Adoption Pop!

Welcome to Adoption Pop! where a podcast journalist, a filmmaker, and a cultural critic burst pop culture’s favorite adoption tropes. Each episode, we’ll dive into movies, TV, and reality shows, from prestige dramas to the classics, to ask what these stories are really saying, and not saying, about adoption. And we’ll get real about representation: how the world sees us, and how we see ourselves.

Superman (2025) – Adoption at the Movies 09/16/2026

Superman (2025) – Adoption at the Movies E041 | Superman (2025) – Adoption at the Movies Why are there so many superheroes with parental separation in their origin stories? Wikipedia has whole pages devoted to , and ; the latter of which includes Superman, most recently rebooted in 2025 and played by David Corenswet. The film grossed nearly $619 million dollars worldwide, including contributions from the Radke family who partook of the IMAX experience. Haley, alongside filmmaker Kristal Parke and cultural critic Sullivan Summer have takes on this one hotter than the Earth’s yellow sun. Superman (2025) was written by James Gunn, Jerry Siegel, and Joe Shuster. It was directed by James Gunn. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on September 16, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Turns out the superhero hair stylist is already taken. Shamrock, also known as Molly Fitzgerald, comes from the Marvel universe. According to , Molly’s father was a militant member of the IRA and, as Shamrock, “functions as a vessel for displaced poltergeists and the souls of innocent people who died during the war.” In retirement Molly becomes a — you guessed it — hairdresser to the superheroes. Try again, Kristal! The television show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman ran for four seasons from 1993 until 1997. It starred Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane, alongside an actor so politically misaligned with us that we refuse to type his name. The television show Smallville ran for 10 seasons from 2001 to 2011 and starred Tom Welling as Clark Kent. The show follows Clark’s teenage years in Smallville, Kansas, before he formally becomes Superman. According to magazine, Google searches on “adopt a dog near me” spiked 513% following Superman’s 2025 opening weekend, with credit to the film’s CGI-created dog, Crypto. Hollywood never met a child-pet-adoption mash-up it didn’t like. Man of Steel, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Henry Cavill, premiered in 2013. The OG Superman, written by Mario Puzo, directed by Richard Donner, and starring Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder and others premiered in December 1978 with a 16-month-old Sullivan in the audience. This explains a lot about her taste in movies. Joey Paur, “James Gunn Explains Superman’s Controversial Krypton Parents Twist,” . James Grebey, “The New Superman Hinges on a Radical Reinvention of the Man of Steel’s Parents,” (July 11, 2025) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/42269135

Frontline: Baby Brokers (2026) – Adoption on Television 09/09/2026

Frontline: Baby Brokers (2026) – Adoption on Television E040 | Frontline: Baby Brokers (2026) – Adoption on Television As Haley works on her investigative series podcast , other docs are also telling real stories about the adoption industry, including PBS’s Frontline, which in June of 2026 aired an episode titled “Baby Brokers.” Produced in collaboration with the not-for-profit, independent news organization Retro Report, the episode looks at the adoption tourism industry — the luring of pregnant women to adoption-friendly states and pressure put upon them to relinquish their children to waiting adoptive parents. Tune in as podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer discuss where the doc pushed on the conventional narrative, and where it didn’t push far enough. Frontline: The Baby Brokers first aired on June 23, 2026. It was written by Gabrielle Glaser and Sarah Weiser, and directed by Glaser. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on September 9, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Learn more about Haley’s investigative series podcast, . Sociologist Gretchen Sisson, PhD, studies abortion and adoption. Her book, dispels many of the myths underlying the adoption industry. Paul Petersen pled guilty to state and federal charges in Utah, Arizona, and Arkansas for his role in an illegal human trafficking and adoption scheme. At the time of this recording, he is in an Arizona state prison. The Offshore podcast season three, “The Blood Calls” can be found . Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) is a co-sponsor on the ADOPT Act, as well as the Protect Adoptees and American Families Act, which will grant citizenship to international adoptees adopted as children not otherwise covered in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000. She is not a cosponsor of open records legislation, as indicated by Sullivan during the episode. Adoption Pop! previously covered Apple TV’s Shrinking and , which feature a character who is an adoption consultant. Check out Kristal’s adoptee interview podcast, . “,” (November 20, 2025) “,” (October 17, 2025) Jon Husted, “,” (November 27, 2025) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/42259495

The Blind Side (2009): Adoption at the Movies 09/02/2026

The Blind Side (2009): Adoption at the Movies E039 | The Blind Side (2009) – Adoption at the Movies When the summer heat burns itself out, kids head back to school, and a hint of fall breeze rustles the trees, one thing becomes clear: football season is upon us. And while Hollywood has made many a football movie, there is one that scores bigger with audience than all the rest. 2009’s The Blind Side follows the story of Michael Oher, a once-homeless Memphis teen who, with the help of a community of people throughout his young life, works his way to the NFL. The film is the highest grossing football film and sports drama of all time (unadjusted for inflation) and, as of late, the subject of controversy, all of which we get into in this very special episode of Adoption Pop! Join podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer live from Kristal’s home in Canada (isn’t that where all the good stuff is filmed?) as we take a close look at this Oscar winning film and the real people behind it. The Blind Side was written and directed by John Lee Hancock. It is based on the 2006 book, The Blind Side, by Michael Lewis. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on September 2, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: is a 1994 film starring Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neill in which “misfits form their own opposing team to an elite peewee football team, coached by the elite team coach’s brother,” according to IMDb. For the uninitiated, “D1,” or Division 1, are those US colleges and universities competing in athletics at the highest level, and represents the most direct path to professional sports for student athletes. You can read more about segregation academies . In this episode, Sullivan takes issue with the portrayal of Michael Oher as an implicitly dangerous big, Black man in the book and movie. She wishes she had been more explicit in her explanation of why this is so problematic. The supposed “threat” Black men and boys pose to white women has for centuries been used as justification for their murder, mutilation, torture, and lynching. Michael Lewis, as a white American, knows this. To lean into descriptions of Michael Oher that imply he is a threat to white women is to court violence against him, and against all Black men and boys. This was true in plantation days. It was true in the early aughts when Michael attended Briarcrest and Ole Miss. And it was true at the time we recorded this episode. It is still true. During the discussion, Sullivan says that Sean Touhy and The Blind Side author Michael Lewis were college roommates. They were not college roommates, but rather, childhood friends. I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond by Michael Oher with Don Yaeger Steve Almond, “,” L.A. Times (August 17, 2023) Michael Sokolove, “,” New York Times Magazine (August 18, 2024) In re Michael Jerome Williams, Jr. filed in the Probate Court of Shelby County, Tennessee August 14, 2023 Ree Hines, “,” Today (December 1, 2021) Emma Banks, “,’” InStyle (August 19, 2025) Box Office Mojo, “Football Movies at the Box Office” and “Sports Drama Movies at the Box Office.” The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/42308485

Two and a Half Men – “The Ol’ Mexican Spinach” (2014): Adoption on Television 08/26/2026

