The World Cup is delivering, and not just on the pitch. This week we start with a genuine feel-good moment: cross-cultural chaos and connection across North America, from Cape Verde stunning Spain in Atlanta to a German tourist discovering Helen, GA and a Japanese visitor writing a love letter to free chips and salsa. Sometimes the world is actually kind of great.

Then we get into it. AI is officially the number one reason people are losing their jobs in 2026. We dig into the 2026 International AI Safety Report, which finds that AI is impressive in some areas and genuinely concerning in others. These tools might be making us worse at the very things we're supposed to be getting better at.

We also get into AI and grade inflation — a new Berkeley study finds professors in writing- and coding-heavy courses are handing out significantly more A's post-ChatGPT. And Pam weighs in from a journalism angle on what AI can and can't do for freelancers, and we get honest about the tasks we've tried to hand off to AI that just... made more work.

And in this week's installment of After Dark, it's the AI Honesty Corner: we asked our AI platforms to profile us, roast us, and name our blind spots. The accuracy was mixed, occasionally devastating, and in at least one case, deeply funny.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Pride, millennials! This week Laura and Eric are getting personal. They share their results from the Kinsey Scale and the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid and dig into what those numbers actually mean — and what they don't. Do these tools change how you think about your identity? When do labels feel useful, and when do they just flatten the full picture?

The conversation expands from sexuality to gender, including a thought experiment that asks: if you could wake up tomorrow in a different body — with no one batting an eye — would you press the button? For a deeper dive on figuring out gender identity, check out Doc Impossible's piece on Substack: https://stainedglasswoman.substack.com/p/how-to-figure-out-if-youre-trans

Then Laura and Eric zoom out to talk about the state of Pride in 2026 — what it means to celebrate, and what corporate involvement in queer spaces has come to look like. We dig into the cautionary tale of Target, which built its entire brand identity around inclusion and aspiration, then quietly walked away from it under political and economic pressure — with real consequences for its bottom line. (Full piece from the Minnesota Reformer linked below.)

Recs this week: Laura's watching The Birdcage — a forever classic. And Eric wants you to check out Doc Impossible on substack.

After Dark is an extension of today's conversation — what does "heterosexual, more than incidental homosexual tendencies" actually mean for how we think about own identities? We dig into this and more personal questions inspired by today's discussion!

Links:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Pride, Millennials! We're kicking off with a Dumpster Fire Corner that basically writes itself — UFC fights on the South Lawn of the White House, an America 250 concert lineup that's... something, and Georgia gas prices ticking back up at midnight. Oh, and Jill Biden is doing press for her new book. We have thoughts.

From there, we're checking in on our 2026 predictions, then catching up on stories we've been tracking: a jury found Live Nation acted as a monopoly, Ticketmaster's president admitted the queue isn't randomized (lol), and listener John asked us to dig into FIFA — so we went in on corruption, Qatar, migrant worker deaths, and whether we're personally watching the World Cup.

We've also got a great mailbag this week — a listener used the confessional to blow the whistle on the current Ebola outbreak, a dispatch on government protests in Ireland from a Gen Z/Alpha listener on the ground, and a beautiful email about grandparents secretly canceling each other out with rogue baptisms.

Laura's rec this week: take a mental health day. Pam's rec: 'Off Campus' (on Amazon Prime) And patrons, stick around — After Dark gets candid about what's really changed behind the scenes since Pam and Laura took over the pod. 👀

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support #Millennial!⁠⁠⁠

In the Dumpster Fire Corner: Is anyone really surprised at the reported under bookings of hotels leading up to the FIFA World Cup in US host cities? Then, Pam has some insights into what this year's TV Upfronts mean for what audiences will be seeing on the small screen in the next year. We break down what the annual TV industry preview event actually is, what studios announced for the upcoming season, and what it all means for your watchlist. The big headlines: scripted programming is making a comeback on broadcast networks, lighter and more optimistic TV is the vibe networks are chasing, and comedy is somehow still getting left behind. Also, AI is everywhere — even in how advertisers are targeting you mid-episode.

