Wendi Deng was the third wife of media magnate and billionaire, Rupert Murdoch. The public was quick to call her a gold digger, latching onto the 38-year age difference in their marriage, Wendi’s humble upbringing in China, and her controversial involvement in the Murdoch family business. But despite criticism and rumors about her personal life, Wendi leveraged Rupert’s connections to build a name for herself as a businesswoman, film producer, and advisor in the tech world. Lena and Alissa discuss ambition, Wendy’s celebrity dinner parties & annual pre-Met Gala gathering, and the hypocrisy of the term “gold digger.” 

This episode was first published on 10/08/2020.

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Lena and Alissa pick up where they last left Whitney Houston in Part 1. In the second half of Whitney’s career, her reputation as America’s pop sweetheart was hindered by tabloid speculation about drug use and criticism of her live performances. In this episode Lena and Alissa discuss the phenomenon of the Diane Sawyer interview, Whitney’s stint on reality television, her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, and why the public still overlooks Whitney’s talent and legacy after her death. 

This episode was first published on 09/24/2020.

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Whitney Houston: “The Voice,” the myth, the legend. She sang her way into the hearts of America, moving a nation and bearing the weight of its attention on her psyche. As her star grew, Whitney faced backlash, questions about her identity, and intense intrusion into her personal life. In the first of two parts, Lena and Alissa chart the young Whitney’s rise to fame, her essential early relationships with Robyn Crawford and Bobby Brown, and the start of struggles that would eventually lead to her untimely end. 

This episode was first published on 09/10/2020.

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Yoko Ono: The woman whose name for decades was a codeword for "Somebody who ruins things." Beatles fans called her a villain, obscuring who she really was: a multidisciplinary artist, pioneering social activist, and visionary.

In this episode, Lena and Alissa trace Yoko’s unlikely journey, from her childhood as a musical prodigy to her years as a fixture of the New York art scene to her legendary love affair with one of the most famous rock stars of all time. As Lena and Alissa untangle Yoko’s story, they assess the cultural anxieties about gender and race that made Yoko a target and ask how we can truly honor the contributions of trailblazing women artists. 

This episode was first published on 08/06/2020.

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Mary Shelley is known as the mother of the science fiction genre for her groundbreaking novel, ​Frankenstein​. But beyond the page, she faced a life of personal tragedy and a society unprepared to grapple with her public persona. As the daughter of legendary proto-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley was born into controversy. In her adult life, her entanglements with celebrity Romantic poets kept her at the center of high society gossip. In this episode, Lena and Alissa weave together the various elements of this complex life (featuring a graveyard tryst!), and discuss what it meant to be a woman ahead of her time. 

This episode was first published on 07/23/2020.

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Daul Kim, it-girl and Chanel muse, was one of the most iconic models of the 2000’s. As she came to prominence in her late teens, she gained a cult following and fell under intense scrutiny for her candid blogging about her experience in the industry. In this episode, Lena and Alissa reflect on the life and death of Daul, from her public displays of depression to the torrential pace of her young life, ultimately asking what it means to be highly visible but not seen on one's own terms. 

This episode was first published on 07/09/2020.

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Jessica Savitch: the original anchorwoman. An NBC mainstay, Jessica was an audience favorite, but despite trailblazing and receiving public praise, the star struggled. In this episode, Lena and Alissa dive into the woman behind the desk: from her incredible ambition and subsequent drug use, to the workplace culture that led to the downfall of her career. 

This episode was first published on 06/25/2020.

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​Dare Wright, the author, photographer, and model best known for writing ​The Lonely Doll​, had a lot in common with her titular character. In this episode, Lena and Alissa unpack Dare’s life, spanning from her all-consuming relationship with her mother to her tragic demise. Then, Alissa sits down with Jean Nathan, author of the definitive work on Dare’s life, to get a more intimate look at the star’s biography. 

This episode was first published on 06/11/2020.

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Paula Yates was a TV presenter and icon of British pop culture in the 80s and 90s. Her life with England’s beloved Bob Geldof seemed perfect until musician Michael Hutchence came into the picture — their love triangle turned bad romance was tabloid fodder for years until their tragic end. Lena and Alissa discuss undeniable sexual chemistry, perfectionism at the root of addiction, and motherhood in the public eye. 

This episode was first published on 05/21/2020.

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​Paula Goodspeed was best known for being a Paula Abdul-obsessed singer whose act left her ridiculed on the national stage. In this episode, Lena and Alissa go deeper into Goodspeed’s story, unpacking her attempts at fame on American Idol, her lifelong search for self, and her tragic end. 

This episode was first published on 03/19/2020.

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