West Elm Caleb, the Emo Festival, and the Eroticism of @mrbigchops69

Don’t Let This Flop

How did a 6'4" West Elm furniture designer get our FYPs in a chokehold for a solid week? This week on Don't Let This Flop, we unpack the ethical morass of the West Elm Caleb saga, in which the women of NYC TikTok banded together to put a 25-year-old tall guy named Caleb on blast for allegedly lovebombing, then ghosting, them. Brands got involved, and then West Elm's Instagram got involved — and then things turned ugly. We talked to Leah, aka @jewishbrat, one of the TikTok creators who had matched with Caleb and hopped on the trend, to get her thoughts on what it's like to go viral for accidentally ruining someone's life — and how she feels about taking part in the saga afterwards. We also discuss When We Were Young, aka the upcoming Vegas festival that seems destined to fail; bring you an update on a former Himbo of the Week, aka the Gummy Deep Throat Guy; and pay homage to thirst trap satirist extraordinaire @mrbigchops69.

Don’t Let This Flop is a weekly podcast from Rolling Stone, centered around a roundup of this week in TikTok trends and memes, from dances to recipes to makeup challenges to creepy viral videos to celebrity videos to grassroots campaigns intended to raise awareness of social issues. Join hosts Brittany Spanos and EJ Dickson as they unpack their significance, with special guests to break down the latest trends in TikTok. Some of these stories will be silly; some will be more serious. All will have wider implications outside the world of TikTok.

Links we discuss in the show: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorlorenz/video/7055052308048170286?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

https://www.tiktok.com/@mr.bigchops69/video/7054554268182875439?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

https://www.tiktok.com/@joyjefferson8/video/7039855969945570606?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESPgo8f6YB8AHhstgUOsyxF2wMBskw4yCc73zxR5GP1sFsQ4RPERVo4emRi19W%2BpzLn623sT4m0fw5AOLwhZZdGgA%3D&checksum=3a1580757c6d89222f5e737666fd4457bc4517823a4900f86f0ab6dce4df525c&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAngH-CnqIbj792T_2xKpUJgBMM0N1V0n0lzQFkmCntb_xk45DYVp2AAMJqgr23jSS&share_app_id=1233&share_item_id=7039855969945570606&share_link_id=18F25282-48A6-4031-987E-FC17EDA23EE3&source=h5_m×tamp=1642729140&tt_from=copy&u_code=d7327gfg6l95b3&user_id=6708830273024345094&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&_r=1

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/caleb-west-elm-dating-saga-1288386/

https://www.tiktok.com/@mr.bigchops69/video/7054554268182875439?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorlorenz/video/7055052308048170286?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices