Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games have come to an end and it’s time to look back on golden moments, national disappointments and internet memes. Sports journalist Shireen Ahmed and culture critic Mel Woods reminisce and bid ciao to Milano Cortina with host Elamin Abdelmahmoud. Plus, Montreal’s Kid Koala says Charlie Chaplin movies inspired his debut animated feature, Space Cadet, which has no dialogue. Film critic Rachel Ho talks about this modern silent film with Elamin, and how it’s being received.

Writer/rapper Rollie Pemberton, Sirius XM host Tara Slone, and entertainment reporter Teri Hart join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the 2026 Olympic Games, including the women's Olympic gold medal hockey game. Plus, they discuss how the Epstein files scandal surrounding L.A. talent-agency mogul Casey Wasserman has reverberated through the worlds of entertainment and sports.

Elamin is joined by culture critics Pablo The Don, Jay Smooth and A. Harmony to discuss new albums from Jill Scott and J. Cole, and the legacy of politician and activist Reverend Jesse Jackson - and the ways Jesse Jackson’s contributions intersected with pop culture.

A new Netflix docuseries looks back at the cultural force that was America’s Next Top Model. Tyra Banks, its creator and host, sits down to face the reality show’s most controversial moments, from extreme makeovers to photoshoots in Black and brown face. Culture critics Amil Niazi, Chris Murphy and Bee Quammie join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the legacy of America’s Next Top Model and all of its worst looks.

Ben Bankas is a Canadian comedian who’s selling out venues throughout North America with his hate-filled stand-up routine, including jokes about Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last month. Commotion asked two comedians to go witness one of his gigs – Anne McMaster took us up on the challenge, and Ali Hassan did not. They join Elamin to talk about Ben Bankas – and why outrage sells.

Plus, where online Fanfiction culture used to centre around sharing make-believe narratives about famous fictional characters, a growing subset of the community is creating stories about real celebrities engaging in imagined romantic scenarios. Elamin chats with Kat Tenbarge, who has written about this for Teen Vogue.