NOPE

Rachel Dodes and Brian Hecht are cousins who enjoy dissecting the most abominable news of the week and shutting it all down, usually over whiskey, sometimes with a guest. But don't despair...they always end with a YUP or two, beacons of hope amid all the #NOPE.

E148: All I Want for Christmas is NOPE! 12/24/2020

E148: All I Want for Christmas is NOPE! This week, as the Great Conjunction brought Saturn and Jupiter into alignment and kicked off a new astrological epoch, we say “Bye Felicia!” to 2020. We shut down the interregnum period, Presidential pardon power and cannibal sandwiches (a Wisconsin specialty). Finally, we delve into the three best Christmas songs of all time -- and Brian treats us to a rare live performance of Mariah music theory. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/17317292

E147: Dr. Biden Will See You Now! (feat. Alana Hope Levinson) 12/17/2020

E147: Dr. Biden Will See You Now! (feat. Alana Hope Levinson) Joined this week by a special guest–MEL Magazine deputy editor Alana Hope Levinson–we shut down the election denial holdouts, the Wall Street Journal’s misogynist editorial page, the two worst Christmas songs of all time, and a new mode of speaking known as “hustle husk.” /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/17229182

E146: Quadrillions of Lawyers! 12/11/2020

E146: Quadrillions of Lawyers! This week, the Texas attorney general filed a highly unusual lawsuit to overturn the election results in four states–none of which is Texas–because why not shoot the moon? Piers Morgan was mistaken for The Pigeon Lady from “Home Alone 2.” Mario Lopez scored the role of a lifetime, playing Colonel Sanders in a KFC-sponsored “mini-movie” on Lifetime. And a man stuck in quarantine caused a sensation on TikTok with his haute cuisine created using nothing but hotel-room appliances. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/17136509

E145: Sisterhood of the Traveling Monolith! 12/04/2020

E145: Sisterhood of the Traveling Monolith! This week, a metal monolith appeared in Southern California after visiting Northern Romania and the inside of a canyon in Utah. In possibly related news, a 7-foot sculpture of a penis went missing in Germany without a trace. An orgy in Brussels attended by government officials from nine European nations got out of hand when police arrived on the scene and were mistaken for strippers. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/17059553

E144: Pardon the Kraken! 11/26/2020

E144: Pardon the Kraken! This week, Canadians got a warning not to let moose lick their cars. Donald Trump pardoned turkeys Corn and Cob as well as chicken Michael Flynn. And Flynn’s very sane lawyer Sidney Powell alleged that Georgia’s Republican Governor conspired with dead Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez to hack Dominion voting machines in order to keep Doug Collins out of the upcoming Senate runoff. Got that? /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/16962050

E143: Itchy Cows and Boiled Chickens! 11/19/2020

E143: Itchy Cows and Boiled Chickens! This week, an Irish farmer enlisted the help of two Druids to move a rock that was knocked over 10 years ago by a bull, leading to a string fo bad luck. Playgirl magazine relaunched to great fanfare and market confusion. A vacationer landed himself in a Thai prison after posting a negative hotel review on TripAdvisor. Finally, an ophthalmologist and his camping buddies were fined and banned from Yellowstone National Park after they violated park rules by cooking a couple of chickens in a hot spring. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/16869530

E142: Live from Four Seasons Total Landscaping! 11/12/2020

E142: Live from Four Seasons Total Landscaping! Following Joe Biden’s decisive win on Saturday, we’ve been ignoring the Nopes this week and focusing on the Yups. We discuss the Biden-Harris victory speech playlist, celebrate the heroism of Stacey Abrams and toast to MSNBC mathlete, Steve Kornacki. Finally, we delve into two strange happenings in Pennsylvania: Rudy Giuliani’s decision to host a press conference in the parking lot of a mulch business and a Twitter scandal involving the Republican former Lehigh Valley commissioner and Patti LaBelle. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/16780106

Bonus Episode: Last Chance Poll Dance! 11/03/2020

Bonus Episode: Last Chance Poll Dance! We decided to channel our anxiety about the election into a podcast about our anxiety about the election. Join us as we shut down the rat-filled sinkhole that is Trump’s America and pray for a better future. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/16660328

E140: We're Packing the Supreme Court! 10/29/2020

E140: We're Packing the Supreme Court! This week, even the Vatican was trying to be a moderating influence as Handmaid Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court. The Trump Administration tried to enlist an unusual constituency to get early doses of the Covid-19 vaccine: professional Santas. A small Alpine town in Switzerland became a coronavirus hotspot following a dangerous yodelling competition. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/16593434

E139: Covid Update: From 'Roids to Raves! 10/16/2020

E139: Covid Update: From 'Roids to Raves! This week, Judge Amy Coney Barrett bobbed and weaved her way through her SCOTUS confirmation hearings with the help of a fly, wine, Jenga and some good old divine intervention. Donald Trump went back on the campaign trail to dance it out to “Macho Man,” even though he still has Covid. Also: we explore orgies in the time of corona. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/16423559

