About this episode

Sam discusses the return of monoculture in Summer 2026 with culture reporter Esther Zuckerman.

Whether it was big sporting events, or big blockbusters, or even celebrity weddings, Summer 2026 had a ton of pop culture that we all consumed together. For the first time in years, we even talked about it all together. But was it actually a return of monoculture? Sam looks at how this happened (and if it will ever happen again) with Esther Zuckerman, culture reporter for The Wall Street Journal who recently wrote all about the  monoculture phenomenon .  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.  

People in this episode

Host: Sam Sanders

Guest: Esther Zuckerman

Topics covered

• pop culture
• monoculture
• sports
• blockbusters
• celebrity weddings

Keywords

• monoculture
• pop culture
• Summer 2026
• sports
• blockbusters
• celebrity weddings

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Wall Street Journal

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