#117 Vanderpump Rules Is An HR Nightmare

This week, Aleen and Jordana celebrate Betches’ 14th birthday, reminisce about their early days growing the company, and announce the launch of Aleen’s new Substack, Please Advise. Then, they get into all things Super Bowl LIX: Taylor getting booed, Kendrick wearing Timothée Chalamet’s Celine jeans and leaning into pettiness at the halftime show, Jeremy Strong’s Dunkin’ ad, Paige and Craig sightings, and more. If you’re as excited about the return of The White Lotus as we are, then tune into Sami’s recap episodes every Monday on the @Betches podcast feed. Our Betch of the Week, presented by Peacock's Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, is Jalen Hurts for his decisive win. We’re sending Travis Kelce to the Caymans for being a little too polite about the man who publicly trolls his girlfriend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

14 Feb 51min

This bonus episode of @Betches is sponsored by Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, streaming exclusively on Peacock. Aleen, Jordana, and Sami share their love of Bridget, and the way the movies celebrate imperfect women. Then, they discuss their Valentines day plans, reflect on their angsty teen journal entries, and memories of accidental pot brownie consumption. To close out the episode, they read some listener submission diary entires about their crushes. Stream Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy now, only on Peacock.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13 Feb 26min

This week, Aleen, Jordana, and Sami share their highlights from the Grammys and dissect Taylor's outfit for hidden meanings. Then, after having read the full Justin Baldoni lawsuit, they try to analyze the strategic mind of Blake Lively, and how things got so messy. What are the chances Blake joins Taylor at the Super Bowl on Sunday? In Oscars news, Emilia Pérez might not be as much of a frontrunner as originally projected, now that Karla Sofia Gascon's problematic tweets have come to light. Aleen thinks Zoe Saldaña might still have a fighting chance. On the awards circuit for A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg has been trying to distance himself from the association with Mark Zuckerberg... don't worry, Jesse, you're much more human to us. Our Betch of the Week, presented by Peacock's Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, is obviously Beyonce for her long-awaited Grammy wins, tour announcement, and our favorite meme so far this year. As for the Caymans, we're sending Kim Kardashian's ex husband (who shall not be named) for his red carpet stunt, and Karla for those tweets and her lack of apology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Feb 42min

This week, Aleen, Jordana, and Sami analyze the latest pap photos and rumors around Taylor Swift’s potential engagement to Travis Kelce. Could a pair of gloves be hiding a ring, or is it just freezing outside? Are they waiting until after the Super Bowl to make their big announcement? Is this all an intentional distraction tactic to distance herself from the Blake Lively drama? On that note, Jordana’s entire TikTok algorithm is full of It Ends With Us drama, which prompted her and Sami to rewatch the OG Gossip Girl pilot - and Chuck is so much worse than they remembered. Next, they celebrate Meryl Streep’s incredible escape from the LA wildfires by cutting a hole in her fence and driving through it. Then, Spencer Pratt remains consistent as Heidi Montag’s biggest fan, shutting down fan suggestions that she should join RHOBH. Our Betch of the Week is Chanel Ayan, who mistakenly thought the former Survivor contestants on The Traitors were in fact survivors of real life tragedies. No one is going to the Caymans this week - but if you think there’s someone who deserves it, let us know your thoughts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 Jan 44min

This week, Aleen, Jordana, and Sami share where they were when TikTok went dark, their theories about how the app is changing, and their favorite memes from Monday's inauguration. Then, they dive deep into Justin Baldoni's new lawsuit and some of the more revealing text exchanges with Blake Lively (aka Khaleesi?). Is Ryan Reynolds the real mastermind behind this feud? What does Jenny Slate know that we don't? There's more to this than what we've seen so far, and we'll be keeping an eye on how things unfold. Next, Oscar nominations were announced yesterday, and it looks like it's time for Aleen to finally finish watching Emilia Pérez, because it came out on top with an impressive, if baffling, 13 noms. Finally, they give their review of fellow Best Picture nominee Anora. Our joint Betches of the Week are TikTok, for pulling a Selena Gomez and coming back online a mere 12 hours after dramatically going dark, and @Bee.Better.Company for helping us decipher the Baldoni lawsuit. We're sending Ryan Reynolds to the Caymans to get his ego under control once and for all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Jan 45min

This week, Sami shares her chilling Facebook hacking experience with Aleen and Jordana, before getting into the headlines. First, Heidi and Spencer have turned tragedy into an unexpected comeback, galvanizing their followers into getting Heidi’s 2010 album to #1 on iTunes. We love their love and we wish them well! Next, Timothée Chalamet is headed back to SNL this weekend as host… and musical guest. Is he going to be in full Bob Dylan mode, or should we be expecting a song from the Lil Timmy Tim archives? After a long enough hiatus that neither Aleen and Jordana can remember season 1, Severance is finally back for season 2. Was their performance art publicity stunt in Grand Central cool enough to get Sami to binge it? Finally, there are a few things the trio *did* watch this week - they share their highlights and theories from the new episodes of The Traitors, and give their review of awards darling Conclave. Our Betch of the Week is Speidi, and we’re sending Lauren Conrad to the Caymans for not making a video promoting Superficial, and for that resurfaced video from The Hills where she made fun of Heidi’s new job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17 Jan 50min

This week, Aleen, Jordana, and Sami discuss their favorite Golden Globes moments: Nikki Glaser's impeccable hosting prowess, Demi Moore and Zoe Saldaña's first ever Globe wins (even certified Emilia Pérez hater Aleen can attest that she earned it), Zendaya and Tom Holland soft launching their engagement, and Timmy and Kylie apparently still going strong. Then, they give a thorough review of The Substance, and why Demi's performance was so effective, even if some elements of the story didn't quite add up. Finally, Jordana explains Jennifer Aydin's recent outburst at an airport Jersey Mikes, and they share some airport annoyances of their own. Our joint Betches of the week are Nikki and Demi, and Jen Aydin can catch the next flight out to the Caymans to figure out how to talk to service workers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Jan 51min

Happy New Year, Betch! Aleen, Jordana, and Sami get caught up on the latest pop culture news, starting with the latest in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni situation. They may have won Betches' Feud of the Year award in 2024, but it's still going strong in 2025. Next, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are finally divorced after an eight year long battle - we'll never know exactly what happened on that plane, and that's ok. Sami and Aleen are excited for Meghan Markle's upcoming Netflix show, but Jordana is less than impressed at the idea of the Duchess of Sussex making jams. Will Aleen watch Wicked in time for the Golden Globes on Sunday? Either way, make sure you're following Betches on socials for our awards show coverage. Our Betch of the Week is Meghan Markle (Jordana's protest vote is noted), and we're sending Justin, Blake, and Ryan to the Caymans for all their shady PR moves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Jan 56min