Eating For Free Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson

Allegations and Emmy wins coincide with threats of violence and a lawsuit kickstarted by a visit from HBO's "We're Here" to the fundamentalist battleground of Utah. In the face of fascism, what does it mean for drag to be political? 
About:
Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the stories, as together they look beyond the headlines of troublesome YouTubers or scandal-ridden A-Listers, and delve deep into the inner workings of Hollywood's favorite pastime. The truth, they've found, is definitely stranger than any gossip.
You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. Or buy our merch! Any personal, business, or general inquires can be sent to eatingforfreepodcast@gmail.com 
Joan Summers’ Twitter: @laracroftbarbie Matthew Lawson’s Instagram: @_matthewlawson Sources [may cutoff in certain apps]:
HBO ‘We’re Here’ TV series concert in St. George encourages people to be who they want to be, 06/04/22 [St George Utah] Settlement for St. George city manager forced out after drag show will cost taxpayers $625,000, 10/27/22 [SLC Tribune] HATEFUL SCENE: What St. George residents said about drag shows at divided council meeting, 11/04/22 [SLC Tribune] HBO showrunners say St. George drag show controversy should be seen as a warning, 12/07/22 [SLC Tribune] This is what happens when HBO drag queens sashay into ruby-red Granbury, Texas, 11/23/22 [Fort Worth Star Telegram] ‘We’re Here’ cast & crew faced threats of violence & outright hostility while filming Season 3, 11/23/22 [LGBTQ Nation] As Drag TV Shows Take Off, So Too Does Anti-Drag Legislation, 04/11/23 [Broadcasting + Cable] Rape allegation against Shangela lands as GLAAD and TV academy plan to honor the actor’s show, 05/04/23 [LA Times] HBO Donates $100K to LGBTQ+ Groups in States Where ‘We’re Here' Filmed, 06/24/23 [Advocate] We're Here season 4 to replace 3 Drag Race queens with new hosts Sasha Velour, Jaida Essence Hall, Priyanka, 07/12/23 [EW] Shangela Reportedly Accused of Sexual Assault by 5 People Days After Alleged Rape Lawsuit Is Dismissed [People] HBO's 'We're Here' drag queens coming to Bartlesville's Unity Square Sunday, 09/29/23 [Examiner-Enterprise] 'RuPaul’s Drag Race' Star Shangela's Sexual Assault Accuser Dropping Lawsuit, 02/01/23, [Radar] ‘Drag Race’ Star Shangela Accused of Multiple Sexual Assaults, 03/18/24 [THR] Drag Race stars publicly harassed, called homophobic slurs in We’re Here season 4 premiere, 04/26/2024 [EW] Milwaukee drag queen Jaida Essence Hall discusses confronting LGBTQ+ discrimination in new season of HBO's 'We're Here', 04/24/24  [MJS] We're Here's new queens Priyanka and Jaida Essence Hall explain big change for season 4, 04/26/24 [Digital Spy] Drag Race queens clash with teen accusing them of joining 'religious cult' on We're Here, 05/03/24 [EW] Drag Race queens clash with teen accusing them of joining 'religious cult' on We're Here, 05/03/24 [EW] Misinformed bigots are no match for Sasha Velour on We're Here, 05/10/24 [OUT]

A pandemic, an election, nationwide uprisings against police brutality, a swarm anti-drag Facebook trolls, and a HBO show walk into a bar in rural South Dakota. What happens next?
About:
Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the stories, as together they look beyond the headlines of troublesome YouTubers or scandal-ridden A-Listers, and delve deep into the inner workings of Hollywood's favorite pastime. The truth, they've found, is definitely stranger than any gossip.
You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. Or buy our merch! Any personal, business, or general inquires can be sent to eatingforfreepodcast@gmail.com 
Joan Summers’ Twitter: @laracroftbarbie Matthew Lawson’s Instagram: @_matthewlawson  
Sources [may cut off in certain apps]:
On Location: How HBO’s ‘We’re Here’ Brought Drag Shows to Small Towns Across America, 06/30/20, [Conde Nast Traveler] The Personal, Political, and Profound Impact of HBO's 'We're Here', 04/22/20 [Shondaland] HBO's heartfelt "We're Here" is the drag show America needs now, 04/22/20, [Salon] Drag's next act: We're Here, RuPaul, more bring 'money and momentum' to gay TV, 04/21/20 [EW] Shangela and Bob the Drag Queen Dish on Ariana Grande, ‘Queer Eye,’ and Active Allyship, 06/29/20 [RS] Shangela and Bob the Drag Queen Urge Voter Turnout in GLAAD PSA, (2020) [Them]  Community has mixed reactions to HBO's 'We're Here' visiting Watertown, 07/30/21 [Watertown Public Opinion] HBO's 'We're Here' drag queen show, filmed in Evansville, features pastor, other locals, 11/05/21 [Courier & Press] Pastor loses his job after performing in drag on HBO’s 'We're Here', 12/07/21 [NBC] Settlement for St. George city manager forced out after drag show will cost taxpayers $625,000, 10/27/22 [SLC Tribune] What St. George residents said about drag shows at divided council meeting, 11/04/22 [SLC Tribune] HBO showrunners say St. George drag show controversy should be seen as a warning, 12/07/22 [SLC Tribune] This is what happens when HBO drag queens sashay into ruby-red Granbury, Texas, 11/23/22 [Fort Worth Star Telegram] ‘We’re Here’ cast & crew faced threats of violence & outright hostility while filming Season 3, 11/23/22 [LGBTQ Nation] Drag Race stars publicly harassed, called homophobic slurs in We’re Here season 4 premiere, 04/26/2024 [EW] Milwaukee drag queen Jaida Essence Hall discusses confronting LGBTQ+ discrimination in new season of HBO's 'We're Here', 04/24/24  [MJS] We're Here's new queens Priyanka and Jaida Essence Hall explain big change for season 4, 04/26/24 [Digital Spy] Misinformed bigots are no match for Sasha Velour on We're Here, 05/10/24 [OUT]

It's the 2016 Election. Queens everywhere are pulled into the debate from all sides of the political arena. As RuPaul pushes RPDR to new heights—even into the halls of Congress—Republicans go on the offensive.
About:
Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the stories, as together they look beyond the headlines of troublesome YouTubers or scandal-ridden A-Listers, and delve deep into the inner workings of Hollywood's favorite pastime. The truth, they've found, is definitely stranger than any gossip.
You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. Or buy our merch! Any personal, business, or general inquires can be sent to eatingforfreepodcast@gmail.com 
Joan Summers’ Twitter: @laracroftbarbie Matthew Lawson’s Instagram: @_matthewlawson Sources [may cut off in certain apps]:
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Highlights the Struggle for Acceptance, 05/15/16 [NYT] President Obama Designates Stonewall National Monument, 06/24/17 [WH Archive] Bob The Drag Queen: Where Activism Meets Fierce, 09/09/16 [HuffPost] By Day This Man Is An SNP Political Adviser, By Night He's A Drag Queen, 03/11/17 [Buzzfeed] RuPaul Believes 'Drag Race' Can Change the World, 04/04/17 [Vice] Drag Queens Can't Stop Serving Political Realness, 05/17/17 [Vice] How the Political Divide Boosted ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ to Its Most-Watched Season Ever, 06/09/17 [Variety] RuPaul: ‘Drag is a big f-you to male-dominated culture’, 03/03/18 [The Guardian] Why RuPaul's Drag Race is big business, 06/01/18 [BBC] Eight artists who use drag as a political tool of rebellion, 08/14/18 [Dazed] ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ EP Randy Barbato Discusses Hitting Season 10 Benchmark In A Politically Charged Year, 08/14/18 [Deadline] [SCENE] How drag balls went mainstream, 08/20/18 [BBC] “RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE” QUEENS TAKE TO TWITTER TO TELL YOU TO GET OUT AND VOTE, 11/06/18 [Logo] Inside Funny or Die and Billy Eichner’s plan to ‘Glam Up The Midterms’, (2018) [CNN] Why Is Everyone Up in Arms About Drag Queen Storytime?, 12/31/18 [Houstonian] 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Judges Defend 'Taking the Piss' Out of Politics with 'Trump: The Rusical', 03/20/19 [TooFab] Maebe A. Girl Is First Drag Queen Elected to Office in California, 04/11/19 [Advocate] She Could Be the First Drag Queen Elected to Congress: 'People Can't Ignore You,' Says Maebe A. Girl, 07/18/19 [People] ‘This Is My Calling’: Meet the Drag Queen Running for NYC Council, 09/05/19 [Out] Virtual Drag Out the Vote event features ‘Drag Race’ alum, 2020 [WB] Dragging out the vote in 2020, (2020) [Washington Blade] How Drag Queens Are Helping Democrats Turn Florida Blue, (2020) [Advocate] Drag Race Legends To Host Political 'Drag Isn't Dangerous' Telethon, (2023) [Pride] SCENE: ‘Drag Isn’t Dangerous’ Telethon Raises Over $500,000 in Donations for LGBTQ+ Charities, (2023) [Rolling Stone]  SCENE: Trixie Mattel and Katya Talk “UNHhhh” Milestone, Anti-Drag Legislation, and Their Early Days, [TV] Can drag queens swing the election? Cynthia Lee Fontaine says they’re more powerful than you think., (2024) [LGBTQ Nation] Alaska doesn't want to vote for Joe Biden or Donald Trump in the 2024 election, (2024) [The Advocate]  

In 2009, RuPaul told the Advocate a week after Obama's inauguration, days before Drag Race season one premiered on Logo: "If you're watching this, it means a Democrat is in the White House." Where are we, and where is drag, 15 years later?
About:
Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the stories, as together they look beyond the headlines of troublesome YouTubers or scandal-ridden A-Listers, and delve deep into the inner workings of Hollywood's favorite pastime. The truth, they've found, is definitely stranger than any gossip.
You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. Or buy our merch! Any personal, business, or general inquires can be sent to eatingforfreepodcast@gmail.com 
Joan Summers’ Twitter: @laracroftbarbie Matthew Lawson’s Instagram: @_matthewlawson Sources [may cut off in certain apps]:
You Better Work!, 01/30/09 [Advocate] For RuPaul, Ron Paul Confusion Is a Real Drag, 01/09/12 [ABC] RuPaul's Drag Race: “Frock The Vote,” 03/12/12 [AVClub] RuPaul sashays into the mainstream, 01/28/13 [Salon] The Problem With Feminism in RuPaul's Drag Race, 03/14/14 [HuffPost] Is the T Word the New N Word?, 04/17/14 [Advocate] Why trans people aren't big fans of RuPaul right now, friend of the show Alex Abad-Santos, 04/22/14 [Vox] Why has drag escaped critique from feminists and the LGBTQ community?, 04/25/14 [Feminist Current] GOP candidate was once a female impersonator, 05/03/14 [Winston-Salem Journal] Victory for drag queens as Facebook apologises for 'real-name' policy, 10/01/14 [Guardian] Mary Cheney: Why is drag ‘socially acceptable’ and blackface isn’t?, 01/30/15 [CNN] The pop culture phenomenon that is RuPaul's Drag Race, explained, 03/02/15 [Vox] Hillary Clinton, Loudly and Proudly, Taps Into a Vein of Support Among Gay Voters, 07/01/15 [NY Times] When Drag Is Activism, 11/05/15 [Advocate]

About:
Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the stories, as together they look beyond the headlines of troublesome YouTubers or scandal-ridden A-Listers, and delve deep into the inner workings of Hollywood's favorite pastime. The truth, they've found, is definitely stranger than any gossip.
You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. Or buy our merch! Any personal, business, or general inquires can be sent to eatingforfreepodcast@gmail.com 
Joan Summers’ Twitter: @laracroftbarbie Matthew Lawson’s Instagram: @_matthewlawson Sources [may cut off in certain apps]:
ACTUPNY/Chiquitettas: [Instagram] [May 12, 2024] Drag artists disrupt Ross Mathews' GLAAD Awards speech with Palestine protest: 'I don't believe in neutrality', [Entertainment Weekly] [May 12, 2024] RuPaul on His First Emmy Nomination, Donald Trump, and Hillary Clinton, [Vulture] [Aug 12, 2016] RuPaul on Donald Trump’s Election: ‘It Feels Like the Death of America’, [Vulture] [Dec 13, 2016] RuPaul Charles: How Donald Trump Has Led to the Rise of LGBT TV, [The Wrap] [Aug 15, 2017] Why Drag Is the Ultimate Retort to Trump, [The Atlantic] [June 2017] 'Flats Are For Quitters': RuPaul Talks Drag, 'All Stars' And Identity Politics, [NPR] [Jan 28, 2018] Nancy Pelosi Previews Her ‘Drag Race’ Visit, Talks POTUS: Trump Is “Lip Syncing His Policies”, [THR] [Mar 8, 2018] Drag queens are more political than ever. Can they lead a movement?, [Vox] [Nov 5, 2018] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told critics to 'go back to Party City' after critics slammed her appearance on 'RuPaul's Drag Race', [Business Insider] [Feb 14, 2020] Can “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Save Us from Donald Trump?, [New Yorker] [Mar 4, 2020] Atlanta stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 Tamisha Iman and LaLa Ri tell Georgia voters what’s at stake in the runoff election for U.S. Senate, [GLAAD] [Jan 4, 2021] Nancy Pelosi jokes on RuPaul's Drag Race that her Donald Trump shade clap was 'completely unintentional', [EW] [June 10, 2022] Pelosi encourages Americans to vote during ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ reality show appearance, [The Hill] [Jun 13, 2022] RuPaul Responds to Anti-Drag Bills: ‘Drag Queens Are the Marines of the Queer Movement’, [Variety] [Mar 8, 2023] RuPaul’s Drag Race Finale Highlights ACLU’s Defense of Trans Rights, [ACLU] [April 14, 2023 How the Family of a ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Star Is Fighting Anti-Drag Legislation in Texas (Exclusive), [The Messenger] [Jan 4, 2024] Plasma’s Dad Thomas Ratfliff’s Twitter [X] Moderate Republican Criticized for Being Lobbyist & State Board of Education Member [Texas Lobbyist] [Jan 2011]  

In which we talk Jameela Jamil's IG spiral, Bob Iger shutting down Marvel, and Andy Cohen's alleged 'reckoning'.
About:
Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the stories, as together they look beyond the headlines of troublesome YouTubers or scandal-ridden A-Listers, and delve deep into the inner workings of Hollywood's favorite pastime. The truth, they've found, is definitely stranger than any gossip.
You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. Or buy our merch! Any personal, business, or general inquires can be sent to eatingforfreepodcast@gmail.com 
Joan Summers’ Twitter: @laracroftbarbie Matthew Lawson’s Instagram: @_matthewlawson Book: The Life and Death of Hollywood
Skips: 
Kelly Ripa wants naked people to cover up 'burned fruit' penises: 'Nobody needs to see it' [EW] Sarah Jessica Parker Says She ‘Literally Couldn’t Sit’ in Her 2024 Met Gala Dress — and Didn’t Stay for Dinner, [People] Justin and Hailey Bieber cozy up during Hawaii vacation days after his crying selfie worried fans, [Page Six] Host Ariana Madix Is a 'Hot New Bombshell Heading to the Villa' in 'Love Island USA' Season 6  First Look, [ET] Ben Affleck steps out with son after sparking plastic surgery speculation at Tom Brady roast, [Page Six] Sam Smith denied at door of one Met Gala after-party, as Cardi B and Offset reunite, Jeff Bezos rolls with seven bodyguards, [Page Six] Gypsy Rose Blanchard shares message of ‘hope’ while showing off her plastic surgery transformation, [Page Six] Travis Kelce Is All Smiles in Behind-the-Scenes Videos With Niecy Nash on Ryan Murphy's 'Grotesquerie' Set, [ET] Netflix Edits Out Kim Kardashian Getting Booed at Tom Brady Roast, [ET] Kate Beckinsale Dresses as Old Man in Message to Online Haters: ‘Hope It Is Less Triggering’, [People] Teresa Giudice details meeting Taylor Swift at Coachella: ‘Do you know who I am?’ [PageSix] DRAKE SHOOTING AT TORONTO HOME … Security Guard Injured [TMZ] BETTE MIDLER REGRETS NOT SUING LINDSAY LOHAN … Over Her Failed Sitcom [TMZ] Main Stories:
Jameela Jamil: [Instagram] Bob Iger Details “Reduced” Marvel Output: “At Most” Three Films Per Year, Two Series, [THR] Disney “Looking Selectively” at Licensing More Content [THR] Andy Cohen Finally Speaks Out on ‘Real Housewives’ Reckoning: “It’s Hurtful. But I Have No Regrets”, [THR] KIM KARDASHIAN SAYS 'FREE EVERYBODY' … During Palestine Outburst [TMZ] Intimacy coordinators stepping on filmmakers’ toes, Michael Douglas says, [The Telegraph]