Today, we’re here to spill the tea on everyone’s favorite celebrity podcast: Celebrity Memoir Book Club. The hosts of the podcast say that they “read celebrity memoirs so you don't have to.” But is it actually worth a listen? And wouldn’t you rather actually read the memoirs yourself?
Today we will break down all the details of Celebrity Memoir Book Club so you can see if this sassy podcast duo is right for you.
This Celebrity Memoir Book Club podcast covers:
What is the Celebrity Memoir Book Club?
The Celebrity Memoir Book Club is a podcast that was launched in September 2020 with the goal of diving into celebrity gossip through celebrity memoir reviews.
At one point, the podcast reached #7 on the US Comedy Podcast charts, and it continues to sell out live shows internationally.
New podcast episodes are released weekly on Tuesdays. The shortest episode is just under 50 minutes in length, while the longest is a whopping two and a half hours (the Prince Harry Memoir). On average, episodes are slightly over an hour long.
Each episode covers a different celebrity memoir. Some weeks, the subject matter is heavier, such as the discussion of addiction and substance abuse that was raised by Matthew Perry’s Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
Other episodes are light-hearted and fun, like the review of Danielle Bernstein’s This is Not a Fashion Story.
At the time of writing this article, there are just over 150 episodes of the Celebrity Memoir Book Club podcast – so you have quite a lot of content to sift through if you’d like to give it a listen.
If you aren’t feeling a certain subject matter, you can certainly skip episodes or listen to them out of order. Of course, then you might miss tidbits about the hosts’ lives, which are as integral to the podcast as the memoirs themselves.
Who are the hosts of the Celebrity Memoir Book Club podcast?
The Celebrity Memoir Book Club is hosted by two best friends and stand-up comedians from Brooklyn, NY, Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton. They have a passion for digging up the dirty laundry of celebrities, and since memoirs are straight from celebrities’ mouths, they figured it was an ethical way to do it.
The girls had previously tried (and failed) to launch two other podcasts. Their first podcast was Hold On One Second We’re Talking About Britney Spears.
After information came to light about Britney’s conservatorship, they don't feel comfortable speculating about her life anymore. But they still really wanted to do a comedic podcast that focused on pop culture. And, since memoirs allowed them to take information directly from the source, there wouldn’t be any speculation at all – problem solved!
In an interview, Hamilton said: “You can analyze and criticize or support what they’re saying because this is what they want us to know.”
And boy do these girls analyze! The comedians are constantly throwing in quips and one-liners and giving their unfiltered opinions on what goes down between the sheets of paper.
I would say that at least half the podcast listeners are simply there for the banter between the hosts – and don’t care that much about the memoirs themselves!
Who is the Celebrity Memoir Book Club for?
The Celebrity Memoir Book Club has some hardcore fans – and they are lovingly called “worms” or “wormies.” Worms may love celebrities, pop culture, literature, or a good laugh, but they are all brought together with a love for Parker and Hamilton.
Worms have said:
“It feels like I'm in a book club with my best friends.”
“I couldn’t care less about these celebrities but hanging with Claire and Ashley is a hoot!”
“I’ve listened to so many of their conversations now that I feel like they’re my pals.”
So, if you love gossip mags, keeping up with celebrity news, reading a good memoir, or just listening to witty women dish, then there is a lot to love about Celebrity Memoir Book Club.
The best episodes of the Celebrity Memoir Book Club
In my opinion, the best episodes of Celebrity Memoir Book Club are (in no particular order):
- Jennette McCurdy is Glad Her Mom Died
- Prince Harry is Spare
- Rachel Hollis is a Girl Who Washes Her Face
- Demi Moore is Inside Out
- Yolanda Hadid Needs You to Believe Her
- Jason Derulo is Singing His Name
News flash: The best episodes are not necessarily the best memoirs. And Parker and Hamilton are not shy about that. The Derulo episode is pretty much an hour-long roast of the artist.
The girls make it obvious which books are must-reads and which you shouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. And no one likes a bad book, so that’s life-saving (especially if you don’t have a lot of time to read in the first place).
On Instagram, they posted: “If I could pay to have Alec Baldwin’s book Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Minded out of my brain, I’d consider it.” And “Alec Baldwin sat down to list every word and proper noun he’s ever heard hoping that if he shook it up he’d have a book.”
But it’s these types of comments that make Celebrity Memoir Book Club so much fun to listen to. After all, you’re here for the gossip, right?
The hosts say that the best celebrity memoirs are ones where the author is vulnerable and honest and owns up to their flaws – effectively humanizing themselves.
Baldwin isn’t the only one who failed to do this. The two also say they weren’t impressed by Holly Madison, Jennifer Grey, and Jamie Lynn Spears.
On the other hand, the Jennette McCurdy memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, hit it out of the park.
I won't spoil their Prince Harry memoir opinions for you…
Parker and Hamilton venture to guess that the most successful celebrity memoirs were written with the help of ghostwriters, while the flops were the ones where the celebrities tried to write the book themselves and had no idea how to organize or edit their thoughts.
So, if you’re trying to learn how to start a memoir or how to write a memoir – take note!
Related:
My honest review of the Celebrity Memoir Book Club podcast
I’m not the target audience for this podcast. While I love a good memoir, I couldn’t care less about the lives of celebrities. I don't generally indulge in celebrity memoirs. Examples of memoirs I prefer are a bit more thought-provoking or about perseverance. And to be honest, while listening to write this review, the vocal fry got on my nerves a bit.
That being said, I can totally see why people get hooked on this podcast. The girls are so much fun, and I love that they don’t take themselves too seriously:
“We are two unaccredited people who did nothing but buy a book.”
Parker and Hamilton offer the perfect blend of humor and relatability and form a genuine connection with their listeners – just like they tell celebrities to do with their memoirs.
Some episodes are definitely better than others, so if the first one you hear isn’t your cup of tea, try switching to another to be sure. And sometimes the girls will have opinions you don’t agree with, or may take their digs a little far (these are comedians we are talking about) but all-in-all it’s a good time.
If you can get past some cattiness and a few ditzy moments (like where one of the girls didn’t believe howler monkeys were a real thing) then you can have a lot of fun with the hosts and their spot-on take on the biggest names in Hollywood.
So, while I don’t know that I would keep listening, I can completely appreciate the girls for the service (and company) they are offering the celebrity-loving masses.
My overall review? 3.5 stars out of 5.