Then we get into something we're all guilty of: the second screen problem. We're sharing our favorite background shows (no judgment) and already calling which Upfronts announcements are destined for the "playing while I fold laundry" category.

This week's recommendations are on theme with our TV-themed discussion: 'Amadeus' on Starz (Laura) and 'The Other Bennett Sister' on BritBox (Pam).

Join us over on our Patreon for this week's installment of After Dark, where we get very personal and take some questions and topic suggestions from our live audience. 👀

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support #Millennial!⁠⁠⁠

It's Mental Health Awareness Month, so we're doing a real check-in on the show this week. How are we actually doing? We dig into this year's Mental Health America theme, "More Good Days, Together," and get honest about where we're at. We also get into looksmaxxing — the online subculture pushing young men toward increasingly extreme methods to "maximize" their attractiveness — and ask the uncomfortable question: why does it take men being harmed for society to notice what women have lived with forever? Then we zoom out to the male loneliness epidemic. The red pill crowd says men have it worst, but the data tells a more complicated story.

Per usual, we've got fun and timely recommendations! "The Drama" (available to rent) (Laura), checking your voter registration status (Pam), and Mario + Rabbids “Sparks of Hope” (Eric). 

And in this week's installment of After Dark:

Someone shit the bed. Literally (oops). And we reminisce about our cringiest roommate stories, and the experience of communal bathrooms in college dorms (how did we do this every day??).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support #Millennial!⁠⁠⁠

This week, we’re serving side parts, statement necklaces, and just a light sprinkle of existential dread. In the Dumpster Fire Corner, we’re talking hantavirus panic (but like… should we be panicking?), pouring one out for Spirit Airlines, and unpacking the latest chaos in election interference rhetoric that somehow keeps raising the bar.

Then, we cleanse our souls with something truly important: millennial fashion making a comeback. That’s right -- the side part lives, chunky necklaces are back, and twee fashion is once again haunting our closets. We’re diving into what trends we’re reclaiming, what we were too cowardly to wear the first time around, and whether thrifting culture is the real MVP behind this resurgence.

Plus, we get personal—how has our style evolved, do we need a full rebrand, and what happens when you actually work with a stylist? (Laura has thoughts.) We wrap things up with recs to upgrade your wardrobe: Judy Blue jeans (Laura), Land's End t-shirts (Pam), and finding a way to accessorize the 90's Jazz solo design (Eric).

And in this week's installment of After Dark, Eric opens up about their journey to fertility preservation as they've navigated their transition. This installment gets real honest and vulnerable - come join us on Patreon to learn more!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support #Millennial!⁠⁠⁠

This week, our Dumpster Fire corner is the perfect lead-in for our main topic. The headlines are somehow both horrifying and absurd: another Trump assassination attempt, a sudden call for “unity” that had the media doing emotional gymnastics, and yes, plans to slap his face into your passport. Meanwhile, global tensions simmer, but priorities remain… questionable.

Then Laura and Eric dive into The Boys Season 5 and why it’s hitting way too close to home. What started as a hyper-violent superhero satire now feels less like escapism and more like a slightly exaggerated documentary. From corporate control and influencer politics to nationalism wrapped in religion and monetized outrage, we break down how the show mirrors real-world power structures (and why that’s getting harder to laugh off.) We also get into the cultural whiplash of audiences realizing Homelander isn’t the hero (shocking, apparently), the rise of media manipulation that feels ripped straight from Vought’s playbook, and why this kind of storytelling resonates so deeply right now. When reality starts sounding like satire, what does that say about where we’re at?

If you love 'The Boys,' we've got recommended shows you should watch next! 'Generation V' ('The Boys' spinoff series on Amazon Prime) (Laura) and 'Alphas' on the Roku Channel (Eric).

