''Normal Gossip'' is a

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

produced by

Defector Media ''Defector Media'' is a subscription-based sports and culture blog and media company founded in September 2020 and based in Manhattan. The Defector blog is primarily written by former employees of the ''Deadspin'' sports blog. In October and No ...

and

Radiotopia Radiotopia is a podcast network founded by Roman Mars (host of '' 99% Invisible'') and run by the Public Radio Exchange. The network is organized as a collective of some two dozen shows whose producers have complete artistic control over their wo ...

. Created by Kelsey McKinney and Alex Sujong Laughlin and hosted since 2024 by Rachelle Hampton, the program features listener-contributed gossip stories that are anonymized and narrated alongside a guest, usually a comedian or journalist. Named one of the best podcasts of 2022 by ''Vulture'', ''Time'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' and ''Here & Now'', Normal Gossip has released seven seasons and garnered more than 10 million listens.

History

McKinney, a writer and cofounder of Defector, was inspired to create the podcast during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, when she missed "the fizzy thrill of overhearing a good story at a bar." The pitch was not picked up by any major podcast platforms, so Defector hired Laughlin to produce the show as a freelancer. The show launched in early 2022, quickly attracting thousands of listeners per episode. In April 2023, it joined Radiotopia, a network of indie podcasts administered by PRX. In summer 2023, the show produced a series of live events across the United States.

Format

Episodes originate with stories of interpersonal conflict submitted by fans, referred to as the show's "friend of a friend"; Laughlin has said she prefers they be contributed by a bystander rather than one of the subjects. The stories lean light-hearted rather than serious, addressing topics such as

romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...

friendship Friendship is a Interpersonal relationship, relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Althoug ...

roommate A roommate is a person with whom one shares a living facility such as a room or dormitory ''except'' when being family or romantically involved. Similar terms include dorm-mate, suite-mate, housemate, or flatmate ("flat": the usual term in Brit ...

s, neighbors and

colleagues Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues, especially among peers, for example a fellow member of the same profession. Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and, at least in theory, respect each other's abilities t ...

. Producers vet the submissions for basic fairness and accuracy, then remove identifying details such as locations and organizations. The host begins episodes by interviewing guests about their relationship to gossip, then tells them a story, soliciting reactions as the narrative progresses. Guests are encouraged to be judgmental and joke about the people involved. McKinney hosted ''Normal Gossip'' for its first seven seasons; she announced during the seventh season's finale that she and Laughlin were both leaving the show with the intent to keep it fresh and move on to other projects. (Both retained their staff positions at Defector.) The new production team consisted of host Rachelle Hampton and producer Se’era Spragley Ricks, both formerly of the ''Slate'' internet culture podcast ''ICYMI.''

Seasons

References

{{Radiotopia, state=collapsed Radiotopia Audio podcasts 2022 podcast debuts