In this subscriber-only episode of the two-part Cookie Jar, Chelsea and producer Kristina dive into the latest season of Love Island USA, from Casa Amor chaos to kissing crimes, they explore what this reality show reveals about gender, intimacy, and dating in America today. Plus, Kristina tries to unpack why the reality TV genre might not be for all audience members (including herself), and Chelsea reveals the couple she’s rooting for (Zach and Bryce?).

In part one of this two-part Cookie Jar, Chelsea and producer Kristina unpack the CGI shot they did not see coming in J.Lo’s latest rom-com “Office Romance,” break down their favorite tracks from Olivia Rodrigo's new album, and Chelsea shares a few hot recommendations. Plus: what's behind Hollywood's obsession with hockey romance and a bizarre AI mix-up involving Spencer Pratt. 

Part 2 with Love Island will be out for Subscribers Only soon!

Chelsea welcomes writer and The Hidden History of Magick Podcast co-host Rhiannon Houch to dive into “The Make Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness” by “Skins” and “Game of Thrones” star Hannah Murray. They unpack Hannah’s path from magic school class to wellness cult, how a search for healing spiraled into a mental health crisis, and her stunning depiction of life with bipolar disorder. Plus: weird MLM movie recs, Etsy wands and YET another cult leader just loooooooving martial arts. 

Chelsea welcomes back Katie Rich and Holly Laurent of the “Soccer Moms” podcast to unpack The Cut article The Loneliness Influencers by Rachel Pick. They explore viral loneliness influencers, leftover pandemic habits, aspirational aesthetics, and some hacks for making adult friends. Plus: why thinking of your spouse as a grizzly bear could be a positive, and why Timothée Chalamet is now synonymous with the Knicks.

"Soccer Moms” is a production of iHeartMedia and Will Ferrell’s Big Money Players network, with new episodes available weekly on Tuesdays on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.

Chelsea welcomes back comedian and Pop Mystery Pod host Tess Barker to unpack the memoir of chef and television icon Julia Child. Bride-to-be cooking classes! Ina Garten similarities! A cooking-infused friendship breakup! Plus: her longtime child-free marriage to husband Paul Cushing Child, their brush with McCarthyism, and the publishing story that Chelsea will think about every day till the end of time.

Chelsea welcomes comedian and "Advice No One Asked For" author Jenny Hagel to unpack the viral Vulture article “The Feed Is Fake.”  They dive into how our conversations and social media discourse is being manufactured and manipulated by stealth marketing, clipping campaigns, and content farms to produce celebrity smear campaigns and shape narratives around court verdicts. They also look back at how the rise and fall of the blogosphere changed internet discourse and whether this is an old problem or a new one. Plus: Where can we go on the internet to have a real conversation? Is it our Patreon???

Chelsea and Prose & Glow’s Julia Washington deep dive into “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” the memoir from “Heroes” and “Nashville” star Hayden Panettiere. Together, they unpack Hayden’s rise from child star with a momager (of course) to tabloid fixture while dealing with addiction, postpartum depression, and the crushing weight of being a young woman in the 2000s. Plus: her age-gap relationships with Milo Ventimiglia and Wladimir Klitschko, and why this memoir feels deeply haunting.

This is a messier-than-normal episode because it's the audio from our live book club event on Patreon discussing the book Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed. 

Together, Chelsea, producer Kristina, and the Cookies dive into the women pulled into the Kennedy orbit, from Jackie Kennedy to Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette and so many more. They also unpack the author’s “creative license” with elements of history, the myth-making around Camelot lore, and a few hot takes on Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story.”

A content warning: This episode contains discussions of sensitive topics, including murder, substance use, and suicide. Take care while listening and find helpful resources here.

We cut this down a bit to skip over the visual parts, tech set up, and warm-up exercises we did, so we can optimize this for a listening experience.  

Chelsea and Forever35 Podcast hosts Doree Shafrir and Elise Hu unpack “I Choose Me,” the new memoir from “Beverly Hills, 90210” star Jennie Garth. Together, they ask themselves if they should also “choose me,” and DNF this book! They recap the goss with Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty, and Tiffani Thiessen, before diving into her second marriage to Peter Facinelli, her reality TV pivot, and red flags like: should you date the man just who quit his job and has a roommate?

Chelsea welcomes back Voice Notes From the Group Chat host Caitie Rosen to deep dive into two pieces from The Cut: “Why Friendship Betrayal Feels Impossible to Get Over” and “Losing My Friend Over Wegovy." Somehow, it all comes back to the “Summer House” scandal. They look at two case studies of friendship betrayal to determine the how and why of it all, and if at the end of the day, is wegovy > West?