Welcome to Smooch Fest: The ONLY podcast about kissing! Your host Lena Olson, talks to guests about the most ICONIC kisses in pop culture: from TV to movies and more! Guests also share dating stories of their best, worst, and first kisses. But it doesn't stop there, Smooch Fest dares to ask the questions: Why do people kiss? Do animals kiss like humans? When was the first gay kiss on television? Along with pop culture analysis, we get into the science and history behind smooching. Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask. For romantic comedy fans, queer millennials & lover girls!
Publisher
Lena Olson | Pop Culture Aficionado | Kissing Expert | Romantic Comedy Heroine
This week, Lena is joined by Eteng Ettah (host of Consider This For Comfort) to discuss the iconic smooches in the TV show, Insecure, and the movie, Challengers. The two start by talking about the three-way kiss between Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor in the 2024 film directed by Luca Guadagnino. Then Eteng tells a story about her first kiss, which occurred in a church basement (scandalous!). Next, Lena and Eteng do a deep dive into the much loved 2010s show created by Issa Rae, Insecu...
8 Oct 2026
Best Kisses in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (with Olivia Haidar)
As we get closer to Halloween, Smooch Fest revisits the beloved teen show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Lena is joined by Olivia Haidar (Movie Projectionist and Cool Person) to discuss the seminal kissing scenes from the entire series. They focus on the kisses between Buffy and Angel and later, Buffy and Spike. They compare Buffy’s two vampire boyfriends and struggle to decide who is best for her. Next, the two talk about Willow and Tara - whose sapphic relationship was the first lesbian...
24 Sept 2026
Practical Magic, The Craft, and Witchy Kisses (with Kiru Nwadiwe)
We’re falling into spooky season so Kiru Nwadiwe (Teacher, Booktoker) joins Lena to talk about her favorite witchy kisses from The Craft and Practical Magic. They talk about the rich tapestry of 90s witchy media and the boho whimsigoth era that defined a generation. Lena discovers that Kiru is repulsed by choreography videos. Do NOT try to woo her with those!
Then they dive into 1998’s Practical Magic. Lena gets on her soapbox about why it’s GOOD this movie is so genre bending. They revisit Sandra Bullock’s kissing scenes with her late husband, Michael, and Detective Hallet. They also discuss her intense chemistry with Nicole Kidman and make predictions for Practical Magic 2.
At the end of the episode, Lena teaches Kiru how to cast a love spell. Enjoy!
Follow Kiru:
https://www.tiktok.com/@kiru.osity4books (https://www.tiktok.com/@kiru.osity4books)
Follow Lena:
https://www.instagram.com/trolololson/ (https://www.instagram.com/trolololson/)
Follow Smooch Fest:
https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod (https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod)
Links:
The Craft Kissing Scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUJtn_Bwm-w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUJtn_Bwm-w)
Practical Magic First Kiss - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWgdwOtUIEY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWgdwOtUIEY)
Practical Magic Second Kiss - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NDa_R37DMg&t=10s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NDa_R37DMg&t=10s)
Sky Full of Elephants Book - https://bookshop.org/p/books/sky-full-of-elephants-a-novel-cebo-campbell/7575ac25a1b625c3 (https://bookshop.org/p/books/sky-full-of-elephants-a-novel-cebo-campbell/7575ac25a1b625c3)
You may notice an ad for a podcast called Consider This For Comfort, hosted by Eteng Ettah. It’s a super fun, nostalgic show exploring why comfort shows are so comforting. Give it a listen here: https://pod.link/1823537949 (https://pod.link/1823537949)
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Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
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