Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

What happens when the U.S. government slashes one-third of PBS Kids' funding? Shows get canceled. Summer camps disappear. The most vulnerable kids lose access to free, educational media. Today we're talking with Sara DeWitt of PBS Kids about what Trump's recent cut what that means for shows like Daniel Tiger and Molly of Denali, and why public media is still one of the most powerful tools we have to reach and teach all children—especially the ones algorithms forget. Visit Protect My Public Media to find out how you can help. Join our newsletter community here. Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dolly Parton might be the last thing Americans agree on. In this episode, we talk to ⁠Will Bonfiglio⁠, the WashU lecturer behind a wildly popular college course on Dolly, about how the country icon became a cultural unifier across politics, class, gender, and generations. From Dollywood to “9 to 5” to her million-dollar vaccine donation, this is a conversation about kindness, capitalism, and why Dolly Parton is an uber influencer in the best possible way. ⁠Join our newsletter community here⁠. ⁠Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here⁠. ⁠Visit our lovely sponsors here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are too many movie podcasts. That’s why I only bring you the ones that are actually worth your time. That Aged Well is one of them. Hosts Paul and Erika are pop culture savants who rewatch the movies we all thought were perfect and lovingly tear them apart. They ask the real questions, like: “How guilty should I feel for still loving this?” Start with their Father of the Bride episode because it’s perfect. Binge That Aged Well Here. Join our newsletter community here. Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if dads stopped “helping” and just…parented? Today I am talking about flipping the script of the patriarchy with @Tidy Dad (Tyler Moore). We talk paid leave, emotional vulnerability, and why men need to start showing up in the ways that matter most. Get Tyler's book Tidy Up Your Life here. Subscribe to Tyler's Substack here. Join our newsletter community here. Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’ve got a book idea—but how do you go from blank page to published author? Literary agent and author Kate McKean of the Agents & Books substack joins us to demystify the publishing process from query letters to advances, platforms, rejection, and all the weird feelings in between. This is the real talk every aspiring writer needs. What does a literary agent really do—and how do you find one? How do you write a query letter that actually gets noticed? Do you really need a social media platform to get a book deal? What happens after an agent agrees to represent your book—how does it actually get sold? How do you survive the emotional chaos of publishing, from rejection to imposter syndrome? Get Kate's book WRITE THROUGH IT here. Subscribe to Kate's newsletter Agents and Books here. Join our newsletter community here. Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 2 Analysis (with Jo Piazza) Chelsea is joined by author and podcaster Jo Piazza for a Season 2 analysis of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” They break down what made this season so hauntingly wonderful, from the plastic surgery Utah waves alchemy to Taylor's mom getting her 15 minutes of fame in her new AI bot form, to breaking down what each wife brought to season 2, to quote Demi, put your earbuds in and "LOOK ME IN THE EYES, YOU NARCISSIST"  Binge Glamorous Trash here. Join our newsletter community here. Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Influencers are selling women starvation and calling it empowerment. Today we talk to Cut reporter EJ Dickson about her viral investigation into SkinnyTok and the Skinni Société, a subscriber-only Instagram group where thousands of young women are encouraged to obsess over calories, steps, and how to be the “skinniest girl at graduation.” Together, we unpack how social media platforms allow this to flourish, why these communities feel like cults, and how the language of feminism is being co-opted to convince women that self-worth is measured in how many pounds they lose. Read EJ's excellent Cut piece here. Join our newsletter community here. Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Close your eyes. Picture a woman with lashes so long they could reach across the aisle. Lips plump enough to bounce a quarter off. Matte foundation, pageant curls, a bold lip, and a jawline that could cut glass. Now ask yourself: Is she a Real Housewife or a member of the Trump administration? This week, we’re digging into MAGA Beauty—the algorithm-fueled, hyper-feminized aesthetic dominating the right-wing political sphere. From bulletproof vests and barrel curls to a full-face glam that's become the new uniform of power, this is strategic, not superficial. New York Times columnist Jessica Grose joins us to unpack her viral piece on the look that screams “conservative” before a word is spoken. Then, we talk to Mother Jones editor Inae Oh, whose searing essay In Your Face breaks down how this plasticized performance of womanhood fits into a larger project: rebranding femininity in Trump’s America. Spoiler: It's giving Real Housewives of CPAC. This is the face of a new political era. One where you can’t run for office unless you can run an eyeliner wing sharp enough to wound democracy itself. Read Inae Oh's Mother Jones piece here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today I’m dropping a brand new, really unique podcast into your feed and it's all about money.  “Debt Heads” is a very funny, surprisingly cathartic, extremely relatable investigation into the American economy from two people in debt. In the pilot episode we meet our two co-hosts, Jamie & Rachel, who dig into the reasons why so many people find money so hard to discuss, why we think we’re happier when we keep our secrets hidden, and how powerful it can be to come clean. After Jamie fesses up to Rachel about her years of hidden debt, we go on a journey to uncover why such a wide-spread problem is so often made to feel like a personal failing.  You can listen to more Debt Heads here. Join our newsletter community here. Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if the thing you bought to keep your baby safe was actually preparing them for a lifetime of being watched? This week we sit down with New York Times critic and author Amanda Hess to talk about the dark underbelly of parenting tech. From the SNOO to the Owlet sock to that creepy CGI fetus in your pregnancy app, we unpack how modern devices promise safety while quietly feeding our data, and our kids’ data, to the algorithm gods. Amanda’s new book Second Life traces how technology has crept into every corner of motherhood, from tracking ovulation to surveilling toddlers, and how it’s reshaping what we think of as “good” parenting. We talk about the eugenic roots of menstrual tracking, how pregnancy apps manipulate your emotions, and what it means to grow attached to a hologram of a baby who isn’t yours. This episode is for anyone who’s ever googled “is my baby breathing” at 3 a.m. Get Amanda's book Second Life here. Join our newsletter community here. Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices