Are They a Star, Celebrity or Famous Person? (From Pop Syllabus)

The Sam Sanders Show

Are They a Star, Celebrity or Famous Person? (From Pop Syllabus)

Explicit

Published on Jun 2, 2026, 2:00:00 AM
Total time: 01:10:40

Episode Description

Today we’re sharing Sam’s episode of 'Pop Syllabus'!

No matter where you find yourself on the internet, celebrities’ lives are constantly in front of us, but who’s actually a star and who’s just famous?

Sam sits down with host Christiana Mbakwe Medina to play “star, celebrity, or famous person” and rates icons like Beyoncé to rising names like Sabrina Carpenter and Sydney Sweeney. Together, they break down what really makes someone last in pop culture.

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.

More about The Sam Sanders Show

The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.