Back Row with Amy Odell

I took off for the holiday this week, so I'm unlocking half of a previously paywalled episode in which podcaster and reality television/documentary expert Kate Casey and I rewatch The First Monday in May, the documentary about the planning of the 2015 Met Gala. Featuring Anna Wintour hob-knobbing with canceled celebs, bandying her venti Starbucks around the Met, and more!

Sign up for Back Row Premium to hear the full episode at BackRow.net to get newsletter access included with your subscription. Or sign up in Apple Podcasts or Spotify for podcast access only.

CHAPTERS:

02:20 – How ‘The First Monday in May’ Got Made

09:20 – The Story Behind the Alexander McQueen Exhibition

12:40 – Anna Wintour is an Outfit Repeater

17:20 – Anna’s Venti Starbucks Cup

27:00 – Could the Met Pull Off ‘China Through the Looking Glass’ Today?

33:50 – Subscribe for the Full Film Recap!

Follow Kate Casey:

↳ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katecaseyca/?hl=en

↳ YouTube: @realitylifewithkatecasey

↳ Reality Life with Kate Casey: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reality-life-with-kate-casey/id1154758766

↳ Substack:https://katecasey.substack.com?utm_source=navbar&utm_medium=web

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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were on television before they could talk and millionaires before they could read. Former Us Weekly editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford, author of the new Celebrity Intelligence newsletter, joins Back Row to break down the Full House casting story, the Dual Star empire, the billion-dollar licensing machine, and the NYU years that changed everything.

Part Two — revealing the secrets behind The Row — is available to Premium subscribers. Sign up at Back Row to get newsletter access included with your subscription, or in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:40 Dan Wakeford and Celebrity Intelligence

02:47 Why the Olsens are a unique case study

07:50 The Full House casting story

10:07 The reality of child stardom

16:22 How their personalities diverged early

19:49 From pennies to $80,000 an episode

26:27 The home video empire begins

33:28 The billion dollar licensing machine

48:00 Turning 18 and taking control

53:41 NYU and the paparazzi years

57:47 How everything changed

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Kim Kardashian spent 10 years being the most reviled woman at the Met Gala. Then she became the blueprint.

Cultural critic and psychoanalytic psychotherapist MJ Corey, author of Dekonstructing the Kardashians, joins Back Row to explain how Kim paved the way for the Tech Gala (04:42), why the hatred only makes her bigger (17:39), what the Paris robbery really did for her career (28:15), and why she's acting now (30:35).
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The full episode is for paid Back Row subscribers: backrow.net/subscribe

A note to listeners: On May 15, prices will increase to $8/month and $72/year. Upgrade to annual to lock in the lower rate. Or sign up at backrow.net/subscribe to get newsletter access included with your subscription and don't miss a single juicy story.

This episode contains spoilers.

We've waited 20 years for The Devil Wears Prada 2 — and it's better than expected. Rachel Tashjian of CNN joins me to break down what the sequel gets shockingly right about Anna Wintour, Vogue, and journalism's decline. We also cover Emily Blunt stealing the movie, whether the filmmakers got too close to Anna, and the billionaire character hiding in plain sight.

Chapters:

00:00 Spoiler warning & intro

05:56 How accurately does the film depict journalism?

17:34 Did the filmmakers get too close to Anna Wintour?

29:07 The billionaire characters: who is Benji really?

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This episode is sponsored by Margaux. First time shoppers get 10 percent off with the code BACKROW. A few of my favorite styles:


Wrap sandals

Phoebe flats

Downtown boot

The 2026 Met Gala was the most controversial in memory — and Back Row is telling you what the fashion press won't. Amy Odell and Heather Cocks of Go Fug Yourself and Drinks With Broads break down the biggest narratives from the night: the Bezos backlash, the protests outside, why Vogue's silence was deafening, and what it actually means that tech billionaires have taken over fashion's biggest night.

Plus: Beyoncé's return after 10 years, Blue Ivy's debut, the Kardashians and their nipples, Lauren Sanchez's Madame X look, why Jeff Bezos snuck in the back door, John Galliano and fashion's cancellation problem, and whether any of this controversy will actually stick.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

00:49 The Bezos Backlash and the protests

04:14 The Ball Without Billionaires

07:15 Vogue's silence on the controversy

10:31 Why tech billionaires are really at the Met

18:26 Lauren Sanchez's Madame X look

43:39 The Kardashians, Beyoncé, and the best and worst looks

49:15 Galliano, Anna Wintour, and fashion's cancellation problem

54:05 Will the controversy actually matter?

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Follow Heather Cox at Drinks With Broads and Go Fug Yourself.
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