Wikipedia

Thirst Aid Kit

Thirst Aid Kit is a podcast about celebrity lust and sexual desire hosted by journalist Bim Adewunmi and writer Nichole Perkins. The podcast premiered on November 1, 2017, and the finale episode aired on September 17, 2020. It was officially produced by BuzzFeed until January 2019 and was picked up by Slate in September 2019.

Thirst Aid Kit
Presentation
Hosted by
GenreFeminist, talk
FormatPodcast
Created by
  • Bim Adewunmi
  • Nichole Perkins
LanguageEnglish
Length45–90 minutes
Production
Production
  • BuzzFeed (2017–2019)
  • Slate (2019–2020)
Theme music composed byTanya Morgan
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes60+
Publication
Original releaseNovember 1, 2017 –
September 17, 2020
ProviderSlate
Related
Related showsAnother Round
Websitethirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com

Thirst Aid Kit was named to "best podcast" lists by Time and Entertainment Weekly.[1][2][3]

History

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Development

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Adewunmi and Perkins worked together at BuzzFeed and mutually enjoyed discussing pop culture and their celebrity sexual interests. This encouraged them to pitch the idea of a podcast about celebrity crushes to BuzzFeed executives.[4]

The purpose of Thirst Aid Kit (TAK) is to openly discuss celebrities they find attractive and do so in an unabashed manner.[3][5] According to Perkins, "It's really important to give women a space to show what we are interested in and what women want."[4][6] They also use TAK to highlight people whose work may be well known, but their face is less familiar, such as director Ryan Coogler.[7] The name Thirst Aid Kit refers to the slang meaning of the word thirst, which refers to sexual desire. They refer to their fan base as "thirst buckets."[1]

Production

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The first episode premiered on November 1, 2017, as a production of BuzzFeed. The show is produced by Keisha "TK" Dutes.[1]

On January 25, 2019, it was announced that BuzzFeed would no longer produce the podcast and the hosts are currently looking for a new sponsor.[8] One day prior, BuzzFeed announced company-wide layoffs which eliminated 15% of their staff.[9]

In August 2019, it was announced that Slate had picked up the podcast. It relaunched through the company on September 26.[1] Adewunmi and Perkins chose to partner with Slate because they "came to [the pair] knowledgeable about the podcast."[1]

On September 17, 2020, the Thirst Aid Kit Twitter stated that the weekly podcast had ended and the episode released that day was the finale.[2] The hosts also noted that they had decided to end the podcast mutually. In another tweet the account stated that live events and movie nights could take place in the future.[10]

BFI series dispute

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In February 2020, BFI announced a forthcoming series called Thirst: Female Desire on Screen that had similar artwork to the TAK logo and a similar description.[11] Journalist Musa Okwonga and Twitter users accused BFI of stealing the concept.[11]

Format

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Each episode typically focuses on a single celebrity who the hosts find sexually attractive.[7][12] The podcast begins and ends with either host reading an original short passage of fan fiction, which they call a drabble.[3] The short reading features the focal "thirst object" in an intimate, and sometimes sexual, situation with the writer.[3] Next, they explain what makes the actor desirable. Finally, they dissect the actor's persona in the context of Hollywood and society at large.

Guests

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Thirst Aid Kit sometimes features an interview with the person who the episode is about, such as Charlie Cox and Rahul Kohli. On January 28, 2018, the hosts had a phone interview with Chris Evans, who was on the set of Avengers: Infinity War.[4][13] Evans made comments about not perceiving himself as "hot," which were picked up by media outlets such as E!,[14] W,[15] and InStyle.[16]

Other media

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TAK also hosts live events such as "Thirsty Movie Nights."[17] They hosted a live interview with Daniel Dae Kim at 2020 Sundance.[18]

Reception

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The podcast received positive reception. In an article on feminist podcast recommendations, Evette Dionne of Bitch said of the show, "Whether it's reading delicious fan fiction, a staple at the beginning of most episodes, or offering thirst recommendations, Thirst Aid Kit is incredibly entertaining."[19] Becca James of Vulture wrote that the show "is as much about the laughs as it is about the lust. Numerous times throughout the podcast, the hosts banter wittily, but it's the concluding fanfic wars that lend themselves to uproarious laughter."[13] In a similarly positive review, Marnie Shure of The A.V. Club wrote, "Giggle-inducing and surprisingly moving, Thirst Aid Kit has been an essential addition to the BuzzFeed network of podcasts."[20] Sydney Scott of Essence noted that the hosts' "warmth and banter" is a positive feature of the show.[1] Byshera Williams wrote in a positive review for Bust, "By addressing the work that each man has created, discussing representation in film, asking why there are not more black women in romantic comedies, and writing fanfic, they weaponize their thirst for good."[21]

The show was also recommended by Mashable and Vanity Fair.[22][23]

Accolades

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Exclusive: Nichole Perkins And Bim Adewunmi's 'Thirst Aid Kit' Is Joining Slate". Essence. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Ending Podcast Announcement". Twitter. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Kang, Inkoo (June 18, 2018). "Thirst Aid Kit Celebrates and Examines Celebrity Lust". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Kahn, Mattie (November 14, 2017). "Someone Pour Me a Cold Drink, the Thirstiest Podcast on the Internet Is Here". ELLE. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  5. ^ Cate Young (Winter 2019). "Thirst Aid Kit Is Our New Favorite Drool Tool". The Pleasure Issue. No. 81. Bitch Media. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  6. ^ "Lusting after celebrity men in the #TimesUp era: It's complicated". Salon. April 9, 2018. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Shure, Marnie (September 11, 2018). "The love doctors of Thirst Aid Kit on why it's important for women to lust out loud". AUX. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  8. ^ Thirst Aid Kit (January 25, 2019). "Thirst Aid Kit's time with BuzzFeed has come to an end. Thank you to @TastyKeish @Camilalalaa @juliastmi for producing this past season. If you have the means to support @ThirstAidKit so it can live again elsewhere, please contact @bimadew and @tnwhiskeywoman. We love you!". @ThirstAidKit. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  9. ^ Colin Dwyer (January 24, 2019). "'Upsetting And Disappointing': BuzzFeed To Cut 15 Percent Of Its Workforce". NPR.org. Archived from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "Final Episode Announcement". Twitter. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Lanre Bakare (February 17, 2020). "BFI accused of stealing concept of Thirst Aid Kit podcast". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  12. ^ "The face-fanning, lust-driven podcast Thirst Aid Kit". www.newstatesman.com. June 13, 2018. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  13. ^ a b James, Becca (January 30, 2019). "Want to Try Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins's Thirst Aid Kit? Start Here". www.vulture.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  14. ^ "Chris Evans Doesn't Think He's Hot—and for Good Reason". E! Online. January 19, 2018. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  15. ^ Munzenrieder, Kyle (January 19, 2018). "Chris Evans Only Person on Earth Who Doesn't Think Chris Evans is "Hot"". W Magazine. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  16. ^ Alexandra Whittaker. "Somehow Chris Evans Doesn't Think He's Attractive". InStyle.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  17. ^ "'Thirst Aid Kit' Podcast Moves To Slate For September Return". All Access. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  18. ^ "Thirst Aid Kit: TAK Takes Sundance". WNYC. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  19. ^ Evette Dionne. "3 Podcasts Feminists Should Listen To In December". Bitch Media. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  20. ^ Shure, Marnie (September 11, 2018). "The love doctors of Thirst Aid Kit on why it's important for women to lust out loud". The AV Club. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  21. ^ Byshera Williams (May 24, 2018). "6 Podcasts Hosted By Black People You Should Be Listening To". bust.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  22. ^ Joho, Jess (October 10, 2020). "The 27 best podcasts about feminism, equality, equity, and surviving". Mashable. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  23. ^ Goode, Justine. "Five Feel-Good Podcasts to Help Find Your Inner Optimist". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  24. ^ Shure M, Vanderbilt M, Siede C, et al. (December 17, 2018). "The A.V. Club's 2018 podcast superlatives". AUX. The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  25. ^ "The best podcasts of 2018". EW.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  26. ^ Eliana Dockterman (March 30, 2018). "The 50 Best Podcasts to Listen to Right Now". Time. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
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