Two and a Half Men – “The Ol’ Mexican Spinach” (2014): Adoption on Television E038 | Two and a Half Men “The Ol’ Mexican Spinach” (2025) – Adoption on Television The CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men aired for 12 seasons from 2003 to 2015, and originally starred 1980s film icon Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, alongside his brother Alan, played by Jon Cryer. Sheen exited the show in the ninth season and was replaced by the aughts-television-famous Ashton Kutcher (we cannot bring ourselves to type “icon” but, for a while there, he was everywhere), playing a billionaire named Walden who buys Charlie’s house after he dies, allowing Alan to continue to live there. None of this matters to the opening episode of the final season when, after a serious health scare, Walden decides he should adopt a baby. Thank you to Pop! Star Alé for recommending we cover this episode! Two and a Half Men was created by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn. Season 12 Episode 1, “The Ol’ Mexican Spinach,” originally aired on October 30, 2014, and was written by Don Reo, Jim Patterson, and Steve Tompkins. It was directed by James Widdoes. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on August 26, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Regular listeners and viewers may know that Sullivan is responsible for our show notes, and will break the fourth wall now to confirm: Reader, Kristal and Haley are correct. I hate this show. We drop a lot of names in the early part of this episode, none of which are necessary to the storytelling. But if you enjoy celebrity gossip, we will remind you that in from Two and a Half Men after a spectacular public breakdown fueled by substance abuse. He was replaced by Ashton Kutcher, star of (1998-2006). In 2023, Kutcher’s That ‘70s Show co-star was convicted of raping two women in 2003, and is serving 30 years to life in a California prison at the time of this writing. After Masterson’s conviction, but before his sentencing, Kutcher wrote in defense of Masterson’s character. Yuck. (OMG, Reader, they’re still going. How is it that Haley and Kristal spent so much time talking about these actors’ past lives? This episode is only 29 minutes long.) Jon Cryer rose to fame with the 1986 John Hughes classic , in which he played Ducky, the best friend of actress Molly Ringwald’s character, Andie. It is Ducky whom Cryer dresses as in this Halloween episode of Two and a Half Men. Where do we know the actress Aisha Tyler from? The answer is Adoption Pop! in which she stars as Joey’s girlfriend. Reader, how did Kristal and Haley miss this callback? Talking about The Santa Clause… is a clinical psychologist specializing in parenting support. Kristal missed the callback to Friends, but not to Adoption Pop! when she had something inappropriate to say about actor Luke Wilson. Oh, Reader. Ashton Kutcher was married to actress Demi Moore for six years from 2005 to 2011. Kutcher was 25 and Moore 40 at the time they began dating. Lesley Goldberg, “,” The Hollywood Reporter (July 17, 2014). “,” Celebitchy.com citing The National Enquirer (January 30, 2009). The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . She returns next week to put the wheels back on this thing. /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/42186910

Silicon Valley “Maximizing Alphaness” (2019) – Adoption on the Small Screen 08/19/2026

Silicon Valley “Maximizing Alphaness” (2019) – Adoption on the Small Screen E037 | Silicon Valley “Maximizing Alphaness” (2019) – Adoption on the Small Screen Workplaces outside of the home have long been fodder for television entertainment. The first workplace comedy, Our Miss Brooks, premiered way back in 1952 and centered a high school teacher. And while we still have school-based workplace comedies (shout-out to one of Haley’s favorites, Abbott Elementary), other shows involve workplaces of a kind that did not exist in 1952, such as HBO’s Silicon Valley, a parody of tech industry start-up culture. Pop! Star Janet turned us onto this one, especially the Season 6 episode titled “Maximizing Alphaness,” where the adopted character, Jared meets his birth parents. Silicon Valley Season 6, Episode 4, “Maximizing Alphaness” first aired on November 17, 2019. It was written by Daisy Gardner, Marlena Rodriguez, and Cathy Lew. Liza Johnson directed. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on August 19, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Over the course of its six seasons, Silicon Valley was nominated for a total of 101 awards, taking home 16, including two Emmys and a Critics’ Choice Award. Who’s the boob now, Sullivan? The show’s creators, Mike Judge, John Altschuler, and Dave Krinsky, were also behind 2009’s , which features a family who tried to transracially adopt from Africa, only to come home with a white, South African baby they named Ubunto showing that, with enough love and affection, “the offspring of two, racist Afrikaners could become a gentle, socially-conscious young man.” You can see the entire clip involving Jared’s interaction with his birth parents . On the absurdist comedic continuum, we’ve put and alongside this one. Gather the family and have your own movie night! J. Kim Murphy, “” Variety (July 1, 2020) Baraka Kaseko and Marah Eakin, “,” A.V. Club (March 22, 2018) Following the recording, Sullivan did some deep thinking about whether there was anything at all in this episode she could laugh at, and identified one thing: Haley, throughout the episode, refers to the television show as “Silicone Valley.” Sullivan thought it just might be a Canadian thing (process / pro-cess, tomato / tomahto), until she confirmed that silicon and silicone are, in fact, two totally different things. The former is a naturally occurring chemical element and a primary material used to make computer microprocessors and semiconductors. Silicone, on the other hand, is a human-made polymer composed of silicon, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen used to make, you guessed it: boobs. Ergo, Haley spent this entire episode referring to the show as “Boob Valley.” That’s funny. The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/42122730

Black Cake (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen 08/12/2026

Black Cake (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen E036 | Black Cake (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen Certain foods can be a strong connection to the geographies and cultures that we come from, even after physical separation from those geographies and cultures. It is this universal experience that undergirds the 2023 Hulu limited series, Black Cake. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake follows a multigenerational story with a woman named Eleanor Bennett at its center. The film touches on themes of identity, estrangement, and intergenerational trauma, including forced relinquishment of a baby and a late discovery adoptee. Thank you to Pop! Star Sandi for suggesting we cover Black Cake! Black Cake was produced by Marissa Jo Cerar, among others. It is based on the novel by Charmaine Wilkerson. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on August 12, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: and have as much history to them as Eleanor Bennett’s in the film. We got into some of the history of forced adoption and mother and baby homes in . Need a clearer articulation of what it means to be white presenting versus white passing (with visuals)? Check out this from American cultural critic, Toure. Where is a person to go to find a good explanation of the difference between privacy and secrecy? To an unlicensed rando on Instagram, of course. Stephanie Rigg is a relationship coach (read: uncredentialed), and we have seen exactly one of her , but her definition makes sense to us: privacy is when something doesn’t concern you and you have no reason to know, but if you did know, it wouldn’t be a problem. Secrecy is deliberate concealment, because it could come with negative consequences if you knew about it. Everyone in the consequence-averse Bennett family kept secrets. Charmaine Wilkerson, “,” Elle (January 25, 2022) “,” She Writes Magazine (January 2025) “,” The Adoptee Next Door Podcast (December 4, 2025) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/42109115

The Sheep Detectives (2026) – Adoption on the Big Screen 08/05/2026

The Sheep Detectives (2026) – Adoption on the Big Screen E035 | The Sheep Detectives (2026) – Adoption on the Big Screen Whodunnits are a staple of American popular culture, and so are adoptees, so it only makes sense that every so often they come together in a film made for the whole family! Amazon MGM Studios’ The Sheep Detectives stars Hugh Jackman as a shepherd in what G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote “plays like an episode of Murder She Wrote—if Jessica Fletcher were a sheep instead of Angela Lansbury.” Join podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer as we try and solve the mystery of why adoptive parents in Hollywood feel the need to portray adopted people as money grubbing murderers. The Sheep Detectives was written by Craig Mazin and directed by Kyle Balda. It is based on the novel, Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. Subsequent to recording this episode, Sullivan had occasion to read it and, to no one’s surprise, it does not contain an adoption storyline. Forget our rant about the negative portrayal of adoptees, the real mystery is why American filmmakers think everything is made better by shitty adoption storylines. FFS. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on August 5, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: G. Allen Johnson, “’The Sheep Detectives’ review: Hugh Jackman gets upstaged by sheep in this unexpectedly funny mystery,” (May 6, 2026). Jacqueline Weiss, “Hugh Jackman’s 2 Kids: All About Oscar and Ava,” (July 10, 2025). Bailey Bujnosek, “All About Hugh Jackman and Deborrah-Lee Furness’s Two Children, Oscar and Ava,” (May 29, 2025). Oliver Milman, “Hugh Jackman on adoption in Australia: ‘It’s almost like they try to put you off,’” (September 13, 2015). Abrazo Adoption Associates, “” (February 4, 2025). The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/41654055

The Jerk (1979) – Adoption on the Big Screen 07/29/2026

The Jerk (1979) – Adoption on the Big Screen E034 | The Jerk (1979) – Adoption on the Big Screen With one of the most famous opening lines in comedic cinema history, 1979’s The Jerk follows Navin Johnson (played by Steve Martin in his first starring role), the white, adopted son of Black Mississippi sharecroppers. The film was a box office success; it was one of the top 10 highest grossing films of 1979 alongside classics Kramer vs. Kramer, Rocky II, Apocalypse Now, Alien, the Amityville Horror, Star Trek, Ten, and the Muppet Movie, all of which we would rather have watched, but we promised Pop! Star Lee we would do The Jerk. Join podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer as we revisit a 1970s-era adoption story that hasn’t aged well. But do they ever? The Jerk was written by Carl Gottlieb, Michael Elias, and Steve Martin. It was directed by Carl Reiner. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on July 29, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: If Kristal has you nostalgic for Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids, you can rewatch the famously funny scene . Steve Martin, who plays 18-year-old Navin Johnson, was 33 at the time of filming. According to Wikipedia, author is known for “writing about young adults struggling with mortality and chronic illness,” including cancer, diabetes, organ failure, and the deaths of loved ones through disease or suicide. Knowing what passes for light entertainment to adult Haley, it tracks that these were some of young Haley’s favorites. is a 1990 young adult novel by Caroline B. Cooney. In 1995 it was adapted into a of the same name, starring Kellie Martin, which we are absolutely going to put on our list for future Pop! episodes because Sullivan remembers watching it on TV. In the alternative, we might also do one of the five films released between 1999 and 2024 with the exact same premise. FFS. What we won’t be doing, however, is the by Robin Jones Gunn, though we’re glad she had fun staying with wealthy Aunt Marti and Uncle Bob in Newport Beach. At the time of filming, the 29,000 square foot “Beverly Estate” that serves as wealthy Navin Johnson’s home had been purchased just three years before for $473,000. The home was later renovated and, at 50,000 square feet, last sold for $126 million in 2022. In case you too have more money than you know what to do with. Gregg Kilday, “,” The Hollywood Reporter (June 4, 2015) Andrew Buss, “,” Consequence of Sound (December 31, 2019) American Film Institute, “” The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . Whatever you say, Stove. /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/41684660

Meet the Robinsons (2007) – Adoption on the Small Screen 07/22/2026

Meet the Robinsons (2007) – Adoption on the Small Screen E033 | Meet the Robinsons (2007) – Adoption on the Big Screen We love getting recommendations from our Pop! Stars and, while we slot every one into our queue at some point, having an “in” can help bump a recommendation to the top of the list. Who picked this? Evie Parke said we must do the 2007 Disney animated film, Meet the Robinsons. (Give us a break; adoptees don’t get to do legit nepotism very often!) Join podcast journalist Haley Radke, Evie’s mom, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer as we break down yet another “wholesome” film that begins with the relinquishment of a child. Meet the Robinsons was directed by Stephen Anderson. It is based on A Day With Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce, a children’s book which does not include an adoption storyline. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on July 22, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: , “faith and family-focused reviews for today’s media,” “approves” Meet the Robinsons for all ages, awarding it “five doves.” It also “encourage[s] parents of adopted children to watch the film with their kids and discuss their feelings about the situations expressed.” Dove’s mission is to “encourage and promote the creation, production, distribution and consumption of wholesome family entertainment.” Adoption Pop! Episode 18, aired on April 8, 2026. To be clear, Sullivan doesn’t actually think this film was making a satirical reference to 1967’s The Graduate, in which a new grad sleeps with his father’s law partner’s wife. She’s just trying to make sense of Franny Robinson’s waist being the same circumference as her neck, while still having what appear to be full Cs. Edwin L Carpenter, “Meet the Director of Disney’s ‘Meet the Robinsons,” at . “Director Steve Anderson at the Meet the Robinson’s Premier,” at . Jérémie Noyer, “How director Steve Anderson Met the Robinsons!” for . The was developed by a group of scholars, and it offers ways to think about how marginalized groups develop awareness about oppressive systems and structures both as individuals, and as a collective, to engage in activism for social justice. The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . Coo-coo-ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson. /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/41635060

Finding Your Roots – Kristin Chenoweth (2026) – Adoption on the Small Screen 07/15/2026

Finding Your Roots – Kristin Chenoweth (2026) – Adoption on the Small Screen E032 | Finding Your Roots – Kristin Chenoweth (2026) – Adoption on the Small Screen To be an adoptee in the 21st century is to know a little something about spitting into test tubes. Podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer have all had this experience, as has the Tony and Emmy award-winning star of the stage and screen, Kristin Chenoweth, who is herself a US baby-scoop era adoptee. Chenoweth was featured on an episode of the PBS documentary series, Finding Your Roots, where host Henry Louis Gates presented her with a “book of life;” information researched and compiled by professional genealogists, including photos, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera documenting Chenoweth’s biological familial lineage and ancestral history. It’s more than most of us can ever hope for, but we’re happy to see a fellow adoptee get some answers! Even Kristal. Finding Your Roots is written and presented by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on July 15, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Kristin Chenoweth has been acting for over thirty years. You can find a list of her credits . Since recording this episode, Sullivan had occasion to read Kristin’s 2022 children’s book, What Will I Do With My Love Today? (Actually, she found an online reading by .) A story about a little girl who looks suspiciously like one imagines Kristin must have looked, the protagonist goes about town doing good deeds, including adopting a puppy, complete with paperwork signed by her parents, which feels like an unnecessary detail for a children’s book, until you get to the part where the girl tells her puppy, “When I was a baby, no bigger than you, my mommy and daddy adopted me too… adoption means family, and family’s forever.” Sullivan gives it two-stars/C-/3 out of 10 for persistent factual inaccuracies (for a child to be adoptable, a family must be separated; also, the prevalence of estrangement in our community, as well as adoptive parent rehoming, mitigates against the idea that “family’s forever”), and the comparison of adoptees to pets. Do not recommend. Kristin’s 2009 memoir is A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages (with Joni Rodgers). Kristin talks about meeting her biological mother on a January 17, 2023 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark (Ryan Seacrest guest co-hosting) . The video in which Kristin describes reuniting with her sister, and the impact of meeting biological relatives is “” from the DNAngels Org YouTube channel. Content warning for Kristin getting completely ambushed by the person off-camera asking the questions, though she handles it with grace. As we do. You can find and purchase one of Kristal’s I 🖤 Adoptees or It’s Because I’m Adopted hats . The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/41605035

Shrinking Season 3 (2026) – Adoption on the Small Screen 07/08/2026

Shrinking Season 3 (2026) – Adoption on the Small Screen E031 | Shrinking Season 3 (2026) – Adoption on the Small Screen The Apple TV comedy, Shrinking, follows a group of therapists, their friends and loved ones, all of whom seem to have unhealthy attachment issues, including the characters Brian and Charlie who, at the end of Season 2 (which we covered on Adoption Pop! Episode 30) were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Ava’s baby so they could adopt. Join podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer as we submit this nine-time Emmy award nominated show to analysis, on this episode of Adoption Pop! Thank you to Pop! Stars Lila and Chriszine for suggesting we cover Shrinking. Shrinking was created by Brett Goldstein, Bill Lawrence, and Jason Segel. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on July 8, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Want to twin it up with Haley? You can order “It’s Because I’m Adopted” caps at . Haley maintains a list of adoptee therapists featured on the Adoptees On podcast at her . Kristal alludes to a 2001 episode of in which Will Colbert (played by Brad Pitt, then-married to Jennifer Aniston) discloses that he and Ross maintained an “I Hate Rachel Green Club” in high school. With the password Pop!Star you too can be part of our club at wehatelizbishop.com. Because no one ever accused Sullivan of not committing to a bit. In September 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission sent to unlicensed adoption intermediaries. The National Council for Adoption, a pro-adoption 501(c)(3), also unlicensed intermediaries, which are illegal in many states. According to , Shrinking was renewed for a fourth season ahead of the Season 3 premier. FFS. The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/41549585

Shrinking Season 2 (2024) – Adoption on the Small Screen 07/01/2026

Shrinking Season 2 (2024) – Adoption on the Small Screen E030 | Shrinking Season 2 (2024) – Adoption on the Small Screen As adopted people, we know a little something about therapy. In fact, fellow adoptee, Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker maintains who identify as adoptees, and who work with adoptees and adoptive families. But do you know where you won’t find any adoption-competent therapists? On the Apple TV comedy, Shrinking. Produced by Kip Kroeger and starring Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, and a bevy of other recognizable names and faces, the series follows Jimmy, a therapist grieving the death of his wife and, in so doing, decides to get radically, and wildly inappropriately involved in his patients’ lives. Everyone on this show is all up in everyone else’s business, including Jimmy’s best friend Brian who, in Season 2, embarks upon—you guessed it—a quest to adopt a baby with his partner Charlie. Thank you to Pop! Stars Lila and Chriszine for suggesting we cover Shrinking. Shrinking was created by Brett Goldstein, Bill Lawrence, and Jason Segel. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on July 1, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Haley maintains a list of adoptee therapists featured on the Adoptees On podcast at her . , recently spoke about narcissism in adoptive parents on the show. In September 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission sent to unlicensed adoption intermediaries. The National Council for Adoption, a pro-adoption 501(c)(3), also unlicensed intermediaries, which are illegal in many states. Maybe Stuart was serious when he said he had babies in his trunk. operated the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, a front for an illegal child trafficking and adoption business, which she ran from the 1920s to 1950s. The concise definition of “fetishization” that Sullivan reads during this episode is taken from “Flattering or Fetishizing? Racial Minority Group Members Respond Negatively to Racial Dating Preferences Favoring Their Racial Group,” by Michael Thai et al., in . Kimberly McKee, (Ohio State University Press, 2023). provides fairly accurate information about the length of time it takes to adopt. (Commensurate with the web page’s tone, we left the subject out of that sentence). Emily Longeretta, “,” Vanity Fair (March 24, 2023). Kelsey Lentz and Nicole Pomarico, “,” People (March 5, 2026). The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/41461785

Big Daddy (1999) – Adoption on the Big Screen 06/24/2026

Big Daddy (1999) – Adoption on the Big Screen E029 | Big Daddy (1999) – Adoption on the Big Screen Limp Bizkit in the discman, punchlines built on misogyny and homophobia, and Adam Sandler on the big screen… it must by the 90s on Adoption Pop! Join podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer, as we revisit the polarizing humor of Big Daddy, a film that was both a box office success and a 5-time Golden Raspberry nominee. “Once you adopt a kid, you have to keep him,” the film’s promotional poster tells us; and once you start listening to this episode, you’ve got to listen all the way through to the end. Even if you’re dumber for it. Big Daddy was written by Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy, and Adam Sandler; and directed by Dennis Dugan. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on June 24, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: According to Miriam Webster, an is a “substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, artist, or composer.” As in, “Of Adam Sandler’s oeuvre, Sullivan likes 1995’s Billy Madison the best. She is, after all, a true 90s kid.” Julian “Frankenstein” Garrity is played by twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse. Surprise adoptions have occurred on this pod before, in and . And we have a sinking feeling we haven’t seen the last of them. According to a June 1999 , a 1200 square foot SoHo loft “would go for $4,000 a month and up.” And if you’re listening to this episode on the day that it drops from the comfort of that same, two-bedroom loft, you and your roommates are probably splitting the rent bill four to six ways. Unless you’ve got that influencer money. (Hey Apartments.com, Zillow, Redfin, StreetEasy, somebody – call us! We wipe our own asses!) According to Adoption Choices of Arizona, “,” and, according to the post, “one of Adam Sandler’s best roles to date.” Even we don’t have a good joke for this one. The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . Knibb High Football rules! /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/41386825

Little Bird Episodes 4-6 (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen 06/17/2026

Little Bird Episodes 4-6 (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen E028 | Little Bird Episodes 4-6 (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen In part two of this two-part episode, we cover the last three episodes of Little Bird, the Canadian dramatic series following a First Nations woman adopted into a Jewish family during the Sixties Scoop as she attempts to reconnect with her family and heritage. Based on real events of the past and present, Little Bird was the winner of six Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Drama, Best Direction, Best Lead Performer, Best Supporting Performer, Best Ensemble Performance, and Best Achievement in Casting. Join Canadian podcast journalist Haley Radke and Opaskwayak Cree filmmaker Kristal Parke, alongside cultural critic Sullivan Summer, as we close out this emotional episode of Adoption Pop! Little Bird was created by Catherine Bainbridge, Hannah Moscovitch, and Jennifer Podemski. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers is the director. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on June 17, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: The research debunking the myth that "babies are blank slates" is plentiful. Here are just a few articles: "," Yale Baby School; "," Science Daily (May 7, 2009); "," Psychology Today (August 10, 2011); "," Technology Networks (February 20, 2024). Allyson Stevenson “,” Achieve History (October 19, 2017) Sullivan mentioned an article by an adoptive mother who said, had she known at the time she adopted what she knows today, she would not have done so. With the daily enshittification of the internet and internet search (thank you AI-obsessed overlords), we can no longer locate that article. We have, however, found this interview with adoptive mom “Diana,” which gets to the same issue. So now Sullivan has read two articles. Kristen Tsetsi, “,” Medium (November 22, 2024). , CBC Nick Zarzycki, “,” Toronto Life (March 20, 2024) Lorraine Carpenter, “,” Cult MTL (June 13, 2023) , a film by Kristal Parke Allyson D. Stevenson, “Our Indian Program” operated by Louise Wise Services: Different Eligibility Requirements for Different Children 1961 The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/41381500

Little Bird Episodes 1-3 (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen 06/10/2026

Annie (1982) – Adoption on the Big Screen 06/03/2026

Annie (1982) – Adoption on the Big Screen E026 | Annie (1982) – Adoption on the Big Screen We think you’re gonna like it here on this episode of Adoption Pop! We’re just thinkin’ about 10-year-old Aileen Quinn in the role that would make her a star—in the film that became the blueprint for a better life. The 1982 big screen adaption of the 1977 Tony-winner, Annie was not well received by critics upon its release. It has just a 50% Rotten Tomatoes score, proving, if nothing else, that no one cares for you a smidge when you’re in an orphanage. Give the maid the night off, and turn the kitchen light off—let’s go to the movies with podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer. Annie (1982) was written by Carol Sobieski and directed by John Huston. It was based on the 1977 Broadway musical by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin, and Thomas Meehan. The cartoon strip, Little Orphan Annie is by Harold Gray. More on him below. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on June 3, 2026. Since airing we received feedback from one of our Pop! Stars that we could have, and should have, done a more thorough job breaking down the negative depiction of the orphanage and of Miss Hannigan during the episode. Why was it depicted as such a horrible place? Perhaps because doing so justifies the adoption and, importantly, sets the adoptee up to be "forever grateful" for their "rescue" from such a place. This narrative, while incredibly popular in the media (and in real life) is harmful to adoptees. We do not owe anyone gratitude for having been adopted. In the episode we discussed and/or relied upon: At the time of this recording, the legendary Carol Burnett is 93 years old. In 1998 hip hop artist Jay-Z sampled “” from the 1977 musical for his song, “.” It peaked at number 15 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and was named by VHI as number 11 on their list of . Actor Albert Finney was a cool 46 when he played bald billionaire Oliver Warbucks in Annie. (Sullivan regrets not calling out Kristal’s hypocrisy on this one, because she distinctly remembers Kristal dogging bald men back on : Love is Blind Season 1 UK (2024). But we guess that’s what show notes are for.) The song “Maybe” was made for adoptee resonance. In case you need it, . Harold Gray, creator of the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, does not appear to have had any connection to adoption. According to , he could trace his ancestry back to the 17th century, and his mentions two wives, but no children. The Times also reports that Little Orphan Annie was modeled after a “street urchin” Gray met in Chicago. He made his cartoon Annie an orphan, “so she’d have no family, no tangling alliances, but freedom to go where she pleased.” The book Annie is by Thomas Meehan. The audio version is narrated by Annie Potts. Five stars. Kristen Martin, The Sun Won’t Come Out Tomorrow: A Dark History of American Orphanhood (2025) John Huston, An Open Book (1980) Evelyn Keyes, Scarlett O’Hara’s Younger Sister: My Lively Life In and Out of Hollywood (1977) Stanley Green, Broadway Musicals Show by Show, Ninth Edition (2019) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . We love you Miss Hannigan. /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/41289145

Jersey Shore Family Vacation Season 8 (2025) – Adoption on the Small Screen 05/27/2026

Jersey Shore Family Vacation Season 8 (2025) – Adoption on the Small Screen E025 | Jersey Shore Family Vacation Season 8 (2025) – Adoption on the Small Screen Before Bravo had a summer house in the Hamptons, MTV had a place on the Jersey Shore, where for six seasons Pauly D, J-Woww, Sammi Sweetheart, Vinny, Ronny, The Situation, and Snooki partied like it was the 2010s. The show spawned seven spinoffs, including Jersey Shore Family Vacation, back in summer 2026 for a ninth and final season. The gang is always up to something, including Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi who, last season, was up to reuniting with her birth mother for the very first time. Podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer have poofs and thoughts in equal measure on this one. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on May 27, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: If you, like Haley, struggle with the lingo, you can find a handy-dandy Jersey Shore dictionary . Nicole speaks to her birth mother on Jersey Shore Season 8, Episode 2 “Running … for Pizza.” offers ways to think about how marginalized groups develop awareness about oppressive systems and structures both as individuals, and importantly as a collective, in order to engage in activism for social justice. It was created by JaeRan Kim, Susan Branco, Grace Newton, Paula O’Loughlin, and Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter. is an adoptee, an investigative genealogist, and a DNA expert. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, “,” YouTube “” Jersey Shore Family Vacation on YouTube “, ” TooMuchInfo on YouTube The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at and on . Cabs are here! /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/41054880

