You and I Are in a Parasocial Relationship

On this week’s episode of The Cut, co-host B.A. Parker tries to pinpoint the line between stanning and creeping when it comes to celebrity and fandom. She speaks with Cut Instagram editor Taylor Roberts about the infamous couch guy and with senior writer Katie Heaney, who first wrote about parasocial relationships in 2017. Parker also sits down with podcast host Sam Sanders and OG YouTuber Connor Franta to discuss what it’s like to be on the receiving end of these one-sided relationships.

Elizabeth Holmes conned many people. Reportedly among them: Betsy DeVos and her family, whom she’s said to have pumped for millions. When Sara Blakely sold a majority stake in Spanx to Blackstone last week, the deal valued the shapewear company at $1.2 billion. To celebrate, she is gifting employees two first-class plane tickets and $10,000 to spend on their trip. There’s a scientific explanation for your urge to sniff old books. Now, terrible news: There’s yet another “horrifying wake-up call” of a UN climate report that probably won’t effect any change. And the FBI says hate crimes rose 16 percent between 2019 and 2020, with the total number of incidents hitting a two-decade high. But wait, there’s more: The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial ruled that the men he shot and killed may be called “rioters’” and “looters” but not “victims.” Let’s end on a positive note, though: The United States has issued its first passport with an “X” gender designation.

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