Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Big laughs. Smart takes. Every day. Commotion is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critics, creators and friends to talk through the biggest arts & entertainment stories of the day, in 30 minutes or less.


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Recent Episodes
  • Why we love to gossip — and why that's not a bad thing
    Apr 21, 2025 – 00:22:22
  • Ryan Coogler's Sinners is a masterpiece, period
    Apr 18, 2025 – 00:27:15
  • Is it safe for trans artists to tour the U.S., and Canada's contribution to dancehall
    Apr 17, 2025 – 00:27:09
  • Canadian movies are better than ever. Why can't you find them easily?
    Apr 16, 2025 – 00:27:20
  • Does The Handmaid's Tale still meet the moment?
    Apr 15, 2025 – 00:27:12
  • The Last of Us S2 is here, and NCT Mark’s solo album finally dropped
    Apr 14, 2025 – 00:25:43
  • Viola Davis as President in G20, and the rom-com A Nice Indian Boy
    Apr 11, 2025 – 00:28:26
  • Is Wayne Gretzky still a Canadian hero?
    Apr 10, 2025 – 00:30:33
  • How doctors and nurses feel about medical dramas, and why Village Keeper became one of this year's most celebrated Canadian movies
    Apr 9, 2025 – 00:24:49
  • Bon Iver’s influence, and why everyone is still talking about Adolescence
    Apr 8, 2025 – 00:34:20
  • Did the slow burn of White Lotus S3 pay off, and the latest on AI fashion models
    Apr 7, 2025 – 00:24:49
  • Do we need a Minecraft movie? And Val Kilmer's best performances
    Apr 4, 2025 – 00:35:16
  • BONUS: Nintendo Switch 2 arrives
    Apr 3, 2025 – 00:08:05
  • New series Dying for Sex and the surprising truths about a terminal cancer diagnosis
    Apr 3, 2025 – 00:25:36
  • Remembering Bishop Brigante, and the Studio Ghibli memes made by ChatGPT
    Apr 2, 2025 – 00:29:14
  • Trump's Kennedy Center takeover, and why some are paying $1000 to see Denzel Washington in Othello
    Apr 1, 2025 – 00:25:52
  • Sum41, Anne Murray, Nemahsis, and Canadian pride at the 2025 Junos
    Mar 31, 2025 – 00:24:22
  • Should Canadian musicians tour in the U.S.?
    Mar 28, 2025 – 00:25:13
  • How the trade war could affect Canada's book industry, and Family Guy is a gateway to Anne Murray
    Mar 27, 2025 – 00:23:26
  • A new Hunger Games novel, and an update on No Other Land
    Mar 26, 2025 – 00:31:14
  • How The Studio pokes fun at the inner workings of Hollywood, and the new memoir The Tell
    Mar 25, 2025 – 00:25:13
  • The Severance finale, and why you kind of recognize every actor in The White Lotus
    Mar 24, 2025 – 00:25:38
  • The whole Snow White controversy explained, and the winners of Canada Reads
    Mar 21, 2025 – 00:31:25
  • What happened to The Hudson's Bay Company?
    Mar 20, 2025 – 00:25:26
  • Netflix's Adolescence and the radicalization of boys, and change at Loewe and Balenciaga
    Mar 19, 2025 – 00:31:21
  • Come From Away hits different now, and HBO's The Pitt
    Mar 18, 2025 – 00:25:11
  • How does Top Chef: Destination Canada represent our food?
    Mar 17, 2025 – 00:25:05
  • Watch or skip: Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, Can I Get a Witness? & The Electric State
    Mar 14, 2025 – 00:27:10
  • Does algospeak like 'seggs' and 'unalive' affect free speech? And the blockbuster Ne Zha 2
    Mar 13, 2025 – 00:25:11
  • Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17, and the problem with Law & Order Toronto's episode about encampments
    Mar 12, 2025 – 00:30:12
  • Tory Lanez and the politics of recording an album in prison
    Mar 11, 2025 – 00:24:47
  • Does it make sense to revoke Buffy Sainte-Marie's Juno Awards and Polaris Prizes?
    Mar 10, 2025 – 00:25:26
  • Lady Gaga returns with pop album, Mayhem
    Mar 7, 2025 – 00:33:16
  • How can artists meet Canada's new patriotism moment?
    Mar 6, 2025 – 00:36:55
  • Small Achievable Goals and menopause on the screen, and G-DRAGON's big comeback
    Mar 5, 2025 – 00:25:19
  • Meghan Markle’s big rebrand, and Anora’s portrayal of sex work
    Mar 4, 2025 – 00:26:30
  • Anora wins big, and other big moments and snubs from the Oscars
    Mar 3, 2025 – 00:26:08
  • P.K. Subban and the state of the NBA, and the new doc series Court of Gold
    Feb 28, 2025 – 00:27:03
  • Is the pop culture narrative about the ideals of journalism still true? And the show 'A Thousand Blows'
    Feb 27, 2025 – 00:30:13
  • Can fashion shows meet the moment? And Xavier Trudeau's new song
    Feb 26, 2025 – 00:24:51
  • What the new Amazon deal means for 007, and China's Korean culture ban
    Feb 25, 2025 – 00:24:46
  • Will Tate McRae's new album launch her onto pop's A-List, and Christie's first all-AI art auction
    Feb 24, 2025 – 00:24:48
  • The race for Best Picture and the politics of Oscar campaigns
    Feb 21, 2025 – 00:27:12
  • Kennedy Center cancellations, and the film Morningside
    Feb 20, 2025 – 00:26:21
  • The White Lotus S3, and hockey nationalism
    Feb 19, 2025 – 00:23:44
  • Captain America: Brave New World is a mess
    Feb 18, 2025 – 00:25:16
  • Dog Man, Paddington in Peru, and Lilly Singh's return to YouTube
    Feb 17, 2025 – 00:24:52
  • Drake and PartyNextDoor's collab album, and Bridget Jones is back
    Feb 14, 2025 – 00:27:15
  • Where do we go from here with Kanye West, and the season finale of Mo
    Feb 13, 2025 – 00:25:11
  • Two new docs spotlight Jamaican music, and the Juno noms are out
    Feb 12, 2025 – 00:25:07
Recent Reviews
  • Design Genius
    Canadians opining on US politics
    Interesting but not great take on Super Bowl and KL performance and saying what he should have done was misguided and not particularly compelling but their Grammy’s discussion re: Beyonce was excellent.
  • Et c'est parti.
    A new favorite
    I listen daily. I’ve appreciated learning about new goings on in the culture and Elamin is a fantastic host.
  • ss2367
    Great conversations about pop culture
    Love this format for discussing pop culture! The guests are insightful and provide diverse viewpoints which keeps it engaging. The episodes covering the Oscars were especially excellent. I wish we had more critique of celebrity in pop culture podcasts, along with all the fandom, and this podcast keeps that in the conversation.
  • mspassell
    7653577 stars!!!
    Need more Sam Sanders in your life? This show feels like Into It. It's great! I'm into it!
  • funier
    Best podcast ever
    The best. Go back and listen to all the previous episodes. The best hosts guests, and culture.
  • CaroleACline
    What happened to sex on TV?
    Are you kidding? Has anyone seen Euphoria? How about Industry? Sex is alive and well on streaming. That said, I enjoy this group and enjoy listening to their take on pop culture.
  • TrayEsq
    Must listen!
    Great podcast with good insight, great guests, and entertaining discussion of entertainment!
  • kyahorahai
    Sad to see you go!
    Loved this show so much and am gonna miss listening to their convos. True to form, the final segment of the final formal show made me cry when Kevin spoke of surviving cancer. Thx for sharing of yourselves.
  • luciagalen
    Don't go! 😣
    This has been one of my top five shows of the past year or two. Full parasocial relationship with these three, and i'll miss having you guys around. Please reunite often!
  • Tanya Bezreh
    Love this show!!
    My favorite gang of people to listen to; I love their chemistry <3 and insights
  • Yelena Alvarez McCoy
    I’m so sad the show ended!
    I didn’t know the show was ending. Got so sad when I heard that at the beginning of the episode today. I looked forward to this show every week. You three made me laugh, cry, rethink things and rejoice in your joys. I will truly miss this show. Good luck in your new projects and please come back from time to time.
  • rabeereviews
    Best Pop Culture podcast
    Incredible summaries of the latest in pop culture, insightful commentary, and a variety recommendations in the group chat!
  • CS 147x
    Smart and Accessible
    As a listener in an older (60+) demographic, this is a great discussion. I started listening so that I could understand pop culture better. I stayed because the hosts are so good at informing without condescending. And even when I totally disagree, I come away with some new insights. Well done!!!
  • 1800walmart
    Arrogant hosts
    The hosts on this show are so arrogant and judgmental they think they are better than everyone else. This podcast takes all the fun out of pop culture. The worst is that Emil Niazi. Keep it light this is awful
  • ftyjiooomkj
    The self-righteousness gets grating.
    The constant sub text of this show is that the general viewing public is stupid, vapid, and occasionally vile. This came through glaringly I the Amber Heard discussions, where anyone who was on Johnny Drop’s side was cast as a villain. Only the hosts are deep enough to appreciate what’s going on, the rest of us are problematic and stupid
  • ChopSusie
    Just Bad
    The post Oscar was the worst.
  • NastKhosh
    Happy but Smart Break from the Doom Scroll
    Amil is hilarious and Kevin is very sharp! Always love his perspective. They always talk about the exact content I’m consuming. Fun listen that always makes me laugh and feel represented. Amil & Kevin should be full time hosts.
  • Mmorri19
    Keeps me in the know!
    I love Pop Chat. The hosts discuss current pop culture in a really nuanced way. They challenge each other and really get into some deep conversations about how we consume media. They are super fun to listen to and always bring an high level of intelligence to each episode.
  • KylieG
    I love Canadians
    I am so happy to hear Canadians talk about pop culture. I sort of feel like all of the American pop culture shows are the same. It’s great to get a fresh take from a diverse group of people. I feel like I’m hanging with a group of my friends just talking about life.
  • angrylf
    Lacks complexity and nuance
    This show demonstrates perfectly why people throw up their hands and walk away from legacy media. Isn’t there even 1 producer that understands the difference between information and dogma??!!?? So frustrating.
  • DecemberKid
    Intelligent Takes on Pop Culture
    It’s tough to find intelligent takes on pop culture because it’s so easy to concentrate on the frivolous and the salacious.I really like the fact that this podcast doesn’t concentrate on who’s dating who, but on how pop culture happenings reflect and inform larger narratives on our culture. The host and guests give intelligent and interesting observations that I don’t get on other podcasts on this topic.
  • An Excellent Reviewer
    Pop culture without the cringe
    Must-listen pop culture commentary. The host and guests avoid the twee of other celebrity news podcasts. Feels like asking your coolest and most honest friends for their opinion about tabloid headlines and current events.
  • zencapopoca
    Arrogant is not cool
    This is one of the worst podcasts I have ever listened to. The host is the kind of person who would have been a bad guy in a 1980's ski movie. He should stop talking.
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