E138: Flies in Our Eyes! 10/09/2020

E138: Flies in Our Eyes! This week, as the White House remained shrouded in a cloud of Covid-19 particles and lies, Kamala Harris faced off against Mike Pence in the VP debate, which was overshadowed by the menacing presence a fly. We try our best to understand the mentality of undecided voters. In the Department of Innovation, we focus on two dangerous technologies: the “table sweater” for outdoor winter dining and a Bluetooth-enabled Qiui chastity belt, which unfortunately has some API vulnerabilities. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/16332356

E137: $750 is Less than Zero 10/01/2020

E137: $750 is Less than Zero This week, we shut down the debate from hell and Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s endorsement from Atilla the Hun. Brian unearths a letter he wrote to President Carter in 1980. And we explore a new service that bills itself as the Uber of bodyguards. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/16227674

E136: You'll Never Believe Who's a Furry! 09/17/2020

E136: You'll Never Believe Who's a Furry! This week, Michael Caputo had a meltdown on Facebook, Donald Trump was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and–spoiler alert–90-year-old retired Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a pardoned criminal, came out on Cameo as a member of the “furry” subculture. Also: we decide which animals emerged as the biggest winners and losers of the Covid-19 pandemic. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/16042841

E135: Life is Just a Bag of Soup! (feat. Lauren Mechling) 09/03/2020

E135: Life is Just a Bag of Soup! (feat. Lauren Mechling) This week, in between bouts of hurling soup cans at passersby, we shut down the controversial theories of two renegade orthodontists in Britain who have become a sensation in the incel community. A woman learned of her ex-husband’s infidelity in his New York Times wedding announcement, leading her to tell her own story in the New York Post. Finally, for our final Summer Music Series we discuss Quarterflash’s “Harden My Heart” with NOPE’s corridor correspondent, Lauren Mechling. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/15866162

E134: Melania Trump: A Rose in Bloom! 08/27/2020

E134: Melania Trump: A Rose in Bloom! The RNC kicked off this week with a trifecta of debacles: Steve Bannon was arrested by U.S. Postal Service Inspectors on a yacht, Republican Senator Martha McSally asked supporters to starve themselves and donate their food money to her campaign and–as we long suspected–evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. was revealed to have been in a throuple with his wife and a pool boy. Finally, for our Summer Music Series we discuss Prince’s underrated 1989 hit, “Batdance.” /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/15772877

E133: Susan B. Anthony, Felon No More! 08/20/2020

E133: Susan B. Anthony, Felon No More! This week, Donald Trump pardoned another dead person, two maniacs won Republican Congressional primaries, and the CEO of MyPillow is touting a new-yet-unproven miracle cure for Covid-19. A Melbourne artist is self-inseminating for a lockdown livestream performance art piece. To top it off–quite literally–we’re in the throes of a global pepperoni shortage. Finally, for our Summer Music Series we discuss another Italian adaptation, Laura Branigan’s 1984 hit, “Self Control.” /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/15683279

E132: Under (Water) Pressure! 08/14/2020

E132: Under (Water) Pressure! We shut down Donald Trump’s ongoing attempts to steal the election by dismantling the U.S. Postal Service. (On the plus side, he’s rolling back water-pressure regulations so he can powerwash his surgically implanted toupee.) Also on the docket: Jerry Falwell, Jr. gets caught with his pants down and a marauding band of wild boars strikes again, stealing a naked man’s laptop in Berlin. For our Summer Music Series this week, we discuss the disastrous video for an amazing song: Tina Turner’s “Typical /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/15608210

E131: Yo Semites! Let's Go to Australia! 08/06/2020

E131: Yo Semites! Let's Go to Australia! This week, we shut down the scourge of “mystery seeds” being sent to unsuspecting customers via Amazon. Amy Adams gets another shot at Oscars glory with a new film called “Nightbitch.” Jeffrey Epstein’s New York City mansion hits the market for $88 million. And finally, the latest edition of our Summer Music Series features “Obsession,” a 1984 hit by Animotion. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/15503048

E130: The Demon Vaccine is Here! 07/30/2020

E130: The Demon Vaccine is Here! This week, we shut down Donald Trump’s new trusted medical advisor, Dr. Stella Immanuel–aka Dr. Demon Sperm. Also on the docket: we explore the controversial #IAcceptTheChallenge black & white selfie campaign, the Chainsmokers concert/super-spreader event in the Hamptons, and a tour of Gigi Hadid’s apartment, where everyone is welcome. Last but not least, our latest Summer Music Series installment, featuring “Torture” the 1984 song off The Jacksons’ Victory album -- one of the worst videos of al /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/15408146

E129: Turkey Legs and Luscious Lips! 07/23/2020

E129: Turkey Legs and Luscious Lips! This week, we shut down the Trump campaign’s nonsense ‘911’ ad, a fish with luscious lips and Disney World’s draconian rules prohibiting walking while eating. We have some breaking news out of Italy about the death of Renaissance painter Raphael. Also: our Summer Music Series installment, featuring Go West’s 1990 hit, “The King of Wishful Thinking.” /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/15322121

E128: Help! We Can't Tweet! (feat. Conor Dougherty) 07/16/2020

E128: Help! We Can't Tweet! (feat. Conor Dougherty) This week we are joined by special guest Conor Dougherty, New York Times reporter and author of the new book “Golden Gates,” about the California housing crisis. We shut down the Battle of the Beans, a man-bites-seagull story out of England and the casting call for a Lord of the Rings prequel. Also: Deniece Williams’s iconic “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” is the latest installment in our NOPE Summer Music Series. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/15229568

Summer PSA: Back Next Week! 07/09/2020

Summer PSA: Back Next Week! Rachel's got shingles (the shingles?) and Brian's on vacation (the vacation?) ... which is to say we'll be back next week with a great #NOPE episode including the latest installment in our critically acclaimed Summer Music Series! And, oh yeah, we threw in some bonus content: two YUPs to get you through the break! /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/15131654

E127: Bronies Get Out the Vote! (feat. Erin Geiger Smith) 06/25/2020

E127: Bronies Get Out the Vote! (feat. Erin Geiger Smith) This week, we are joined by a very special guest: Erin Geiger Smith, author of the new book “Thank You For Voting.” We shut down Nazi Bronies, Mel Gibson’s antisemitic cocktail-party banter and Trump’s latest series of meltdowns over ramps, John Bolton and his long-lost niece Mary. Also: Captain and Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together” is the latest installment in our NOPE Summer Music Series. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/14959913

E126: Everybody Gets a Pentacle! 06/18/2020

E126: Everybody Gets a Pentacle! This week, Rachel attempts to give a Zoom tarot card reading and things are not looking good. Anti-bathing cult members were arrested in Hawaii for violating quarantine. A woman in China's car was damaged by falling tofu. eBay executives were arrested for sending a middle-aged Massachusetts couple “unwanted and disturbing deliveries” including live spiders and a bloody pig’s face. And the Nope Summer Music Series revisits the 1980s hit “Xanadu,” featuring Olivia Newton John and Gene Kelly on rolle /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/14869685

E125: Can't Stop the Music! 06/11/2020

E125: Can't Stop the Music! Just when we thought we had uncovered every possible way to die, a porn star was arrested in Spain for killing a man in a mystical ritual involving toad venom. Several editors at traditional media outlets have resigned owing to past racist behavior as well as present dereliction of duty. Who among us could have ever imagined that the winner of the Miss Hitler beauty pageant would be a neo-Nazi? And finally, we begin our Summer Music Series Donald Trump’s favorite anthem: “Macho Man” /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/14779232

E124: Let's Get Biblical! 06/04/2020

E124: Let's Get Biblical! The old adage is true: you can put lipstick on a pig but you cannot shit in a wig, as Lea Michele learned this week. We shut down the MAGA crowd’s attraction to the music of the Village People as well as Trump’s horrific photo op masterminded by Ivanka. We also address several social media nopes, such as comparing the #BlackLivesMatter movement to veganism. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/14690402

E123: Karens: Unmasked! 05/28/2020

E123: Karens: Unmasked! This week we shut down the wolves and the Karens. Specifically, two authors of so-called “wolf-kink erotica” are embroiled in a legal battle over who has dominion over a place called the Omegaverse. Meanwhile, an orchestra of Bolivian pan flautists are stranded in a haunted German castle surrounded by 23 packs of wolves. Also on the agenda: big nope to Central Park Karen, and a discussion of the plight of Karens who are not “Karens” (and the Amys who very much are.) /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/14596697

E122: In the Kitchen with Robert Pattinson! 05/21/2020

E122: In the Kitchen with Robert Pattinson! It’s been another terrible week. Since we last spoke, Alison Roman’s column has been temporarily suspended from the New York Times, leaving us stuck at home with ingredients but no delicious new recipes. Enter Robert Pattinson, who demonstrated how to make an innovative pasta dish in GQ Magazine this month. We also shut down the emerging Ronan Farrow controversy and the critically acclaimed (by him) biography of John Loeb, Jr. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/14506910

E121: We're Churning Butter Like It's 1899! 05/15/2020

E121: We're Churning Butter Like It's 1899! Our conversation this week extends from the Little House to the Waffle House, as Americans embrace 19th Century technology and get into fisticuffs over improperly prepared eggs. We also shut down Alison Roman v. Chrissy Teigen, shy eels in Japan, and the recently unearthed video for Umberto Tozzi’s 1979 hit, “Gloria.” /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/14427923

E120: Murder Hornets She Wrote! 05/07/2020

E120: Murder Hornets She Wrote! As we enter our second month of sheltering in place, we learned this week of more plagues: a Polar Vortex is about to hit the Eastern seaboard and Murder Hornets have made landfall in Washington state. Meanwhile, Elon Musk and Grimes welcomed their baby boy, named X Æ A-12 Musk and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has decided he has no choice but to eat his neighbors. Struggling with all this confusion and upheaval, we turn to the Asparagus Whisperer to find out what the future holds. /episode/index/show/thisweekinnope/id/14317994

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