Issue 23 Is Here 🦈 With work from @emmafmagnus.bsky.social, @drblacklock.bsky.social, @jimmymcintosh.bsky.social, @seamas.bsky.social, @roisinlanigan.bsky.social, @louisstaples.bsky.social, @dwhitehouse.bsky.social, @williamasclarke.bsky.social & more www.the-fence.com/shop/

for @rollingstone.com, I wrote about Meghan’s Netflix show – a pivot that has a lot of potential. Visually, the show looks pristine. But narrative-wise, like most things she does, it’s a confusing mess of annoying contradictions www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv...

Meghan Markle Is Just a Girl, Standing in Front of Fans, Asking Them to Love Her

Duchess of Sussex is attempting a rebrand with her Netflix cooking and lifestyle series, but seems unwilling to show her real self.

rollingstone.com

I wrote about my fave girls on The White Lotus and how, actually, most of us are two-faced bitches too! www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film...

Feeling Triggered by the Toxic Trio in 'The White Lotus'? You're Not the Only One.

Mike White has perfected the art of creating characters who we’re supposed to loathe — even if we’re not entirely unlike them.

harpersbazaar.com

Wrote about why The Apprentice fucking sucks! (Even though I’m still watching… for some reason) www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

The Apprentice at 20: how Trump and Alan Sugar’s reality TV baby became little more than ritual humiliation

The entrepreneurial reality show has just turned 20 … and it’s never been worse. It’s almost impossible to believe any of the bragging, soundbite-spewing chancers are even good at business

theguardian.com

My article about Elon Musk’s sudden (scary!) fascination with the UK is in today’s New York Times paper if you’re able to pick up a copy! 🇬🇧

For @nytimes.com, I wrote about Elon Musk’s obsession with the UK, where he has trolled his way into dominating the news cycle For months, Musk has been deriding Britain and testing which of its right-wing leaders are willing to be his mouthpiece. What does he want? www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/o...

Opinion | Elon Musk’s Bizarre, Frightening Obsession With Britain

The billionaire’s interest goes beyond trolling.

nytimes.com

It's the final week of #TheTraitorsUK! I wrote about the secret of the show's success: combining reality TV's founding principles with a totally new, much more challenging set of moral codes www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

‘Oh my god, I’m a psychopath!’ How The Traitors revolutionised reality TV – for the secretly evil

The wildly popular gameshow has torn up its genre’s rulebook to become one of the best things on television. Its secret? Letting us indulge our fantasies of treachery

theguardian.com

baby’s in print in the New York Times 😌

I wrote my first ever piece for the New York Times! It’s an essay about Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show, which casts her as the Duchess of domesticity. Can edible flowers and a selection of very hashtaggable phrases help her to *finally* change the narrative? www.nytimes.com/2025/01/12/o...

Opinion | Martha, Nigella, Meghan Markle?

Her every move seems to spark a backlash. But by launching a lifestyle show on Netflix, Meghan may yet find her fairy-tale ending.

nytimes.com

I wrote my first ever piece for the New York Times! It’s an essay about Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show, which casts her as the Duchess of domesticity. Can edible flowers and a selection of very hashtaggable phrases help her to *finally* change the narrative? www.nytimes.com/2025/01/12/o...

Opinion | Martha, Nigella, Meghan Markle?

Her every move seems to spark a backlash. But by launching a lifestyle show on Netflix, Meghan may yet find her fairy-tale ending.

nytimes.com

On the last day of 2024, why not spend it reading my selection of seven (7!) essays about the year-in-culture. Over the last few weeks I’ve been writing a lot about the recurring cultural themes of 2024, and trying to work out what they say about us 🧵

for @rollingstone.com, I wrote about whether 2024 was the year we stopped wanting to keep up with the Kardashians (and why they might actually like it that way) www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv...

The Kardashians' Star Has Begun to Fade. Is It on Purpose?

The Kardashians' star has begun to fade as they transform their reality tv fame into legitimate business ventures.

rollingstone.com

wrote about British reality TV’s very queer (and chaotic) year for @theguardian.com! www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

2024 was reality TV’s queerest year yet

Big Brother saw its first lesbian winner, the BBC did female-only dating and even the Only Way is Essex branched out. This was the year reality TV proved it’s streaks ahead

theguardian.com

I wrote about Babygirl! 🥛❄️ And specifically, why we keep seeing age-gap relationships where a woman is much older: The Idea of You, Industry, Intermezzo, May December. Succession. What is culture trying to tell (or ask) us? www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film...

Why the Older-Woman, Younger-Man Couple Dominated 2024

Babygirl dissects society’s fixation with age-gap relationships and the nuances of sex, success, and control that defined the year in culture

harpersbazaar.com

I wrote about how 2024 was the year SEX recaptured the zeitgeist for @rollingstone.com 😈💦 www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv...

2024 Was the Year of Sex Onscreen

From 'Queer' and 'Babygirl' to 'Challengers' and HBO's 'Industry,' a look at the year's sexiest movies and TV shows, and why sex is back onscreen.

rollingstone.com

to mark the release of Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, I reflected on 2024 – a year where queer people were messy and complicated I spoke to some fab people: Harper Steele + Will Farrell, Queer/Challengers screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Zing Tsjeng + Jeff Ingold www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

Queer to Baby Reindeer: How LGBTQ stories got real in 2024

From Queer to Baby Reindeer and Will & Harper, LGBTQ representation took a step forward as film and TV showed more varied and authentic characters than ever before.

bbc.com

For @thecut.com, I wrote about the year-in-Housewives. From casts at war, to reboots-gone-wrong, and “high body-count hair,” 2024 has been a rollercoaster year for Bravo’s flagship franchise! www.thecut.com/article/brav...

The Real Housewives’s Bumpiest Year Yet

From the highs of “high body-count” hair to the lows of unfunny pranks, 2024 was a roller coaster for the franchise.

thecut.com

🥹 baby’s Bluesky debut

this Thanksgiving, I give you my deranged 1800-word eulogy of an American icon: Vanderpump Rules! 🇺🇸 for Rolling Stone, I looked back on the show’s most chaotic moments and attempted to answer the big question: What went wrong? www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv...

Goodbye to the OG 'Vanderpump Rules,' Bravo's Most Chaotic Reality Show

Bravo announced an entire new cast for Season 12 of Vanderpump Rules, forcing fans to say goodbye to the stars that made the show a reality TV staple.

rollingstone.com

Some very good news to start off the week: I am thrilled to have joined United Agents ✨ I won’t lie, being represented by UA is a little bit of a “pinch me” moment (and there will be some exciting news ahead 👀) 📸: Jordan Anderson

as a narcissistic gay man I am legally required to post this

what’s up (gay) people

Afternoon, new followers. Twitter's sudden fall is worrying news for small publications like ours. If you like what we do, buy a magazine from the archive or even a subscription for the year. www.the-fence.com/shop/

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the-fence.com

I did *thee* thread of Diane Abbott as M&S canned cocktails

Sarah Cupcakes@cupcakesarenice.bsky.social · 2y ago

I have a game. What were you "known" for on Twitter? I'll go first. I'm the woman who caused Dave Ramsey to mass-block Royals Twitter.

Hi new followers! 👋 I’m a culture journalist based in the UK. I mostly write about TV, queer issues + the internet I’m hoping to share more work here. It ranges from TV analysis, to op-eds, interviews, and deep-dives about specific topics. I also write a monthly culture essay for Harper’s Bazaar ✨