The ‘Weekend Box Office,’ Poor Celebrity Hygiene & the Diddy Sentence

·29 min·2 clips

Taylor Swift made $50 million by releasing a behind-the-scenes film directly to AMC theaters, cutting out Hollywood studios.

The episode opens with Mo'Kelly discussing the weekend box office, focusing on Taylor Swift's film 'Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl'. He explains it's a behind-the-scenes look at her record-making, released directly to AMC theaters, grossing $50 million with a per-screen average of $9,200. Mo'Kelly compares it to 'One Battle After Another', which had a lower per-screen average but crossed $100 million worldwide. He mentions other films like 'The Smashing Machine' by A24 and 'Gabby's Dollhouse', noting demographic differences. The conversation shifts to celebrity hygiene, prompted by Lionel Richie's memoir claiming Michael Jackson had poor hygiene and was called 'Smelly'. Mo'Kelly shares his own experiences, including Lenny Kravitz's smell and a pungent encounter with a member of the girl group Total. He lists other celebrities like Matthew McConaughey and Ashton Kutcher with unusual hygiene habits. The host then covers Diddy's sentencing to four years and two months in prison, analyzing the judge's reasoning. Mo'Kelly predicts Donald Trump will pardon Diddy, citing Trump's history with Black celebrities and high-profile pardons. He discusses Diddy's potential to monetize his story post-release. The episode concludes with a teaser about the annual Halloween soiree, where Mo'Kelly builds suspense before revealing the 2025 event is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. Throughout, Mo'Kelly blends analysis with personal anecdotes, maintaining an informal, conversational tone.

As heard by us

A loose, skeptical radio conversation about celebrity strategy, hygiene lore, and the performance of public image.

Later with Mo'Kelly treats celebrity power as both strategy and performance, moving from Taylor Swift's business instincts and number one movie into a broader conversation about how public image gets built, sold, and judged.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get Mo Kelly sizing up Taylor Swift's business instincts, a crude detour through Hollywood hygiene habits, and a Halloween-soiree announcement that lands as a hard swerve.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Later, with Mo'Kelly