Love you guys but in this week’s episode John said that Todd Haynes was nominated for director for Carol - HE WAS NOT!!!! I’d be remiss not to correct. Massive snub. No best picture either. Xoxo

Loved the most recent episode and the commentary on the mergers and shakeup of the entertainment industry. Excellent discussion & mix of art and commerce❤️

*Updating review 09/2026 *When your Venice film festival correspondent says his least favorite aspect of his trip to Venice was the films that should be a massive RED FLAG….he’s commentary on the films was more focused on the already ridiculed number of minutes a standing ovation each film got as a stand in for quality. Now in its 4th iteration and with Vanity Fair’s new mandate to be less critical and more frothy about film and TV, this is just not the same show it once was. They were already holding back on film reviews and criticism to keep the celeb interviews and ongoing and now it’s worse. The commentary is now made by “journalists” who are just stenographers of the awards race. Finally, not to be mean, but there are just some people who just do not have the voice for podcasts or radio.

I have to stop listening. John is so meanspirited, smug, and rude. I can just imagine him reading all of the reviews from similar folks who have made an exodus from the pod and dismissing us as haters. But that's not what's going on here babe! You need an attitude adjustment. Such a shame

Very like... annoying... like... hosts.

John is not only slow-witted but has poor taste to boot. (Everyone else is doing their best). He has given a new favorite hate-listen in podcasting. How he made it to Vanity Fair is ludicrous. He's vapid, sketchy on facts, and has low brow taste. Spare us all and get this guy off the pod. And perhaps a nasal strip too? Yikes.

This podcast has gone way downhill since Vanity Fair let go of Richard Lawson and David Canfield. Glad Rebecca is still there but the new co-host is abysmal. Unsubscribing because of John Ross.

won the Palme d’Or in 1990

John is actively damaging the show with his self-satisfied vapidness. He takes up so much space while offering nothing insightful.

I love this podcast. The hosts are wonderful and knowledgeable. It’s the best.

This show has become unlistenable. Don’t know who thought Lawson’s wit, knowledge, & insight would be improved upon with John Ross’ interruptions and blather, but, boy were they wrong.

Nahh- Timmy showed his hand and has lost the audience- he’s gonna need to work hard to recover

I have stuck with this all awards season, because I’ve loved the show and Rebecca, but John is really destroying this show. He really comes across as a know-it-all, cutting off and correcting Rebecca and guests, and the smugness is so off putting. I’ll stick with Critical Darlings until you replace John with Hilary or Chris.

Rebecca is doing her best, but this podcast is a shadow of what it used to be. Without Richard, David and Katey there is no depth to the conversations, no real knowledge of film history or critical opinions. John does not seem more informed then I am, as an avid fan, which is a problem! I also find he speaks very slowly and I find his style offputting. (I feel badly for him being in a job that is not the right fit. I’ve been there!) the show has shifted from in-depth inside and criticism to lightweight reporting. I guess the new editor of Vanity Fair is pushing this dumbed down model but it’s a mistake to abandon what makes VF unique.

Vanity Fair used to have the best awards podcast. They no longer do. It’s not just the host shifts. The topics are less meaty. More willing to dwell on low hanging fruit topics.

Unsubscribing. The show was already significantly downgraded once Richard left and with the new guy, it’s completely gone down the tubes. He is neither entertaining nor informative and his voice is irritatingly nasal and loaded with upspeak and vocal fry. Also, Josh Safdie is a lovely person and a great artist - this whisper campaign from a sus news source about an indie film created 10 years ago on a shoestring budget with lots of non-actors….Yes it’s bad what happened but Josh and this amazing film don’t deserve cancellation for this.

Unsubscribe. This new guy is terrible. What a train wreck of a podcaster. Negative reaction to PTA humble speeches is nail in the coffin. Go to Critical Darlings over at Blank Check to hear positive, quality content that used to be here..

Is this still an awards season podcast? It’s awards season, and nothing has been released on well over a week. I truly miss the old gang. The shoes were big, but John just hasn’t filled the shoes of Richard and David.

Stop shaming celebrities (and anyone) speaking out against fascism. Following the culture industry is political—there’s a long history of censorship and blacklisting and worse in Hollywood, this is all at stake when we talk about awards speeches and much else. I enjoy listening to this show but it’s supremely disappointing when anyone on it insists that this stuff isn’t incredibly political.

I really miss the old vibe of actually being friends. Pretty good overall. It’s just a bit meh. I still listen sometimes. I prefer Richard Lawson’s new podcast Critical Darlings on the Blank Check podcast feed.

I really wanted to give John a fair try but I feel like he’s a particularly harsh critic, and flippant regarding the honor that these awards are supposed to represent. Critiquing PTA for giving time in his speech to famously unthanked members of his team is just snobby, and I still think about a few weeks ago when he and Rebecca both said with no hesitation that the shorts categories should be cut from the telecast. It’s not classy and portrays this podcast as antithetical to the art it’s meant to highlight.

I live Rebecca and John together. They have great chemistry and the podcast is informative but also has lots of laughs.

Title says it all. The new guy is annoying and has a grating voice, unfortunately.

Vanity Fair should be ashamed— they drove the best awards season podcast into the ground by firing 3/4 of the talent that made the show so good. I hope Rebecca can jump ship soon because Vanity Fair is nothing but a corporate shill of a joke at this point.

Just not the same without Richard and David. Terrible decision by VF/Conde overall. RIP.

All of Rebecca’s dry wit and genuine class can’t rescue listeners from the new guy’s grating voice, nasty attitude, and constant chuckling at his own (unfunny) quips. I gave this version a few weeks but it’s unlistenable. Unsubscribing today. Listen to Prestige Junkie instead, especially when Richard, David, or Rebecca come on as guests.

Updating my previous 5-star review in the aftermath of all the turnover at VF. Getting rid of David and Richard was such a dumb move. Especially after letting go of Katey the year before. Sorry to say it, but after years of being an avid VF devotee, this was my last connection to the publication. And now, I'm cutting it loose completely. Also, #RebeccaInnocent forever.

Love this pod but the ending to Bugonia was ruined without enough warning of a spoiler alert.

I miss Richard and David. Rebecca is elite and hopefully the new guy isn’t a total bum…

Long time listener and fan of the show. Miss Richard for sure, one of my favorite film critics and voices out there. I had a chance to meet John Ross irl at a Variety festival party when he did awards stuff there. He’s hilarious in person and had us all laughing, so I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until that comfort level doing the show and personality comes through.

You got rid of the previous hosts for this? Mr Ross has a very grating voice and Rebecca allows him to dominate the discussion. A previous episode had a gaggle of participants who were awful. Decided to try once again, but it’s terrible. Unfollowed.

I tried hard to be open-minded and like this after Richard and David left. I have given it a try, but this week I am parting ways. The new host is unbearable. I see Rebecca trying to keep the essence of what the show was, and I appreciate that. But after I found myself screaming out loud “this guy is terrible!” twice in a span of 5 minutes, I knew it was time to say goodbye to LGM.

Started listening to LGM in 2015 or at least from the start of 2016. It was my first / favorite podcast to which I was most loyal. So I've had several disappointments along the way with unexpected changes. Like when they changed their theme music. Or how much the crew changed during the covid years - the loss of Tom Hogan and Joanna Robinson. A real shock however was losing Katey Rich who was such a natural at organizing the discussion, along with her contributions. I missed her voice the most, while still enjoying Richard Lawson and comforted that he was still there. As much as I resisted every change, I liked David Canfield and Rebecca Ford too much to complain. Those two with Lawson were still a crew that I could really appreciate. And then due to other factors and changes I started listening less. Even before this latest shock happened. E.g. What’s with the scary red graphic? I also didn't really like the extra interview episodes - mostly because the sound quality was so bad. Actors on their cellphones phoning it in. So when I happened to check in one day recently and heard that Lawson and Canfield would be gone soon (they were still on that day), that was a shock. And now that I've checked in to listen to part of one of the newer episodes - wow. I just can't. RIP LGM. I really loved you when you were at your best.

The new host John seems to be the type that thinks himself an expert on the Oscars because he tunes in every year. Hearing the new host of a podcast from a major media outlet mis-identify a film icon as “Frances McDormett” really says it all…

Talk about a self inflicted wound, looks like VF took once of the best podcasts on film and blew it up. Missing the insights, critique and reporting I had come to trust over a couple years as a loyal fan.

This show has become unlistenable. I loved Richard Lawson and David Canfield and they are sorely missed. What was Vanity Fair thinking? I hate to be mean to the new host but he needs to do some major work to meet the mark of so many excellent podcasters out there. I mostly feel sorry for Rebecca Ford, who I expect will suffer the most as this podcast loses popularity. She is articulate, knowledgeable and insightful and I hope she ends up with a gig up to her caliber. I am unsubscribing but let me know if you return this show to the quality it was.

Why are they having guests join from VF that aren’t Oscar-obsessed? Anyone listening to this podcast is clearly obsessed with the Academy Awards. We don’t need to hear from “regular people” about movies.

The new host lacks any wit, humor, or insight and speaks so slowly I found myself skipping ahead 15sec just to find him *still* dragging out one empty thought. His voice, for me, is also absolutely grating. Guess I’ll go elsewhere.

Talk about a downgrade. No thanks!

Vanity Fair, what have you done? David and Richard were the only ones keeping this podcast together and now it’s just painful. Everyone should check out Katey Rich’s podcast Prestige Junkie instead. I’ll be over there enjoying myself again.

Miss the old gifted trio—and now in fall ‘25 truly annoyed by John Ross, both REALLY grating voice and pushy manner, as well as generally empty banal comments. Poor VF choice—just can’t listen to this train wreck just to pull out Rebecca’s savvy comments.

Did Vanity Fair even bother listening to their new host? Perhaps a face for TV but definitely not a voice for radio. Slow, grating, no energy - got through half the Emmy episode and turned it off as I couldn’t listen anymore. Rebecca, David and Hilary are great. Bring back Richard and David C!

I’m disgusted by VF getting rid of their longtime staffers and hosts of this show. I’d been a loyal listener for years but I’m deleting the show now. These new (I assume cheaper) hosts are unlistenable. What an alltime downgrade in quality.

I can’t imagine the tenor in the room when the new editorial staff decided to kneecap this once-great podcast by literally jettisoning one of the premiere critical talents of our generation. Honestly I’m torn whether to continue listening given Richard and David’s departures. This used to be required listening but now I see myself increasingly scrolling past when new eps show up in my feed. I know times are tough in publishing but you invest in talent like David and Michael, you don’t downgrade the talent to a c-version. Super bummed this is where this pod has wound up.

The idiotic staffing and editorial decisions made at vanity fair recently are a mistake and whatever reputation and quality the magazine and its associated products enjoyed are gone. I cancelled my print subscription a while ago and this podcast is no longer worth supporting. I hope the bootlicking was worth it for those of you left

Are the replacements cheaper than Richard and David?!? They certainly come across less interesting.

Richard Lawson is one of the best culture critics writing these days, period. Losing him has already proven to be a loss to the podcast and will undoubtedly continue to be. Guiducci isn’t off to a great start.

Disappointing that the hosts have changed up, especially with this new guy. He has the most grating and annoying voice.

This has gone from essential listening to completely unlistenable.

Richard, Rebecca, and David have such great chemistry together and are such knowledgeable, entertaining cohosts. They have incredible dexterity as both critics and interviewers and are always able to bring out new insights from their guests. Sigh, Condé Nast /Vanity Fair: you are making a mistake!!