In this episode, we explore the career of Matt Damon, Hollywood’s ultimate everyman. Join us as we unpack how he’s spent three decades as one of the industry’s most dependable, and surprisingly interchangeable, leading men, why he’s seemingly contractually obligated to spend every movie trying to get back home, and why it’s finally time for him to stop escaping and give us the cinematic love letter to his hometown we’ve been waiting for. 

Relevant links: 

• Our full show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/668
• Like what you hear? Leave us a 5-star review on Apple, Spotify or anywhere you listen to our show.
• The Dossier: Wiki | Rotten Tomatoes Rankings | IMDb 
• Watch Mentions: The Rainmaker | Mystic Pizza | School Ties | Geronimo: An American Legend | Courage Under Fire | Good Will Hunting | All The Pretty Horses | The Departed | Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve, Ocean’s Thirteen | Contagion | We Bought A Zoo | Stillwater | Jason Bourne movies | Interstellar | The Departed | The Martian | The Last Duel | Promised Land | Behind the Candelabra | 
• Drive-bys: Ken Griffey Jr. | Leonardo DiCaprio’s Credits | Sacred Cinema: The Faithful with Minnie Driver | AO3 Jason Bourne (see also: AO3 Damon/Affleck) | The Sheep Detectives | Jennifer Garner Vanity Fair Feature (see also: Affleck’s Tattoo) | Three Things Christopher Nolan Expects You To Know Before Watching the Odyssey
• Red Light Mentions: People besmerching Taco Bell | Jimothy the Raccoon (see also: Punch the monkey) | Dave Portnoy’s memoir | FIFA’s Halftime Show | Prioritizing dogs over humans | The Hawk (see also: July AUA)

Green Lights:

• Jamie: movie - The Odyssey
• Mutual: movie - The Invite

Bonus segment: 

Join us on Patreon to listen ad-free and get exclusive weekly and monthly content. 

Episode sponsors: 

• Leesa (code: POPCAST) | Hungryroot (code: POPCAST) | Hers | Pura | Gabb (code: POPCAST)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we recap this week's pop culture news. Join us as we unpack The Bear‘s final season, make our deeply scientific case for the frontrunners in the 2026 Sexiest Man Alive race, react to the new Moana movie's box office report, and break down the biggest surprises and snubs from the 2026 Emmy nominations. It’s prestige TV, Disney magic (question mark?), attractive men, and awards-season chaos all rolled into a delightfully unhinged pop culture roundup.

Relevant links: 

• Our full show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/667
• Hear our new, secret Snake Draft episode where we discuss all the things the European mind cannot comprehend - Available only when you get the Big, Beautiful, Expanded Americana Bundle at knoxandjamie.shop
• Ep. 666 Correction: Saint Petersburg is still a place
• Box Office Recap & Emmy Nominations Mentions: 

// Movies: Moana (see also: Along the Way) | Minions & Monsters | Toy Story 5 | Evil Dead Burn | Young Washington | The Invite | The Odyssey (see also: RT Score)

// Shows: Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro (see also: Mark Ballas | Strictly Come Dancing) | Lucky | Espy Awards | The Hawk | The Gilded Age | Hacks | The Pitt | All Her Fault | Widow’s Bay | Bait | Heated Rivalry | Stranger Things S5 | Nobody Wants This S2 | Task | Friends & Neighbors | Rooster | Pluribus | The Amazing Race | The Bear 

// IMDbs: Thomas Kail | Anya Taylor-Joy | The Rock | Lin-Manuel Miranda (see also: Octet | Phillipa Soo) | Betty Gilpin | Connor Storrie on SNL | Tom Pelphrey | Rob Reiner | Jeff Hiller | Noah Wyle | Ariana Madix | Megan Stalter | Hannah Einbinder | Paul Anthony Kelly 

// Other: World Cup Finals | Open by Andre Agassi | Green Lights Post 

• Sexiest Man Contenders: Bad Bunny | Hudson Williams | Michael B. Jordan | Ryan Gosling | Timothée Chalamet | Connor Storrie | Travis Kelce | Clavicular | Matt Damon
• Drive-bys: Lindsey Graham | Sam Neill | The building they had to evacuate in NY because it was structurally unsound? | The Bear “Fishes” Episode (see also: Pilot Program) | Shelf Respect (see also: @readwithshelfrespect)
• Red Light Mentions: Diarrhea Lettuce (see also: Dr. Rubin) | USMNT Stuffed in the Locker | New Robert Langdon | Big Brother | Digger Trailer 

Green Lights:

• Jamie: book - This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
• Knox: book - Thrilling Tales of Modern Men by Danny McBride

Bonus segment: 

Join us on Patreon to listen ad-free and get exclusive weekly and monthly content. 

Episode sponsors: 

• Function Health (code: POP25) | Merit | IM8 (code: POPCAST) | Gabb (code: POPCAST)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Erin joins us as we discuss antichrists in pop culture. From the ones that are too obvious to be real, to the dark horses that could truly turn out to be one of the Four Horsemen, we’re leaning all the way into the 666 of it all and giving the people what they want.

Relevant links: 

• Our full show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/666
• Celebrate America’s (not weird at all) 250th birthday with our super secret USA Snake Draft episode. Only available in the Americana Bundle (2026 Big Beautiful Expanded Bundle) at knoxandjamie.shop
• Antichrists Explainer Mentions: Erin’s Credentials | Book of Daniel (see also: VeggieTales version) | Maccabees | Book of Revelation | Left Behind (see also: Kirk Cameron Left Behind | Nic Cage Left Behind | Faith Adjacent’s Left Behind Sacred Cinema) | Hattie Durham | The Late Great Planet Earth
• Mentions: Elon Musk (see also: Neuralink) | Mark Zuckerberg | Peter Thiel (see also: Antichrist Ted Talk) | J.K. Rowling | Donald Trump | Zohran Mamdami | AI aka Chat | Taylor Swift | MrBeast (not a sponsor: Step & Beast Land) | Ms Rachel | Snoop Dogg | Mother Teresa Podcast (see also: University of Ottawa paper) | Dolly Parton | Justin Bieber | Four Horsemen Combo: Bluey, Charli XCX, Robert Irwin, Ilya Rozanov
• Fact Checks: Does Toad have an evil twin? | Green Light Knox couldn’t remember: End of Days by Chris Jennings | Trump’s threesome commentary
• Drive-bys: Eagle Eye | Aquaman | Daniel Fast | Camilla’s Literacy Campaign | Princess Kate scanning tickets at Wimbledon | Prince William on New Heights  
• Red Light Mentions: Freddy Canceled | Neil the Seal in Tasmania | @YouRowKelsey making it to Hawaii | Madi Prewett speaking at the State Fair | Red Cards | Offside | Belgium Coach big mad | Trump Phoning a Friend | Sleeping on a Train | Yannik Sinner | CFA Honey Pimento Chicken Sandwich commercial

Green Lights:

• Jamie: book - The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
• Knox: book - The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander

Bonus segment: 

Join us on Patreon to listen ad-free and get exclusive weekly and monthly content like TMYK, where we unpack our two-week break and Taylor Swift's wedding.

Episode sponsors: 

• Square | IM8 (code: POPCAST) | Factor (code: POPCAST50OFF) | Quince | Boll & Branch (code: POPCAST) | Bombas (code: POPCAST) | Gabb (code: POPCAST) | Pura

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celebrate the stars, the stripes, and the sheer spectacle of American pop culture with our Americana Bundle (2026 Big Beautiful Expanded Bundle), a tribute to the myths we tell, the movies we quote, the institutions we romanticize, and the absolutely unhinged things that somehow only make sense in America.

Available now at knoxandjamie.shop!

This BIG BEAUTIFUL Expanded Bundle includes:

• Hamilton Deep Dive (aka the only time we cared about the Treasury)
• Cinema Sidepiece: Remember the Titans (mandatory emotional football content)
• Cinema Sidepiece: National Treasure (in Nicolas Cage we trust)
• Cinema Sidepiece: Independence Day (proof that America can solve literally any problem with a good speech)
• Cinema Sidepiece: Oppenheimer (history, science, and a deeply concerning number of men named Robert)
• Pilot Program: The West Wing (walk-and-talk your way through one of television's most idealistic versions of American politics)
• USA Snake Draft (a celebration of all the things the European mind cannot comprehend)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to a preview episode of our new podcast, Shelf Respect! We did this for six months over on Patreon, and now we also have free episodes available twice monthly.

This is a Snake Draft episode where the three of us slither through all the words and phrases we'd like to remove from all future books.

Relevant links: 

• Our full show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/665
• Like what you heard? Listen to Shelf Respect wherever you listen to the Popcast!
• All our book lists are always found on Bookshop.org. Support indie shops!
• Our Patreon: Shelf Respect
• Our Instagram: @readwithshelfrespect
• readwithshelfrespect.com

Bonus segment: 

Join us on Patreon to listen ad-free and get exclusive weekly and monthly content. 

Episode sponsors: 

• Olive & June | Bombas (code: POPCAST)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we’re celebrating dads for Father’s Day by talking about iconic DILFs…Dads I’d like to FRIEND (even though some of ya’ll got that twisted!). From the shadow daddies quietly carrying entire storylines from the background to the chaotic father figures doing their best with varying levels of success, we’re honoring the full spectrum of paternal excellence. Whether you want to friend, or ‘friends to lovers’ them, we’re giving flowers to the dads who shaped pop culture.

Relevant links: 

• Our full show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/665
• Miss us during the break? Join us as a Friends with Benefots at knoxandjamie.com/patreon to listen to this episode in full and ad-free, plus all the Cinema Sidepieces, Pilot programs, and more! Use code SWEATYTAINT for 90% off your first month (offer valid for new users only until 7/726)
• Revisit: Ep. 401 MILFs | Ep. 658 MILFs 2 | Read all the comments
• Mentions: Darth Maul | Tarzan | Bandit Heeler | Mufasa | Lawrence Fletcher | Pacha | Goofy | Alfred Pennyworth
• Thank you to our contributors: @fitzy0816, @brookeemoneyy, @lizabetforrest, @coffedrinksgirl, @erinh614, @aubrey.garrido, @arielthelegend21

Bonus segment: 

Join us on Patreon to listen to this episode ad-free and in its entirety, plus get exclusive weekly and monthly content. 

Episode sponsors: 

• Function Health (code: POP25) | Storyworth | Shopify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we recap this week's pop culture news. Join us as we weigh the legitimacy of the latest TNT wedding rumors and investigate whether men in hats are having a moment and who’s actually pulling the look off. Plus, we check in on the upcoming movie and TV roster to see what’s bringing main-character summer energy and what’s destined to be both painful and avoidable, like the content equivalent of a sunburn.

Relevant links: 

• Our full show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/663
• Get our brand new Americana merch line for all your semi-patriotic needs at knoxandjamie.shop
• What’s the Word 
• Taylor Swift: Wedding Rumors | New Kelce Book | I Knew It, I Knew You (see also: I Knew It, I Know You) 
• Hat Corner: Travolta’s Beret | Ewing’s Pageboy | Tucci’s Top Hat 
• Box Office Report: Scary Movie | Masters of the Universe | Backrooms | Obsession | Mandalorian & Grogu
• Coming Soon: Disclosure Day | The Invite | NBA Finals | Sweet Magnolias | Every Year After | The Listeners | Little Singles | My Fault London & Your Fault London | I Will Find You | Sugar S2 | The Bear | House of the Dragon | Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness 
• Red Light Mentions: Prince Phillip’s Wedding | Ming Xi & Mario Ho’s wedding | Dua Lipa & Callum Turner | Scooby Do: Origins

Green Lights:

• Jamie: book - Our Sister’s Keeper by Jasmine Holmes
• Knox: book - The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

Bonus segment: 

Join us on Patreon to listen ad-free and get exclusive weekly and monthly content. 

Episode sponsors: 

• Quince | Hungryroot (code: POPCAST) | Hers | Storyworth | Gabb | Bombas (code: POPCAST)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we explain all things Zendaya. From shedding her child-star exoskeleton to her breakout role in Spiderman, we discuss her career highs and lows, whether we need to close the Straight of Zendaya, and if the opportunity cost of big IP has paid off.

Relevant links: 

• Our full show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/662
• Looking for some Patriotic and Chaotic merch goodness? Head to knoxandjamie.shop for all your famously nonpartisan and apolitical needs
• The Dossier: Wiki | IG | IMDb | Spotify | Red Carpet | Relationship timeline (see also: Lip Sync Battle & Tom’s hard launch)   
• Watch Mentions: Shake it Up | K.C. Undercover | Spider-man: Homecoming | The Greatest Showman | Euphoria | Malcolm & Marie | Challengers | Dune, Part Two & Part Three | The Odyssey | The Drama
• Drive-bys: Tornado Alley update | Euphoria S3 | Red Notice | Upon Jamie’s Untimely Death | Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates | The Iron Claw | Mervyn’s vs Braums | Law Roach | Katharine Foster, Mila Kunis & Gal Gadot | Kellie Pickler vs Zendaya | Dua Lipa wedding | Descendants | Tom Holland IMDb 
• Red light mentions: Europeans complaining about the heat | Not recommending Widow’s Bay strongly enough (see also: Rooster | Beef | Task) | Texas Tech vs Florida Softball | Knox’s Newsletter | Solo Mio  

Green Lights:

• Jamie: movie - Obsession | movie - Tuner
• Knox: web stuff - A24 Movie Log | movie - Backrooms

Bonus segment: 

Join us on Patreon to listen ad-free and get exclusive weekly and monthly content. 

Episode sponsors: 

Square | Boll & Branch (code: POPCAST) | Bombas (code: POPCAST) | Shopify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Erin Moon joins us for a truly unhinged snake draft of inedible things we desperately wish we could eat. From aesthetically pleasing objects to items that simply look like they’d have a great crunch, we’re embracing the chaos and asking the important question: “but what if?”

Relevant Links:

• Our full show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/661
• Listen to Jamie and Erin talk all things fanfic on The Dramione Effect wherever you get your podcasts
• Irresistibles: Big League Chew | Dimetapp Grape Medicine | Luden’s Cough Drops | The Pink Medicine 
• Not a Sponsor: Bath & Body Works (see also: CYKLAR Vanilla Verve) | Smoothie King
• Drive-bys: Shower Beverage Holder 

Green Lights:

• Jamie: show - Rivals S2 | fanfic - The Devil Works Hard by blessdtoaster

(see also: how to download and read fanfic & Shelf Respect's Definitive Dramione Hyperfixation Spreadsheet™️)

• Knox: show - Homegrown

Bonus segment: 

Join us on Patreon to listen to this episode in full and ad-free and get exclusive weekly and monthly content. 

Episode sponsors: 

• Merit

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we’re diving into the upcoming summer TV lineup. Join us as we share what we’re buying, what we’re selling, and which premieres are the perfect excuse to hunker down in the AC and ignore the heat index. From the big, obvious watches everyone will be group-texting about to the new shows that already have us irrationally hopeful, we’re breaking down what deserves a spot in your summer binge rotation.

Relevant links: 

• Our full show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/660
• Get our secret Snake Draft episode in our 2020 Archive Bundle at knoxandjamie.shop
• Rewind: The Eternaut | The Four Seasons | #1 Happy Family USA | Love Island USA | The Summer I Turned Pretty | Stick | We Were Liars | Dexter Resurrection | Washington Black | Chief of War | The Bear | Squid Game
• Obvis: House of the Dragon S3 | The Bear | Ted Lasso
• Summer Green Lights: Lord of the Flies | The Other Bennet Sister | Rivals | Widow’s Bay | Margo’s Got Money Troubles 
• Buy / Sells: Elle (Prime Video) | Cape Fear (Apple TV) | Not Suitable for Work (Hulu) | Lanterns (HBO Max) | Little House on the Prairie (Netflix) | Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (Apple TV) | The Hawk (Netflix) | Five Star Weekend (Peacock) | Spider-Noir (Prime Video)
• Also-Rans: The Boroughs (Netflix) | Every Year After (Prime Video) | Lucky (Apple TV)
• Fact check: Patrick Wilson can sing? 
• Drive-bys: The Bear ‘Gary’ commentary | Legally Blonde | That Thing You Do! | 1962 Cape Fear & 1991 Cape Fear | Melissa Gilbert’s Husband | The Last Thing He Told me (aka - Taken - Jennifer Garner’s version) | Zoe watching Harry on the Sidelines
• Red Light Mentions: Lorne Michaels & Paul McCartney (see also: more SNL commentary on TMYK) | Spotify logo | Stephen Colbert | Re-dedication service | Survivor S50 Winner 

Green Lights:

• Jamie:  show - Couple’s Therapy | show - Off Campus
• Knox: book - This is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Bonus segment: 

Join us on Patreon to listen ad-free and get exclusive weekly and monthly content. 

Episode sponsors: 

• Function Health (code: POPCAST25) | Quince | Olive & June | Hers | Pura | Bombas (code:POPCAST)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.