Where a podcast journalist, a filmmaker, and a cultural critic burst pop culture’s favorite adoption tropes. Each episode, we dive into movies, TV, and reality shows, from prestige dramas to the classics, to ask what these stories are really saying, and not saying, about adoption. And we get real about representation: how the world sees us, and how we see ourselves.
Latest Episodes
6/24/2026
Big Daddy (1999) – Adoption on the Big Screen
E029 | Big Daddy (1999) – Adoption on the Big Screen
Limp Bizkit in the discman, punchlines built on misogyny and homophobia, and Adam Sandler on the big screen… it must by the 90s on Adoption Pop! Join podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer, as we revisit the polarizing humor of Big Daddy, a film that was both a box office success and a 5-time Golden Raspberry nominee. "Once you adopt a kid, you have to keep him," the film's promotional poster tells us; and once you start listening to this episode, you've got to listen all the way through to the end. Even if you're dumber for it.
Big Daddy was written by Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy, and Adam Sandler; and directed by Dennis Dugan.
This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on June 24, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon:
According to Miriam Webster, an oeuvre is a "substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, artist, or composer." As in, "Of Adam Sandler's oeuvre, Sullivan likes 1995's Billy Madison the best. She is, after all, a true 90s kid."
Julian "Frankenstein" Garrity is played by twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse.
Surprise adoptions have occurred on this pod before, in Episode 7: Modern Family "Pilot," and Episode 20: The Odd Life of Timothy Green. And we have a sinking feeling we haven't seen the last of them.
According to a June 1999 article in the New York Times, a 1200 square foot SoHo loft "would go for $4,000 a month and up." And if you're listening to this episode on the day that it drops from the comfort of that same, two-bedroom loft, you and your roommates are probably splitting the $13,000 a month rent bill four to six ways. Unless you've got that influencer money. (Hey Apartments.com, Zillow, Redfin, StreetEasy, somebody – call us! We wipe our own asses!)
According to Adoption Choices of Arizona, "20 Years Later, Adam Sandler's Adoption-based 'Big Daddy' is Still Impactful," and, according to the post, "one of Adam Sandler's best roles to date." Even we don't have a good joke for this one.
The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen.
We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com and on Instagram.
Knibb High Football rules!
6/17/2026
Little Bird Episodes 4-6 (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen
E028 | Little Bird Episodes 4-6 (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen
In part two of this two-part episode, we cover the last three episodes of Little Bird, the Canadian dramatic series following a First Nations woman adopted into a Jewish family during the Sixties Scoop as she attempts to reconnect with her family and heritage. Based on real events of the past and present, Little Bird was the winner of six Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Drama, Best Direction, Best Lead Performer, Best Supporting Performer, Best Ensemble Performance, and Best Achievement in Casting. Join Canadian podcast journalist Haley Radke and Opaskwayak Cree filmmaker Kristal Parke, alongside cultural critic Sullivan Summer, as we close out this emotional episode of Adoption Pop!
Little Bird was created by Catherine Bainbridge, Hannah Moscovitch, and Jennifer Podemski. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers is the director.
This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on June 17, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon:
The research debunking the myth that "babies are blank slates" is plentiful. Here are just a few articles: "Does My Baby Recognize Me?," Yale Baby School; "Babies Brainer Than Many Imagine," Science Daily (May 7, 2009); "Mythbusters II: We Do NOT Begin As Blank Slates," Psychology Today (August 10, 2011); "The Brain Might Not Be a Blank Slate After All," Technology Networks (February 20, 2024).
Allyson Stevenson "Selling the Sixties Scoop: Saskatchewan's Adopt Indian and Métis Project," Achieve History (October 19, 2017)
Sullivan mentioned an article by an adoptive mother who said, had she known at the time she adopted what she knows today, she would not have done so. With the daily enshittification of the internet and internet search (thank you AI-obsessed overlords), we can no longer locate that article. We have, however, found this interview with adoptive mom "Diana," which gets to the same issue. So now Sullivan has read two articles. Kristen Tsetsi, "Adoptive Mother Regrets Participating in Oppressive System," Medium (November 22, 2024).
Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo, CBC
Nick Zarzycki, "A Q&A with Little Bird Creator Jennifer Podemski," Toronto Life (March 20, 2024)
Lorraine Carpenter, "Indigenous activist Nakuset on seeing her Sixties Scoop story told in Little Bird," Cult MTL (June 13, 2023)
Because She's Adopted, a film by Kristal Parke
Allyson D. Stevenson, Intimate Integration: A History of the Sixties Scoop and the Colonization of Indigenous Kinship
"Our Indian Program" operated by Louise Wise Services: Different Eligibility Requirements for Different Children 1961 form letter
The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen.
We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com and on Instagram.
6/10/2026
Little Bird Episodes 1-3 (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen
E027 | Little Bird Episodes 1-3 (2023) – Adoption on the Small Screen
In part one of a two-part episode, we cover the first three episodes of Little Bird, the Canadian dramatic series following a First Nations woman adopted into a Jewish family during the Sixties Scoop as she attempts to reconnect with her family and heritage. Based on real events of the past and present, Little Bird was the winner of six Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Drama, Best Direction, Best Lead Performer, Best Supporting Performer, Best Ensemble Performance, and Best Achievement in Casting. Join Canadian podcast journalist Haley Radke and Opaskwayak Cree filmmaker Kristal Parke, alongside cultural critic Sullivan Summer, on this special episode of Adoption Pop!
Little Bird was created by Catherine Bainbridge, Hannah Moscovitch, and Jennifer Podemski. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers is the director.
This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on June 10, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon:
The Adoptees On podcast Episode 110: Dr. Raven Sinclair.
Because She's Adopted, a film by Kristal Parke
Allyson D. Stevenson, Intimate Integration: A History of the Sixties Scoop and the Colonization of Indigenous Kinship
Sandra HayesGardiner, Crossing the River: An Unsettling Memoir
"Our Indian Program" operated by Louise Wise Services: Different Eligibility Requirements for Different Children 1961 form letter
The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen.
We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com and on Instagram.
6/3/2026
Annie (1982) – Adoption on the Big Screen
E026 | Annie (1982) – Adoption on the Big Screen
We think you're gonna like it here on this episode of Adoption Pop! We're just thinkin' about 10-year-old Aileen Quinn in the role that would make her a star—in the film that became the blueprint for a better life. The 1982 big screen adaption of the 1977 Tony-winner, Annie was not well received by critics upon its release. It has just a 50% Rotten Tomatoes score, proving, if nothing else, that no one cares for you a smidge when you're in an orphanage. Give the maid the night off, and turn the kitchen light off—let's go to the movies with podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer.
Annie (1982) was written by Carol Sobieski and directed by John Huston. It was based on the 1977 Broadway musical by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin, and Thomas Meehan. The cartoon strip, Little Orphan Annie is by Harold Gray. More on him below.
This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on June 3, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon:
At the time of this recording, the legendary Carol Burnett is 93 years old.
In 1998 hip hop artist Jay-Z sampled "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the 1977 musical for his song, "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)." It peaked at number 15 on Billboard's Hot 100, and was named by VHI as number 11 on their list of 100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop.
Actor Albert Finney was a cool 46 when he played bald billionaire Oliver Warbucks in Annie. (Sullivan regrets not calling out Kristal's hypocrisy on this one, because she distinctly remembers Kristal dogging bald men back on Episode 11: Love is Blind Season 1 UK (2024). But we guess that's what show notes are for.)
The song "Maybe" was made for adoptee resonance. In case you need it, here's a refresher.
Harold Gray, creator of the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, does not appear to have had any connection to adoption. According to Wikipedia, he could trace his ancestry back to the 17th century, and his May 10, 1968 New York Times obituary mentions two wives, but no children. The Times also reports that Little Orphan Annie was modeled after a "street urchin" Gray met in Chicago. He made his cartoon Annie an orphan, "so she'd have no family, no tangling alliances, but freedom to go where she pleased."
The book Annie is by Thomas Meehan. The audio version is narrated by Annie Potts. Five stars.
Kristen Martin, The Sun Won't Come Out Tomorrow: A Dark History of American Orphanhood (2025)
John Huston, An Open Book (1980)
Evelyn Keyes, Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister: My Lively Life In and Out of Hollywood (1977)
Stanley Green, Broadway Musicals Show by Show, Ninth Edition (2019)
The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen.
We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com and on Instagram.
We love you Miss Hannigan.
5/27/2026
Jersey Shore Family Vacation Season 8 (2025) – Adoption on the Small Screen
E025 | Jersey Shore Family Vacation Season 8 (2025) – Adoption on the Small Screen
Before Bravo had a summer house in the Hamptons, MTV had a place on the Jersey Shore, where for six seasons Pauly D, J-Woww, Sammi Sweetheart, Vinny, Ronny, The Situation, and Snooki partied like it was the 2010s. The show spawned seven spinoffs, including Jersey Shore Family Vacation, back in summer 2026 for a ninth and final season. The gang is always up to something, including Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi who, last season, was up to reuniting with her birth mother for the very first time. Podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer have poofs and thoughts in equal measure on this one.
This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on May 27, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon:
If you, like Haley, struggle with the lingo, you can find a handy-dandy Jersey Shore dictionary here.
Nicole speaks to her birth mother on Jersey Shore Season 8, Episode 2 "Running … for Pizza."
The Adoptee Consciousness Model offers ways to think about how marginalized groups develop awareness about oppressive systems and structures both as individuals, and importantly as a collective, in order to engage in activism for social justice. It was created by JaeRan Kim, Susan Branco, Grace Newton, Paula O'Loughlin, and Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter.
Pamela Slaton is an adoptee, an investigative genealogist, and a DNA expert.
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, "My Adoption Story," YouTube
"Does Snooki Want to Meet Her Parents?" Jersey Shore Family Vacation on YouTube
"Snooki Opens Up About Birth Mom Reunion, Next Steps, " TooMuchInfo on YouTube
The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen.
We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com and on Instagram.
Cabs are here!
Showing the latest 5 episodes. Additional episodes and full library is available on the podcast's official website and listening platforms.
