Remember the 2010s? Ubers were cheap, Obama was president, and you could get legitimately famous just by having a lot of Twitter followers.

Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, hilarious and insightful hosts of Bridget's favorite podcast Celebrity Memoir Book Club, take us back to the era when viral tweets led to real book deals — and what those memoirs reveal about Internet fame, publishing, and the culture we've created.

LISTEN TO CELEBRITY MEMOIR BOOK CLUB: https://www.youtube.com/@celebritymemoirbookclub

 

If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at hello@tangoti.com! 

 

Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week.

  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ 

  tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc 

  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet 

  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember the 2010s? Ubers were cheap, Obama was president, and you could get legitimately famous just by having a lot of Twitter followers.
Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, hilarious and insightful hosts of Bridget's favorite podcast Celebrity Memoir Book Club, take us back to the era when viral tweets led to real book deals &mdash; and what those memoirs reveal about Internet fame, publishing, and the culture we've created.
LISTEN TO CELEBRITY MEMOIR BOOK CLUB: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@celebritymemoirbookclub">https://www.youtube.com/@celebritymemoirbookclub</a>
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at hello@tangoti.com!&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week.
&nbsp;&nbsp;instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marginalized voices have always been at the forefront of the internet, yet our stories often go overlooked. Bridget Todd chronicles our experiences online, and the ways marginalized voices have shaped the internet from the very beginning. We need monuments to all of the identities that make being online what it is. So let’s build them.

There Are No Girls on the Internet

The Twitter-to-Fame Pipeline of the 2010s (w/ Celebrity Memoir Book Club)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6b2d98d8-1397-472e-abfe-b32201843972/transcript

Publishing is having a trust crisis. With AI accusations swirling around authors like Mia Ballard, whose novel Shy Girl was dropped by her publisher despite her denying any AI use, questions about authenticity in publishing have never felt more urgent. But this kind of chaos isn't new. We saw it coming.

We're revisiting one of our wildest deep dives: the Cait Corrain Goodreads scandal. Corrain had a highly anticipated debut novel, Crown of Starlight, coming out in 2024 — until she admitted to using fake Goodreads accounts to review bomb other writers' forthcoming books. Most of her targets were Black or queer authors. Corrain is white.

The story has a lot of twists and turns, including a fabricated conversation with a completely made-up person that Corrain invented to take the fall.

Canadian author Xiran Jay Zhao was the first to bring it to wider attention, noticing that Crown of Starlight was getting glowing reviews from the same accounts trashing other books — some of which weren't even out yet. Zhao also compiled a 31-page Google document of screenshots and receipts: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1__mO1uqIqcmupBAPKwXDzlUbZIwtY6fKf0S1Y0SNz0E/edit?tab=t.0

Let us know what you think by emailing hello@tangoti.com or leaving a comment on Spotify.

Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !

Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Publishing is having a trust crisis. With AI accusations swirling around authors like Mia Ballard, whose novel Shy Girl was dropped by her publisher despite her denying any AI use, questions about authenticity in publishing have never felt more urgent. But this kind of chaos isn't new. We saw it coming.
We're revisiting one of our wildest deep dives: the Cait Corrain Goodreads scandal. Corrain had a highly anticipated debut novel, Crown of Starlight, coming out in 2024 &mdash; until she admitted to using fake Goodreads accounts to review bomb other writers' forthcoming books. Most of her targets were Black or queer authors. Corrain is white.
The story has a lot of twists and turns, including a fabricated conversation with a completely made-up person that Corrain invented to take the fall.
Canadian author Xiran Jay Zhao was the first to bring it to wider attention, noticing that Crown of Starlight was getting glowing reviews from the same accounts trashing other books &mdash; some of which weren't even out yet. Zhao also compiled a 31-page Google document of screenshots and receipts: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1__mO1uqIqcmupBAPKwXDzlUbZIwtY6fKf0S1Y0SNz0E/edit?tab=t.0">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1__mO1uqIqcmupBAPKwXDzlUbZIwtY6fKf0S1Y0SNz0E/edit?tab=t.0</a>
Let us know what you think by emailing <a href="mailto:hello@tangoti.com">hello@tangoti.com</a> or leaving a comment on Spotify.
Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at <a href="http://loveatfirstprompt.com">LoveAtFirstPrompt.com</a> !
Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!&nbsp; ||&nbsp; instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||&nbsp; youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Goodreads Scandal That Predicted Publishing's AI Crisis 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b9dba8c2-919d-47e4-b9c3-b4220134f77b/transcript

Investigative journalist Karen Hao was covering OpenAI years before most of us had ever heard the words "ChatGPT" or "large language model." Her best-selling book, "Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI," paints a gripping and damning portrait of the company's evolution from a sort of nonprofit to an empire-seeking tech juggernaut, drawing on her deep familiarity with the company as well as candid accounts from insiders. 

