Midwest Besties

Lauren & Emily
  • 5.0 (5)
  • ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

The pop culture podcast for the rest of us.  TV, Books, Reality, Movies, Celeb Gossip, and More. 

  1. 6D AGO

    Episode 113: YEEHAW! Kacey Musgraves Is Back… But Did She Ever Actually Leave?

    Send a text And we’re back! After some technical difficulties, we have a potluck episode coming for you tomorrow! On this week’s episode, we talk about Kacey and Harry’s new music, Timothée Chalamet being an artist who s***s on other artists, being Michael B. Jordan stans, Love Story, and so much more!  If you are looking for a Summer House recap, stay tuned! We have our “Flyover Deep Dive” (what we call our TV recap episodes because we are whimsical) coming for you on Tuesday. Support the show

    45 min

  2. MAR 5

    Episode 112: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy Would Hate You

    Send a text In this week's Pop Culture Potluck on Midwest Besties, we break down The Traitors finale and reunion, recap the latest Summer House drama, including the apology dune and Jesse Solomon being CRINGE. We dive into the back half of Bridgerton S4 (spoiler alert: we LOVE Benephie). In Table Scraps, we discuss Craig Conover giving sweaty loser energy, Lisa Rinna’s new memoir, and a very specific love story where Carolyn Bessette Kennedy would actually hate you. Plus: Batman casting what-ifs, Ballerina Farm announcing baby #9, and why some people think Love Is Blind has been red-pilled.  Support the show

    1h 5m

  3. FEB 20

    Episode 111: Discourse About the Wuthering Heights Discourse

    Send a text Happy Three-Month Anniversary, Besties! Our podcast has officially lasted a Sales Quarter! On this week’s episode Lauren and Emily give their heavily researched review of Wuthering Heights. Just kidding — we didn’t watch the movie or read the book, but we do have a lot of opinions (hint: the skin room is gross). Meanwhile, we recap the second episode of Summer House Season 10. Summer is NOT looking fun for Kyle Cooke, and if he keeps fighting randos in the comments, his spring doesn’t look too promising either. We also catch up on The Traitors (Rob is annoyingly hot and good at this game) and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (heaven is the Hamptons with Rachel Zoe). As always, this is not a Peacock podcast. We wrap up the episode with a segment we now call Table Scraps — odds and ends from the internet, TV we aren’t binging, books, and more. This week, we chat about our favorite Masshole makeup influencer’s divorce announcement, The Toast’s embarrassing defense of Jill Zarin, our shared love and history as JFK Jr. heads, and what the f**k is going on with Margaret Qualley and Jack Antonoff. Do you love the besties? Don’t forget to leave us a comment and say hello. We love you! Support the show

    57 min

  4. FEB 13

    Episode 110: Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show: We Laughed, We Cried, We Learned

    Send a text Love is in the air, Besties! Love for talking sh*t on celebrities, that is! On this week’s episode of the Popculture Potluck, we talk about the AMAZING Benito Bowl. I know y’all are just dying to hear what two lame liberal white ladies from the Midwest thought of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, and you are IN LUCK because the besties don’t shut up about it for approximately 20 minutes. Also in this episode, the besties defend Chappell Roan, check in on all our Pop Culture Mormons, recap the latest Real Housewives of Beverly Hills episode (DO YOU REMEMBER?!?!), discuss our newly crowned prince (Jill Zarin’s step-grandson), bad smutty novel character names, and oh so much more. Support the show

    48 min

  5. FEB 7

    Episode 109: Luther Grandross’ Grammys Win

    Send a text We might be living in hell, but at least TV is HOT. 🔥 This week's Popculture Potluck, the besties break down the best (Bad Bunny!) and worst (Somebody come get Meemaw Cher) of the Grammys—including Jack Antonoff’s cancellable 404 error on the red carpet, questionable wardrobe choices, and more. Bridgerton is BACK and better than ever, serving a hot lack of glow-ups. And maybe we are a Peacock podcast now as we recap the season premiere of Summer House, Real Housewives, and The Traitors. We wrap things up with odds and ends from the bowels of the internet: hating on Sydney Sweeney (again 😉), the Headband Theory putting our feminism to the test, and Avery Woods haunting her own home. If you’re enjoying our episodes, please leave a comment and a review—it means everything to us 💖 Support the show

    57 min

  6. JAN 23

    Episode 108: It Ends With Us Drama is Never-ending

    Send a text In this week’s pop culture potluck, the besties discuss Brooklyn Beckham putting his entire family on blast through his ig stories, and spoiler alert, we are Team Brooklyn. We catch you up on the It Ends With Us drama (which is never-ending), and dive into the texts between Taylor and Blake. In reality TV news, Kyle and Amanda have confirmed they’re calling it quits, Michael Rapaport was banished from Traitors, and RHOBH continues to be a snooze.  Support the show

    1h 14m

  7. JAN 15

    Episode 107: And the Golden Globe Goes To…Plastic Surgeons!

    Send a text This week’s Pop Culture Potluck has it all! (Literally, because we didn’t do a deep dive like we said we would 💁‍♀️) We dish on the Golden Globes. We didn’t know a lot of the shows, movies, or actors nominated, but we sure did clock all the plastic surgery! Once again, we discuss the chokehold the Heated Rivalry Boys currently have on us (“Hey, Moms!”) and the dawn of the Mary Beth Barone era, and more! Podcast hosts had a MESSY week last week, and we have opinions. We talk about Matt Rogers and his dumb opinions on Texas politics (has he ever set foot in Texas?) and N*ck V*all continuing his reign as the worst person ever. You know what they say—never talk politics, religion, or unimaginable family tragedy. Lauren started watching The Traitors, and it’s probably going to be our new obsession. We finish up, as usual, with a Housewives roundup, including trouble ahead for newcomer Amanda on Beverly Hills and this SLC season that we’re low-key glad is over. Support the show

    53 min

  8. JAN 9

    Episode 106: We’re Never Leaving the Cottage

    Send a text The besties are BACK with their first episode of 2026 with no shortage of pop culture to discuss! Starting with whether Ashley Tisdale is the toxic friend, Alix Earle’s breakup and New Year’s Eve with Tom Brady, Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes embarrassing Instagram messiness, and Zach Bryan’s marriage. Then it’s time to serve the girls and the gays with a Heated Rivalry deep dive, process the Stranger Things finale, hate-watch Emily in Paris, and manifest January TV as a mental health intervention. Support the show

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

The pop culture podcast for the rest of us.  TV, Books, Reality, Movies, Celeb Gossip, and More. 

Information

  • Creator
    Lauren & Emily
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Midwest Besties
  • Show Website
    Midwest Besties

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