Bobby Finger
Bobby Finger | |
---|---|
Born | April 1986 (age 38) |
Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin |
Occupation(s) | Podcaster Journalist Music Producer[1] |
Years active | 2015–present |
Robert "Bobby" Finger (born April 22, 1986) is an American journalist, podcaster, and pop culture critic, best known as the co-creator and host of the Who? Weekly podcast alongside friend and fellow writer Lindsey Weber.[2] He previously was a regular contributing writer for the US culture website Jezebel from 2015 until 2018.[3]
Career
Finger graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008.[4] After moving to New York City, he worked as a copywriter at an advertising agency before transitioning into becoming a full-time pop culture writer and podcaster in 2015.[3]
Finger's bylines have appeared in outlets including New York,[5] The New York Times,[6] and Vanity Fair.[7] Finger has also appeared as a guest on podcasts including Blank Check with Griffin and David,[8] It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders,[9] and Little Gold Men.[7]
In 2016, Finger, alongside Lindsey Weber, started the podcast Who? Weekly, based on a newsletter and focused on B-list celebrities.[10] The podcast quickly became popular, amassing a large group of fans known affectionately as 'Wholigans'.[11] The podcast has received a positive critical response with celebrity fans including Lena Dunham and Lea DeLaria.[12] In 2019, Vulture named the show as one of the top ten conversational podcasts that shaped the genre.[13] The show also received national attention in 2017 after fans identified that then-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer had an open account on mobile payment service Venmo, leading to it being doxxed.[2]
In 2017, Finger published a series of articles on Jezebel critically reviewing episodes of Megyn Kelly Today, entitled "Megyn Kelly Today, Today", which led to show host Megyn Kelly inviting Finger to appear as a guest on the show.[14][15] Business Insider called the segment "hilariously awkward".[15]
In 2019, Finger began hosting I'm Obsessed With This, a podcast reviewing new Netflix programming.[16]
In 2022, Finger's debut novel "The Old Place" was published by Penguin Random House. "A bighearted and moving debut about a wry retired schoolteacher whose decade-old secret threatens to come to light and send shockwaves through her small Texas town.".[17] "The Old Place" was selected by Vanity Fair as one of the best books of the year in 2022.[17]
Personal life
Finger is from Texas and lives in Brooklyn, New York City. He married Josh Fjelstad, Co-host of the Exp. Share podcast, in 2018.[18]
References
- ^ "Josh Lucas, Sofia Pernas & Ma? – Who? Weekly". Spotify. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ a b Harnish, Amelia. "Wholigans Are The Real Thems Of The "Who? Weekly" Universe". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ a b "Hey, I Just Wanted to Take Another Look At You". Jezebel. September 28, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ "Alumni US | The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas Area". alumnius.net. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ Finger, Bobby. "Bobby Finger Author Archive". NYMag. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ Finger, Bobby (May 8, 2020). "Stop drinking bad coffee. Make your own expensive fancy cup at home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ a b "Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger Latest Articles". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ Something's Gotta Give with Bobby Finger, retrieved April 10, 2021
- ^ "The Year in Celebrity Culture with 'Who? Weekly' : It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders". NPR.org. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ "About". Who? Weekly. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ Keiles, Jamie Lauren (November 1, 2019). "Even Nobodies Have Fans Now. (For Better or Worse.)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ^ "From Rita Ora to Lena Dunham: how a podcast about celebrity became a 'recipe for joy'". the Guardian. September 13, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ Quah, Nicholas (October 4, 2019). "10 Essential Conversation Podcasts That Shaped the Genre". Vulture. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ "Megyn Kelly Today, Today: Things Get Unexpectedly Tense Between Megyn Kelly and Joe Biden". Jezebel. November 13, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ a b Relman, Eliza. "Megyn Kelly invited her harshest critic onto her show and the meeting was hilariously awkward". Business Insider. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ "I'm Obsessed With This on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ a b https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/703745/the-old-place-by-bobby-finger/
- ^ "Bobby Finger". Slate Magazine. Retrieved April 10, 2021.