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
Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!
In this episode, Mary & Kelsey answer all of your questions from opening weekend of Backstreet Boys Into The Millennium at the Sphere in Las Vegas. From how they got front row on opening night, to what bags to bring, to merch selection, to the Backstreet Boys pop-up experience at the Venetian, this episode is a must-listen if you’re planning a trip to see the show!
Instagram: ...
Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!
In this episode, Mary & Kelsey share yet another unhinged episode live from Vegas recapping Backstreet Boys residency at the Sphere night two on July 12, 2025. They discuss the When They Popped met up, the official Backstreet Boys After Party at Voltaire, merch FAQs, and more.
Instagram: @whentheypoppedpod
TikTok: @whentheypoppedpod
Email: whentheypoppedy2k@gmail.com<...
Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!
In this episode, Mary & Kelsey share their raw and unedited post-show ramblings following opening night of the Backstreet Boys at the Sphere in Las Vegas on July 11, 2025. They share what surprised them most, their favorite moments, and so much more! **MAJOR SPOILERS are included in this episode!
Instagram: @whentheypoppedpod
TikTok: @whentheypoppedpod
Email: whenthey...
Send Mary and Kelsey a Message!
In this episode, Mary and Kelsey deep dive into the career of Hayden Panettiere from her soap opera start to Disney Channel star (Tiger Cruise and Disneymania 5, hullo) and leading lady of appointment television series including Heroes and Nashville.
Instagram: @whentheypoppedpod
TikTok: @whentheypoppedpod
Email: whentheypoppedy2k@gmail.com
Website: linktree...
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
Instagram: @whentheypoppedpod
TikTok: @whentheypoppedpod
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...
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...
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_...
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...
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...
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
Instagram: @whentheypoppedpod
TikTo...
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...
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...
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!
Instagram: @when...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Popular Podcasts
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus