If there’s one thing I’ve historically been very good at, it’s playing it cool around those for whom I have developed a romantic interest. Ask any of my friends and they’ll confirm that I am skilled ...

A few minutes into her Aug. 13 appearance on New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift said, “This is my first podcast.” I thought she was making a little joke—surely she’d talked to Marc ...

Some people are fans of the Cincinnati Bengals. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Cincinnati Bengals. This 2025 Defector NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the ...

Marian Bull is a writer, editor, and potter living in Brooklyn. She writes Mess Hall, a cooking newsletter, and is at work on her first book.

Blackpink is the biggest global group in K-pop. With BTS on hiatus and NewJeans in the midst of a prolonged contract dispute, they don’t have much competition, so long as they stay active themselves.

I finally get Midnights. I don’t just mean, “Oh, I thought this album was whatever when I first heard it, and now I really love it,” though I do mean that a little bit. I mean I get it get it. Like, I ...

Like many who have loved and left New York City, I dearly miss the transportation setup there. The walkability, the trains, the buses—there’s not another town in the U.S. where you can do so much (and ...

Time to channel your inner cruciverbalist. This week’s puzzle was constructed by Dan Zarin and edited by Hoang-Kim Vu. Dan is a crossword constructor and freelance writer based in Portland, Maine.

It’s pretty common these days for a television show to hold its viewers in contempt. Most “big-hearted comedies” treat you like a child, most crime shows assume you are very stupid, most dramas take ...

Jordan Sargent is a writer and music industry professional living in Brooklyn. His work has appeared in Gawker, Pitchfork, Slate, and more.

Some people are fans of the Atlanta Falcons. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Atlanta Falcons. This 2025 Defector NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the previews ...

LAS VEGAS — From July 3-13, World Table Tennis staged a Grand Smash tournament in Las Vegas for the first time. Like the Grand Slams of tennis, the Grand Smashes sit atop WTT’s tournament hierarchy, ...