Critical Condition

Ed Sheeran, Macklemore and the Consequences of Free Speech

What happens when corporate censorship colludes to silence political speech on stage? This week on Critical Condition, Shay and Aubrey look past the headline memes of Ed

The Blush That Broke the Beauty Community

Is the makeup community back in its 2016 cancellation era? This week on Critical Condition, Shay breaks down Blushgate: the massive feud that reignited beauty internet an

Taylor Swift is Losing Control of the Narrative

Is Taylor Swift repeating the very mistakes that almost destroyed her a decade ago? This week on Critical Condition, Shay unpacks her high-stakes narrative downfall: from

HYBE is Eating Itself

The Grammys just introduced a Best Asian Pop category and BTS immediately boycotted, sparking an internet frenzy over Western industry racism. But is this a principled st

Olivia Rodrigo and the New Purity Culture: The Rise of Progressive Moral Policing

If one of our most overtly activist pop stars can’t pass the internet’s purity test, what are we actually doing here? This week, we examine how the discourse around Olivi

Love Island USA & The Fiji Panopticon

BONUS EPISODE DROPPING TODAY! Season eight of Love Island USA repeated a familiar pattern with the black contestants who were chosen as the target this year. This time,

Justin Bieber: From Complex Trauma to Bieberchella Reclamation

On Critical Condition's inaugural episode, Shay dissects the phenomenon of Bieberchella -- Justin's meteoric rise, very public unraveling, the people who failed him along

Critical Condition Trailer

Critical Condition is a podcast brought to you by your favorite pop culture analyst, Shay from @isittherightword on TikTok! Join Shay every Wednesday starting August 26,