Virgin River Season 7 (2026) – Adoption on the Small Screen 05/20/2026

Law & Order “Charity Case” (2007) – Adoption on the Small Screen 05/13/2026

Law & Order “Charity Case” (2007) – Adoption on the Small Screen E023 | Law & Order “Charity Case” (2007) –Adoption on the Small Screen For more than 30 years, the people of New York City have been represented by two separate, yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. This is just one of their stories. Join podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer as we take on a television institution, Law & Order, and just one of the adoption stories it ripped from the headlines over the years. A celebrity adoptive mother, an African AIDS orphan, and those two, iconic notes: duh duh. What could go wrong? Law & Order “Charity Case” aired on January 12, 2007. It was written by Nicholas Wootton and directed by Michael Pressman. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on May 13, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Dallas Real Housewife LeeAnne Locken’s exact quote is: “I’m exhausted. My weave is exhausted. The pantiliner on my underwear is exhausted.” And we’re exhausted from looking for this video. You can watch it . Licensing the L&O theme song is well beyond the Adoption Pop! budget—even the iconic scene change duh duh is copyrighted music garnering royalties for composer Mike Post. Watch him talk about it, and listen to the real thing, . Free of charge. Mamuno is a small village settlement on the Botswana side of the Botswana-Namibia border in Africa. Madonna’s (2008) documentary was directed by Nathan Rissman. Journalist Jacques Peretti’s counternarrative, Madonna & Mercy ‘What Really Happened’ is available in six parts on YouTube. Part 1 is . Koh Ewe, “,” Vice (April 27, 2022). (pronounced CH-lum-skee) plays personal assistant and nanny Mary Calvin to ’s Sofia Archer in this L&O episode. Anna entered the GenX zeitgeist as Vada Sultenfuss in 1991’s My Girl and, more recently, played reporter Vivian Kent in Netflix’s , about New York City con artist, . This is a lot of Annas for one entry. The text of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 is . Robin F. Hansen, Prison Born: Incarceration and Motherhood in the Colonial Shadow (University of Regina Press, 2024). Listen to an interview with the author . You can read more about forced separation of incarcerated mothers and children in Susan Hatters Friedman et. al, “,” The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online (May 2020). is a registered 501(c)(3) organization empowering families, and providing education and resources to make truly informed decisions in the face of unplanned pregnancy. The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , and wherever you get your podcasts. Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . RIP Thomas J. /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40727420

Mommie Dearest (1981) – Adoption on the Big Screen 05/06/2026

Mommie Dearest (1981) – Adoption on the Big Screen E022 | Mommie Dearest (1981) – Adoption on the Big Screen For adoptees, Mother’s Day can carry complexity and tough emotions. So we decided to lean all the way into the discomfort with a film legendary critic Roger Ebert called “unremittingly depressing,” writing that he could not “imagine who would want to subject themselves to this movie.” Roger Ebert obviously never met podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer, all of whom subjected themselves to a film that is two hours and nine minutes of pure activation for adopted people: Mommie Dearest. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on May 6, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford (1978) Christina Crawford on the (1978) “Method” refers to a style of acting preparation developed by actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski, and popularized in the US by Lee Strasberg by which the actor makes use of experiences in their own lives to bring them closer to the character. In the episode, Sullivan references a study showing a prevalence of narcissism in adoptive mothers. She was referring to t which, to clarify, looks at infertile women, not adoptive mothers specifically. Joan Crawford, My Way of Life (1971) A. Ashley Hoff, With Love, Mommie Dearest (2024) Charlotte Chandler, Not the Girl Next Door: Joan Crawford, A Personal Biography (2008) Faye (2024) directed by Laurent Bouzereau American Film Institute’s 100 Years … American Film Institute’s 100 Years … Roger Ebert, “” (January 1, 1981) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40727300

Wuthering Heights (2026) – Adoption on the Big Screen 04/29/2026

Wuthering Heights (2026) – Adoption on the Big Screen E021 | Wuthering Heights (2026) – Adoption on the Big Screen We went deep into the canon for this one, dusting off and stitching together a whole undergraduate English literature syllabus (with Cliffs Notes, Sparks Notes, note cards, and whatever else we were using to make it through our book reports pre-Chat GPT) to bring you our take on Emily Brontë’s 1847 gothic romance classic, Wuthering Heights. Whether you’re pro the most recent Emerald Fennell blockbuster, or prefer to stick closer to the original text, you won’t be disappointed by hot and steamy (and cringey) adoptee-centered takes from podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer. Thank you to Pop! Star Justin for suggesting we cover Wuthering Heights! This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on April 29, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Haley’s high school literature faves are: by William Golding (1954); by George Orwell (1949); and , also by George Orwell (1945). Can you say “adoptee dystopia?” If you too could use an Earnshaw-Linton family tree, you can find one . Fun fact: Actor , Heathcliff in the 2009 Masterpiece version of Wuthering Heights, went on to marry , the actress who played his Catherine, and who probably doesn’t want to hear Kristal talk about her husband’s top lip. Heathcliff is 6 or 7 years old when Mr. Earnshaw returns with him from Liverpool. Catherine is around 17 when she marries Edgar Linton, and dies the following year, making her one half the age of the actress who plays her in the 2026 film version. Eyebrow raise. Licensed Clinical Social Worker Leslie Pate McKinnon does work in the area of genetic sexual attraction. You can hear more from her in of the Adoptees On podcast. Actress played Isabella Linton in the 2026 film version. Five stars. Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847) has been adapted numerous times. We watched the following versions: directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi (); for Masterpiece starring Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley (); directed by Peter Kosminsky and starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche (); directed by William Wyler and starring Laurence Olivier and Marle Oberon (). Winifred Gerin, Emily Brontë: A Biography (1971) Muriel Spark and Derek Stanford, Emily Brontë: Her Life and Work (1966) Norma Crandall, Emily Brontë, a Psychological Portrait (1957) Jackie Kay, Red Dust Road (2010) Maja-Lisa von Sneidern, “Wuthering Heights and the Liverpool Slave Trade,” ELH (1995) Reginald Watson, “Images of Blackness in the Works of Charlotte and Emily Brontë,” CLA Journal (2001) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . Heathcliff = 3. Catherine = 0. /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40727265

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) – Adoption on the Big Screen 04/22/2026

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) – Adoption on the Big Screen E020 | The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) – Adoption on the Big Screen April showers bring May flowers or, in the wonderful world of Disney, they bring you a whole child. The Odd Life of Timothy Green follows young Timothy Green, a boy who appears to have been born from the garden of Jim and Cindy, played by Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner, a couple grieving their inability to have a child. Podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer have a lot to say about this one, on this episode of Adoption Pop! The story The Odd Life of Timothy Green was written by Ahmet Zappa. Peter Hedges wrote the screenplay and directed the film. (How did we miss this during recording? It’s like an ice cream man named Cone). This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on April 22, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: The hyacinth macaw is the largest parrot in the world, measuring about 1 meter in length, or 3 feet 3 inches for the Americans, or WTAF is wrong with you for Sullivan. The Giving Tree is a 1964 picture book by author illustrator Shel Silverstein that, according to his , is “a poignant picture book about love and acceptance.” Disagree. This tree gives the entitled little shit everything: his apples, his leaves, his branches, even his trunk to sit on when the boy becomes an old man and that fucker never says “thank you” not one time. We love you Shel, but this ain’t it. A.O. Scott, “,” New York Times (August 14, 2012). The Odd Life of Timothy Green was set in the fictional town of Stanleyville, USA, but it was filmed in locations across Georgia and North Carolina, so you can understand Sullivan’s confusion. The botanist leaf-snipper in the film is played by , three years before his magnum opus, Hamilton, premiered at New York’s Public Theater and turned him, and Alexander Hamilton, into contemporary household names. Jennifer Garner plays adoptive mother Vanessa Loring in the film (2007). Ann Lieber, “,” Theater Mania (August 15, 2012). The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40418470

Friends “The One With the Donor” (2003) – Adoption on the Small Screen 04/15/2026

Friends “The One With the Donor” (2003) – Adoption on the Small Screen E019 | Friends “The One With the Donor” (2003) – Adoption on the Small Screen Adoption Pop! has done sitcoms before, but this is perhaps the mother of all sitcoms: Friends, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004, and ushered into the mainstream a hairstyle, a pick-up line, and the idea that your friends could be your family. More than 50 million people tuned in for the series finale in 2004, the one where Monica and Chandler adopt, but their journey had to start somewhere—why not start with John Stamos sperm donor? Podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer break it all down in “The One With the Donor.” Friends “The One With the Donor” aired on May 8, 2003. It was written by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen, and directed by Ben Weiss. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on April 15, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: , created by and starring Quinta Brunson, is a mockumentary sitcom following a group of dedicated elementary school teachers in Philadelphia. At the time of this writing, the show is in its fifth season. The word Haley was searching for was “fallacy.” According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, a “fallacy” is an idea that a lot of people think is true but is, in fact, false. Like, to say adoption is a “win-win-win” for birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees is a fallacy. John Stamos played Zach, the would-be sperm donor in this episode of Friends. And while we appreciate his good looks and aversion to water rings on the coffee table, we’re not sure we want his sperm. There are several communities out there for donor-conceived people, including , which provides support and resources. Rennie Burke et al., “,” Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics (April 1, 2021). For more information about the Canadian father-son megadonors, check out Kelly Greig, “,” for CTV (March 10, 2026). Adoptees On Kelsey Miller, I’ll Be There For You: The One About Friends (Hanover Square Press, 2018). Gretchen Sisson, Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood (St. Martin Press, 2024). The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40408785

Family Ties “Baby Boy Doe” (1984) – Adoption on the Small Screen 04/08/2026

Family Ties “Baby Boy Doe” (1984) – Adoption on the Small Screen E018 | Family Ties “Baby Boy Doe” (1984) – Adoption on the Small Screen We have Pop! Star Judi to thank for taking us on this journey to a time when adoption jokes got the studio audience roaring, lying to kids passed for good parenting, and one real mother was all that anyone was allowed. No, we’re not talking about 2025; we’re talking about 1984! Join podcast journalist, Haley Radke, filmmaker, Kristal Parke, and cultural critic, Sullivan Summer, for this nostalgic romp back in time to one of the most popular family sit coms of the 1980s. What would we do, baby, without us? Family Ties “Baby Boy Doe” aired on March 8, 1984. It was written by Ruth Bennett and Alan Uger, and directed by Will Mackenzie. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on April 8, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: For episodes Kristal has said she’s basically “Sullivan’s little sister,” and now she wants into Gen X? Tell us you’re an Elder Millennial without telling us you’re an Elder Millennial. The Family Ties theme song, “,” was used from the second season onward. It was written and composed by Jeff Barry and Tom Scott, and performed by Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams. Family Ties was filmed before a live studio audience. Steven Quincy Urkel (played by ) was the fictional, nerdy next-door neighbor of the Winslow family on the ABC/CBS sitcom, , which aired from 1989 until 1998. It was a Millennial thing. Mallory Keaton was played by writer, director, producer, and Gen X royalty, . According to Miriam Webster dictionary, “real” is defined as: (a) having objective independent existence; (b) not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory; (c) occurring or existing in actuality, making it possible to have two “real” mothers, if an adopted person chooses to so define them. An additional definition, “measured by purchasing power,” however, might not apply as universally. LFO’s “,” with its line, “Fell deep in love but now we ain’t speaking / Michael J. Fox was Alex P. Keaton,” came out in 1999. It was a Millennial thing. Lauren Novak, “,” ReMIND (January 29, 2026). Amanda Baden et al., “,” Journal of Family Issues (June 2019) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Millennial podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Millennial filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Gen X cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . Sha-la-la-laaaa. /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40171020

Adopted (2009) – Adoption on the Small Screen 04/01/2026

Adopted (2009) – Adoption on the Small Screen E017 | Adopted (2009) – Adoption on the Small Screen Why would we spend an hour talking about a film that went straight-to-video, has a 31% on the Popcornmeter, and not enough critical reviews to have received a Rotten Tomatoes score? Because that film is about adoption, of course! Join podcast journalist, Haley Radke, filmmaker, Kristal Parke, and cultural critic, Sullivan Summer, as we celebrate the Pauly Shore mockumentary, Adopted. (Yeah, we didn’t have “celebrate Pauly Shore” on our Adoption Pop! Bingo card either). Adopted was written and directed by Pauly Shore. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on April 1, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Angelina Jolie adopted from Africa in 2005. Madonna adopted from the continent in 2006, 2009, and 2017. The press surrounding these adoptions was significant, but if you want to learn more, we suggest you skip the tabloids and head for Veronia S. Root’s, “,” Chicago Journal of International Law, Volume 8, Number 1 (2007). Pauly Shore is the son of Sammy Shore, a comedian, and Mitzi Shore, who co-founded, owned, and operated The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, a venue known for featuring up-and-coming comics. It’s good to be a nepo baby. According to Miriam Webster, a mockumentary is “a facetious or satirical work (such as a film) presented in the style of a documentary.” The film may or may not be improvised in whole or in part. Allegations of abuse and assault at Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy for Girls surfaced in . The prioritizes the child’s best interest, favors a child receiving care within their home country, and safeguards against adoption for financial gain or child trafficking. The US has signed, but not ratified, the treaty, making it the only UN member state not to have ratified. Make of this what you will. Dan Persons, “,” Huffington Post (June 15, 2010) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40170965

The Truman Show (1998) – Adoption on the Big Screen 03/25/2026

The Truman Show (1998) – Adoption on the Big Screen E016 | The Truman Show (1998) – Adoption on the Big Screen Long before we all had front-facing screens in our pockets—even before it would have occurred to us to use the term “front-facing screen”—there was somebody born to be on camera: Truman Burbank. The first baby to have been legally adopted by a corporation, Truman and his namesake show were watched, loved, and protected by millions of fans around the world—right up until he started to question that world’s reality. Join podcast journalist, Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic, Sullivan Summer as we revisit a favorite, The Truman Show, on this episode of Adoption Pop! Thank you to Pop! Star Frankie for this episode suggestion via Spotify. The Truman Show was written by Andrew Niccol and directed by Peter Weir. (If you start “” now and read really slow, it will soundtrack these entire show notes) This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on March 25, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: When Sullivan said, “the march of the Storm Troopers,” she was obviously talking about John Waters’s, “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)” from The Empire Strikes Back, the NPE theme songs to rule all NPE theme songs. But you know all of this already because you’re listening to it in the background. And because you’re probably just a little bit evil. played Sheriff Alan J. Pangborn in the 1993 film , adapted from Stephen King’s 1991 novel of the same name. There’s this one scene near the end when everything is coming to a head, and it’s cold and its dark and it’s raining, and Ed Harris gets out of his truck and he wants to get everyone’s attention, so he pumps his shotgun with one hand… The was developed by JaeRan Kim, Susan Branco, Grace Newton, Paula O’Loughlin, and Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter. Hannah Andrews, “,” Medium (April 10, 2023) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, what you’d like for us to cover in the future, and whether you, too, have been radicalized by us. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , , and . Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40091985

