasts about life coaches recently and it seems most of the hosts and guests either don’t know the difference or have wild ideas about what therapists can and can’t do. My suggestion would be to interview both a life coach and therapist. We’d be happy to clear things up. Sincerely, a therapist who doesn’t attend conferences.

I really enjoy this show as an “elder millennial” who decided not to join TikTok. This show keeps me in the know and I don’t have to give up even more of my personal data for it. I started listening this summer, so I only know Rachelle and Candice as co-hosts. They have a good rapport and chemistry. They seem like they’re having fun, which makes the podcast fun too. I hate to admit this because it’s a criticism so often thrown at women podcasters, but … Candice can be annoying. I like her with Rachelle. The show really needs them both. Also, they discuss reality tv as much as they do internet culture. I’m fine with that. I watch a fair amount of reality tv, and I love their feminist takes on it. But that is part of what they cover.

I used to looove this podcast and its thoughtful takes on viral content, but it’s kind of gone downhill. I want to hear about stuff going on in pop culture/social media — not repetitive dunks on capitalism interspersed with 10 minute ad breaks 😬

There’s sometimes just summaries of recent reality TV episodes?? And sometimes topics are weeks if not months late. I feel like this podcast is losing the thread.

Love the podcast, but since Madison left the topics/discussions have all slid downhill, more gen-z-ish, less big topics, and discussions lack mature nuance. Love the new girl but wish they would have gone with someone older/more journalistic experience. The guest hosts they had were all great, miss that maturity.

I used to really love this podcasts; it was my go to twice a week. I still try to keep up with it but I find myself bored and almost annoyed at newer episodes. Not at all a fan of Candice; her voice is not pleasing to the ears, her opinions drive me insane and can be borderline immature and offensive (that’s if she has any. Half the time, she just responds to guests with “mhmm mhmm” and “yes I agree”). Her interviewing skills could use a lot of work (for example, asking 4 questions at once, having the guest answer, then literally moving onto the next set of questions without addressing any of their answer. ??) I can never relate to her POV in the way I could always relate to, or at least understand where, Rachelle and Madison were coming from. Definitely noticed a shift after Madison left. The topics got a little less interesting, though Rachelle held her own as a solo host. I felt like she focused a lot on her favorite topics & nostalgia vs actual current internet culture. It was okay. I was excited when they hired a new host, as I expected the topics to go back to being interesting, but alas, it just got worse. Feel free to replace the cohost again. Please.

Obsessed with this podcast, so glad I found it!

This pod keeps me young

I want to say but no means is this about the new host, I love her energy and I feel she brings a lot of good to the podcast. It’s the opinions that have become increasingly hard to understand. In the last few months I have finished maybe one whole episode. It doesn’t feel like I know what is going on from the pod anymore.

I was really loving this podcast but I feel like they are really trying too hard to be different and have the right opinions on things

Somehow even the ads r good lo

I’ve listened to every episode of ICYMI and I loved it when rachelle and Madison were the hosts. There’s been a couple times where I’ve noticed a misinformed or inappropriate comment (when rachelle described awkwafina’s blaccent as trying to have an “American persona” comes to mind- she IS American, don’t perpetuate the “perpetual foreigner” stereotype please) but all in all I enjoyed the lighthearted and generally well-researched takes on pop culture. Candice however has brought quite the mean girl energy to the podcast. The diss on realtors (“has there ever been a realtor you wanted to know MORE about” with reference to selling sunset) was really rude and unnecessary considering they both seem to be interested enough in them to somehow bring up Selling Sunset every episode. Candice comes across as someone who thinks she’s incredibly funny and slays at making cutting remarks but in reality is just mean and insecure. Also, the amount of white people hate is getting ridiculous. The attitude on this show is that cis het white people have never contributed anything positive to pop culture and the remarks sometimes border on straight racism (note: I’m neither white nor a realtor but i just generally disapprove of sowing animosity between races). Please replace Candice with someone who can bring this show back to its original funny, positive tone.

I really enjoyed the original podcast hosts and also liked listening to Rachel and her guest cohosts; but Candice’s voice is so grating that it physically hurts to listen to. She also doesn’t provide any opinions of substance.

