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I Want to Be Famous: When Everybody and Nobody Is a Celebrity
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A sharp, funny examination of fame in the digital era and what makes our hunger for it equally alluring and embarrassing—from the podcasters behind Who? Weekly
“Nothing short of a modern soliloquy on what it means to seek the gaze of the masses. Come for the laughs and incredible cultural deep cuts, stay for the exegesis on how we wound up . . . here.”—Lena Dunham, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Famesick
While being photographed in 1966, Warhol reportedly said, “Everyone wants to be famous.” (To which his photographer Nat Finkelstein responded, “Yeah, for about fifteen minutes, Andy.”) Warhol was right then, and he’s right now. Fifteen minutes be damned, all you need is the drive—or desperation—and a singular spark. But if you’re not careful, you’ll end up a Who.
Who is a Who? In I Want to Be Famous, Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, the journalists behind the pop culture podcast Who? Weekly, distill celebrity into two categories—Whos and Thems—transcending the snarky, antiquated judgment of the “A-listers” to “D-listers.” If you come across an allegedly famous face you’ve never seen before and are compelled to utter “Who?”, well, there’s your answer. (Can you picture Rita Ora, Ava Max, or Hilaria Baldwin without googling them?) If the subject elicits something along the lines of, “Oh, Them,” there you’ve found the opposite (Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Tom Cruise). It’s the fundamental binary of fame.
And yet, as more Whos spawn, the path to Themdom narrows. We’ve entered an era where accessibility to fame is within everyone’s grasp, though only a select few can crack the algorithm and hold our ever-diminishing attention spans. Celebrities have taken desperate measures to stay relevant—from the makeup, supplements, and alcohol they peddle to the Notes app apologies they post—as the media who cover them compete with celebrities breaking their own news on social media and as PopCrave decides who “stuns” next.
Blending juicy pop culture history with the authors’ signature wit, I Want to Be Famous argues fame no longer means ubiquity and examines what the future holds for those seeking our collective attention.
“Nothing short of a modern soliloquy on what it means to seek the gaze of the masses. Come for the laughs and incredible cultural deep cuts, stay for the exegesis on how we wound up . . . here.”—Lena Dunham, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Famesick
While being photographed in 1966, Warhol reportedly said, “Everyone wants to be famous.” (To which his photographer Nat Finkelstein responded, “Yeah, for about fifteen minutes, Andy.”) Warhol was right then, and he’s right now. Fifteen minutes be damned, all you need is the drive—or desperation—and a singular spark. But if you’re not careful, you’ll end up a Who.
Who is a Who? In I Want to Be Famous, Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, the journalists behind the pop culture podcast Who? Weekly, distill celebrity into two categories—Whos and Thems—transcending the snarky, antiquated judgment of the “A-listers” to “D-listers.” If you come across an allegedly famous face you’ve never seen before and are compelled to utter “Who?”, well, there’s your answer. (Can you picture Rita Ora, Ava Max, or Hilaria Baldwin without googling them?) If the subject elicits something along the lines of, “Oh, Them,” there you’ve found the opposite (Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Tom Cruise). It’s the fundamental binary of fame.
And yet, as more Whos spawn, the path to Themdom narrows. We’ve entered an era where accessibility to fame is within everyone’s grasp, though only a select few can crack the algorithm and hold our ever-diminishing attention spans. Celebrities have taken desperate measures to stay relevant—from the makeup, supplements, and alcohol they peddle to the Notes app apologies they post—as the media who cover them compete with celebrities breaking their own news on social media and as PopCrave decides who “stuns” next.
Blending juicy pop culture history with the authors’ signature wit, I Want to Be Famous argues fame no longer means ubiquity and examines what the future holds for those seeking our collective attention.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
August 31, 2026
This is a really fun examination of the nature of celebrity in the modern age. I’ve never listened to the authors’ podcast, but I still got a lot out of this book. This isn’t just one for the fans, and if anything, I think it will inspire more people to listen to the podcast!
