Pop Mystery Pod

By: Tess Barker
  • Summary

  • Investigative journalist and pop culture junkie Tess Barker, dives into the pop culture moments that have puzzled her for years. This addictive, informative and revelatory show dives features the deep research and first person reporting that helped her launch the #FreeBritney movement while co-hosting Britney's Gram. Each episode unpacks a moment in celebrity news that was misunderstood or intentionally covered up at the time. Part true crime, part comedy, part deconstructing pop culture trivia, the show shines light on the dark corners in the entertainment capital of the world.
    Tess Barker
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Episodes
  • Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni: It Ends Here (For Now)
    Feb 13 2025

    Cameras wrap on “It Ends With Us.” Now, the real battle begins. After Blake Lively alleges that she’s been harassed while filming this movie, her attempts at wrestling back agency stall out. Ultimately, Lively is able to get back some power…but at what cost? And who is really making her pay?

    Tess has sifted through the many legal filings in this case. As this story’s concludes (for now) what does it have to tell us about media and how easily we can all be manipulated by it?

    Read the New York Times story “‘We Can Bury Anyone:’ Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine” by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire, and Julie Tate.

    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod

    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.

    Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.

    Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod

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    43 mins
  • Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni: The Beginning
    Feb 6 2025

    Betrayal. Gaslighting. Things not being what they seem. These are themes in the movie “It Ends With Us,” but they could also describe the dramatic and seemingly constantly escalating conflict between actor and fashionista Blake Lively and her co-star and director Justin Baldoni. Tess has sifted through the many wordy legal filings and blurry screen grabbed texts, and a narrative seems to emerge around what actually happened behind the scenes. It may not be the narrative you expect.

    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod

    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.

    Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.

    Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod

    Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic wherever you get your pods.

    Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!

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    41 mins
  • The Beef That Made Billions: Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and Scooter Braun (With Amber Kenny)
    Jan 9 2025

    You don’t have to be a Swiftie to know there’s bad blood between Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and Scooter Braun. What exactly went down between these three powerful and strong personalities? Who was really in the wrong here, and how did Kanye taking the mic from Taylor at the VMAs lead to the re-recorded albums known as “Taylor’s Version?”

    Joining Tess to parse and explain this twisted and juicy tale is performance artist and Taylor Swift expert Amber Kenny.

    Read “The Many Faces of Scooter Braun” by Anna Sillman here.

    Watch “Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood” on Max

    Watch “Miss Americana” on Netflix.

    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod

    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.

    Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.

    Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod

    Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods.

    Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 27 mins

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