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

June 23, 2025 56 mins

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In this episode, Mary and Kelsey catch up with Lauren Christy, songwriter, singer, and 1/3 of legendary production trio The Matrix, to discuss writing Avril Lavigne’s breakthrough hit album, Let Go, and other hits for Hilary Duff, Jason Mraz, Liz Phair, and more. 

Follow Lauren at @thelaurenchristy on IG and TikTok


Support the show

Instagram: @whentheypoppedpod
TikTok: @whentheypopped
Email:...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by dancer Tania Baron to discuss Tania’s professional dancing journey including touring with Britney Spears and appearing in her iconic music videos including Baby One More Time, (You Drive Me) Crazy, and Oops!… I Did It Again. Tania shares how she got into dancing, what it was like to perform with the princess of pop as she experienced a meteoric rise to fa...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In this episode, Mary and Kelsey rewind all the way to 2002 to dive into the dazzling debut of American Idol Season 1 — the show that turned everyday dreamers into pop royalty and gave us unforgettable gems like Kelly Clarkson, Simon Cowell’s savage zingers, and memorable if not cringe-worthy auditions. This episode sheds light on the show’s British origins, its American makeover, and the iconic chemi...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Beyond the Blinds co-host Kelli Williams (aka Laguna Biotch!!) to celebrate two decades of Backstreet Boys’ Never Gone album. They go track by track and dive deep on bops like Incomplete, I Still…, Crawling Back To You, Just Want You To Know, Siberia (a song that continues to be criminally underrated, if you ask us) and more! 


Follow Kelli at @laguna_...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In this episode, recorded live from the shores of Cocoa Beach, Mary and Kelsey pull up a chair at Coa, the new restaurant from Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys, for a flavor-packed convo. Howie dishes on Coa, spills tea on the upcoming BSB residency at the Sphere in Vegas, and gives a taste of Millennium 2.0. Plus, he reveals who’d snag an invite to his dream dinner party and the most memorable mo...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In this episode, Mary and Kelsey celebrate 15 years of Ke$ha’s debut album Animal and sister EP, Cannibal. This listening party is a track-by-track dissertation on Ke$ha’s hits from TiK ToK, Blow, Your Love Is My Drug, We R Who We R and other songs you may have forgotten about like Dancing with Tears in My Eyes, Dinosaur, and Boots and Boys.

 

Hey, I like your beard.

 

Check out our sister Patreon episode...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

In this episode, Mary and Kelsey discuss all things Dream Street with original founding member, Greg Raposo! Greg shares how he ended up performing at Graceland after a call from Priscilla Presley, when he knew Dream Street popped off, his solo career and upcoming performances with Matt Ballinger this summer! Follow Greg at @gregraposomusic 

Support the show

Instagram: @whentheypoppedpod
TikTok: @wh...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

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...

Mark as Played

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...

Mark as Played
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! 

Support the show

Instagram: @whentheypo...

Mark as Played

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...

Mark as Played

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 ...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

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...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

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...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

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...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

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...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

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...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

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!

Support the show

Instagram: @whentheypop...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

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...

Mark as Played

Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!

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 ...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

    Cold Case Files: Miami

    Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides.  Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer  Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.