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Mayim Bialik is a multi talented actor, producer, director, educator, neuroscientist, and author who got her start in classic 80s TV series including “Beauty and the Beast” and “Facts of Life” before landing her breakout role at age 12 as a young Bette Middler in the 1988 film “Beaches.” Two years later, she nabbed the lead role in the super popular teen sit-com “Blossom” which ran from 1990 through 1995 and once that series ended, she went to UCLA for 12 years where she earned a PhD in Neuroscience and completed her doctorate in 2007. Bialik returned to TV in a big way in 2010 when she joined the cast of “The Big Bang Theory” where she was a fan favorite and was nominated for four Emmys before the series ended in 2019. And now, together with her “Big Bang Theory” co-star Jim Parsons, she’s executive producing the new Fox show “Call Me Kat,” which she also stars in as a single woman in her late 30s who runs a cat cafe. In this very special 100th episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she rejects Spanx, embraces feminism, and reflects on a past that includes Woody Allen.

Michelle Gomez is a riveting Scottish actor who first started turning heads for her comedy roles in series including “The Book Group,” “Green Wing,” and “Bad Education,” before her international breakout moment in 2014 when she started playing Missy on the landmark British sci-fi series “Doctor Who.” Many Americans discovered her when she started playing Madame Satan on the Netflix series “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” which premiered in 2018 and which just kicked off its fourth and final season. She also plays a pivotal role on the new HBO Max series “The Flight Attendant,” and in this epic episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she parses her evolving relationship with feminism, she reveals the new sides of herself she discovered during quarantine, and she cheekily declares “I’m not a Satan worshipper...I AM Satan!”

Electronica musician, artist and activist Kiran Gandhi, better known by her stage name Madame Gandhi, got her start in music performing as the drummer for M.I.A and Thievery Corporation and got her Bachelor’s in Mathematics and Gender Studies from Georgetown and an MBA from Harvard before deciding to become a full-time rock star in 2016 with her breakout EP “Voices.” Since then, she’s also released the 2019 album Visions and during quarantine, she took on a special new project. Gandhi launched a contest to see who could create the best remix of her 2019 song “Young Indian,” and she personally listened to over 500 submissions from producers around the world before choosing her fave five for a remix album called Young Indian Reimagined, which just came out in October. In this awesome episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she reflects on bad habits, recalls free bleeding while running the London Marathon, and explains why “The Future Is Female” really means “The Future Is Feminine.”

Rachel Bloom is a comedian, actor, writer, singer, dancer, and all-around incredible performer who created, produced, and starred in the hit musical comedy series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on the CW for which she earned a Golden Globe a Critics’ Choice Award and an Emmy. She’s currently working on the music and lyrics for "The Nanny" which will open on Broadway once COVID lets up and her hilarious new book of essays “I Want To Be Where The Normal People Are,” just came out November 17. In this awesome episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she reflects on losing her songwriting partner to COVD, describes giving birth during a pandemic, and we read some erotic poetry from her pre-teen diary.

iO Tillett Wright is a multitalented artist, author, activist, and storyteller. He created the hit true crime podcast The Ballad of Billy Balls last year and is also the author of the 2017 memoir Darling Days that documented Wright’s wild upbringing in downtown New York in the 1980s and the seeds that eventually blossomed into his awakening as a trans man. His TED Talk 50 Shades of Gay about sexuality and gender has been viewed over three million times and his new photography book, Self Evident Truths, just came out in September. It’s a collection of 10,000 portraits of Americans who identify as anything other than 100 percent straight, and in this awesome episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, he describes his inspiration for using photography as a form of activism, opens up about coming out as trans while in the public eye, and explains why he decided to testify against Johnny Depp at the actor’s recent defamation trial.

You probably know Ann Dowd from her terrifying portrayal of Aunt Lydia on Hulu’s feminist masterpiece The Handmaid’s Tale. But she’s been popping up in multiple roles on all the Law & Order shows for years and she also starred in the incredible 2012 suspense film Compliance. She finally became a household name in 2017 for her riveting performance as Aunt Lydia for which she won a well-deserved Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. And her latest film, a new adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s classic novel Rebecca, just premiered on Netflix October 2. In this awesome episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she describes what it has been like becoming a fictional symbol for a real-life resistance movement and we explore how pop culture can be a powerful instrument for social change.

Dulcé Sloan has been a correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah since 2017 and her segments frequently go viral and get millions of views. In 2019, she got her own Comedy Central Presents stand-up special, and in 2020, she launched her podcast, That Black Ass Show on Starburns Audio. Coming up on November 13, she’s co-starring in a new comedy called Chick Fight that’s basically a girl version of Fight Club. She literally steals every scene she’s in and I predict many more films will be in her future. In this awesome episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she delivers real talk about America’s racism problem, we dish about boys (...boys all types of boys), and we learn about the passing of judicial icon The Notorious R.B.G. in real time.

Professor Bettany Hughes is a historian, author, and broadcaster who was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for her services to history, which makes her the first Dame to ever appear on our BUST’s Poptarts podcast. She is currently professor of history at the New College of the Humanities and a research fellow at King’s College. Her first book, Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore has been translated into ten languages. Her second book, The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life was a New York Times bestseller, and her third book, Istanbul –A Tale of Three Cities has been translated into 12 languages. Most fans know her from the over 50 historical radio and tv documentaries she has written and starred in for the past 20 years that have aired on the BBC, Channel 4, Netflix, Discovery, PBS, The History Channel, National Geographic, BBC World, ITV and more, covering everything from the mysteries of the ancient world to the philosophers whose ideas shaped modern culture. Her new book, Venus and Aphrodite: A Biography of Desire, liberates the goddess of love from all the tired romantic cliches that she’s been saddled with over the centuries and reveals how her radical feminine energy continues to influence us today. In this fascinating podcast episode, Hughes talks about inhaling the intoxicating fragrance of the storied blue lotus flower, challenging the male whitewashing of history, and how historically speaking, global pandemics have been surprisingly advantageous for women.

Miranda July is a filmmaker, artist, and writer whose feminist, DIY, punk style evolved out of the same riot grrrl era that birthed BUST. She appeared on our cover in the Fall of 2007 and her books include "No One Belongs Here More Than You" "The First Bad Man," and a new, huge, career-spanning retrospective of her work called “Miranda July” that just came out in April. She also wrote and directed the incredibly weird and wonderful movies “Me and You and Everyone We Know” and “The Future,” and in this episode of BUST’s “Poptarts” podcast, she gives us behind-the-scenes insight into her latest film, “Kajillionaire” (out September 25). The film centers on a con-artist couple (Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins) who have raised their 26 -year-old daughter (Evan Rachel Wood), to join them in their desperate life of pathetically petty crimes and scams. It’s the only life she’s ever known, until one day, on a flight to their next scheme, the family meets a gorgeous young woman (Gina Rodriguez) and all of their lives change forever. Listen in as July opens up about going mainstream, division of labor in a household with two famous directors, and pooping back and forth...forever.

Caitlin Moran is a London-based columnist, author, and broadcaster, who is one of the funniest feminist writers working today. Her first book, the 2011 memoir, How to Be a Woman, was an instant New York Times bestseller. And her 2014 autobiographical coming-of-age novel, How to Build a Girl, was adapted into a film starring Beanie Feldstein that premiered in 2019. When Caitlin finished How to Be a Woman in her mid-30s, she thought she had everything figured out. But now, 10 years later, she’s debuting a whole new memoir, More Than a Woman, that asks probing mid-life questions including, Can feminists have Botox? And, Who’s looking after the children? In this LOL episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, we talk a LOT about vaginas and vulvas (and the difference between the two), and we get real about the unpaid labor shitshow so many women find themselves in once their 30s are in the rear-view.

Feminist electropunk artist JD Samson has been a favorite of ours here at BUST Magazine since she first appeared on our cover with her band Le Tigre in 2002. Since then, she has traveled the world both with that band and with her other band MEN, creating socially conscious anthems we can all dance to and proving to fans and skeptics alike that feminism can actually be fun. Her new band, Crickets—which she formed with her pals Michael O'Neill (MEN, Princess) and Roddy Bottum (Faith No More, Imperial Teen/Nastie Band)—has released a series of singles and a multimedia collaborative art project leading up to the release of their self-titled debut full length which came out July 17 on Muddguts Records. It is weird and stripped down and moody and bouncy and perfect for your next socially distant dance party. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts Podcast, JD reveals how becoming a queer sex symbol made her grapple with her own “toxic masculinity,” she gets real about money, and we parse the power of her iconic stache.

Bob the Drag Queen first rose to prominence as the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8 and since that time, he has been using his huge platform to not only become a major name in standup comedy but also to become a powerful voice for LGBTQ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement. His HBO series We’re Here features Bob alongside fellow Drag Race alums Shangela and Eureka traveling to small towns across America to help create support systems and communities for isolated queer folks by putting on drag shows. And during pride month, Bob organized a massive online event called the Black Queer Town Hall and made headlines by encouraging other members of the drag community to stand up as allies for the protest movement that emerged in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Bob’s HBO show and new comedy special Bob the Drag Queen: Live at Caroline’s, have been so uplifting to so many during quarantine and in this inspiring episode of BUST’s Poptarts Podcast, he talks about his rise to fame, fills us in on his activism, and advises us on how to relate to our Republican elders.

A legendary stand-up comedian, Judy Gold was one of the first out lesbians in the business and she has been making people laugh on stage, on TV, and as an author for almost 40 years. She won two Daytime Emmys for her work as a writer and producer on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, she’s had stand-up specials on HBO, Comedy Central, and LOGO, and she’s had two hit Off-Broadway shows. Now, Gold is hosting the podcast Kill Me Now and her new book, YES, I CAN SAY THAT: When They Come for the Comedians We Are All In Trouble comes out July 28, 2020. In this hilarious episode of BUST’s Poptarts Podcast, she takes on cancel culture, gets real about sexism in comedy, and we compare our Jewish mothers.

