Claim OwnershipStanding Room Only
Subscribed: 21Played: 274
Subscribe
© 2025
Description
Salon.com's Amanda Marcotte brings her sharp perspective on politics and culture by calling out political BS and cultural hypocrisy. From the MAGA movement's latest power grabs to the online trends that shape our political reality, Amanda examines these moments with a critical eye and just enough dark humor to keep you from completely losing hope. Each episode includes Amanda's unique take, a guest segment in the corner booth with political experts and journalists, and an on-topic music recommendation from Amanda, whose weekend gig is DJing.
If you've ever found yourself yelling at the TV during political analysis or rolling your eyes at "both sides" journalism, "Standing Room Only" is for you! New podcast episodes drop on Fridays. Join us on YouTube @SalonTV to get "Standing Room Only" live on Thursdays at 5 p.m. Eastern. http://www.youtube.com/SalonTV
Subscribe for a dose of clear-eyed commentary that doesn't insult your intelligence.
If you've ever found yourself yelling at the TV during political analysis or rolling your eyes at "both sides" journalism, "Standing Room Only" is for you! New podcast episodes drop on Fridays. Join us on YouTube @SalonTV to get "Standing Room Only" live on Thursdays at 5 p.m. Eastern. http://www.youtube.com/SalonTV
Subscribe for a dose of clear-eyed commentary that doesn't insult your intelligence.
38 Episodes
Reverse
If you've seen even one video of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. working out shirtless in jeans, you've seen enough. But there are dozens more, featuring him and other men from the Trump administration grinding through pull-ups, push-ups and heavy lifts with a level of intensity that borders on absurd. In this video, Amanda breaks down why these fitness stunts have little to do with improving Americans' health or promoting real discipline. And it goes beyond cringe: RFK Jr. just announced he is launching a podcast with medical "experts," which raises serious concerns about misinformation and public health risks—again. Amanda's guest this week is Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Ph.D., a professor of history at The New School who has written extensively about the history of the American fitness industry.
When Vice President JD Vance was asked about aliens, he couldn't resist steering the conversation toward demons. This demon talk goes beyond his personal beliefs, it points to a broader strategy within MAGA to energize the Christian right. By leaning into dark, supernatural themes, right-wing influencers are trying to tap into curiosity about the diabolical as a way to draw in younger audiences (mostly with fear). In this episode, Amanda shows why this good vs. evil strategy is doomed to fail and discusses the right's obsession with the occult with this week is Taylor Leigh, an ex-evangelical and practicing Satanist.
JD Vance's defense of the Iran war is raising serious questions about his political future. He is trying to project alpha male strength, but standing next to Donald Trump his image is cracking! For one, he's defending the same war he warned us all against. In this episode, Amanda breaks down why this moment could define Vance's long-term ambitions for the 2028 presidential race with guest Scott Lemieux, professor of political science at the University of Washington
As the U.S. military escalates tensions with Iran, the stakes on the world stage couldn't be higher. But back home, defense secretary Pete Hegseth is preoccupied with something else entirely: his image in the mirror. Reports that photographers were removed from the Pentagon for taking "unflattering" pics raise serious questions about his priorities. In this episode of Standing Room Only, Amanda break down how Pete's macho, ego-driven approach is backfiring in real time and explains the real consequences for the rest of us with guest Heather Digby Parton, contributing writer at Salon.
Turning Point USA wellness influencer Alex Clark regularly urges her female audience to get married young, quit their jobs and have lots of babies. There's just one problem: she's an unmarried, childless working woman herself. In this episode, Amand takes a closer look at Clark's podcast, Culture Apothecary, and her role headlining events for TPUSA. Behind the lifestyle advice and wellness aesthetic is a larger political project—one that mixes anti-science health claims, pro-natalist messaging and close ties to Republican politicians. This week's guest is Rebecca Watson of skepchick.org.
The feud between Candace Owens and Erika Kirk isn't just juicy online drama. Owens' viral "Bride of Charlie" series, which takes shots at the widow of Charlie Kirk's family and personal life, reveals a deeper problem inside the right-wing movement: why prominent conservative women so often turn on each other. In this episode, Amanda explains the Candace Owens vs. Erika Kirk controversy, what the "Bride of Charlie" videos are really about, and what this conflict says about MAGA media culture, conspiracy theory influencers and right-wing online politics. Brandy Zadrozny, senior reporter at MSNBC, is the guest. Follow Brandy on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zha4tsu7otgnojc7uoxhjmkr
Having a big family isn't the same thing as having a happy or healthy one, but don't tell that to the MAGA dads shaping policy in the White House. For guys like Pete Hegseth and JD Vance, fatherhood often seems less about being present, supportive or loving, and more about how many kids they can claim as proof of traditional values. At a time when most families can barely afford to raise even one child, this obsession with big families feels tone-deaf at best and dangerous at worst. In this episode, Amanda talks about what's really behind the rhetoric: pro-natalism, Christian nationalism and the politics of control. Steve Kennedy of the People's Parity Project is the guest.
After rapper Nicki Minaj proclaimed she's Trump's "#1 fan" and Kid Rock headlined that sad TPUSA halftime show, it's worth asking: why do certain celebrities drift toward MAGA politics? Amanda breaks down the overlap between right-wing politics and celebrity culture, and why fading stars like Kid Rock and Nicki Minaj have become MAGA magnets. And the reputational fallout cannot be ignored. Artists are pulling out of Kid Rock's Rock the Country festival and Minaj's plans for fresh popularity are backfiring. This episode's guest is hip-hop commentator Jay Smooth.
For over 20 years, Tucker Carlson has persisted as one of the most influential conservative voices. He's a longtime culture-war provocateur, first on cable news and now on YouTube. But the real key to his success isn't longevity, it's his willingness to amplify the right's strangest and most extreme instincts. In this episode, Amanda breaks down why Tucker Carlson's conversations keep getting weirder and why liberals can't afford to ignore his growing political influence. Her guest is New Yorker writer Jason Zengerle, whose book "Hated By All the Right People" is all about Tucker.
Three women close to Donald Trump have recently announced their pregnancies. Is it a coincidence? Maybe. But it reflects something much bigger: MAGA's obsession with boosting birth rates, while doing little to actually support families and make raising kids easier. These three mothers, Karoline Leavitt, Katie Miller and Second Lady Usha Vance, are all cushioned by wealth, power and nannies, while everyday mothers are told to just deal. In this episode, Amanda unpacks the hypocrisy and shows why this is all a PR distraction strategy that is bound to fail with guest Andi Zeisler, senior writer at Salon.
MAGA's infighting just got worse. We've got all the dirty details from the latest right-wing civil war at TPUSA's AmericaFest. And no, invading Venezuela is not going to mend fences inside the conservative movement. In this episode, Amanda breaks down why Erika Kirk, Candace Owens, Ben Shapiro, Megyn Kelly and other major MAGA figures are openly at war, and why fringe influencers like Milo Yiannopoulos and Nick Fuentes still wield outsized influence over the direction of the Republican Party. The movement is fracturing in real time and panic is setting in across Trump world. The guest is SiriusXM host Dean Obeidallah.
Fox News is once again trying to make its annual war on Christmas happen. Surprising? Of course not. Hilarious? Always. In this episode, Amanda and Melanie McFarland, award-winning senior culture critic at Salon, break down some of their most painfully corny holiday segments—packed with forced cheer, smarmy Christian proselytizing and a sudden pivot into full-blown rage bait. Follow Melanie on Bluesky: @McTelevision Learn more about Scott Shoemaker's War on Christmas: https://theatreoffjackson.org
JD and Usha Vance can't escape the divorce rumors and JD certainly isn't helping. Amanda unpacks the couple's catastrophic public relations strategy, JD's latest "jokes" that land as demeaning moments for his wife, and what all of it reveals about gender dynamics in conservative movements, MAGA gender politics and the role political spouses are expected to play within Christian, right-wing family values narratives. Moira Donegan, Guardian US columnist and co-host of the podcast In Bed with the Right, is the guest.
Allie Beth Stuckey, the far-right commentator and host of Relatable, is weaponizing her gender to sell the twisted idea that we need less empathy in the world—not more. In this video, Amanda explains why her philosophy is actually about power and control. The guest this episode is Tim Whitaker, founder of The New Evangelicals media, who recently debated Allie Beth on Jubilee about the Bible.
The Whatever Podcast—also known as "Dating Talk"—isn't just edgy entertainment for young men. It's a pipeline into misogyny. In this episode, we examine how host Brian Atlas stages confrontational "debates" with women to push anti-feminist narratives disguised as discussion. Progressive streamer Erin (Straighterade) joins to share what really happens on set, how conflict gets manufactured and what went down when she debated Charlie Kirk on the show. Together, we break down how red-pill media turns gender resentment into profit and why young men and parents should pay attention. Full story at Salon.com.
An on-stage hug between the vice president and Charlie Kirk's widow sparked wild rumors about their relationship. But the real story isn't an affair, instead it's an image problem for the GOP. JD Vance's marriage to Usha Vance increasingly clashes with the ideals he's selling, built on white supremacy and rigid gender roles. In this episode, Amanda explains why that's becoming a serious liability for the Republican Party and what it reveals about the hypocrisy of MAGA politics and toxic masculinity. The guest this episode is Soraya Chemaly, author of "All We Want Is Everything: How We Dismantle Male Supremacy Hardcover." She warns that Vance's embrace of male supremacy has reached a troubling level.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani beat incredible odds to win in New York City. His campaign rejected old guard, establishment Democrats and leaned heavily into volunteers and a clear vision. In this episode, Amanda talks about why it worked and show how Mamdani is one of many young people helping usher in a new generation of courageous Democratic leadership. The guest is Amanda Litman, president and co-founder of Run for Something, an organization that recruits and supports young leaders to run for office around the United States.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is going to great lengths to exploit the government shutdown in order to hide the Jeffrey Epstein files. Amanda explains why this move is all about silencing victims, defending alleged abusers, and worse of all, protecting President Donald Trump. Trump was already found to have sexually abused journalist E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room by a civil jury in New York. Carroll joins the show to talk about the aftermath of beating Trump in court, Epstein's victims and her book "Not My Type." A documentary film about Carroll, "Ask E. Jean" is currently playing around the country at film festivals: https://askejeanfilm.com/all-events
Pam Bondi's Senate Judiciary Committee appearance revealed just how far the attorney general will go to protect Donald Trump. Channeling the manipulative energy of Mean Girls movie villain Regina George, Bondi has turned cruelty, nasty insults and tantrums into a political strategy. Amanda explains why Trump can't quit this sneering mean girl, no matter how much other Republicans want her gone. This week's guest is Angie "Pumps" Sullivan from the I've Had It podcast. She shares why Bondi's incompetent cover-ups for Trump can only last so long.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has set herself apart from the GOP as an anti-Republican Republican, but her rebellion might finally be catching up to her. As she distances herself from Trump and GOP leadership, Amanda digs into the one big reason why her outsider strategy will actually get her nowhere in Washington. Laura Bassett, journalist and writer of Nightcap on Substack and former editor in chief of Jezebel, joins the show to talk about what Greene's political isolation says about women in right-wing politics and why her brand of anti-establishment will implode sooner than later.
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States