The C-Word

Lindsay Lohan’s name has become synonymous with maladaptive child stardom, toxic tabloid culture, and the general trainwreckery of the mid-aughts—but it wasn’t always that way. In the first of two parts, Lena and Alissa unpack LiLo’s childhood, her precocious talent and early popularity, the media’s perverse fascination with her prepubescent body, and the beginnings of her Bad Behavior headlines which would drastically influence 2000s pop culture. Lena also shares moments throughout her youth and career during which her and Lilo’s paths have overlapped. More info: We're dedicating this season of The C-Word to reproductive rights. Join us! The goal is to raise funds for the National Network of Abortion Funds (AbortionFunds.org), a collective of almost 100 organizations who remove barriers to abortion care through direct service and political organizing. Donate here: https://donate.abortionfunds.org/give/323375/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=thec-word In partnership, Luminary will match donations (up to $10,000) toAbortionFunds.org

Lena and Alissa are busy making new episodes about additional interesting women (as you'll hear in the introduction to this episode). Meanwhile, they invite you to listen back to part 1 of Winona Ryder. Before she played Joyce Byers on Stranger Things, Winona was a 90s icon, chic misfit, and poster child of Gen-X nostalgia. Part 1 covers Winona’s nontraditional childhood, 90s bullies, her meteoric rise, her relationship with Johnny Depp, and the events leading up to her infamous shoplifting incident.

Lena and Alissa welcome the new year with an iconic early 20th-century party girl: La Marchesa Luisa Casati. They delve into Luisa’s obsession with the occult, her high-profile artistic and romantic relationships, and her singular desire to become a “living work of art,” all the while investigating the double-edged sword of our society’s fascination with eccentric women. This episode was first published on 01/14/2021. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Brittany Murphy of the 90s won our affection with her talent, iconic laugh, and breakout role as goofy but lovable Tai in ​Clueless​. But the Brittany Murphy of the 2000s weathered tabloid speculation about her appearance and high-profile relationships, a dwindling supply of roles, and an addiction to prescription pills. In part 1, we grapple with the first half of Brittany’s life. Lena and Alissa discuss Brittany’s childhood, the promising start to her career, and the obstacles that would lead to her death in 2009.  This episode was first published on 12/12/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lena and Alissa discuss a different kind of c-word subject: Yolanda Saldívar. She became known for robbing the world of beloved Tejano music star Selena. In this episode, Lena and Alissa discuss Saldívar's criminal history, how obsessive fandom is related to public interest, and whether the term “c-word” is applicable in Yolanda’s case.  This episode was first published on 11/19/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In part 2, Lena and Alissa discuss the latter half of Anna Nicole’s life. By 2002, she had become one of the first E! reality television celebrities with ​The Anna Nicole Show​. Early gossip websites like TMZ and Perez Hilton covered her weight gain, messy public appearances, and a debacle over the paternity of her second child. In this episode, we discuss Anna Nicole’s addiction, her eccentric entourage, the public’s thirst for her downfall, and the tragic events that led to her death at age 39.  This episode was first published on 11/05/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Model and reality TV superstar Anna Nicole Smith assumed several roles in America’s public consciousness. In the 90s she was branded as as a sex symbol and “the next Marilyn Monroe” and in the 2000s we turned her into a punch line. We loved and then ridiculed her platinum blonde hair, massive boobs, Texas accent, and “loopy” manner. In this episode, Lena and Alissa discuss Anna Nicole Smith’s origin story, her rise as 1993’s Playboy Playmate of the Year, and her relationship with an octogenarian billionaire which would later take her to the Supreme Court and launch her reputation as an iconic gold digger.  This episode was first published on 10/22/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

​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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

​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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

​Lena and Alissa discuss Lourdes Gruart, the Cuban-American former model who vanished under mysterious circumstances. They take you through her days in Milan and Paris, the decline of her career, and her attempts to preserve the life she once lived. Alissa also speaks to Vanessa Grigoriadis, who penned the definitive work on Gruart’s life.  This episode was first published on 03/05/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lena and Alissa unpack the persona of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, multihyphenate artist and one third of the R&B group TLC. In Lopes’ life her immense talent and style stood alongside personal struggle, culminating in a tragic end. To many, she was the so-called “crazy” in CrazySexyCool, but the truth is much more complicated.  This episode was first published on 02/20/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

​“If I am a legend, then why am I so lonely?” When we last left Judy Garland in part one of this deep dive into her rise and fall, she’d just had a big hit with the film Meet Me In St. Louis​, she was married to Vincent Minnelli, and she had baby Liza in her arms. But things go downhill from there, as her addiction, health, debt, and “unpredictable” behavior worsens through the 1950s and 60s. Lena and Alissa continue to follow Garland’s career through her next three marriages, ​A Star Is Born​, and those final, heartbreaking concerts that the world will never forget.  This episode was first published on 02/06/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

​Legend Judy Garland has been called a Hollywood icon and the greatest entertainer of all time. She’s also been called “crazy” for behind-the-scenes bad behavior, nervous breakdowns, suicide attempts, and several marriages to gay men. In this episode, Lena and Alissa talk about Judy’s early years — her vaudevillian roots, her stage mom who introduced her to the pills she’d rely on for the rest of her life, her studio-sanctioned starvation, and of course, ​The Wizard of Oz​. Then, Lena talks to Andrew Rannells about his love for Judy.  This episode was first published on 01/23/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices