Cancelled

If I could only choose one word – a polite, podcast-friendly word – to sum up the past 18 months, it’d be... ‘weird’. A global pandemic that had people fighting over toilet roll and governments telling us when we could leave the house or have sex? Weird. At times, tragic and necessary... except the toilet roll thing. But 100% weird. One celeb who has successfully capitalised on the social currency of ‘weird’ is Gen-Z’s fave singer slash rapper Doja Cat. But her ‘out of the box’ behaviour almost cut her fledgling mainstream career {off at the knees} after she became embroiled in a Twitter scandal that still baffles the few of us who can’t stop thinking about it.

This episode was written by Annique Simpson

This is a Broccoli Production

TW: this episode features dicussion of sexual violence.

It’s an age-old story –or at least, it’s becoming one. Subject –usually young, usually good looking, usually versed in pop culture –discovers the internet. It could be singing clips on Instagram, or comedy bits on TikTok, or, as it is in this case, YouTube. They make videos, they generate content. It’s all a bit of fun. Perhaps they get a couple of friends involved. Then, if the stars align, the internet discovers them. Before long, fame comes. For some, it’s a gateway into a larger and more sustained career. Others enjoy their lucrative, if ephemeral, moment in the zeitgeist. But for others, it can crash and burn.

This episode was written by Anton Ferrie

This is a Broccoli Production

When Lana Del Rey burst onto the scene with the alt-girl anthem “Video Games” in 2011, the world was ready to welcome her and her melodic melancholy with open arms. Open arms and open pockets, as we saw, when Born To Die, her debut album, became the fifth-highest-selling album of 2012 worldwide. But our question today is: how did Lana Del Rey become so cancellable? Well, as we are about to discover, we can put it down to a whole clusterf*ck of messy, ill-informed and down-right ignorant {mishaps and incidents} from Del Rey.

This Episode was written by Leah Davis

This is a Broccoli Production

You may know her as the first African American supermodel to grace the covers of Sports Illustrated and GQ with that body 'ody 'ody.

You may know her as the ethereal beauty that sashayed down the runway as one of Victoria’s Secret’s iconic angels. You may EVEN know her as the shining star of the iconic, straight to TV, 2000 film... “Life Size”. But at her most iconic, she is the host and face of America’s Next Top Model and brought 24 cycles of drama, challenges, ‘go-sees’, eliminations, controversial photoshoots and a whole variety of beautiful women into our living rooms throughout the 00s. So how and why exactly has someone that has all the credentials of a trailblazer been cancelled so vehemently by every corner of the internet?

This episode was written by Leah Davis 

This is a Broccoli Production

From the start of his campaign to his ungracious – at best – defeat last year, Donald Trump has called for a boycott of – well, quite literally – everyone. From Macy’s to Mexico, and Harley Davidson to HBO, the wrath of “The Donald” has – according to CNN – single-handedly tried to cancel over thirty people and organisations. How very anti-cancel-culture of him. Well, needless to say, the Twitter-happy leader of the free world wheeled into action once more on the morning of the 19th of August 2020. His target? The company that manufactured not his presidential limo – nicknamed “the beast”, but… its tires.

This episode was written by Alex Halpern

This is a Broccoli Production.

Here’s the thing about fame; it gives you carte blanche. Fame equals money equals access equals freedom –freedom to do pretty much anything you want. Sounds great, right? This inter-disciplinary zeal has produced some extraordinary moments of art and culture. But a blank cheque can be a dangerous thing. You can attempt to cash in too much, and then it all goes horribly wrong. Sometimes, sticking to what you know is for the best. And having insulted a whole section of society with her directorial debut, and handled the fallout appallingly, nobody should heed this advice more than Sia. 

This Episode was written by Anton Ferrie

This is a Broccoli Production

There used to be a saying in the olden days, long long before the birth of content and cancel culture, it went like this - “today’s news is tomorrow’s fish and chip papers”.  It’s important to remember that cancel culture isn’t only a phenomenon of the 21st Century, much in the same way that trans people weren’t all birthed in the year 2000. Although in today’s world, we do have transgender cover stars specifically chosen to celebrate and support the individuals, it wasn’t always the case. Nothing exemplifies that more than the story of April Ashley. 

This episode was written by Rhyannon Styles.

This is a Broccoli Production

A story about a woman who found her Eden, shared it with everyone and then promptly lost it all.

It’s a story about privilege, a collision of culture and the nasty underbelly that makes paradise for a select few possible.

It’s a story about ignorance and influencers. And ultimately, it’s a story about getting heavily cancelled.

On this episode of Cancelled, we’re going to introduce you to the unfortunate tale of Kristen Gray.

This Episode was written by Moya Lothian-McLean

This is a Broccoli Production

Today’s cancellation is a work in progress. Hailed as aqueer icon who blazed newtrails for gay people in the public eye,she’s now derided as the enablerof a toxic workplace, an arbiter of harassment, and a bully.Ellen DeGeneres is less falling off the cliff of cancellation, than tumbling down the hill next to it. But how did Ellen, once so beloved she’s in a category where her first name does all the work, go from a pioneer of the LGBTQcommunity to someone accused of being arbitrarilymean.And crucially –how is it that both of those things, ground breaker and faker,can be true at once?

This episode was written by Anton Ferrie

This is a Broccoli Production

It's January 2021 and what is likely to be the craziest celebrity story of the year (you’d hope) has already made waves across Hollywood, Pop Culture and Social Media, which, let’s face it, is known for being the messiest Venn Diagram. At the centre of the story is actor, Armie Hammer who went from Hollywood Golden Boy to Hannibal Lecter Tribute Act,and, more pressingly, an alleged abuser, in the space on one evening. But how? Well, like so many of these stories, Trial by Twitter, and the unimpeachable power of the Meme.

This episode was written by Anton Ferrie.

This is a Broccoli Production