This book sent me down some rabbit holes of the best kind, by reminding me of past celebrity scandals that hadn’t crossed my mind in years and inspiring me to search where people are now. It also made me think about how much celebrity culture has changed in such a short time—within a few decades we’ve gone from Perez Hilton drawing bodily fluids on people’s faces to Deux Moi uncritically posting every tip she receives…admittedly that feels like a lateral move. My favourite chapter was the one about stan culture, but this book is honestly full of gems.
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a physical ARC of this book!
This book sent me down some rabbit holes of the best kind, by reminding me of past celebrity scandals that hadn’t crossed my mind in years and inspiring me to search where people are now. It also made me think about how much celebrity culture has changed in such a short time—within a few decades we’ve gone from Perez Hilton drawing bodily fluids on people’s faces to Deux Moi uncritically posting every tip she receives…admittedly that feels like a lateral move. My favourite chapter was the one about stan culture, but this book is honestly full of gems.
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a physical ARC of this book!
Want to Read
January 29, 2026OMG
October 22, 2026
Long time/medium time of Who? Weekly, so I was inclined towards this book’s material. Weber and Finger lay out a theory of Whos and Thems: the celebrities we recognize on sight and those we question how they stay booked and busy. The Ariana Grandes vs the Rita Oras of the world, if you will.
I Want To Be Famous is a broader application of this theory across micro topics of celebrity fame: notes app apologies, PR relationships, sponcon, nepobabies, stan wars….. if it’s a chronically online conversation, trust it’s found here!! The book isn’t interested in interrogating celebrity gossip as a concept or asking why we’re here - it assumes you’ve already bought into the value of these conversations.
The book shines in its deep dives into the history of celebrity journalism, application of theory, and campy tone. It successfully captures a lot of the weird mixture of irony and total sincerity in the podcast well! I’m sure that’s helped by the narration by the podcast hosts. But the book stumbles when it can’t decide whether to be silly or academic, and if it can’t make up its mind, it usually lands on dated (such as the references to “6s dating 10s” and Lindsay Lohan’s sex list). I also wish every chapter has been united under The Who Them Grand Strategy. While always interesting, it wasn’t always clear why we were elaborating on a specific tangent
Recommended broadly for people interested in the subject material, with the caveat that this is a sanded-down version of what the podcast is already excellently doing
I Want To Be Famous is a broader application of this theory across micro topics of celebrity fame: notes app apologies, PR relationships, sponcon, nepobabies, stan wars….. if it’s a chronically online conversation, trust it’s found here!! The book isn’t interested in interrogating celebrity gossip as a concept or asking why we’re here - it assumes you’ve already bought into the value of these conversations.
The book shines in its deep dives into the history of celebrity journalism, application of theory, and campy tone. It successfully captures a lot of the weird mixture of irony and total sincerity in the podcast well! I’m sure that’s helped by the narration by the podcast hosts. But the book stumbles when it can’t decide whether to be silly or academic, and if it can’t make up its mind, it usually lands on dated (such as the references to “6s dating 10s” and Lindsay Lohan’s sex list). I also wish every chapter has been united under The Who Them Grand Strategy. While always interesting, it wasn’t always clear why we were elaborating on a specific tangent
Recommended broadly for people interested in the subject material, with the caveat that this is a sanded-down version of what the podcast is already excellently doing
October 25, 2026
lindsey bobby forever
July 12, 2026
If you enjoy media studies and the silly levels/layers of celebrity, you’ll love this book. The authors apply an academic-style lens to the current micro/macro celebrity experience, including all that celebrities manufacture for public consumption (social media presence, white label partnerships that are usually endorsed on social media much more visibly than the overseas American celeb spokesperson in overseas commercials of the pre-2010s, and wayyyy too many forgotten podcasts, as celebs try to jump on the latest train in the attention economy). Does that sound niche to you or delectable?
The authors have been hosting a pop culture podcast for 10 years and occasionally slip in lil nuggets for longtime listeners (i.e., what other book is going to shout out Danielle Jonas shilling for big pork on Instagram??), but you do not need to be familiar with their podcast to enjoy this book. Though if you enjoy their book, you’ll probably enjoy their podcast Who? Weekly and should give it a listen.
Thank you Crown Publishing (of Penguin Random House) and NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
The authors have been hosting a pop culture podcast for 10 years and occasionally slip in lil nuggets for longtime listeners (i.e., what other book is going to shout out Danielle Jonas shilling for big pork on Instagram??), but you do not need to be familiar with their podcast to enjoy this book. Though if you enjoy their book, you’ll probably enjoy their podcast Who? Weekly and should give it a listen.
Thank you Crown Publishing (of Penguin Random House) and NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was such a fun and delightful read! As a Wholigan it felt like a nice history of the Who Weekly podcast itself and its coverage, but I also think that someone who hasn't listened to the podcast could get a lot of good media studies type info out of this. Crunch crunch!
October 15, 2026
this book has beauty AND brains!
long review on my substack: https://alannawhy.substack.com/p/i-wa...
long review on my substack: https://alannawhy.substack.com/p/i-wa...
October 7, 2026
As an absolute Wholigan, I’ve been anxiously awaiting this release. I knew I would love it, and, what do you know, I loved it. Bobby and Lindsay (and Timmy, presumably), are just so smart and funny—I really enjoyed this book. Fame is an odd beast, and it’s gotten particularly odd in the last 20 years. I appreciated these explanations and insights. Crunch, crunch; Annminent Dowdmain; promising young promising young woman woman
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I have been listening to Lindsey Bobby tell me about Whos for literally years via hundreds of episodes of the podcast Who? Weekly so I leapt on the opportunity to read this book. As a listener of the podcast, I do wish I had listened to the audibook rather than read it as it is read by the authors (Patreon subscribers had accesess to the first chapter of the audiobook and it was a delight). The book is a thoughtful examination of celebrity culture and how it has evolved over time. As someone who studied sociology in college I really appreciated that the book had something to say and wasn’t just regurgitating gossip. I personally love the distinction between Whos and Thems and think it is probably one of the most accurate ways to distinguish levels of celebrity. The book is very well researched and comes with a very long list of citations. Crunch. Crunch.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Full disclosure, I am a Who? Weekly listener and Patreon subscriber.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Full disclosure, I am a Who? Weekly listener and Patreon subscriber.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Crunch crunch! I’ve been a Wholigan since the beginning so this book was everything I could have ever hoped for. Always up for a pop culture/media studies deep dive and when two of the funniest writers are doing it? It’s a Rita Ora pop song to my ears.
October 5, 2026
As a listener (not often enough, ugh!) of Who? Weekly and someone whose mom had a People subscription throughout her childhood, I went into this expecting to laugh but not necessarily learn anything new. I actually did learn new things (about standom, wow) and laughed my ass off. Crunch crunch ❤️
October 6, 2026
A true pop culture dissertation
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
If you are already a fan of the Who? Weekly podcast, then I don't need to convince you that this book is a must-read. But even if you know little to nothing about the hosts Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber and their binary classification of fame into Whos (people on the low end of celebrity, those who might prompt the general public to ask "who?" when encountering them in the press or online) and Thems (A-listers), this book will interest anyone who enjoys good gossip and fun takes on Hollywood history. Specifically, fans of Anne Helen Petersen's "Scandals of Classic Hollywood" and Emily Nussbaum's "Cue the Sun!" will probably enjoy this exploration of fame and its many faces. I certainly did!
