It's Been a Minute
NPR
Want in on a secret? Your likes and dislikes didn't develop by accident. There are subtle and not-so-subtle forces around you, shaping what you think, how you act, and even who you think you are. Brittany Luse is here to break the spell and help you feel wiser in a society that makes things blurry.THE BEST POP CULTURE PODCAST AWARD WINNER AT THE 2025 SIGNAL AWARDSIt’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.It’s Been A Minute reaches millions of people every week. Join the community and conversation today.If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 3, 2026 • 25min
The best & worst of culture in 2026...so far
Matthew Lawson, co-host and cultural analyst from Eating for Free, and Joan Summers, Paper Magazine editor and co-founder of Eating for Free, join to grade Q1 2026. They debate surprising hits and flops. They praise joyful drag and Bad Bunny’s big moments. They unpack fandom harms, AI fatigue, and long-standing pop culture distractions. They call for more low-budget, dance-forward joy.
Apr 1, 2026 • 28min
Welcome to 'The Republic of Wasia'
Mika Ellison, an NPR intern who researches Wasian identity, explores the so-called "Wasian winter" and why half-Asian, half-white figures are suddenly in the spotlight. She traces historical, legal and cultural shifts that shaped mixed-Asian visibility. Conversations cover changing labels, social media’s role in reflection and representation on screen, plus debates about centering whiteness versus specificity.
Mar 31, 2026 • 37min
"Girl Math" does not add up to financial freedom
Chelsea Fagan, author and CEO of The Financial Diet, champions women’s financial empowerment. She calls out the 'girl math' fantasy of relying on a partner for security. Short takes explore romance fiction’s class myths, why women should keep emergency funds, risks of financial dependence, and how equitable money habits reshape relationships.
Mar 30, 2026 • 31min
The fanfic-ification of mainstream culture
Eli Cugini, culture writer and Ph.D. student who analyzes fanfic’s cultural and economic rise. Ashley Reese, longtime fandom writer and commentator who knows fan communities inside out. They trace fanfiction’s move from hidden hobby to mainstream influence. They talk adaptations hitting bestseller lists, fandom as a training ground for writers, tagging and subgenre culture, and the tensions around privacy and publishing.
Mar 27, 2026 • 18min
The hard work of having "good taste"
Kate Wagner, architecture critic at The Nation, and Kyle Chayka, New Yorker writer on tech and culture, discuss taste as learned practice, how communities and media shape it, and whether AI can truly replicate lived aesthetic judgment. They debate tech’s role in distributing culture, AI’s impact on creative labor, and the value of amateur making and shared practice.
17 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 21min
The morbid lifelessness of modern beauty
Jessica DeFino, beauty reporter and critic behind the Flesh World Substack, explores the rise of a macabre 'morgue gaze' in modern aesthetics. She discusses revived fascination with Carolyn Bessette, trends like mannequin skin and cadaver fillers, ties to longevity tech and dissociation, and how anti-aging obsession shapes lifeless ideals.
Mar 24, 2026 • 36min
Many women don't want kids. And for good reason.
Sarah McCammon, a journalist studying demographic trends and policy, and Emma Gannon, author who writes about child-free life, discuss why many decide not to have children. They explore economic pressures, cultural stigma, changing parenting norms, class and political meanings of being child-free, and how policy and social expectations shape reproductive choices.
4 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 20min
Don't get got by big MILK
Andrea Freeman, a law professor who studies the politics of food, and Yasmin Tayag, an Atlantic writer on the future of food, dig into the surprising government push for whole milk. They trace industry influence, historical milk politics, racial and cultural symbolism, and why milk debates now intersect with gender, environment, and declining consumption.
8 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 21min
Meet the billionaires who control your media
David Folkenflik, NPR media correspondent who tracks media ownership and industry impacts, and Mandalit Del Barco, NPR culture correspondent covering film, TV, and industry labor. They unpack the Ellison–Paramount/Warner deal. They discuss consolidation across franchises and news, debt and streaming costs, data advantages and political ties, and what this could mean for storytelling and workers.
Mar 18, 2026 • 17min
The unbearable fear of being cheated on
Shannon Keating, a culture journalist who covers dating and online communities, and Kathryn Jezer-Morton, a writer on relationships and therapy culture, dig into why fear of infidelity looms so large. They discuss surveillance tech, shifting definitions of cheating, emotional cheating, and how hypervigilance and public shaming reshape modern romance.
