Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Musicians like Bruce Springsteen have quickly released anti-ICE protest songs, while folk singer Jesse Welles has become a viral sensation thanks to his hastily recorded reaction songs to current events. Slate columnist Carl Wilson and podcaster Vish Khanna talk to Commotion guest host Radheyan Simonpillai about the fine line between making an effective protest song versus merely setting topical talking points to music.

With Bad Bunny making history as the first artist to headline a Spanish-speaking performance at the Super Bowl Halftime show - Commotion guest host Radheyan Simonpillai is joined by culture critics Rosa Clemente and Reanna Cruz to discuss the performance, the debate around whether Bad Bunny should have agreed to the performance at all, and where it sits in the larger history of Super Bowl Halftime shows.

Plus, poet and professor El Jones joins Radheyan Simonpillai to unpack Aquakultre's latest album ‘1783.’ It’s the Halifax artist's fourth studio album, and El Jones calls it his best work to date - an album that feels like an archive, connecting the words, sounds, and history of Black Nova Scotian life, past and present.

Brat summer is resurrected in Charli XCX’s new mockumentary The Moment, which satirizes concert films, the pop music machine and Charli XCX herself. Culture critics Sarah-Tai Black, Jackson Weaver and Joan Summers talk about the film with guest host Radheyan Simonpillai, along with the scandal surrounding the Safdie brothers and what they’re most looking forward to at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.

The Muppets are back, again. The 50-year-old franchise originally created by Jim Henson has tried to reboot a few times. This time Kermit and Miss Piggy have some help from executive producers Seth Rogen and Sabrina Carpenter. CBC Kids puppeteer Kira Hall and Vulture critic Kathryn VanArendonk talk about the new Muppet Show special on Disney+ with guest host Radheyan Simonpillai.

Plus, Brawl in the Hall is a pro wrestling match hosted at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Swampy Cree filmmaker Sonya Ballantyne reviews the event, Brawl in the Hall, and discusses whether pro wrestling and classical music amplify each other and what Brawl at the Hall offers wrestling right now.

People can't stop talking about the TV show 'Heated Rivalry,' and specifically the fleece Team Canada jacket that Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) wears. Heated Rivalry costume designer Hanna Puley talks to Elamin about the coveted fleece jacket and other iconic looks in the show, and why she wanted to make them feel distinctly Canadian.

Plus, with Netflix officially offering popular podcasts like ‘The Breakfast Club’ and ‘Dear Chelsea’ available on its platform, Elamin is joined by Jay Smooth and Michelle Santosuosso to discuss the ramifications of this moment and the ways our understanding of the term podcast continue to evolve.