Split Screen: There Goes My Childhood

4.2 (137)
TV Reviews
Weekly

What ever happened to some of the first girls to grow up – and blow up – on the internet? In the late 2000s, YouTube gave rise to a new profession: kid-fluencer – kids making content for other kids, earning millions-strong audiences and massive paycheques. And for years, some of the most popular YouTube videos for girls lived on one channel: Seven Super Girls. It featured a rotating cast of tween and teen girls uploading sketches, skits and vlogs daily. Host Lauren White was one of them. Over time, they gained billions of views, big-name sponsors, lineups of screaming fans and more money than a child would know what to do with. But with their growing success, came new rules from the man in charge: their manager. He began as a mentor, a kind of father figure. Then, he began dictating how the girls had to look, dress and behave. Above all, they had to look as young as they could for as long as they could. And for years, the girls did as he said… until he was put behind bars for hurting one of their own. Almost a decade after the YouTube empire they built collapsed, the girls are now old enough to tell their own stories for the first time – the fame, the fortune, the friendships and the man they trusted for far too long. About Split Screen Welcome to Split Screen, an examination of the utterly captivating, sometimes unsettling world of entertainment and pop culture. From reality TV gone awry, to the cult of celebrity, each season of Split Screen takes listeners on an evocative journey inside the world of showbiz. Ex-contestants, producers, and cultural critics uncover complicated truths behind TV’s carefully curated facades, and question what our entertainment reveals about us. Split Screen: sometimes reality is twisted. Season 1 | Kid Nation: The true story behind one of reality TV’s most controversial experiments. Season 2 | Thrill Seekers: A multi-million dollar media experiment. Would you fall for it? Season 3 | Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Was the Canadian punk pop sensation replaced by a look-alike? Season 4 | Bachelor of Buckingham Palace: The story behind one of the world’s most bizarre reality dating shows.

Season 5 Trailer

Introducing: There Goes My Childhood

What ever happened to the first kids to grow up – and blow up – on the internet? Now old enough to tell their own stories for the first time, stars of one of YouTube's earliest and most popular kid-fluencer channels for girls share their experiences with fame, fortune, online predators… and the manager who controlled their lives for years, until he was put behind bars. Four episodes, releasing weekly starting Monday, November 9.

See All Season 5 (5)

When she was 20 years old, something terrible happened to Vienna Luke. And for more than a decade, the truth of that night remains buried. But when Vienna becomes a mother, she realizes she must confront the past and uncover the truth – whatever the consequences for her family. Her sister Shawnessy comes aboard in the role of dogged detective and Vienna plays the secret agent in a relentless search for answers and justice. Personally: Agent Layla is a gripping true story about memory, family and how far one woman must go to set the record straight. Hosted by Jodie Martinson. Episode one is available wherever you get your podcasts, September 21. ---ABOUT PERSONALLY--- Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. This is what it sounds like to be human.

4.1 (441)

Documentary
For years, players have been too afraid to talk about it. But now, the truth about a broom that almost destroyed curling is finally coming out. Over the course of six episodes, semi-professional curler and fully professional comedian John Cullen (Blocked Party) is exposing the unbelievable, never-before-told scandal that rocked the sport of curling. Yes, curling.

4.7 (215)

Comedy
If you’ve ever been to Newfoundland, you know it’s a place where fog can envelop you so deeply, you don’t know where you’re going or where you came from. When two men, born in the same rural Newfoundland hospital on the same day, discover an unbelievable 52-year-old secret, it changes the way they see themselves forever. But this isn’t the end of the story. Because it turns out these men are not alone. A series of other close calls and near misses have begun to emerge, and not only at Come by Chance hospital. Come By Chance is a story about what it means to belong in a family — and how a twist of fate can upend the life you thought you knew. Hosted by Luke Quinton. Seven episodes releasing Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

4.7 (167)

Society & Culture
Normally, therapy sessions are totally confidential — but this podcast opens the doors. In this season of Other People’s Problems, Dr. Hillary McBride explores the transformative power of psychedelics in a therapeutic setting. With her psychological expertise, Dr. Hillary leads her clients through drug-assisted therapy, guiding them to new heights on their healing journeys. Experience these real, unscripted sessions firsthand as they unfold in each episode. This season offers an unprecedented look at psychedelic psychotherapy, breaking new ground in the podcast space and demystifying this often misunderstood practice as a powerful tool in trauma recovery. Season 5 of Other People’s Problems will be available everywhere on May 12, 2025. Hear episodes early and ad-free on CBC Stories Premium.

4.7 (773)

Society & Culture
Who gets to compete? Since the beginning of women’s sports, there has been a struggle over who qualifies for the women’s category. Tested follows the unfolding story of elite female runners who have been told they can no longer race as women, because of their biology. As the Olympics approach, they face hard choices: take drugs to lower their natural testosterone levels, give up their sport entirely, or fight. To understand how we got here, Host Rose Eveleth (they/them) traces the surprising, 100-year history of sex testing.

4.5 (275)

Sports
Love, marriage… and a secret history of trauma. Anna Maria Tremonti has been keeping her past a secret for over 40 years. As one of Canada’s most respected journalists, she has a reputation for being fearless and hard-hitting. She’s reported from some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. But none were as immediately threatening as life at home. In her early 20s, she fell in love with a man who seemed worldly and charming. Behind closed doors he was incredibly violent. They were only married for a year but the consequences of the abuse have lasted a lifetime. This is the first time Anna Maria has told anyone—including family or close friends—the details of what she endured. Working with her therapist, she reveals the intimate details of a past she’s kept to herself for most of her life. The result is a profoundly intimate portrait of a powerful woman confronting the source of tremendous pain and trauma and, remarkably, freeing herself from a life-long sense of shame. Written and hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti (The Current), produced by Daemon Fairless (Hunting Warhead, Boys Like Me) and mixed by Mira Burt-Wintonick (Wiretap, Love Me, Sorry About The Kid).

4.8 (228)

Documentary

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Lauren White

Host

4.2

out of 5

137 Ratings

Avoid Avril Season

May 13

Gatlin8787

Struggling through season 3, just garbage.
Very Funny

11/15/2025

BeedleJM

Love Joanne and her crew. The sarcasm is spot on 🫶🏼😹
Good pod

04/25/2025

Willow_Bear

I love listening to Avril Lavigne and I was shocked when my mom told me she was replaced. I love this podcast and me and my friend Lyra listen all the time. We both love her songs and wonder, "what happened to Avril?" and we finally found this pod. Bye! P. S. Please give me (Maddox-she-they) and my friend (Lyra-they-them) a shoutout if possible. We are both nine years old. Bye bye!
Painfully annoying

02/12/2025

JaniceH727

I loved kid nation but this new Avril season is so obnoxious it’s painful to listen to. I did my best to get through the second episode but ended up giving up. This one is a big miss.

What ever happened to some of the first girls to grow up – and blow up – on the internet? In the late 2000s, YouTube gave rise to a new profession: kid-fluencer – kids making content for other kids, earning millions-strong audiences and massive paycheques. And for years, some of the most popular YouTube videos for girls lived on one channel: Seven Super Girls. It featured a rotating cast of tween and teen girls uploading sketches, skits and vlogs daily. Host Lauren White was one of them. Over time, they gained billions of views, big-name sponsors, lineups of screaming fans and more money than a child would know what to do with. But with their growing success, came new rules from the man in charge: their manager. He began as a mentor, a kind of father figure. Then, he began dictating how the girls had to look, dress and behave. Above all, they had to look as young as they could for as long as they could. And for years, the girls did as he said… until he was put behind bars for hurting one of their own. Almost a decade after the YouTube empire they built collapsed, the girls are now old enough to tell their own stories for the first time – the fame, the fortune, the friendships and the man they trusted for far too long. About Split Screen Welcome to Split Screen, an examination of the utterly captivating, sometimes unsettling world of entertainment and pop culture. From reality TV gone awry, to the cult of celebrity, each season of Split Screen takes listeners on an evocative journey inside the world of showbiz. Ex-contestants, producers, and cultural critics uncover complicated truths behind TV’s carefully curated facades, and question what our entertainment reveals about us. Split Screen: sometimes reality is twisted. Season 1 | Kid Nation: The true story behind one of reality TV’s most controversial experiments. Season 2 | Thrill Seekers: A multi-million dollar media experiment. Would you fall for it? Season 3 | Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Was the Canadian punk pop sensation replaced by a look-alike? Season 4 | Bachelor of Buckingham Palace: The story behind one of the world’s most bizarre reality dating shows.