The book is divided into chapters on various aspects of fame and what drives people to chase celebrity. It focuses on the differences between Whos and Thems, and the processes by which one may go from one level of celebrity to the other. The tone is humorous and chatty, and it often reads like a transcript of a very good podcast (this is not a negative in any way). The breadth of the content is very broad and the discussions about people I'm not even familiar with held my attention as much as those about people and events which I already knew (I loved getting more information about things I witnessed first-hand as a Gen Xer who loves pop culture and has been consuming it voraciously for many decades).
I came out of reading this book with a sense of having a broader understanding of many pop culture events and personas. It is incredibly well written and extremely entertaining, and it will probably be my favorite non-fiction title of 2026! Bravo Bobby and Lindsey!
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the authors for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
The book is divided into chapters on various aspects of fame and what drives people to chase celebrity. It focuses on the differences between Whos and Thems, and the processes by which one may go from one level of celebrity to the other. The tone is humorous and chatty, and it often reads like a transcript of a very good podcast (this is not a negative in any way). The breadth of the content is very broad and the discussions about people I'm not even familiar with held my attention as much as those about people and events which I already knew (I loved getting more information about things I witnessed first-hand as a Gen Xer who loves pop culture and has been consuming it voraciously for many decades).
I came out of reading this book with a sense of having a broader understanding of many pop culture events and personas. It is incredibly well written and extremely entertaining, and it will probably be my favorite non-fiction title of 2026! Bravo Bobby and Lindsey!
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the authors for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
October 4, 2026
As a longtime listener of Who? Weekly, I’m embarrassed to say that I only learned through this book that Club Chalamet has switched allegiances to Connor Storrie. Crunch crunch!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this Advanced Reader Copy.
I Want to Be Famous, by Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, is an insightful and hilarious inside look at fame and celebrity, giving the scoop on the who’s who and how they got there. You’ll learn about the “who’s” and the “thems” and exactly how they move from one to the other when in the spotlight. The authors have a podcast where they banter and talk out all things celebrity. This immense knowledge gives the book a snarky, satirical, and informational slant that you could only get from authors who live this daily. I Want to Be Famous leaves nothing out: the history of celebrity journalism, the evolution of what it means to be famous in today’s world, and how the contributions of gossip columnists and bloggers influence the public’s perceptions. If you are interested in celebrity culture and its influence on society, you will love this book!
I Want to Be Famous, by Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, is an insightful and hilarious inside look at fame and celebrity, giving the scoop on the who’s who and how they got there. You’ll learn about the “who’s” and the “thems” and exactly how they move from one to the other when in the spotlight. The authors have a podcast where they banter and talk out all things celebrity. This immense knowledge gives the book a snarky, satirical, and informational slant that you could only get from authors who live this daily. I Want to Be Famous leaves nothing out: the history of celebrity journalism, the evolution of what it means to be famous in today’s world, and how the contributions of gossip columnists and bloggers influence the public’s perceptions. If you are interested in celebrity culture and its influence on society, you will love this book!
November 3, 2026
Book #20 of 2026: I was in a reading slump. Attempting to start (and finish) a few new books for the past 3 months. This one came up on my radar while listening to “Seek Treatment with Cat & Pat” podcast. Maybe that’s what I needed? A book that feels podcasty. Gossipy & Silly while feeding you tidbits of knowledge you wouldn’t otherwise care to know. That is this book. A 3 day weekend read about pop culture that explores celebrity in all of its 2026 glory and compares it to yesteryear.
November 6, 2026
My favorite podcasters did itttt
Listened to it and it was a breath of fresh air while I’m reading an extremely dark long and hard book
Listened to it and it was a breath of fresh air while I’m reading an extremely dark long and hard book
November 5, 2026
Perfectly high brow low brow.
November 5, 2026
Loved, listened to the audiobook so felt like a long ep. My fave podcast divas
October 30, 2026
I love Bobby and Lindsey and find their reporting to be delicious ridiculous hilarious! This just didn’t hit that hard for me and felt like it was for people who haven’t listened to the pod? Was a bit too explainy. Of course I still enjoyed much of it because the subject matter is up my alley but didn’t learn anything new.
October 25, 2026
As a longtime Wholigan, it’s not a surprise I loved this book — it was written in the stars (they’re just like us!). But I was so, so impressed by the way Lindsey and Bobby distilled their thesis, not only to make it accessible for new audiences, but to create a through-line of the way changing celebrity culture has made consumers of us all. Using specific examples (notes app apologies, collaborations with potato chips, celebrity entrepreneurs and “creative directors,” to name a few), Lindsey and Bobby explain why the death of selling out makes Who-y behavior an enduring source of revenue and relevancy for Whos and Thems alike. Fantastic cultural commentary and media literacy by two charming, knowledgeable experts.
October 29, 2026
Absolutely perfect. Crunch crunch!
October 26, 2026
Listened on audiobook. I’m biased, but obvi Lindsey & Bobby forever <3 crunch crunch
October 24, 2026
Long time, long time. I pre-ordered the hardcover but ended up binging the audiobook on a trip to Denmark. I was caught up on the pod and needed more Bobby & Lindsey in my ear. They do a great job analyzing broader themes related to fame. Lots of greatest hits/fond memories from the pod for Wholigans. Crunch crunch!
October 25, 2026
I wish this was longer! Very enjoyable and I did some literal lols.
October 14, 2026
Medium time, medium time fan of the Who? Weekly pod here.
What a fun (and funny) snapshot and analysis of celebrity culture and the economy of fame over the past ten years. Whether you're a long time, long time fan of the show or just generally interested in celebrity and fame, this is a book for you!
As someone who started listening to the podcast halfway through, I appreciated the earlier chapters that detail Bobby and Lindsey's framework for the "Whos" and "Thems" of celebrity and parameters of "Who" behavior. I've picked up the gist while listening but I enjoyed seeing it all spelled out. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on the Notes App apology and Nepo Babies, as it was interested to see how the landscape has evolved over the years. And of course, Rita Ora. We could never forget you!
WaWa PaWa. Funk Sluss Pregnant. Crunch Crunch.
I am grateful for the free ARC ebook copy that was provided to me by NetGalley and Crown Publishing. All opinions are my own.
This title releases on September 29, 2026.
What a fun (and funny) snapshot and analysis of celebrity culture and the economy of fame over the past ten years. Whether you're a long time, long time fan of the show or just generally interested in celebrity and fame, this is a book for you!
As someone who started listening to the podcast halfway through, I appreciated the earlier chapters that detail Bobby and Lindsey's framework for the "Whos" and "Thems" of celebrity and parameters of "Who" behavior. I've picked up the gist while listening but I enjoyed seeing it all spelled out. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on the Notes App apology and Nepo Babies, as it was interested to see how the landscape has evolved over the years. And of course, Rita Ora. We could never forget you!
WaWa PaWa. Funk Sluss Pregnant. Crunch Crunch.
I am grateful for the free ARC ebook copy that was provided to me by NetGalley and Crown Publishing. All opinions are my own.
This title releases on September 29, 2026.
October 19, 2026
As a longtime Wholigan, this book altered my brain chemistry, changed my molecular structure, watered my crops, and cleared my skin. A glorious piece of celebrity analysis that scratches a very specific part of my brain. I lost count of how many times I muttered "god, that's so true" while reading.
Tim Tebow lesbian, Lindsey podcaster, women do belong in balloons, 9/11 Groundhog Day, shape of a wooOomuun, Crunch Crunch.
Tim Tebow lesbian, Lindsey podcaster, women do belong in balloons, 9/11 Groundhog Day, shape of a wooOomuun, Crunch Crunch.
October 22, 2026
at the end of the day, women DO belong in balloons
October 22, 2026
Lindsay and Bobby are my close personal friends. Crunch crunch!
October 21, 2026
Audiobook was an elite experience.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews