Intro for March 12, 2026

Dear Gossips,

Lainey is headed to Los Angeles, where she will cover the Oscars red carpet for ETALK, which means I am in charge of the candy factory for the next few days. I would warn you about the traps and hazards built into the candy factory, but these exist to weed out my successor.

Yesterday, Conan O’Brien, who is returning for his second stint as host of the Oscars, rolled out the red carpet at the Dolby Theater. He did so while wearing denim coveralls, a collared shirt, and a tie. This is a look that like, six people maximum, in the entire world, can pull off. Conan is one of them.

Conan’s first round of hosting went so well, the expectations are very high for his sophomore effort. But this year will be a little different, for while the films of 2025 are generally good and should make for some fun roasts, well, there were a lot of high-profile celebrity deaths last year, too. The “in memoriam” is going to be rough, but there will also be some kind of tribute to Rob Reiner, who was friends with Conan. At the red carpet ceremony, Conan wasn’t super anxious to talk about the tribute plans:

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As we get ready for Oscar weekend, it’s a natural time to look back at 2025 and see what lessons can be learned from the year in film. One thing that has emerged is demographic proof that Gen Z, the top end of which is now approaching 30, has become the driving economic force of pop culture. The Hollywood Reporter has an article titled “Can Gen Z Save Hollywood?”, which is the least asinine thing they’ve written recently.

I have mentioned before that I don’t particularly like “generation war” framing of stories like this, partly because it’s needlessly divisive, but also because these things move in waves. Every generation has their moment driving hip youth culture, every generation has their moment driving the economy, and every generation eventually becomes old and uncool. Millennials are not “stepping back”, we have, as a cohort, aged into our 30s and 40s. Millennials are now in the economic driver’s seat, when we are at our peak earning and spending powers—which is bad news for everyone because we’re f-cking broke and can’t buy homes, or expand families, or invest in retirement savings, or do any of the things that mark traditional economic success. Have fun with our sh-tass economy!

Zoomers, meanwhile, are moving into the pop culture pole position, driving hip youth culture. The only thing that concerns me there is data suggesting that Gen Z prefers PG movies. If you thought the nostalgia-driven pop culture of Millennials was bad, wait until everything is a f-cking Bambi remake. Can a generation PLEASE come along with a taste for original, character-driven, adult-oriented drama? Can Gen Alpha grow up nostalgic for the indie filmmaking boom of the 1970s?

Otherwise, this is all moving in the natural ebbs and flows of age. I’m less interested in pitting generations against each other and suggesting one generation “failed” to save Hollywood through economically unprecedented times that occurred at the exact same moment as gross corporatist merger mania, and more interested in what it means for a new generation to take that pop culture bird seat. I hope the PG thing isn’t permanent, but more a sign that a good chunk of Gen Z are still in high school and growing up. I actually want to see the movies Gen Z inspires, the art they create for themselves, and see how they view the world compared to my own generation (who grew up in the wake of Gen X’s post-ironic culture). But I’m not gonna lie, if Millennials preferred PG-13 entertainment, and Zoomers prefer PG entertainment, I’m a little worried where this is going.

Live long and gossip,

Sarah