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PODCAST

It"s Been a Minute

Has it been a minute since you heard a thought-provoking conversation about culture? Brittany Luse wants to help. Each week, she takes the things everyone"s talking about and, in conversation with her favorite creators, tastemakers, and experts, gives you new ways to think about them. Beyond the obvious takes. Because culture doesn"t happen by accident.If you can"t get enough, try It"s Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at

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All Episodes

18:10

The Rapture was a bust, but it still feels like...

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/26

The Christian rapture didn't happen as predicted, but a lot of you still feel like we're living in end times. Why is that?Right now - from religion to climate change to doomsday prepping - there's a lot of talk about the end of the world. And, yeah, there was a lot of joking (and some believing) this week that the rapture would happen, but this all points to a broader feeling a lot of us have: that something has to change. But what?In this episode, Brittany is joined by culture writer Joshua Rivera

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19:39

The cancer quietly killing young people

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/24

If more and more young people are dying of colorectal cancer, why aren't we talking about it? Is it because we're too ashamed of our bodies?Rates of colorectal cancer are rising, especially for people under 50. But it's hard to raise awareness for a cancer that a lot of us find hard to talk about. In a recent essay for The Cut, writer Laurie Abraham described her experience of colon cancer, which included a lot of embarrassment. Talking about your bowel movements is...not fun. Can you relate?Today,

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19:16

Can you trust AI search results?

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/22

After Grok's MechaHitler gaffe this summer, and President Trump's executive order to, "strip AI models of ‘ideological agendas," Brittany wondered, "how much influence does AI already have on our minds?" This is AI + U. Each Monday this month, Brittany explores how we’re already seeing the impacts of AI. Artificial Intelligence has become a constant in ways we can and can't see… and for the next few weeks we're zeroing in on how AI affects our daily lives.In this episode, The Argument's Kelsey Piper

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19:54

Trump lost the battle. Will he win the "war?"

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/19

Why is Trump sending the National Guard to cities when crime is already falling?Earlier this month, President Trump posted this: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning. Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR.” He seemed poised to send the National Guard to the city in an attempt to curb crime, after having deployed them in D.C. But this week, he turned his attention to Memphis, signing an order for deployment there and vowing to circle back to Chicago later. And

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21:13

The key to thriving later in life

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/17

There comes a time in every woman's life that we don't talk about enough: menopause. And reframing it may be the key to unlocking a more fulfilling life for women of all ages.In this episode, Brittany teams up with WNYC's Radiolab to answer your questions about the ubiquitous and unknown. Brittany, Radiolab senior correspondent Molly Webster, and contributing editor Heather Radke answer your questions: why don't we talk about menopause? Why should you start talking about it early in life? And why is

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19:26

AI can keep you alive forever. Should it?

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/15

The AI digital afterlife industry is here. But can legal and ethical frameworks keep us safe from it?Companies are already popping up to create artificial life-like renderings of your loved ones. So-called "deadbots" can mimic speech patterns and unique facialo gestures, and they can purportedly help people cope with grief. But they are also ripe for commercialization. What's stopping companies from using these so-called AI deadbots from selling you products?This is AI + U. Each Monday this month,

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23:51

How do we talk about Charlie Kirk?

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/12

How did you respond to the assassination of Charlie Kirk? Many mourned or called for revenge. Others pointed to Kirk's extreme, bigoted statements as justification. But how do those reactions impact how the American public will metabolize another instance of gun violence? Brittany is joined by Abené Clayton, a gun violence reporter for The Guardian, to get into how Kirk's assassination fits into the broader narrative of political violence and how Kirk's own statements about guns will shape the

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16:15

Is he a good guy? Or is he manipulating you?

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/10

There's a new man in town: the "performative male." Is he trying to trick you into thinking he's open-minded, or does he really like reading books and drinking matcha? We're breaking down what's gender performance and what's gender manipulation.In this episode, Brittany is joined by Manny Fidel, host of No Such Thing, and James Factora, staff writer for Them. They get into what makes a "performative male" and why criticism of them is a sign that some liberals are guilty of gender policing.Follow

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18:55

How AI slop is clogging your brain

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/08

Bizarre videos, uncanny photos, and Luigi Mangoine's likeness on Shein...? AI slop is taking over the web. It's putting money in people's pockets, and driving them offline, too. This is AI + U. Each Monday this month, Brittany is exploring how you are already seeing the impacts of AI. Artificial Intelligence has become a constant in ways we can and can't see...and for the next few weeks we're zeroing in on how AI affects our daily lives.Brittany chats with Washington Post tech reporter Drew Harwell

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20:36

Is “Kidz Bop: It’s the Devil” the song of the summer?

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/05

KPop Demon Hunters, or as Brittany's mom keeps mistakenly calling it "Kidz Bop: It's the Devil," is dominating the music charts. And, thank god! These bombastic bangers are a welcome reprieve after a summer full of sad songs. We need to talk about those bangers, but we also need to talk about the void KPop Demon Hunters is filling. This summer was lacking a true shiny, shimmering song of the summer. Where were the bops? Where were the ubiquitous, undeniable culture uniting hits? It's disappointing

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19:26

The lessons I learned from 'Alligator Alcatraz'

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/03

The Florida detention center, "Alligator Alcatraz," may close, but what can you learn from its short but impactful run?First, the name echoes old Southern American racist tropes and adapts them for a modern audience. Second, its casually playful name is a blueprint for other detention centers popping up across the United States. But what does this all add up to?In this episode, Brittany, freelance journalist Asher Elbein, and Miami Herald race and identity reporter Raisa Habersham unpack the racist

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15:56

Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce need your attention

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/09/01

It's official: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce posted one of the most liked Instagram photos of all time. Also, they're officially engaged. Swift and Kelce are no strangers to the spotlight, but we still know very little about their relationship aside from what they are willing to share. And Molly McPherson, a public relations expert, says that's no accident.In this episode, Brittany returns to a conversation she had with Molly back when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce first started dating, and Brittany

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17:26

Did Trump bet wrong? Americans are flip-flopping.

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/08/29

Have Americans changed their minds? Polling on immigration suggests a seismic shift in public opinion.According to Gallup, 79% of Americans now say immigration is a good thing for the country, which is a record high. Plus, the share of Americans who want lower rates of immigration has dropped from 55% in 2024 to 30% this year. And it's not just this poll showing a shift in how we think about immigration. But why has this change happened? And where might we see reverberations of this in our culture

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18:03

"George Bush doesn't care about Black people" 20...

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/08/27

On September 2, 2005, on a telethon to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, Kanye West went off script and said, "George Bush doesn't care about Black people." 20 years later, would those words have the same impact today?In this episode, Brittany, NPR music correspondent Rodney Carmichael, and Code Switch's Leah Donella revisit that moment and dissect why those words rippled through the nation. They investigate how race and politics intersected decades ago and how those words still cast a

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20:24

Inside the White House meme factory

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/08/22

We need to talk about the memes your tax dollars paid for. What is the federal government trying to communicate with them?The social media accounts of the White House and the Department of Homeland Security have been chock-full of memes: memes that mock people being deported, memes that are aimed at recruiting new ICE agents, even a meme that seemingly references a book by a white supremacist. To get into who these memes are speaking to and what story they’re trying to tell, Brittany sits down with

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21:20

It pays to be cringe. Lean in.

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/08/20

Has online hate ever been this cruel?Brendan Abernathy is a singer-songwriter who went viral earlier this year for an earnest performance of his song "married in a year." The backlash was immediate, and one word popped up over and over again in the comments: "cringe."Brittany and Ramtin Arablouei, co-host of NPR's Throughline, get into the rise of cringe culture: where it comes from, how it's hurting us, and how leaning into cringe is good for art. And Ramtin talks with Brendan about how to cope

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12:04

The newest influencers? Porn stars.

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/08/18

Sex sells. So does outrage. That's why these sex workers are making rage bait. In the past few months, UK and Australian-based OnlyFans creators like Bonnie Blue and Annie Knight made headlines for their extreme sex stunts, most notably for sleeping with over 100 men in one day. But in addition to these stunts, they also appear on controversial podcasts to gain traction, or do day in the life vlogs - much like your average everyday influencer. And they're making bank. So how did we get to this

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17:12

What really counts as "cheating?"

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/08/15

Are you scared of being cheated on? You're not alone.There are apps and social media groups dedicated to outing a cheater. But is our paranoia about cheating actually hurting our relationships? And on top of that, definitions of "cheating" vary widely. How do you decide for yourself what really counts as cheating? And what's really fueling our fear of being cheated on?Brittany is joined by Kathryn Jezer-Morton, writer of the Brooding column from The Cut, and Shannon Keating, freelance culture

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21:34

The rise (and fall?) of Tyler Perry

It"s Been a Minute ·

2025/08/13

Tyler Perry is many things, but is he someone we should aspire to be?Entertainment mogul Tyler Perry has built a media empire that has spanned theater, film, and television. And he’s recently been accused by an employee of sexual harassment. Brittany is joined by entertainment journalist and author Tre'vell Anderson and SUNY Purchase theater and performance professor William Bryant Miles to dive head-first into the Madea-verse, asking how Tyler Perry became such a media powerhouse, and whether these

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