And in this week's installment of After Dark... you thought you weren't getting any Pam this week, but SURPRISE! She joins us for an impromptu installment of our post-show banter where we compare notes on plant life (a category that goes verrrrrry broad with content that can only live behind the paywall. 👀

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support #Millennial!⁠⁠⁠

This week on Millennial, we’re back with pretend adulting and very real chaos. In the Dumpster Fire Corner, it’s TACO Tuesday as Trump abruptly pumps the brakes on escalating tensions with Iran—while simultaneously making things more confusing, volatile, and… profitable? We unpack the ever-shifting status of the Strait of Hormuz (open? closed? vibes-based?), reports of internal panic over Trump’s unpredictability, and why some officials allegedly don’t trust him in the Situation Room.

Then, we shift gears into our main discussion inspired by new Pew Research: what do Americans consider immoral? From the death penalty to gambling to divorce, we explore where people draw the line—and why those lines aren’t as clear-cut as some perceive them to be. We reflect on how our own views have evolved, whether morality is subjective, and what it even means to judge someone else’s choices. And of course, the Pen Pals bring the heat with takes ranging from systemic injustice to iced coffee crimes against humanity. It’s a conversation full of nuance, contradictions, and a reminder that growing up might just mean getting more comfortable living in the gray.

Stick around for recommendations ('The Boys' on Amazon Prime and TravelPro luggage) and head over to Patreon to tune into this week's installment of After Dark. This week, Laura and Pam spill a little tea tied to their recent travels behind the paywall. 👀

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support #Millennial!⁠⁠⁠

It’s another week in the dumpster fire, and somehow we’ve got presidential beef with the Pope, a brief identity crisis involving Jesus imagery, and even some conservatives going “uhhh maybe not.” Meanwhile, Ireland is literally grinding to a halt as fuel prices skyrocket past $9/gallon, with farmers and truckers leading massive protests that are disrupting the entire supply chain. You know, just normal global stability things.

Then we cleanse our souls (and ears) with something actually joyful: Record Store Day. We’re diving into what it is, why it still matters, and how vinyl made one of the most unexpected comebacks of our lifetime. From exclusive drops to the emotional pull of physical media, we talk about what keeps us coming back—and whether we actually play the records we buy.

Plus: first vinyl memories, the struggle of storing your ever-growing collection, and Eric’s truly unhinged saga of “inheriting” 2,500 records and dragging them across the country. If you’re thinking about hitting up Record Store Day for the first time this year, we’ve got tips to help you survive—and maybe even score something good.

This week's recommendations: Big Fudge record care system (Pam) and Discogs marketplace for vinyl sales and valuations (Eric). 

And in this week's installment of After Dark:

Laura joins the panel fresh off the heels of her latest MS infusion and answers listener questions about how the infusion works, how her MS is going, and compares your fraying iPhone charging cable to the state of MS-impacted nerves. We also branch into other personal medical stories, including one of us catching a life-changing clause that was sneakily hiding on a surgical consent form. 👀

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support #Millennial!⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk — and this week, the vibes are… tense. In the Dumpster Fire Corner, we’re checking in on America where things feel one headline away from chaos: escalating threats overseas, whiplash policy shifts, and a President lashing out while juggling bad press on everything from gas prices to legal battles. Then we get into the main event: why the hell are concert tickets so expensive now? What used to be a fun night out is starting to feel like a luxury purchase, with fans dropping $1,000+ just to get in the door. We break down how pandemic fallout, rising production costs, and the loss of experienced crews have driven prices up — and why even face-value tickets now look like resale gouging. Plus, the psychology of fans: if you’re paying that much, you expect a show, which only drives costs higher.

To wrap up, we’ve got recs: check out 5calls.org if you’re looking for a simple way to stay civically engaged, and don’t miss Record Store Day for a reminder of why music still hits different offline.

And in this week's installment of After Dark: Pam's family has welcomed a new furry family member after a tragic origin story of owner abandonment. We get a little judgy this week behind the paywall about people who treat their furry companions as optional. We also give a little tease for what is to come in next week's After Dark - come hang out with us!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices