When They Popped - A Y2K Pop Culture Podcast

When They Popped - A Y2K Pop Culture Podcast

Were you team Backstreet Boys or NSYNC? Britney or Xtina? Simple Life or Newlyweds? With When They Popped, you don’t have to pick a side, because we’re going to mention it all! When They Popped retells the stories of the late 90s and early 2000s biggest celebrities, trends, and phenomena like boy band mania, celebrity-based reality TV, and the rise of “famous for being famous” socialites who ruled the tabloids. Hosts Kelsey and Mary are discussing Y2Ks most impactful cultural moments, icons, and celebrities while chronicling their rise to stardom and discussing when they reached the pinnacle of pop culture, or, when they “popped!” The girls will also consider the cultural impact of Y2K on todays society and will look to see where our beloved Y2K stars are now.

Episodes

May 5, 2025 48 mins

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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Jade Driver and Cassie Petrey, co-founders of Crowd Surf digital marketing agency. Crowd Surf has an all-star client roster including Backstreet Boys, and Jade and Cassie shared behind the scenes of the latest campaign from the best-selling boy band of all time - the announcement of their Millennium 2.0 album and their upcoming Sphere residency - includin...

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Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In this episode, Mary and Kelsey discuss Good Charlotte’s monster hit album, The Young & The Hopeless, which took them from Maryland-based punk rockers to internationally-known household names. They discuss the history of emo music, how MySpace and social media brought the movement to the masses and popularized the genre, and the impact music had on bringing conversations of mental health to light...

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April 21, 2025 83 mins

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

Mary and Kelsey dive into the deep discography of global chart-topping sensation Pitull aka Mr. 305 aka Mr. Worldwide. They discuss how Pitbull has charmed the world with his signature catchphrases, iconic interpolations and guest features, and uplifting lyrics that have inspired arenas of women to don baldcaps and suits in his honor during his summer tour. Dale! 

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Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In this unedited episode, Mary and Kelsey recap the new two-part documentary from Angel Carter Conrad examining the family dynamics of the Carter family and tragic deaths of her and Nick Carter’s three siblings Aaron, Leslie, and Bobbie Jean. They share the biggest revelations and reactions from the documentary which is now available on Paramount+.

TW: This episode contains references to violence, addi...

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Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In this episode Mary and Kelsey are joined by Shannon McNamara of Fluently Forward podcast to discuss the biggest feuds of y2k: Mariah Carey vs, Eminem, Sarah Jessica Parker vs. Kim Cattrall, and Miley & Mandy vs. Selena & Demi. Whose side were you on? 

Thanks to Shannon for joining us! Make sure to follow Shannon at @fluentlyforward and make sure to listen to Fluently Forward wherever you get ...

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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey catch up with Christian Burns. Christian is 1/3 of multi-platinum-selling British pop group BBMak, and he's been featured on Grammy-nominated electronic music albums and performed his EDM hits to tens of thousands of people. Christian shares how he got into the electronic music space through an unlikely DM from Tiesto, his new EP "Evolution," how BBMak i...

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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Dax Holt, former TMZ correspondent, pop culture expert, and Hollywood Raw podcast co-host to discuss y2k’s biggest tabloid headlines. Dax shares what life was like behind the scenes at TMZ during the early 2000s and his favorite celebrities to cover like Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie, and more. They discuss the height of celeb...

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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey catch up with singer, songwriter, actor, and author Tyler Hilton. Tyler shared his experiences playing the guy you love to hate - Chris Keller - in One Tree Hill, his upcoming tour, and how he wrote his top 40 hit, When It Comes, as a high school student. He also shared how Taylor Swift asked him to star in her Teardrops On My Guitar music video, his bromance with Chad...

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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by legendary pop songwriter, producer, Grammy and Emmy nominee, Andreas Carlsson. Andreas’ incredible body of work work has been streamed more than 1 billion times and sold 150M+ albums with credits including pop anthems we all know and love like BSB’s I Want It That Way and Drowning, *NSYNC’s Bye Bye Bye, Britney Spears’ Born To Make You Happy and Can’t Mak...

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In this XL-sized episode, Mary and Kelsey dive deep into Backstreet Boys' Millennium with a track-by-track analysis of the multi-platinum record. Including quotes from interviews with Millennium writers, producers, and record execs, and their own memories from this era to bring, this nostalgic dissertation explains why I Want It That Way lyrics don't make sense, the controversy behind The On...

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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey dive deep into Leighton Meester’s criminally underrated discography including bops like Good Girls Go Bad, Somebody to Love, Your Love’s A Drug, and her first and only album to date, Heartstrings. They also touch on her lost iconic roles and her love story with husband Adam Brody (Seth + Blair 4ever). Justice for Leighton’s music!

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Instagram: @whentheypop...

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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Ashley Spencer, reporter and author of "Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire” to dive into the shows, movies, and franchises that shaped their childhoods. From Hilary Duff to the Jonas Brothers to High School Musical, Ashley's book uncovers the real stories behind how Disney Channel created a c...

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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by “the queen of all media” and original influencer, Perez Hilton! Perez started his revolutionary blog, PerezHilton.com, 21 years ago from a coffee shop in LA and quickly gained traction as a global media personality. Perez talks about his career, the celebrity interaction that stands out to him most, when he popped off, and so much more. 


For more hot ...

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February 5, 2025 47 mins

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In part two, AnnaLynne gets vulnerable and discusses her organization, The Love Storm, which raises awareness of human trafficking, her experience getting diagnosed and healing from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), her global meditation retreats, and more. We are so grateful to AnnaLynne for her vulnerability and openness in sharing these personal stories with us. 

TW: This episode contains refere...

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February 3, 2025 50 mins

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 In part one of this interview, Mary catches up with queen of the millennial it girls AnnaLynne McCord of Nip/Tuck, 90210, and so many more cultural cornerstones of the 00s. AnnaLynne discusses leaving home at 15 to model, how she begrudgingly landed the role of Naomi on 90210 (after declining the role THREE times), her on-set rivalry with Shenae Grimes (they love each other now!!) and her advocacy wo...

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January 27, 2025 65 mins

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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Dabney, creator of the incredibly successful nostalgia-fueled social platform @ilovethe00s. They recall Dabney’s top movies, TV shows, music, and celebrity moments that made 2001 a year to remember including Aaron Carter bops, Legally Blonde, Disney Channel Original Movies, and Degrassi: The Next Generation. 

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Instagram: @whentheypoppedpod

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 In this episode, Mary and Kelsey chat with not just one but TWO boy band legends - LFO’s Brad Fischetti and O-Town’s Trevor Penick! Brad shares what to expect for his upcoming Honor The Boys solo tour where he'll be joined by Trevor, their unique VIP experiences, reminiscences on their early 00s days, and more. You may want to get a tissue ready, because parts of this interview get emotional!

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January 13, 2025 65 mins

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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey share their favorite movies celebrating their 25th anniversaries this year: Meet The Parents, Bring It On, Miss Congeniality, and Cast Away. You'll learn behind-the-scenes facts (like why April 25th was selected as the perfect date - and it's not just because it's not too hot and not cold, and all you need is a light jacket) and the cultural impact of th...

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January 6, 2025 59 mins

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In this episode Mary and Kelsey go track by track of Lindsay Lohan’s debut album, Speak, in celebration of the album’s 20th anniversary. You’ll be brought back to 2004 and the toxic tabloids of the early aughts with bops like Rumors, Over, and more.

Subscribe to our Patreon for a sister episode which dives into the lore of Lindsay and the circumstances surrounding this album. 



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December 30, 2024 41 mins

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In this episode Mary and Kelsey discuss their favorite moments of Y2K resurgence from the year. From Nelly and Ashanti taking their rekindled 00’s romance to new heights and starting a family, to Pop2000 shows with O-Town, BBmak, Chris Kirkpatrick, Ryan Cabrera and LFO, to Backstreet’s Back at the Beach 30th anniversary celebration,  2024 proved that nostalgia ain’t going anywhere! ~And that’s the way...

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