Ben Smith had a front row seat to momentous shifts in the media that changed newspapers and magazines forever. In the early 2000s, readers began flocking to websites like Gawker and the Huffington Post for gossip, news and information. After Smith became the founding editor of BuzzFeed News, he decided to publish the Steele Dossier, the controversial report containing allegations about a conspiracy between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government. We talk about Traffic, Smith’s book about the media revolution and the race to go viral. “Now What?” is produced with help from Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Patrick McAndrew. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.

John Waters is having a moment. The filmmaker, who's also known as the Prince of Puke and the Duke of Dirt, is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He says he hopes it will be near the one celebrating Alvin and the Chipmunks. Plus, LA’s Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is honoring Waters with an exhibit that features some of his old cameras and props like the exploding wig worn by Debbie Harry in Hairspray, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary. And Waters will be making another movie, his first in more than 18 years. It’s based on his book Liarmouth, a novel that includes stories of satanic babies and tickle fetishism. We talked about why John Waters paints on his mustache and what it means to be weird in this conversation from May 2022. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Patrick McAndrew. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.