Normal Gossip | |
---|---|
Presentation | |
Hosted by | Kelsey McKinney |
Genre | Conversation |
Language | English |
Length | ~1 hour |
Country of origin | United States |
Production | |
Production | Defector Media Radiotopia (since 2023) |
No. of seasons | 5 |
Publication | |
Original release | January 5, 2022 |
Normal Gossip is a podcast produced by Defector Media and Radiotopia.[1] Created by Kelsey McKinney and Alex Sujong Laughlin, 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 and Here and Now,[2][3][4][5] Normal Gossip has released four seasons and garnered more than 10 million listens.[6]
McKinney, a writer and cofounder of Defector, was inspired to create the podcast during the COVID-19 pandemic, 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.[6]
The show launched in early 2022, quickly attracting thousands of listeners per episode.[7] In April 2023, it joined Radiotopia, a network of indie podcasts administered by PRX.[8] In summer 2023, the show produced a series of live events across the United States.[9]
Episodes originate with stories of interpersonal conflict submitted by fans, referred to as the show's "friend of a friend";[6] Laughlin has said she prefers they be contributed by a bystander rather than one of the subjects.[10] The stories lean light-hearted rather than serious, addressing topics such as romance, friendship, roommates, neighbors and work colleagues.[11] Producers vet the submissions for basic fairness and accuracy, then remove identifying details such as locations and organizations.[10]
McKinney 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.[10]
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 10 | January 5, 2022 | May 3, 2022 | |
2 | 10 | May 17, 2022 | August 23, 2022 | |
3 | 8 | September 6, 2022 | October 25, 2022 | |
4 | 10 | April 4, 2023 | June 6, 2023 | |
5 | 10 | October 18, 2023 | December 19, 2023 |