 

She is one of the most influential and respected tech journalists covering the AI industry today. 

 

In this interview, she shares the story of how she came to journalism, what she's learned from a decade of covering OpenAI and Sam Altman, and what she sees as the biggest threats of AI to intimacy, the environment, privacy, healthcare, and democracy. 

 

Karen has a new podcast published by the BBC called "The Interface," and it is brilliant. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, or by following this link: https://link.mgln.ai/theinterface-TANGOTI  

 

Conversation with Karen is featured prominently in Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships, "Love At First Prompt." Pre-order your copy today at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com ! 

Let us know what you think about this interview by emailing hello@tangoti.com or leaving a comment on Spotify. 

 

Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigative journalist Karen Hao was covering OpenAI years before most of us had ever heard the words "ChatGPT" or "large language model." Her best-selling book, "Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI," paints a gripping and damning portrait of the company's evolution from a sort of nonprofit to an empire-seeking tech juggernaut, drawing on her deep familiarity with the company as well as candid accounts from insiders.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
She is one of the most influential and respected tech journalists covering the AI industry today.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
In this interview, she shares the story of how she came to journalism, what she's learned from a decade of covering OpenAI and Sam Altman, and what she sees as the biggest threats of AI to intimacy, the environment, privacy, healthcare, and democracy.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Karen has a new podcast published by the BBC called "The Interface," and it is brilliant. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, or by following this link:&nbsp;<a href="https://link.mgln.ai/theinterface-TANGOTI">https://link.mgln.ai/theinterface-TANGOTI</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Conversation with Karen is featured prominently in Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships, "Love At First Prompt." Pre-order your copy today at <a href="http://loveatfirstprompt.com">LoveAtFirstPrompt.com</a> !&nbsp;
Let us know what you think about this interview by emailing <a href="mailto:hello@tangoti.com">hello@tangoti.com</a> or leaving a comment on Spotify.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!&nbsp; ||&nbsp; instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||&nbsp; youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social
&nbsp;
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Altman Isn’t Building a Company, He’s Building an Empire (with Karen Hao) 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/92ed50f5-85c6-411e-a211-b41e01553c0c/transcript

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike are covering the tech news stories you might have missed.

Chappell Roan bodyguard controversy fueled by bots online, research finds: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/chappell-roan-bodyguard-backlash-bots-b2947029.html 

An AI-generated woman in images with President Trump has been going viral on conservative social media: https://wapo.st/3NtfbUi 

Meta and YouTube lose two landmark court cases about harm to users: 

. . California woman sues Meta and YouTube https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/social-media-trial-verdict.html

.. New Mexico Attorney General sues Meta https://mashable.com/article/new-mexico-meta-court-case-meta-loses

Comedian Druski published a hilarious short video titled "How Conservative Women in America act" and MAGA is real mad: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1s48bw5/druski_parodies_erika_kirk_in_a_new_skit_how/ 

..Druski church parody: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/58hfPPHCRIU

..Druski NASCAR parody: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/G32siPZXgx0

Barely six months after AI-video app Sora was released to much hype, OpenAI announced they are shutting it down: 

https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/openai-shutting-down-sora-video-disney-1236698277/ 

. . Listen to Bridget predict Sora's demise back when it was announced, in our episode from Oct 10, 2025: https://app.omnystudio.com/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/programs/ad016d13-045e-48f3-9aa5-ae280172b27d/clips/66368931-ff00-467b-97fe-b3730017b21b/details

. . Some of Sora's main use cases are filling the internet with racist and misogynistic slop:

https://www.threads.com/@raisingself/post/DWP08hZmCOj?xmt=AQGzqaZ-H3abT0EW2lfRTONANK8dwciIx844aGm48QTIrQ

..Disney's Sora Disaster Shows AI Will Not Revolutionize Hollywood: https://www.404media.co/disneys-openai-sora-disaster-shows-ai-will-not-save-hollywood/

Black filmmaker Nina Lee asked audiences to watch an unrelated Black rom-com in theaters to help convince studios that Black films are viable. We support Black filmmakers, but in Bridget's opinion this way of thinking is a trap. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/you-me-tuscany-black-rom-coms_n_69c57cb8e4b0a6ee60c3dfa3/amp

Judge dismisses lawsuit by Musk's X Corp accusing advertisers of illegal boycott: https://www.reuters.com/world/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-by-musks-x-corp-accusing-advertisers-illegal-boycott-2026-03-26/

Let us know what you think by emailing hello@tangoti.com or leaving a comment on Spotify.

Pre-order Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com ! 

Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike are covering the tech news stories you might have missed.
Chappell Roan bodyguard controversy fueled by bots online, research finds: <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/chappell-roan-bodyguard-backlash-bots-b2947029.html">https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/chappell-roan-bodyguard-backlash-bots-b2947029.html</a>&nbsp;
An AI-generated woman in images with President Trump has been going viral on conservative social media: <a href="https://wapo.st/3NtfbUi">https://wapo.st/3NtfbUi</a>&nbsp;
Meta and YouTube lose two landmark court cases about harm to users:&nbsp;
. . California woman sues Meta and YouTube <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/social-media-trial-verdict.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/social-media-trial-verdict.html</a>
.. New Mexico Attorney General sues Meta <a href="https://mashable.com/article/new-mexico-meta-court-case-meta-loses">https://mashable.com/article/new-mexico-meta-court-case-meta-loses</a>
Comedian Druski published a hilarious short video titled "How Conservative Women in America act" and MAGA is real mad:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1s48bw5/druski_parodies_erika_kirk_in_a_new_skit_how/">https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1s48bw5/druski_parodies_erika_kirk_in_a_new_skit_how/</a>&nbsp;
..Druski church parody: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/58hfPPHCRIU">https://www.youtube.com/shorts/58hfPPHCRIU</a>
..Druski NASCAR parody: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/G32siPZXgx0">https://www.youtube.com/shorts/G32siPZXgx0</a>
Barely six months after AI-video app Sora was released to much hype, OpenAI announced they are shutting it down:&nbsp;
<a href="https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/openai-shutting-down-sora-video-disney-1236698277/">https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/openai-shutting-down-sora-video-disney-1236698277/</a>&nbsp;
. . Listen to Bridget predict Sora's demise back when it was announced, in our episode from Oct 10, 2025: <a href="https://app.omnystudio.com/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/programs/ad016d13-045e-48f3-9aa5-ae280172b27d/clips/66368931-ff00-467b-97fe-b3730017b21b/details">https://app.omnystudio.com/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/programs/ad016d13-045e-48f3-9aa5-ae280172b27d/clips/66368931-ff00-467b-97fe-b3730017b21b/details</a>
. . Some of Sora's main use cases are filling the internet with racist and misogynistic slop:
<a href="https://www.threads.com/@raisingself/post/DWP08hZmCOj?xmt=AQGzqaZ-H3abT0EW2lfRTONANK8dwciIx844aGm48QTIrQ">https://www.threads.com/@raisingself/post/DWP08hZmCOj?xmt=AQGzqaZ-H3abT0EW2lfRTONANK8dwciIx844aGm48QTIrQ</a>
..Disney's Sora Disaster Shows AI Will Not Revolutionize Hollywood:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.404media.co/disneys-openai-sora-disaster-shows-ai-will-not-save-hollywood/">https://www.404media.co/disneys-openai-sora-disaster-shows-ai-will-not-save-hollywood/</a>
Black filmmaker Nina Lee asked audiences to watch an unrelated Black rom-com in theaters to help convince studios that Black films are viable. We support Black filmmakers, but in Bridget's opinion this way of thinking is a trap. <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/you-me-tuscany-black-rom-coms_n_69c57cb8e4b0a6ee60c3dfa3/amp">https://www.huffpost.com/entry/you-me-tuscany-black-rom-coms_n_69c57cb8e4b0a6ee60c3dfa3/amp</a>
Judge dismisses lawsuit by Musk's X Corp accusing advertisers of illegal boycott: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-by-musks-x-corp-accusing-advertisers-illegal-boycott-2026-03-26/">https://www.reuters.com/world/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-by-musks-x-corp-accusing-advertisers-illegal-boycott-2026-03-26/</a>
Let us know what you think by emailing&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hello@tangoti.com">hello@tangoti.com</a> or leaving a comment on Spotify.
Pre-order Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at <a href="http://loveatfirstprompt.com">LoveAtFirstPrompt.com</a> !&nbsp;
Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!&nbsp; ||&nbsp; instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||&nbsp; youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social

Erika Kirk Druski Parody; Chappell Roan's Bot Army; Meta Loses in Court; & OpenAI Kills Sora – News Roundup

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/52cf5dfc-d807-4fec-8183-b41b0043c680/transcript

The Twitter-to-Fame Pipeline of the 2010s (w/ Celebrity Memoir Book Club)

In 1 playlist(s)

There Are No Girls on the Internet

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips