Was the Harper’s “free speech” letter really about defending open debate—or about protecting powerful media elites from criticism and consequences? In this episode, we expose how the Harper’s letter, its transphobic signers, and the larger “cancel culture” panic helped shield figures like J.K. Rowling and Bari Weiss while the real threats to free speech exploded under Trump.

More than 150 journalists, authors, and academics signed the infamous “Harper’s letter” in 2020. Published in Harper’s Magazine amid the George Floyd racial justice protests, the letter argued that the more serious threat to the nation was “an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty”—aka “cancel culture.” At the time, trans people were some of the letter’s biggest critics, highlighting its bigoted dog whistles. The letter’s signatories include a who’s who of transphobia, from Bari Weiss to J.K. Rowling.

This week, writer Parker Molloy joins Katelyn and Christine to discuss how this so-called free speech crisis transformed how elite media covers—and protects—itself, from 2020 to today.

Tell us your out of context cancellation in the comments and we'll read the best ones on our next episode Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!

Leave us a voicemail with your out of context cancellation at https://www.memo.fm/cancelmedaddy

Links:

Follow Parker Molloy on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/parkermolloy.com

Subscribe to Parker Molloy’s newsletter, The Present Age: https://www.readtpa.com/

David Klion for The Nation: They All Signed the Harper’s Letter. Where Are They Now?, https://www.thenation.com/article/society/harpers-letter-free-speech-trump/

The Objective: A More Specific Letter on Justice and Open Debate, https://objectivejournalism.org/2020/07/a-more-specific-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/

Emily St. James

Zach Beauchamp for Vox: The “free speech debate” isn’t really about free speech, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/7/22/21325942/free-speech-harpers-letter-bari-weiss-andrew-sullivan

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Think cancel culture is new? The Catholic Church invented it in the Middle Ages.

Being burned at the stake was the ultimate deplatforming. In the 15th and 16th centuries, figures like Joan of Arc, Giordano Bruno, and Jan Hus faced the stake for the crime of heresy. But was heresy actually just a way to crush dissent?

This week, medievalist and historian Eleanor Janega (@GoingMedieval) joins Katelyn and Christine to unpack history’s original cancel culture. From the Vatican's "Community Guidelines" to the trial of Galileo, we look at how institutions have always used moral panic to maintain power.

Scheduling Note: Cancel Me, Daddy will return in January 2026. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! Thank you for tuning in—we appreciate you so much. 

Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!

Links for Apple:

• Subscribe to the Gone Medieval podcast via History Hit, Apple, or Spotify  
• Follow Eleanor Janega on Bluesky: @goingmedieval
• Buy Eleanor’s book, The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society, via The Flytrap Media’s Bookshop.org storefront 

Cancellation List Patreon Supporters:

Megg, I Beuregard, Alison, Siobhan Green, Maggi Joseph, Leslie Zavisca, Summer Lark, Amy Veeres, Matt

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Olivia Nuzzi is in the headlines again for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a source. Nuzzi’s former partner, Ryan Lizza, is using his newsletter to make the claims about Nuzzi and…former Republican presidential candidate Mark Sanford in 2020. Lizza’s ongoing, multi-part series about Nuzzi amid her book launch is an uncomfortable read for its florid prose and revenge porn vibes. Never forget: The New Yorker fired Lizza for unspecified sexual misconduct allegations in 2017, at the height of the #MeToo movement. Meanwhile, Lizza continues to target Nuzzi, who committed one of the most serious public ethical breaches in journalism with former Democratic-turned-independent presidential candidate and current Trump administration Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

This week, Katelyn and Christine discuss the mess with Marisa Kabas, the acclaimed independent journalist who founded The Handbasket. As Kabas says, moral rot in elite journalism is killing the whole field.

Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!

Links:

• Marisa Kabas for The Handbasket: https://www.thehandbasket.co/p/moral-rot-elite-journalism-nuzzi-lizza-rfk-jr-trump
• Katelyn Burns for Burns Notice: https://www.burnsnotice.com/olivia-nuzzi-is-an-embarrassment-to-journalism/
• The Guardian on Mark Sanford's Argentina scandal: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jun/24/mark-sanford-infidelity-south-carolina
• Olivia Nuzzi on Joe Biden's fitness: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/conspiracy-of-silence-to-protect-joe-biden.html
• Katelyn Burns for Vox on Biden/Sanders LGBTQ record: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/6/21167777/sanders-biden-lgbtq-voters

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Democrats’ recent, high-profile gubernatorial and mayoral victories across the country proved the value in candidates sticking to their pro-equality values. Whereas former presidential candidate Kamala Harris dodged Republicans’ notorious, bigoted anti-transgender playbook from the 2024 presidential election cycle, Virginia’s governor-elect, Abigail Spanberger, and New Jersey’s governor-elect, Mikie Sherrill, confronted pronoun panic and proved that Democrats are, indeed, for you in being there for everyone. New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani produced extra credit with his ad highlighting legendary trans and gay rights activist Sylvia Rivera. Mamdani highlighted trans people’s essential role in NYC history and how he’ll help trans people in the future as part of his official mayoral platform.

This week, Katelyn and Christine cancel anti-trans political ads with help from friend of the pod Laurel Powell, director of communications for the Human Rights Campaign and an advocate in her own right.

Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!

Links:

• Follow Laurel Powell on Bluesky at @laurelpowell.net and check out her website, www.laurelpowell.net
• Katelyn Burns for MSNBC: Democrats’ big election wins showed they don’t need to hide their support for trans rights
• Amanda Becker for The 19th: Democrats responded to anti-trans attacks this year — and won
• Lyz Lenz for Men Yell at Me: You can run a Mamdani in Iowa and win
• Katelyn Burns for Burns Notice, You Have to See This Mamdani Ad
• Katelyn Burns for Burns Notice, He Doesn't Even Go Here - Sick Burns 10/17/2025
• Cancel Me, Daddy: Democrats Were Banned From Saying These Progressive Words?? (aka Canceling Centrist Language Nannies)
• German Lopez for Vox: HB2, North Carolina’s sweeping anti-LGBTQ law, explained

Christine Grimaldi for The Atavist Magazine: The Shadow and The Ghost

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There’s a lot of overlap between cancel culture and cultural panics in which the anti-hero of the week profits off their notoriety. This week, Kate and Christine co-host a very special crossover episode with Panic World, journalist Ryan Broderick’s podcast about how the internet warps our minds, our culture, and eventually reality. As we like to say at Cancel Me, Daddy, “all the panic around cancel culture” can result in even more notoriety—and visibility—for our favorite canceled people. From Dave Chappelle, to disgraced Maine Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner, to, alas, Donald Trump, none seem poised to exit the national stage anytime soon.

Stream Cancel Me, Daddy on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!

Links:

• Follow Katelyn on Bluesky: @katelynburns.com
• Follow Christine on Bluesky: @yourombudsmom
• Follow Ryan on Bluesky: @ryanhatesthis.bsky.social/
• Katelyn Burns for Burns Notice: You Can't Run the Nazi Tattoo Guy Against Susan from "The County"
• Jamelle Bouie, Gene Demby, Aisha Harris, and Tressie McMillan Cottom for Slate: I'm Not Your Racial Confessor
• Merch Me, Daddy—Cancel Me, Daddy’s merch store!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Cancel Culture Grift Economy™ has once again rewarded Bari Weiss.

Support CMD on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cancelmedaddy

CBS News anointed Weiss—the former New York Times op-ed columnist turned so-called Free Press founder—as the broadcast network’s editor-in-chief.

What was once a mainstream media mainstay is poised to transform into a reactionary mouthpiece. Weiss will report directly to parent company Paramount CEO David Ellison, a billionaire aligned with Donald Trump.

Join Katelyn, Christine, and “Cancellation Guncle” Michael Hobbes, journalist and co-host of the popular podcasts Maintenance Phase and If Books Could Kill, to discuss how the imminent media transformation threatens free speech and rigorous journalism.

Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!

Follow Katelyn on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katelynburns.com

Follow Christine on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/yourombudsmom.bsky.social

Follow Michael on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/michaelhobbes.bsky.social

If Books Could Kill Bari Weiss episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/cg/podcast/a-bari-special-bonus-episode-teaser/id1651876897?i=1000589386352

CMD episode about Jimmy Kimmel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE3ERIoEQwE&pp=ygUPY2FuY2VsIG1lIGRhZGR5

CMD episode with Smith College professor: https://podcasts.apple.com/cg/podcast/america-uncancelled/id1550508625?i=1000511540271

Media Matters: https://www.mediamatters.org/washington-post/wash-post-health-care-reporter-has-history-spreading-misinformation-about-abortion

Katelyn Burns for Xtra: https://xtramagazine.com/power/politics/bari-weiss-cbs-the-free-press-media-277156

Merch Me, Daddy—Cancel Me, Daddy’s merch store, https://cancelmedaddy-shop.fourthwall.com/

Links:

Merch Store: https://cancelmedaddy-shop.fourthwall.com/

CMD Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cancelmedaddy

CMD TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cancelmedaddypod

CMD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cancelme_daddy/

CMD BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cancelmedaddy.bsky.social

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/CancelMe_Daddy

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why does America's infrastructure prioritize cars over people? In this episode, we're joined by the hosts of The War on Cars podcast to expose the decades of pro-car propaganda that shaped our cities—and discuss how politicians like Zohran Mamdani are fighting back with bold transit plans.

We break down:

🚗 How the auto industry manufactured car dependency

🚇 Why public transportation became a political battleground

🏙️ Mamdani's vision for transit-oriented development

💰 The deadly body count of car-centric urban planning

🔥 What Democrats get wrong about the "war on cars"

This isn't just about transportation—it's about who our cities are built for and who gets left behind.

🎙️ GUESTS: Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon from The War on Cars podcast

📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• The War on Cars Podcast: https://thewaroncars.org/

• Zohran Mamdani's transit plan: https://www.zohranfornyc.com/platform

• Flytrap Affiliate link for Life After Cars: https://bookshop.org/p/books/life-after-cars-freeing-ourselves-from-the-tyranny-of-the-automobile-aaron-naparstek/9af03feee57404e9

---

💬 What's your take? Are cars destroying our cities, or is public transit the real problem? Drop your hottest take in the comments.

🔔 Subscribe to Cancel Me, Daddy for more media analysis and political commentary that cuts through the BS: [your channel link]

📱 FOLLOW US:

Merch Store: https://www.cancelmedaddy.store/

CMD Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cancelmedaddy

CMD TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cancelmedaddypod

CMD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cancelme_daddy/

CMD BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cancelmedaddy.bsky.social

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/CancelMe_Daddy

#UrbanPlanning #PublicTransportation #CarCulture #WarOnCars #TransitPolicy #CityPlanning #ProgressivePolitics #UrbanDesign

---

Cancel Me, Daddy is a progressive podcast exploring politics, media, and culture through perspectives ignored by mainstream news. Hosted by Katelyn Burns and Christine Grimaldi.

Cancel Me, Daddy is a Flytrap Media Production

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy Kimmel might be getting his show back after a pause following his comments about Charlie Kirk's death, but dozens of other people have lost their livelihood for commenting on it.

Former NBC News Internet and Culture Writer Kat Tenbarge joins co-hosts Katelyn Burns and Christine Grimaldi on this week's episode to discuss the free speech crisis currently facing the US.

Can free speech last through this conservative government crackdown? Let us know in the comments.

Subscribe for more good politics takes and ring the bell to be notified of our next episode.

Sign up for Kat's newsletter, Spitfire News on our Trustfund collaboration link here: https://trustfnd.com/cancelmedaddy

Links:

Merch Store: https://cancelmedaddy-shop.fourthwall.com/

CMD Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cancelmedaddy

CMD TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cancelmedaddypod

CMD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cancelme_daddy/

CMD BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cancelmedaddy.bsky.social

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/CancelMe_Daddy

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

According to the centrist group Third Way, Democrats should scrub their vocabulary of 45 words and phrases spanning six pejoratively titled categories: therapy-speak, seminar-room language, organizer jargon, gender/orientation correctness, the shifting language of racial constructs, and explaining away crime. “Was it something I said?” Third Way asks of Democrats’ losing streak. No—winning is something you do.

This week, Katelyn and Christine cancel "Centrist Language Nannies,” debunking Third Way and the rest of the pundit class’s overhyped language policing. Our hosts make the case for concrete policies that help people and—spoiler alert—win elections.

Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!

Links for Apple:

• Follow Katelyn on Bluesky: @katelynburns.com
• Follow Christine on Bluesky: @yourombudsmom
• Third Way (with our regrets for linking): Was It Something I Said?
• Adam Wren for Politico: The ‘woke’ words Democrats should cut from their vocabulary
• Dr. Alan Pelaez Lopez: The X in Latinx is a Wound, Not a Trend
• Nicole Froio for The Flytrap: Deny, Defend, Depose, Slay: How Luigi Mangione Became a Thirst Trap
• Buy Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger via The Flytrap’s Bookshop.org affiliate link
• Merch Me, Daddy—Cancel Me, Daddy’s merch store!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Age verification laws are the latest front in the religious right's movement to censor your speech and limit your Internet access, including what information you can access. Whitewashed as interventions to "protect children," these conservative laws and their so-called content moderation actually make it more dangerous for kids, especially trans and queer kids cut off from digital lifelines. No one in Mississippi can access Bluesky, including critical local news alerts, thanks to the state's ban. You know who warned us this would happen, back when Visa and Mastercard first started refusing to process payments for what conservatives—not you—have deemed NSFW video games, the games you can no longer play? Sex workers.

This week, Katelyn and Christine interview adult performer and content creator Siri Dahl, one of the first people to call out the Trump administration’s anti-pornography crackdown for what it is—an effort to suppress free speech for all. The Supreme Court’s June decision upholding age verification laws for porn—“corn”—websites arms Trump’s federal lackeys with your data and allows them to more broadly encroach on internet privacy. What is obscene? This government wants to decide and limit what information you can access, from gender-affirming info about trans identities and hormone therapy for trans and menopausal people to reproductive health issues about menstruation, contraception, and abortion. It is a fascinating conversation between intersectional feminists who recognize that sex work is another facet of bodily autonomy.

Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!

Links for Apple:

• Follow Siri Dahl via her website, www.siridahl.com, and Instagram @thesiridahlagain
• Siri’s SFW free speech explainer video
• Stream and support the Corn Telethon on September 4!
• Ashton Pitttman for the Mississippi Free Press: Editor’s Note | Bluesky Blocks Mississippi IPs, Citing State’s Age Verification Law, Free Speech and Privacy Concerns
• Jasmine Mithani for The 19th News: Supreme Court clears the way for increased age verification for porn sites
• Karl Bode for Techdirt: Waypoint Writers Quit After Vice’s Chickenshit New Owners Delete Articles Critical Of Steam Policies
• Josh Taylor for The Guardian: Mastercard and Visa face backlash after hundreds of adult games removed from online stores Steam and Itch.io
• Christine Grimaldi for The Flytrap: The District of Abortion
• Martin Austermuhle for The 51st: What’s going on with the National Guard in D.C.?

Merch Me, Daddy—order your “Mother” stickers in Cancel Me, Daddy’s merch store!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.