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Pop Mystery Pod

Pop Mystery Pod

By: Tess Barker
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About this listen

Investigative journalist and pop culture junkie Tess Barker, dives into the pop culture moments that have puzzled her for years. This addictive, informative and revelatory show dives features the deep research and first person reporting that helped her launch the #FreeBritney movement while co-hosting Britney's Gram. Each episode unpacks a moment in celebrity news that was misunderstood or intentionally covered up at the time. Part true crime, part comedy, part deconstructing pop culture trivia, the show shines light on the dark corners in the entertainment capital of the world.© Tess Barker Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Incarceration of Mimi (with Kara Luiz)
    Aug 14 2025

    Mariah Carey is, in many ways, a definitive diva. She’s got the pipes, she’s got the style, and the attitude. Behind Mariah’s coy smile and wind blown curls, though, there is a person who has survived extraordinary circumstances. As Mariah Carey was blowing up as one of the most famous and successful recording artists in the world, she was living a double life - one that belies an all-too-familiar power imbalance. Joining Tess to chat through Mariah’s early life, which ultimately inadvertently leads her to get mixed up with the rapper Eminem, is the actor Kara Luiz (“The Studio”, “Hacks”) @karaluiz.


    Read “The Meaning of Mariah Carey”


    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod


    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.


    Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.


    Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod


    Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods.


    Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!



    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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    54 mins
  • Everyone F—-ing Everyone in Fleetwood Mac (with Jackie Zebrokwski)
    Aug 7 2025

    “Rumors,” is an apropos name for the dream of an album that was born of two and a half couples all sharing a tiny recording studio while actively doing all of the cocaine. Rumors, indeed, have long circulated that while Fleetwood Mac was creating its opus, each member was also actively destroying their lives. What really happened in those powder filled studio walls? Joining Tess to talk through this tale of creativity, soul mates, and betrayal is the comic and podcaster Jackie Zebrowski (Jack that Worm) the Page 7 podcast, and Who’s the Bitch podcast.


    Read Mick Fleetwood’s autobiography “Play On.”

    Read the Stevie Nicks biography “Gold Dust Woman”

    Watch the documentary “Fleetwood Mac: Rumors”


    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod


    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.


    Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.


    Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod


    Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods.


    Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!



    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Tri Star: The Combs to Spears Connection
    Jul 31 2025

    In the past few years, two big entertainment stories stand out as exceptionally shocking and horrifying: the wrongful conservatorship of Britney Spears, and the alleged large-scale sex trafficking syndicate of Sean Diddy Combs. It’s chilling then, to consider that both the business affairs of Sean Combs and Britney Spears were handled by the same business management company: TriStar Sports and Entertainment. Who is at the helm of this mega-powerful company, and what is behind their unconventional business practices?


    To learn more about the backstory behind Lou Taylor and early early employers, find Melanie Carlson’s substack here.


    Watch the New York Times documentary “Controlling Britney Spears” here.


    Read the New York Times article "Britney Spears Felt Trapped. Her Business Manager Benefited," here.


    For an extreme deep dive into Britney’s conservatorship, listen to Tess’ podcast “Toxic: The Britney Spears Story.”


    Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod


    Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.


    Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.


    Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod


    Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic wherever you get your pods.


    Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!



    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
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