Cancel Me, Daddy

Think cancel culture is new? The Catholic Church invented it in the Middle Ages. Being burned at the stake was the ultimate deplatforming. In the 15th and 16th centuries, figures like Joan of Arc, Giordano Bruno, and Jan Hus faced the stake for the crime of heresy. But was heresy actually just a way to crush dissent? This week, medievalist and historian Eleanor Janega (@GoingMedieval) joins Katelyn and Christine to unpack history’s original cancel culture. From the Vatican's "Community Guidelines" to the trial of Galileo, we look at how institutions have always used moral panic to maintain power. Scheduling Note: Cancel Me, Daddy will return in January 2026. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! Thank you for tuning in—we appreciate you so much.  Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy! Links for Apple: Subscribe to the Gone Medieval podcast via History Hit, Apple, or Spotify  Follow Eleanor Janega on Bluesky: @goingmedievalBuy Eleanor’s book, The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society, via The Flytrap Media’s Bookshop.org storefront  Cancellation List Patreon Supporters: Megg, I Beuregard, Alison, Siobhan Green, Maggi Joseph, Leslie Zavisca, Summer Lark, Amy Veeres, Matt See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Olivia Nuzzi is in the headlines again for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a source. Nuzzi’s former partner, Ryan Lizza, is using his newsletter to make the claims about Nuzzi and…former Republican presidential candidate Mark Sanford in 2020. Lizza’s ongoing, multi-part series about Nuzzi amid her book launch is an uncomfortable read for its florid prose and revenge porn vibes. Never forget: The New Yorker fired Lizza for unspecified sexual misconduct allegations in 2017, at the height of the #MeToo movement. Meanwhile, Lizza continues to target Nuzzi, who committed one of the most serious public ethical breaches in journalism with former Democratic-turned-independent presidential candidate and current Trump administration Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  This week, Katelyn and Christine discuss the mess with Marisa Kabas, the acclaimed independent journalist who founded The Handbasket. As Kabas says, moral rot in elite journalism is killing the whole field. Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy! Links: Marisa Kabas for The Handbasket: https://www.thehandbasket.co/p/moral-rot-elite-journalism-nuzzi-lizza-rfk-jr-trumpKatelyn Burns for Burns Notice: https://www.burnsnotice.com/olivia-nuzzi-is-an-embarrassment-to-journalism/The Guardian on Mark Sanford's Argentina scandal: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jun/24/mark-sanford-infidelity-south-carolinaOlivia Nuzzi on Joe Biden's fitness: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/conspiracy-of-silence-to-protect-joe-biden.htmlKatelyn Burns for Vox on Biden/Sanders LGBTQ record: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/6/21167777/sanders-biden-lgbtq-voters See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Democrats’ recent, high-profile gubernatorial and mayoral victories across the country proved the value in candidates sticking to their pro-equality values. Whereas former presidential candidate Kamala Harris dodged Republicans’ notorious, bigoted anti-transgender playbook from the 2024 presidential election cycle, Virginia’s governor-elect, Abigail Spanberger, and New Jersey’s governor-elect, Mikie Sherrill, confronted pronoun panic and proved that Democrats are, indeed, for you in being there for everyone. New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani produced extra credit with his ad highlighting legendary trans and gay rights activist Sylvia Rivera. Mamdani highlighted trans people’s essential role in NYC history and how he’ll help trans people in the future as part of his official mayoral platform. This week, Katelyn and Christine cancel anti-trans political ads with help from friend of the pod Laurel Powell, director of communications for the Human Rights Campaign and an advocate in her own right. Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy! Links: Follow Laurel Powell on Bluesky at @laurelpowell.net and check out her website, www.laurelpowell.netKatelyn Burns for MSNBC: Democrats’ big election wins showed they don’t need to hide their support for trans rightsAmanda Becker for The 19th: Democrats responded to anti-trans attacks this year — and wonLyz Lenz for Men Yell at Me: You can run a Mamdani in Iowa and winKatelyn Burns for Burns Notice, You Have to See This Mamdani AdKatelyn Burns for Burns Notice, He Doesn't Even Go Here - Sick Burns 10/17/2025Cancel Me, Daddy: Democrats Were Banned From Saying These Progressive Words?? (aka Canceling Centrist Language Nannies)German Lopez for Vox: HB2, North Carolina’s sweeping anti-LGBTQ law, explained Christine Grimaldi for The Atavist Magazine: The Shadow and The Ghost See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There’s a lot of overlap between cancel culture and cultural panics in which the anti-hero of the week profits off their notoriety. This week, Kate and Christine co-host a very special crossover episode with Panic World, journalist Ryan Broderick’s podcast about how the internet warps our minds, our culture, and eventually reality. As we like to say at Cancel Me, Daddy, “all the panic around cancel culture” can result in even more notoriety—and visibility—for our favorite canceled people. From Dave Chappelle, to disgraced Maine Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner, to, alas, Donald Trump, none seem poised to exit the national stage anytime soon. Stream Cancel Me, Daddy on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy! Links: Follow Katelyn on Bluesky: @katelynburns.comFollow Christine on Bluesky: @yourombudsmomFollow Ryan on Bluesky: @ryanhatesthis.bsky.social/Katelyn Burns for Burns Notice: You Can't Run the Nazi Tattoo Guy Against Susan from "The County"Jamelle Bouie, Gene Demby, Aisha Harris, and Tressie McMillan Cottom for Slate: I'm Not Your Racial ConfessorMerch Me, Daddy—Cancel Me, Daddy’s merch store! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Cancel Culture Grift Economy™ has once again rewarded Bari Weiss. Support CMD on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cancelmedaddy CBS News anointed Weiss—the former New York Times op-ed columnist turned so-called Free Press founder—as the broadcast network’s editor-in-chief. What was once a mainstream media mainstay is poised to transform into a reactionary mouthpiece. Weiss will report directly to parent company Paramount CEO David Ellison, a billionaire aligned with Donald Trump. Join Katelyn, Christine, and “Cancellation Guncle” Michael Hobbes, journalist and co-host of the popular podcasts Maintenance Phase and If Books Could Kill, to discuss how the imminent media transformation threatens free speech and rigorous journalism. Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy! Follow Katelyn on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katelynburns.com Follow Christine on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/yourombudsmom.bsky.social Follow Michael on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/michaelhobbes.bsky.social If Books Could Kill Bari Weiss episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/cg/podcast/a-bari-special-bonus-episode-teaser/id1651876897?i=1000589386352 CMD episode about Jimmy Kimmel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE3ERIoEQwE&pp=ygUPY2FuY2VsIG1lIGRhZGR5 CMD episode with Smith College professor: https://podcasts.apple.com/cg/podcast/america-uncancelled/id1550508625?i=1000511540271 Media Matters: https://www.mediamatters.org/washington-post/wash-post-health-care-reporter-has-history-spreading-misinformation-about-abortion Katelyn Burns for Xtra: https://xtramagazine.com/power/politics/bari-weiss-cbs-the-free-press-media-277156 Merch Me, Daddy—Cancel Me, Daddy’s merch store, https://cancelmedaddy-shop.fourthwall.com/ Links: Merch Store: https://cancelmedaddy-shop.fourthwall.com/ CMD Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cancelmedaddy CMD TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cancelmedaddypod CMD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cancelme_daddy/ CMD BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cancelmedaddy.bsky.social Linktree: https://linktr.ee/CancelMe_Daddy See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.