Straight Up

Harry Styles, Sarah J. Maas and the Timothée Chalamet backlash

Straight Up

Show Notes

Harry Styles has dropped his long-awaited album, ACOTAR author Sarah J Maas went on Call Her Daddy and Timothée Chalamet is facing backlash for his comments on ballet and opera – it’s been a busy week in pop culture! Plus: Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall’s sexy new series Vladimir has landed on Netflix just as the “smut renaissance” reaches fever pitch. From romantasy to Heated Rivalry, is our insatiable appetite for steam a symptom of the loneliness epidemic? Finally, a quick look at Lily Allen’s tour reviews, that *very* awkward new Louis Theroux interview and a super exciting announcement: book club is back in April! We can’t wait to see some of you there <3

Get tickets to our book club on Sunday 12 April at The Hoxton, Holborn via Ticket Tailor and order your copy of our book pick Hooked here.

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

Recs Maybe Knowing Too Much About Motherhood Has Ruined Me, The Cut ‘I regret having children’, The Cut Vladimir: A Novel, Julia May Jonas Vladimir, Netflix Vladimir author Julia May Jonas: ‘We’re imprisoned by our obsessions’, The Guardian Is it true that … if you pluck a grey hair, two will grow in its place? The Guardian Julia May Jonas on Bringing Vladimir to Netflix—and What She Changed, Elle Hooked, Asako Yuzuki Sarah J. Maas on Call Her Daddy Are We in a ‘Smut Renaissance’? New York Times Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, Harry Styles Harry Styles - Zane Lowe & Apple Music ‘Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally’ Interview ‘Would you like me to cry now?’: Louis Theroux on the manosphere, marriage and misunderstandings, The Guardian

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

More from Straight Up

Oct 22, 2026

The Victoria’s Secret fashion show is back and seemingly more popular than ever, just years after it was dismissed as sexist and outdated. So how did we get here, and why are we suddenly celebrating a version of femininity we thought we’d left behind? Also this week: the newly-announced reboot of Lena Dunham’s Girls and whether it can capture the zeitgeist again, the controversy surrounding Sally Rooney’s book ban, plus reviews of Florence Pugh’s East of Eden adaptation and Ben Affleck’s new Netflix thriller.

Oct 15, 2026

Elizabeth Day’s bestselling novel The Party has been turned into a glossy new TV thriller with Luke Evans, exploring toxic friendships and the dark side of the British upper classes. Plus, a comedian has sparked a furious backlash after calling women in gym shorts “whores” on SNL. Is misogyny being repackaged as edgy comedy? Also on the show: the must-watch new series of prison drama Time starring David Tennant and the questions it raises about our broken criminal justice system, a gripping new investigative podcast about an LA couple who had 21 children via surrogacy, a review of Jeremy Strong’s turn as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning and Nara Smith’s “sexy rebrand”.

Oct 8, 2026

Sienna Miller and Dominic West play a celebrity couple at war in Sky’s hyped new divorce drama, so this week we’re getting into some of Hollywood’s messiest breakups – not to mention the stars’ own experiences with relationship scrutiny – from Halle Berry’s current custody battle to how Olivia Wilde and Tom Cruise were both “blindsided” by their exes. Also on the show: The Celebrity Traitors is back and we couldn’t be more thrilled, why contestant Richard E. Grant has our hearts, the Fourth Wing prequel and a review of Daisy Edgar Jones’ Sense and Sensibility. Plus, we reveal all the details of our first ever virtual book club!

Oct 1, 2026

Miquita Oliver went on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place pod this week, marking the end of a decades-long feud fuelled by the toxic tabloid culture of the early noughties. We debrief on their heart-warming reconciliation and how female rivalry is so often rooted in insecurity. Also on the show: Amelia Dimoldenberg hosted SNL, Taylor Swift has upset fans and critics alike with her latest release Encore (despite cleaning up at the VMAs on Sunday) and Vogue is engulfed in yet another controversy after the company behind Mounjaro sponsored its latest event. Plus: Colin From Accounts season three, Anne Hathaway’s dinosaur movie and a couple of great recs for weekend watching. Enjoy huns!

Sep 24, 2026

From Lena Dunham announcing the birth of her baby girl via surrogate in a fashion piece for Vogue, to Ed Sheeran’s PR disaster over Palestine and free speech, this week both celebs have found themselves at the centre of debates they’d tried to side-step. Is commercial surrogacy inherently “anti-feminist”? And can stars really be apolitical in this day and age? Also on the show: we review Sharon Horgan’s brilliant new series YOUTH, all about ageing anxiety and dating in your 50s.

See all episodes →