I’ve been listening to show since it started and don’t want to stop but I’m enjoying it less and less. It often feels like there’s no variance in opinions or thoughts between the hosts and the guest of the week. Not saying there should be someone on the opposite end of the spectrum, but often one person will say their thoughts and everyone responds with some version of “yes I agree and have nothing to offer on the contrary.” If everyone on the show really has the exact same opinions, it’s time to open the show to new guests because there has been a complete lack of nuance in these discussions. There’s also less discussion of WHY certain things are being discussed. Often it’s just “oh this was popular on the internet recently so we’re discussing” but a lot of ridiculous things end up being popular. I would appreciate it if there was some note on why I should even care about this internet story.

I feel like early episodes of this show used to make an effort to do actual research and recently they’re just not even pretending to bother. The episode about Hogwarts Legacy was just one person’s long incorrect diatribe. Sure they’re allowed to dislike the game and the personality behind Harry Potter at large, but the episode had so many straight up incorrect statements - even down to them complaining about how you only go to three classes. You only go to three classes in the first hour of the game…and then subsequently you go to all the rest. Did the guest not play the game? Why were they allowed to talk about it then? Then the episode about bed bath and beyond candles was just the hosts talking about their feelings about the candles…I kept waiting to learn some actual information and then the show was over. And the most recent episode about Reddit really left out some major plot points in this whole story. One of the driving forces behind the blackout was that initially Reddit was shutting out disabled users (the official app does not incorporate controls for the blind despite them saying they would incorporate them for years) and only after the blackout did they agree to allow some special accessibility apps to stay open. And Nitish also failed to mention that for years Reddit encouraged third party apps, and when they finally got an official app, they did so by purchasing the most popular third party app at the time. For a show that does constant episodes on racism, they really could stand up for people experiencing discrimination in other ways - like mentioning the toll this takes on disabled Reddit users. Even the official Reddit podcast covered that in depth. I just feel like these are the episodes I happen to be informed about…so I know when you guys are leaving out really important information. What else have you been leaving out in other episodes? I know the topics are usually light and silly but now I don’t even trust the hosts to tell me about those faithfully.

Thanks for a fun & informative podcast about one of my favorite little luxuries. I am “of a certain age” & have outgrown the body products but I still enjoy Bath & Body’s variety of candies. Never buy any at full price & bundle purchases to avoid paying for shipping 😊 With the uncertain economy & so much stressful stuff going on in our world, a pleasantly scented home can be an affordable & relaxing treat.

Since Madison left each episode is about how everything on the internet is racist. Sometimes they make a good point. Often they have to break logic to bring in the alleged racism.

Although I subscribe to a few dozen podcasts, there are only 3 that I always listen to as soon as they drop. This is one of them.

I love the host of this show — she’s so relatable and fun. Some of my favorite episodes have been the Harry Potter legacy analysis, the nexus of wellness culture, and the one on buying concert tickets. It’s just great conversation to listen to on your commute or when I’m getting ready in the morning and just great conversation starters in my own friend group. My one complaint is the abundance of ads, but come on. Every podcast has to have ads until they can get a certain amount of clout and hopefully with more positive reviews and word of mouth, they’ll have less ad space over time.

You lost me after the influencers episode. I love this podcast so much and Rachelle you are hilarious but the content recently has been offensive. The exploitative and problematic nature of “influencing” is never probed. I would take a moral stance on this podcast and stick to it, because the voyeurism has gotten to be a little too much for me.

Don’t like to engage with social media, but don’t want to feel cut off from those who do. This is an entertaining way to get news from the trenches.

Ok

I love this pod. Rachelle is an awesome host. But 4-5 ad breaks for a 35 minute show is absolutely insane.

I liked the content and host, but I probably won’t listen again, because it felt like more ads than content.

Great show, no doubt. But you need to talk to more than one person about the Hogwords legacy game. First, I am sorry that your guest had a bad experience playing the game. I also played the game on PC and did not experience the issues they discussed. The reviews for the game are objectively good across reviewers. I would recommend looking it up on Metacritic. They consolidate reviews from a number of places. Now if people want to not play the game because of JKR views, that is fine. But it is clear that the game developers and writers made a great effort to ensure these views are not reflected in the game. One. They do allow for voice, hair, and face customization to allow for your character to present however you like. Two, an openly transgender character is a protagonist in the main plot of the game (Sirona) Three. No matter what sex you pick at the beginning of the game, your character always is referred to in gender-neutral terms. I wish the interview was more about the content of the game. Because boycotting the game, yes, might take some money out of JKRs (who is a billionaire and probably will not notice) pocket. Still, it also is boycotting the developers, writers, and everyone else who clery pored other hearts into this game and clearly did not share JKRs news.