EXCLUSIVE: Four women have spoken to Rolling Stone alleging emotional & physical abuse against Ben Kissel, cohost of Last Podcast on the Left. They're raising Qs about how long the alleged misconduct has been going on — and whether his cohosts knew. rollingstone.com/culture/cultur… Last Podcast on the Left is one of the most popular true crime podcasts in the country, racking up more than a billion listens. It's known for fusing together grisly recountings of crimes with ribald humor and victim advocacy. rollingstone.com/culture/cultur…

NEW from me: I wrote about the epidemic of fake Karen videos on TikTok, which are getting millions and millions of views despite clearly being staged, and how media literacy is so horrible right now that absolutely no one notices or cares rollingstone.com/culture/cultur… I think a lot of this has to do with lack of media literacy, but also with the fact that it's so normalized to film strangers melting down in public, despite the obvious ethical issues involved, that we just dont question any of it anymore rollingstone.com/culture/cultur…

NEW from me: the right and the media have embraced a study about SSRIs and depression as proof antidepressants don’t work. But the study’s author has promoted fringe views about mental illness for years, as well as campaigned against vaccine mandates. rollingstone.com/culture/cultur… First thing to note:the study isnt *really* about antidepressants. It refutes the serotonin hypothesis, the claim that depression is caused by low levels of serotonin. It has long been consensus among MDs that the causes of depression are far more complex vice.com/en/article/88q…

NEW from me: Jonathan Hillman wrote a kids' book about a child who does drag to make LGBTQ kids feel less "small." Instead, he got death threats after ending up in the midst of the most recent anti-LGBTQ "grooming" panic (which also involved...Pizza Hut): rollingstone.com/culture/cultur… It all started when Pizza Hut suggested @jhillmanbooks' 'Big Wig' as part of its Book It literacy program for a Pride Month initiative. Libs of TikTok saw the book recommended, and instantly accused Pizza Hut of grooming kids to be drag queens: rollingstone.com/culture/cultur…

NEW from me: I spoke to DV survivors & victims’ advocates about the Depp/Heard verdict. According to one advocate, “hundreds” of survivors have already retracted victim statements & pulled out from court cases as a result of watching the trial. rollingstone.com/culture/cultur… Survivors tell me they’ve spent the past few weeks having PTSD flashbacks. “This case is my worst fear playing out on a public stage,” one says. “[It] tells me that [my ex] was right. If he chose to, he could destroy and humiliate me beyond repair.” rollingstone.com/culture/cultur…

Taylor Dooley, aka Lavagirl from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, is one of many right-wing influencers currently protesting outside Disney’s HQ. She’s accusing Disney of “indoctrinating” and “sexualizing” children. “This is where we take back the family,” she wrote. Here’s footage she posted protesting outside Disney’s Burbank HQ just now. In its post promoting the event, Hold the Line, the events organizer, encouraged parents to bring their kids (remember, this is ostensibly a protest against pedophiles and child groomers)

NEW: A Target gift card that appears to show Mickey Mouse holding a penis is going viral, fueling ongoing far-right, anti-gay attacks on Disney, including claims that it’s full of “pedophiles” grooming” children. My latest for @RollingStone: rollingstone.com/culture/cultur… The wildly anti-LGBTQ attacks started out in response to Disney flip flopping on The Dont Say Gay bill, prompting Ron DeSantis, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Fox News to go after the company. But the far right has targeted Disney for much longer than that. rollingstone.com/culture/cultur…