This week on The Doomscroll Diaries, we’re unpacking some of the internet’s most chaotic headlines.

First up: the extremely awkward McDonald’s CEO video that somehow went viral while promoting the new Big Arch burger. Why does it feel like corporate PR keeps getting weirder every year?

Then we get into the latest Epstein testimony drama and why Bill and Hillary Clinton are once again at the center of online conspiracy discourse.

Plus we talk about:

• the disturbing assistant principal scandal making headlines

• Botox… but for camels (yes, really)

• the strange return of nostalgic TikTok hair-playing videos

• and the general feeling that the news cycle has fully lost the plot.

If the timeline feels overwhelming lately, this episode is here to help you doomscroll through it together.

Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@laurasogar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mae_planert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow the pod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doomscrolldiariespod

The internet has officially adopted a baby monkey.

This week we’re breaking down the story of Punch — the viral monkey from a Japanese zoo who was abandoned by his mother, clings to a plush toy for comfort, and is now at the center of a global debate. Is he being bullied? Is the zoo exploiting him? And why did Andrew Tate offer $250,000 to “save” him?

Then we’re wrapping up the 2026 Winter Olympics — from an unexpected dog crashing the finish line to Alissa Liu’s gold medal moment and the pressure surrounding Eileen Gu.

Plus, a bizarre scam trend in Savannah where women posing as homeless are allegedly robbing men who bring them home.

This week, we get into the internet’s latest (and most confusing) wellness obsession, why raw milk is suddenly everywhere, and how influencer culture keeps turning objectively bad ideas into lifestyle trends.

We also talk about Ballerina Farm, trad-wife aesthetics, and what happens when “natural” wellness collides with actual public health concerns. Plus: a surprisingly wholesome internet story about a dad who committed to a lie for 24 years, why the clean girl era is starting to feel unhinged, and the strange comfort of low-stakes, very online chaos.

As always, we cover the best of the worst of the internet — so you don’t have to.

We’re unpacking snow day chaos, grocery store panic, and why TikTok moms are preparing for winter weather like it’s the apocalypse. Plus: Shaun White snowboarding in Central Park, Ted Cruz fleeing another storm, and the age-old truth that actors need to stop taking themselves so seriously.

We also get into PR-driven “on-set chemistry,” William Shatner eating cereal out of a glass bowl while driving, AI-generated porn bans, internet brain rot, and why being online right now feels genuinely destabilizing.

Bundle up, protect your brain, and log off (after listening).

Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@laurasogar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mae_planert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow the pod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doomscrolldiariespod

What is actually going on with Brooklyn Beckham — and why is his family drama suddenly everywhere?

This week, we unpack Brooklyn Beckham’s very public fallout with his parents, the internet’s many theories, and why it’s giving royal-family-level dysfunction. Then we pivot to one of the most disturbing stories we’ve seen in a while: a Chinese billionaire who allegedly has hundreds of children born in the U.S. via surrogacy — yes, you read that right.

Along the way, we also cover:

• A Teen Mom attempting a mayoral run (and immediately spiraling)

• What happens when extreme wealth meets zero accountability

• Why some internet stories feel funny until they suddenly… don’t

As always, we’re bringing you the best of the worst the internet has to offer — with curiosity, chaos, and a lot of questions.

Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@laurasogar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mae_planert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow the pod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doomscrolldiariespod

Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@laurasogar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mae_planert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow the pod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doomscrolldiariespod

This week on DoomScroll Diaries, we break down the chaos at every level of power. Jerome Powell stands his ground as Trump escalates pressure on the Federal Reserve, proving why the least glamorous people are sometimes the ones we trust most. Then we pivot to Spencer Pratt’s very real run for Mayor of Los Angeles and what reality TV politics says about where we’re headed. Plus: celebrity mom group drama, influencer fallout, and why group dynamics are always worse when money and clout are involved.

Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@laurasogar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mae_planert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow the pod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doomscrolldiariespod

This week, New Yorkers rang in the New Year by getting pranked by fake Brooklyn Bridge fireworks, while a couple in Brooklyn casually stole a live lobster from a restaurant and walked off into the night. From there, things only get stranger.

Mae went to a Miami strip club and has thoughts, while we also get into raw meat leaking all over an airport baggage carousel, plants getting microneedling (science has gone too far), and a StubHub mix-up that sent metal fans to a Christian Christmas concert. Plus: shady political betting markets, closet clean-outs gone wrong, and a viral list of places women refuse to go on first dates.

It’s the first episode of the year — and 2026 is already doing the most.

Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@laurasogar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mae_planert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow the pod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doomscrolldiariespod

It’s been a dark week, on the internet and around the world, so we went looking for the things that actually brought us joy online.

We talk viral dances that briefly cured our doomscrolling, a man fighting off a coyote to save his chihuahua, deeply unhinged wedding traditions, British “Chinese food” discourse, why smart fridges might be a mistake, and the comfort of small, absurd internet moments when everything else feels heavy.

We can’t fix it. So here’s some laughter, distractions, and a little joy where we could find it.

Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@laurasogar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mae_planert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow the pod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doomscrolldiariespod