THE ULTRACOOL CASH GRABS OF BOOBI ALTHOFF
WIRED|November - December 2024
Now the Tik Tokker turned podcaster is out to prove her worth-by being herself.
KATIE DRUMMOND
THE ULTRACOOL CASH GRABS OF BOOBI ALTHOFF

FOR SOMEONE SO NEW TO CELEBRITY, Bobbi Althoff sure is good at it. Gliding into a cramped, bohemian studio space tucked into the 14th floor of an office tower in Los Angeles' Arts District, Althoff is well dressed, well coiffed, and appropriately entouraged-she arrives flanked by a makeup artist, a PR rep, and a woman shooting "BTS" (behindthe-scenes) footage of this interview for Althoff's social media accounts.

Althoff, who's 27 years old, just has it, that indescribable presence, that gravitational pull. A person who makes sense as somebody that everybody knows. And a lot more people know Althoff now than they did a few years ago: In 2021, her relentless attempts at taking off on TikTok finally stuck, and she established herself as a viral, albeit subversive, member of Mommy TikTok. That's also where Althoff honed the awkwardly funny, deadpan persona that became her calling card and led to The Really Good Podcast, which is now in its third season.

When it launched in April 2023, the show, which sees Althoff interviewing a grab bag of mostly non-A-list celebrities everyone from Saweetie and Meghan Trainor to Bobby Flay and Mark Cuban-quickly took off and turned Althoff into an online lightning rod even before she spent an hour in bed with Drake. That July 2023 interview drew over 10 million views on Althoff's YouTube channel. And then things got a little weird: What we know is that Althoff pulled the interview offline and both unfollowed each other on social; everything else is conjecture and online conspiracy, mushed together and then shoved through the internet meat grinder. The Drake interview and its ensuing chaos also nudged Althoff over some mythical line, one that separates "famous person, on the internet" from "famous person, period," someone whose personal and professional exploits are tracked by TMZ and written up by People.

This story is from the November - December 2024 edition of WIRED.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November - December 2024 edition of WIRED.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM WIREDView All
Terminal Velocity - Murphy, a competitive runner since high school, was an avid user of the exercise app Strava, and he frequently checked the app while traveling to see where locals liked to run.
WIRED

Terminal Velocity - Murphy, a competitive runner since high school, was an avid user of the exercise app Strava, and he frequently checked the app while traveling to see where locals liked to run.

It was 2 am at Denver International Airport, and Jared Murphy was only a few hours into a planned 17-hour layover. His options at this quiet hour, in the expansive halls of the concourse, were pretty much nil. There would be no nibbling on ahi tartare at the Crú Food & Wine Bar for at least another seven hours, and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory's signature caramel apples had long since been cached for the night.

time-read
4 mins  |
September - October 2024
What's the future for Western 'super apps'?
WIRED

What's the future for Western 'super apps'?

Super apps create a single interface to unify a broad ecosystem of services such as messaging, e-commerce, and transport. With consumers making all of their purchases within one walled garden, the user engagement and data benefits for the app owner are obvious and substantial. These apps have become a major part of the Chinese technology landscape, so we asked two leading experts: Could the concept successfully break through in Western markets?

time-read
2 mins  |
November - December 2024
THE TELEVISUAL HIJACKING OF ALFONSO CUARON
WIRED

THE TELEVISUAL HIJACKING OF ALFONSO CUARON

Gravity, Children of Men, the best Harry Potter film-and now a seven-part miniseries?

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2024
THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES TRAE STEPHENS
WIRED

THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES TRAE STEPHENS

The venture capitalist and cofounder of the defense-tech startup Anduril has worked with Donald Trump, Peter Thiel, Palmer Luckey, and Elon Musk.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2024
THE ULTRACOOL CASH GRABS OF BOOBI ALTHOFF
WIRED

THE ULTRACOOL CASH GRABS OF BOOBI ALTHOFF

Now the Tik Tokker turned podcaster is out to prove her worth-by being herself.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2024
THE MIDLIFE NOT -A-CRISIS OF MARK CUBAN
WIRED

THE MIDLIFE NOT -A-CRISIS OF MARK CUBAN

Though he's soon to be out at Shark Tank, the billionaire has a massive new \"disruption\" in the works. He's certain it'll save lives.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2024
THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OF MEREDITH WHITAKER
WIRED

THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OF MEREDITH WHITAKER

It's free. It doesn't track you or serve you ads. It pays its engineers very well. And it's a go-to app for hundreds of millions of people.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2024
THE SICK (AND SLOW) BURNS OF JOSH JOHNSON
WIRED

THE SICK (AND SLOW) BURNS OF JOSH JOHNSON

The comedian tells jokes the way he found fame: slowly, and then all at once.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2024
THE DAD-ROCK DIPLOMACY OF ANTONY BLINKEN
WIRED

THE DAD-ROCK DIPLOMACY OF ANTONY BLINKEN

Two major wars. A rising China. Hackers everywhere. He's from the US government, and he's here to help.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2024
INSIDE THE UNCANNY WORLD OF TIKTOK HOME REMODELING
WIRED

INSIDE THE UNCANNY WORLD OF TIKTOK HOME REMODELING

Turn a tree into a luxury apartment. Retrofit a bedroom for a million children. The videos are bizarre-and going very viral. Who's behind them?

time-read
6 mins  |
November - December 2024