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
In this episode, Mary and Kelsey go deep on Backstreet Boys’ 2015 documentary, Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of, which chronicles the creation of BSB’s 2013 In A World Like This album and subsequent world tour. They count down the biggest moments from this unprecedented peek behind the boy band curtain including bombshell fights, tear-jerking hometown visits, and laugh out loud one-liners.
Sup...
OMG he’s back again. Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough joins Mary and Kelsey for a live recording at his Cafecito con Howie event in Las Vegas to discuss his new solo, Coqui, his upcoming solo music, how he’s embracing his Puerto Rican heritage, Backstreet Boys’ second summer at Sphere and what to expect next!
Get your tickets to an upcoming Cafecito con Howie event at HowieD.net
Instagram: @w...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey give you a look at their Patreon-exclusive series, Women of Y2K. In this episode, they highlight the life and impressive career of Tara Reid as the reigning cult classics queen including her unforgettable roles in The Big Lebowski, American Pie, Josie and the Pussycats, and Sharknado. They also discuss Tara's most memorable public moments.
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This week Kelsey & Mary are joined by Joel Helgesen, O-Town's tour manager. Joel originally auditioned for Making the Band and eventually started working alongside his best friend, O-Town's Trevor Penick, managing all of O-Town's tour logistics and cultivating interesting industry learnings along the way. Joel is incredibly humble, beloved amongst the Townies, and we are so excited for you to lea...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey bring back When They Popped Book Club to share the biggest revelations and standout stories from Hayden Panettiere's new memoir which details her life as a child star, tabloid scrutiny and her journey with postpartum depression and addiction.
Instagram: @whentheypoppedpod
TikTok: @whentheypoppedpod
Email: whentheypoppedy2k@gmail.com
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey celebrate 30 years of millennial bops with their own top ten list of 1996 hits. If you screamed the lyrics to Ironic, Lovefool, No Diggity, Wonderwall, this episode is for you.
Instagram: @whentheypoppedpod
TikTok: @whentheypoppedpod
Email: whentheypoppedy2k@gmail.com
Website: linktree.com/whentheypopped
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey discuss the final two episodes of Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Event documentary covering untold stories from Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, 98 Degrees, O-Town and more iconic boy bands of the 90s and 2000s. Plus, Mary gives a rundown of a recent Pop2000s show featuring O-Town, LFO, Ryan Cabrera and Chris Kirkpatrick.
Instagram: @whenth...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by singer-songwriter and y2k pop culture enthusiast Matt Bloyd to revisit TRL’s all-time top 10 countdown. They talk Britney, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Blink-182, Outkast, Beyonce, and so much more. Matt also shares a sneak peek of his upcoming EP “A Part of Me" which debuts May 8 and features a Britney Spears cover with Alex ...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Soulidified - Shade, Malik, Bradley, and Landon - the four-part harmony boy band bringing nostalgia back to pop music. Formed on Netflix's Building the Band, where they could only hear each other's voices before meeting face-to-face, the guys share their journey from their viral "U Remind Me" performance to training at the infamous boy band bootcamp with...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by reality television star Jason Wahler of The Hills and Laguna Beach. Jason shares what was going on behind the scenes of these iconic reality shows as he struggled publicly with addiction and mental health struggles, and how he found his way to recovery. Now, as an addiction and mental health advocate, Jason is dedicated to addiction education and prevent...
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In this episode, legendary choreographer Brian Friedman joins Mary & Kelsey to discuss creating some of the most iconic routines of the 2000s - from Britney Spears' "Slave 4 U" (yes, THAT performance with the snake) to "Toxic" and beyond. Brian shares stories about dancing alongside Britney, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Lady Gaga, and Prince, his time judging So You Think Yo...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by pop icon Willa Ford to discuss Amanda, Willa's highly anticipated return to the music scene (her first new album in 25 years!!). Willa shares behind-the-scenes stories from her 2001 breakout hit, I Wanna Be Bad, her hiatus from the music scene, and her journey to reclaiming a dream nearly destroyed - a powerful story of trauma, healing, and finding her v...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey catch up with musician Cheyenne Kimball, who rocketed onto the TRL charts at just 16 years old with her debut album The Day Has Come. Cheyenne opens up about growing up in the spotlight while her MTV reality show documented her every step, navigating teen fame, and evolving from pop-rock solo star to member of country group Gloriana. From mall tours with Jonas Brother...
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In a full-circle Y2K moment they truly manifested, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Marie, Sara, Dhani, and Amit of ATeens for a candid and hilarious deep dive into life as global teen pop royalty. From selling millions of records as the world’s favorite ABBA-loving supergroup to creating their own original music and identities, ATeens takes us behind the scenes of their hits that defined an era, ...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey make their case for why 2026 is not the new 2016 - it's the new 2006! The hosts throw it back to their favorite pop culture moments of 2006 including the debuts of 30 Rock, Hannah Montana, chart-topping bops from Rihanna, Nelly Furtado, Shakira, and Panic! At The Disco. This episode will have you wishing you still had your Blackberry or LG Chocolate to text your besti...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey welcome nostalgia creator Raissa, the creative powerhouse behind @nostalgiachick, to revisit pop culture highlights from 2004 including A Cinderella Story, the finales of Sex and the City and Friends, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 13 Going on 30, MySpace’s peak, and the debut of the Motorola Razr (you just had to be there). Raissa also shares h...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey go back to New Year’s Eve celebrations on the y2k era, discussing the history of the y2k bug hysteria, the history of Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve special, and MTV’s iconic New Year’s Eve countdowns. They also gab about their favorite live performances from O-Town, Jessica Simspon, 98 Degrees, BBMak, Hilary Duff, Christina Ag...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey look back at their favorite moments of 2025 - from their personal experiences seeing Backstreet Boys at Sphere in Vegas (4x times!!), to Hilary Duff and Ashlee Simspson’s much-anticipated comebacks plus their favorite moments and milestones thanks to their incredible listeners!
Episode with Joseph Kahn (Apple & Spotify)
Episode with Andreas Carlsson (Apple ...
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey discuss their Mount Rushmore of Christmas movies from th 90s and 2000s: The Muppet Christmas Carol, Elf, and The Holiday. They discuss behind-the-scenes stories - like which lines in Elf were improv and how Nancy Meyers convinced Jack Black to sign on to film (spoiler alert: it has everything to do with Kate Winslet) and more!
Past WTP Holiday Themed Episodes:&n...
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EMERGENCY EPISODE! Mary and Kelsey spiral over the cryptic clues flooding the Backstreet Boys' social media. What do the Millennium references mean? Why the Homecoming: Live in Orlando throwbacks? What's with the countdown? And most importantly—why Düsseldorf, Germany?! Join us as we dissect each post, analyze every Easter egg, and theorize wildly about what the Boys have up their sleeves. We'r...
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