Off the Cupp with S.E. Cupp

People sometimes draw comparisons between reality-TV-star-turned-politician Spencer Pratt and another certain figure who managed to spin reality show stardom into political power. And the comparisons are worth exploring – in this conversation with Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, SE asks him about his relationship to MAGA. But there’s more than that to his story, which started as a “villain” on the early 2000s MTV reality series The Hills. In this conversation, SE discusses with Pratt his plans to improve the quality of life in Los Angeles. But first, she offers some reflections on “platforming” people who aspire to power with whom SE or some in the audience may disagree.

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It’s a welcomed return to Talkin’ Coffee. After a never-ending news week … month … year(s) for S.E., she’s ready to dive into all the news that’s fit to sip with her producers Lauren and Derrick. This week, they return to a previous coffee story about a product called “Pocket Coffee” and actually try it. S.E. also shares some new, exciting studies, curious Gen Z habits (that S.E. might have influenced), the best grocery store beans, and why Trader Joe’s better watch its back. And stay-tuned for listener mail! A listener introduces S.E. to some coffee news that just might blow her mind. If you have any thoughts about coffee, the news, or mental health, reach out to us at [email protected], and your message could be read on a future show!

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As usual, it’s been a big week. S.E. shares her thoughts on and experience with the Correspondents Dinner shooting and the importance of the press and press freedom. Then she digs into both the Left and the Right. First, with the DOJ's embarrassing second indictment of James Comey over his beach art and what it says about Trump and his desire to lose. Then S.E. digs into the Democratic Party's 2024 autopsy — or the one DNC chair Ken Martin promised and never delivered (Watch the heated interview between Jon Favreau and Ken Martin if you're into uncomfortable confrontations). S.E. also talks to Democratic political strategist and current executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service, Mo Elleithee. Mo has a banger of a perspective on what's different about today's politics vs even 10 years ago — and if anyone's listening, it's the winning formula for getting elected, whether you're a Democrat or Republican. Pay Attention!

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Change - reinvention - it's a topic that has come up a lot on Off the Cupp. Sometimes it's a big event that changes us (Listen: Ricki Lake), sometimes it's a societal wave we're riding (Listen: Michael Chiklis), other times it's a deliberate shift to gain control of our lives (Listen: Jennie Garth). Change feels inevitable, but also scary, sometimes beautiful, and much more complicated than we know. This week, S.E. talks to her friend and longtime New York Times Magazine writer, Benoit Denizet-Lewis, about his new book (and this surprisingly nuanced topic), "You've Changed: The Promise and Price of Self-Transformation." Benoit discusses why he thinks we're in a unique moment of reinvention, why we change, how our beliefs shift, and what influence outside perception has on our reinvention.

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This week on Talkin' Politics: Tucker Carlson apologized to his public for his role in bringing Trump to power. And plenty of people on the Hill and in media are applauding him for his and giving him a lot of credit. But that's not where S.E. is at. S.E. knows Tucker and knows that he didn't just mislead the public, he openly lied to them. S.E. also gets into the news in Virginia that voters approved a shift in their district map that would give Democrats four more House seats. Democrats are celebrating this as a win. S.E. is not. And stay tuned for an interview with Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Atlanta mayor who is running for Governor of Georgia. They talk about the midterms, the Dems' strategy and what she learned by putting herself out there in her raw new memoir, The Rough Side of the Mountain.

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Oh this week is a good one! S.E. gets to sit down with Lauren Holly, an actor with an extensive list of film and TV credits, but also an activist who dedicates so much of her time and care to issues around sexual harassment, opioid dependency, and the arts. Through a deep conversation about empathy, grief and mental health, S.E. and Lauren explore what it means to be human in a complicated and divided world. Lauren shares what it’s like to be a relatively recent Canadian and how she stays balanced amid the chaotic news landscape. Lauren takes S.E. behind the scenes of her TV and film career, from the wild story of her first paid gig to the absurd fun of Dumb & Dumber to the cult fandom around Beautiful Girls. And hold tight for a very Canadian lightning round, eh!

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This week, S.E. gets to dig into the state of media and college nostalgia with Sara Spain! The host of Good Game with Sarah Spain and longtime sports journalist talks about how her extrovert-oversharer personality kind of works with the manic, be-everywhere media landscape, but also makes her want to live off the grid. Sarah also shares an incredible story about what she did as a 20-something to get to the Super Bowl and how that went "early" viral.

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On this week's Talkin' Politics, SE untangles the news of one of the more bizarre and alarming weeks we’ve had in a string of bizarre and alarming weeks. After President Trump threatened that “a whole civilization will die tonight” in Iran, he pulled his finger off the button and claimed victory. Global energy prices are still up, our allies are still rattled, the Gulf states are still being bombed, and some are calling for the 25th amendment to remove the president from office, a proposition that SE unpacks with her guest Dr. Rebecca Lubot.

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This week, S.E. continues her guest-related Sorkin-issance with Josh Malina! Malina, who has been described as Sorkin's good luck charm, takes listeners behind the scenes of his roles and shows, including Sports Night and The West Wing. He also shares stories about mooching off the screenwriter in his early days of acting. The pair talk about their shared love of theater, why listening to music brings up all the feels, and what we all find so comforting about 90s TV. There's so much good stuff here, from parenting, to navigating self-doubt in Hollywood, to the reboot everyone needs. And stay tuned for some very controversial hot takes in the lighting round!

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On this week's Talkin' Politics, SE breaks down the news of the week, from above where the Artemis II is headed on a historic trip around the moon, to (far) below, where President Trump finally delivered his first national address on the Iran war, more than a month after it began. The speech may have been meant to quell the concerns of a skeptical public, but instead, it exposed just how poorly this incursion was thought out. In the second block, SE is joined to unpack all of it with historian and fellow space enthusiast Douglas Brinkley.

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