As a founding member of the chart-topping ‘90s R&B girl group En Vogue, Terry Ellis and her three bandmates are recognized as being among the highest grossing American girl groups in history, selling over 20 million albums and racking up over 30 million streams. Their hits, “Hold On,” “Free Your Mind,” “Never Gonna Get It,” “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” “Don’t Let Go,” and “Whatta Man featuring Salt-N-Pepa” are instant portals to whatever lives we were living in the 1990s and have all become karaoke classics. More recently, Ellis made headlines this past Juneteenth when she released a solo single, “Angry Black Woman,” a powerful protest anthem that articulates the pain and rage Americans feel after decades of seeing Black citizens being victimized by racist police officers. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, Ellis talks about her new song “Angry Black Woman,” reveals why Luther Vandross spent months torturing En Vogue in 1993, shares her passion for paper crafts, and more!

As bassist for iconic band The Go-Go’s, Kathy Valentine and her girl gang became the first multi-platinum-selling, all-female band to play their own instruments, write their own songs, and have a number one album. Their 1981 debut Beauty and the Beat, spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard charts and featured the hit songs “We Got the Beat,” and “ Our Lips are Sealed,” and Valentine wrote the band’s subsequent hits “Vacation” and “Head Over Heels.” This past April, she debuted All I Ever Wanted: A Rock and Roll Memoir as well as a supercool original soundtrack based on the book. The book is bursting with raucous girl-powered sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but is also heroically honest, with chapters detailing childhood trauma, sexual assault, and struggles with addiction. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast she describes the rise and fall of her boundary-breaking band in riveting detail, answers all our probing questions about groupies, and shares her memory from touring that remains her “biggest regret.”

A seasoned character actor with impeccable comic timing, Judy Greer is probably best known for her role as Kitty Sanchez on "Arrested Development." (“Say goodbye to these!”) She’s also appeared in plenty of girl-culture classics, including "13 Going on 30," "27 Dresses," and the very feminist 2018 reboot of "Halloween." Her latest project—which she both executive produced and stars in—is an episode of "Into The Dark," a Blumhouse produced horror anthology series that premieres a feature-film-length episode every month tied to a holiday. The show is now in its second season, and Greer anchors a film called "Good Boy" tied to Pet Appreciation Week that airs June 12 on Hulu. On this episode of BUST’s "Poptarts" podcast, Greer discusses her extensive history of being flashed, shares our love of woman-centric horror, and shares how hard it currently is to get a copy of "White Fragility" in L.A.

In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and in the effort to #AmplifyMelanatedVoices , this special episode of the Poptarts podcast is a deep dive led by Black BUST staffers into the recent activist uprising taking place around the country in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. BUST’s Digital Editorial Director Bry’onna Mention (@radsadblackbry) and Poptarts Producer Logan del Fuego (@lusciouslogan13) shape the discussion while addressing sources for reliable news, explaining the realities of being Black in America, and debating their hopes and fears for what will come about as a result of this watershed moment. The theme music for this episode is a remix by Logan del Fuego of a song posted online by 12-year-old @KeedronBryant.

Comedian and actor Yvonne Orji is best known for her role as Molly on HBO’s “Insecure” and her film credits include “Night School” and the upcoming “Vacation Friends.” She co-hosts the critically acclaimed podcast “Jesus and Jollof,” with her pal Luvvie Ajayi, and her upcoming book “Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams” will hit shelves next year. Her first hour-long HBO comedy special, “MOMMA, I MADE IT,” comes out June 6 and it is super funny and touching and women in particular will love it. In this episode of BUST’s “Poptarts” podcast, she gets real about her immigrant identity, her decision to save sex for marriage, and that BIG fight between Molly and Issa on “Insecure.”

As the legendary front-woman of the Runaways, Cherie Currie and her teen bandmates Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Sandy West, and Jackie Fox exploded out of L.A. in 1975 and became the first American, all-girl rock band to make it big. She put out two studio albums and one live album with the Runaways and created an absolute frenzy in Japan before calling it quits in 1977. Since then, Currie has never stopped creating, putting out seven more studio albums as a solo artist, with her twin sister Marie, and more recently with Brie Darling from Fanny. And now, her new album, Blvds of Splendor—a tour de force featuring collabs with Billy Corgan, Slash, Matt Sorum, Duff McKagan, Juliette Lewis, Brody Dalle, and the Veronicas— is being unleashed on a world that desperately needs to rock and it’s a total winner. On this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she opens up about celibacy, chainsaws, communicating with ghosts, and more!

Jessamyn Stanley is an award-winning yoga instructor, intersectional activist, and founder of The Underbelly virtual yoga studio app who first rose to fame in 2012 through her Instagram posts showing her doing high-level yoga as a plus-size woman of color. Self-identifiying online as a "queer fat femme," she’s helped coax legions of women who previously felt alienated by the privileged, skinny, white world of yoga into the practice along with her. And now she’s one of the most influential yoga personalities working today. We featured Jessamyn in BUST in 2017 when her book Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get On the Mat, Love Your Body came out, and now we’re thrilled to have her on BUST’s Poptarts podcast, where she talks about overcoming crass commercialization, bias, and fitness industry fuckery to become the star she is today.