The Wild and Banal Future of Celebrity Gossip

Let me start with this: this is a dream interview. If, like me, you spent a lot of time in the 2000s and 2010s reading about celebrity online, Go Fug Yourself was an essential part of your online diet. Heather and Jessica were simply unrivaled when it came to celebrity fashion in general and red carpet fashion in particular. I idolized them the same way I idolized Lainey Gossip — both of whom I read alongside all of my graduate texts in star studies. The problem with those star studies is that they were always rooted in the past. But The Fug Girls and Lainey, they were doing the analysis now, on celebs who were desperately (and often unsuccessfully) attempting to navigate the new, digital gossip landscape — and that’s how they became part of my dissertation, on the history of celebrity gossip, themselves.

That’s why it’s such an absolute f-ing treat to talk to Heather and Jessica about the present and future of celebrity gossip: they have the context. They know the history. We talk about Deuxmoi, sourcing, blinds, accounting for past shittiness, so much. Melody had to jump in like 17 times to make us explain various peak 2000s gossip terms here, so if you were part of that universe (HELLO, TOOTHY TILE) you will love this episode — but if you weren’t, and you just appreciate an introspective look at how celebrity discourse works, you’ll love this, too (in part because Melody made us explain stuff, she’s the best).

Note: This episode was recorded just before the Blake Lively/New York Times bombshell so don’t get mad that we don’t mention it!!

Show Notes:

• GoFugYourself if you haven’t already visited — but make sure you check out Drinks with Broads, Heather and Jessica’s Substack for even more in-depth analysis (and recaps), plus open threads for big celeb events (like the Golden Globes). Subscribe below!!!

  Drinks With Broads

• Here’s what I sent Melody when she was confused about what Toothy Tile was

• I liked this piece from Rebecca Jennings on DeuxMoi back in 2020

• The Fug Girls’ note on discontinuing royals coverage

• The subreddit devoted to Deuxmoi

• Re: Brad Pitt — I wrote about him and the stink of sad smut back in 2022

We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:

• Celebrity feuds, past and present, with Joel Anderson!!! (Yes this will come out around the time Kendrick headlines the Super Bowl halftime show)

• HISTORICAL ROMANCE (will neither confirm nor deny that we have a co-host whose confirmation made Melody faint)

• By popular request, all things fan fiction!

• Pre-teen influencers

• Budget Culture + Specifically Budget Advice You Find Dubious

• Getting into old movies!!!! Tell us why you want to get into them, why you find it difficult, and a few recent-ish movies so we can hand-pick recommendations for you

• Dad culture, whatever that means to you

• Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment — WE REALLY NEED MORE!! You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here

For today’s discussion: What are your feelings about celeb gossip today? Where are your trusted sources, and what do you think we have (and haven’t) learned from the 2000s?

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