
Big laughs. Smart takes. Every day. Commotion is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critics, creators and friends to talk through the biggest arts & entertainment stories of the day, in 30 minutes or less.
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| Publishes | Daily | Episodes | 681 | Founded | 6 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Category | Society & Culture | |||

Film critics Adam Nayman, Hanna Flint, and Kaiya Shunyata join guest host Rad Simonpillai to discuss the new Tom Cruise political satire ‘Digger,’ the erotic thriller ‘Verity’ starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, and Netflix’s new miniseries ad... more
The new animated film Forgotten Island follows a pair of best friends who, right as they’re about to begin the next chapter of their lives post-high school, find themselves pulled into a mythical world full of monsters. Set in the Philippines in the ... more
We're seeing new public works from Indigenous artists pop up all over Canada. They're big, outdoor installations from artists like Cheyenne Rain LeGrande, Brain Jungen and Kent Monkman. Celina Yellowbird and Reneltta Arluk join host Elamin Abdelmahmo... more
Media giant Black Entertainment Television has deleted all of its digital articles from its website as part of its move to prioritize video content. Journalist Dalton Higgins and hip-hop broadcaster Jay Smooth join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to react to the... more
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You can clearly see it’s just a bunch of people agreeing with each other putting others down
I just can’t get behind a taxpayer bailed out state media monopoly telling us about ‘culture’. The host is a cool dude and should separate from CBC and be free of the social subversion. I’m sure he can easily find success free of the state media monopoly.
Really miss Elamin, he’s so thoughtful and smart. A variety of substitute hosts would be great!
It’s not the limits of feminist lit: this pattern of memoir promising conclusion and tidiness is the problem of CONFESSIONAL lit in general. It’s happened since DeQuincey 200 years ago. The writer promises articulate perfection, is put on a pedestal and falls off, a pattern as inevitable as the tides. Your discussion was a bit too narrow.
The conversations are thoughtful and challenges me to check out works of art that I wouldn’t have been aware of. Also, there are moments of pure joy in the episodes (eg I kept on listening to the interview between Elamin and Samantha Irby)
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #105 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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Thoughtful, fast-paced pop culture discussions featuring a rotating slate of journalists, critics, artists, and scholars. Episodes center on current arts and entertainment stories—from influencer culture and music trends to film, TV, and museum tech—often layering cultural analysis with sharp questions about ethics, representation, and industry dynamics. A notable strength is the diverse, well-connected guest slate and a host who guides conversations with curiosity and wit, making complex cultural conversations accessible in about 30 minutes. The show frequently weaves Canadian perspectives into global culture moments, offering unique angles on familiar topics and timely debates about technology, media, and identity.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Commotion. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Commotion and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
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Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Commotion, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
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1. Q with Tom Power
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Commotion launched 6 years ago and published 681 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Commotion include:
1. Sara Yasin
2. Joe Coscarelli
3. Emma Hunter
4. Alice Moran
5. Chris Siddiqui
6. Sarah Hagi
7. Atom Egoyan
8. Radheyan Simonpillai
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