Philomena (2013) – Adoption on the Big Screen 03/18/2026

Philomena (2013) – Adoption on the Big Screen E015 | Philomena (2013) – Adoption on the Big Screen A young woman shamed, banished, and indentured—yet faith survives for Philomena Lee who, after 50 years of separation, embarks upon a search for the son she was forced to relinquish inside one of Ireland’s notorious mother and baby homes. Podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer take on Philomena, adapted from journalist Martin Sixsmith’s The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, and starring Judi Dench as the title character in a film that had our Irish eyes weeping, all 29-30% of them. Philomena was written by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, directed by Stephen Frears, and based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by Martin Sixsmith. For those watching on YouTube, Haley’s necklace–worn in honor of Philomena and the birth mothers–was designed by adoptee in response to Kay Jewelers’ advertisement and jewelry celebrating adoption. The tattered, torn, tarnished heart of “The Adoption Pendant” conveys the loss that adoption brings to adoptees and first mothers. The stone is set wrongly to represent adoptees who feel they have never fit in with the adoptive family or the world due to the loss of their original identity. You can purchase the necklace . This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on March 18, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Martin Sixsmith, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee (2010) According to Wikipedia, , also known as Magdalene asylums, were run by the Roman Catholic church in Ireland ostensibly to house “fallen women,” though they actually functioned as penitentiary workhouses. A for the women who worked, and who died in the laundries, was issued by the State in 2013. You can read more about them in Ireland and the by Claire McGettrick et al. (2021). Rory Carroll, “,” The Guardian (January 13, 2021) The Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes produced by the Irish government, all 2,865 pages of it, is available (January 12, 2021). , BBC Radio 4 (2015) Judi Dench, “,” Variety (January 7, 2014) “,” The Sydney Morning Herald (November 17, 2011) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40082065

Song Sung Blue (2025) – Adoption on the Big Screen 03/11/2026

Song Sung Blue (2025) – Adoption on the Big Screen E014 | Song Sung Blue (2025) – Adoption on the Big Screen Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of bein’ a king, and then became one? Well, except for the names, and a few other changes, you’ve got the Hollywood adaptation of a little-known documentary profile of the Milwaukee Neil Diamond tribute act known as “Lightning and Thunder.” Song Sung Blue hit theaters on Christmas Day in 2025, garnering generally favorable reviews, and a slew of Best Actress nominations for Kate Hudson for her melodic portrayal of Claire “Thunder” Sardina, a woman who battles back to the stage after losing a leg in a freak car accident, developing an addiction to pain meds, and insisting her daughter relinquish her baby. Good times never seemed so good. Song Sung Blue was written by Craig Brewer and Greg Kohs, and was directed by Craig Brewer. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on March 11, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: The film Song Sung Blue is based on the of the same name by Greg Kohs. You can read Kohs’s essay about the making of the doc . Fact check: Dolly Parton has been the subject of not one, but two biopics. plays a young Dolly growing up in rural Tennessee in 2015’s and its follow-up, in 2016. Fact check: Depictions of smoking can affect a film’s rating. Hollywood studios also each have their own policies regarding on-screen smoking, outlined by IndieWire. And a 2025 article by Adriana Albini in details the history of smoking depictions on-screen. (We normally try to rely on less-biased sources than Cancerworld, but there’s a good chance our other content has already weeded out the nicotine-cancer-connection-deniers, so we’re going to stick with it). is the lead singer and guitarist of Pearl Jam, among other bands. A 2011 Rolling Stone readers’ poll named him seventh on the list of “Best Lead Singers of All Time.” (We normally try to rely on less-biased sources than Rolling Stone, but we stand by the spirit of the list, and agree that Eddie Vedder is, in fact, a national treasure). Gerrad Hall, “Fact vs. fiction in Song Sung Blue: heart attacks, a horrific accident, and Eddie Vedder’s unexpected call,” Entertainment Weekly (December 26, 2025). Paul Grein, “38 Actors Who Were Oscar-Nominated For Playing Real Musicians & Singers,” Billboard (January 22, 2026). It took longer than anticipated, but Haley has finally given Kristal her stage name, which is "Citrine." Listen for her in future episodes. In the meantime, listen to Neil Diamond’s “.” You’re welcome. The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , and wherever you get your podcasts. Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40060605

Task (2025) – Adoption on the Small Screen 03/04/2026

Private Practice “Apron Strings” (2012) – Adoption on the Small Screen 02/25/2026

Private Practice “Apron Strings” (2012) – Adoption on the Small Screen E012 | Private Practice “Apron Strings” (2012) – Adoption on the Small Screen The Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Private Practice followed OB/GYN Addison Montgomery for six seasons from 2007 until 2013, where she and a who’s who of middle-aged eye-candy treated patients at an oceanside wellness center. In a case of art imitating life, Addison, like showrunner Shonda Rhimes, adopts a baby. But when baby Henry’s mother comes back into his life after 8 months away, Addison’s humanity is tested, along with the audience’s ability to hold multiple truths at once. Private Practice “Apron Strings” aired on November 20, 2012. It was written by Gabe Fonseca, Elizabeth Klaviter, and Gabriel Llanas; and directed by Amyn Kaderali. Thank you Pop! Stars Gretchen and Lora for this episode recommendation. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on February 25, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: In case you missed it: On Season 1 of Grey’s Anatomy, Derek Shepherd (“McDreamy”) was dating Meredith Grey. Then, in the Season 1 finale, his estranged wife Addison shows up. She meets Meredith and she says, “Hi. I’m Addison Shepherd.” (Very dramatic). Then, in Season 2 we learn Addison had an extramarital affair with Derek’s best friend, Mark Sloan (“McSteamy”), who also comes to work with them at the hospital. There will be a Pop! quiz later. Actor played Detective Rey Curtis on Law & Order Seasons 6-9. If Sullivan had a hall pass… The (ICWA) prioritizes keeping native children within their tribes and communities, over placement with non-native families. “,” Call Her Daddy podcast (October 8, 2025) “,” O Magazine (December 2006) Rickie Solinger, Wake Up Little Suzy: Single Pregnancy and Race Before Roe v. Wade, 2nd edition (2000) Ann Fessler, The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade (2007) Gretchen Sisson, Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood (2024) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our , , , , and wherever you get your podcasts. Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at and on , , and . Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at , on , , , and . Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at , on , and on . Pop! quiz: Which Adoption Pop! cohost is the funniest? (a) Sullivan (b) Sullivan (c) Sullivan (d) Sullivan /episode/index/show/6ce62b00-e947-41c2-9cc3-5a642d2ba14d/id/40060505

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