After 18 years and over 900 episodes, Slate’s “Culture Gabfest” podcast has released its final installment, concluding a pioneering run that helped shape the weekly chat podcast format. The program, which first aired in February 2008, featured long-time hosts Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discussing a wide range of cultural topics, from contemporary music and television phenomena to literature and film.

The decision to end the podcast was announced in June, allowing the hosts to focus on evolving professional projects. Turner, a former senior editor at Slate and current editor in chief of the newly launched publication L.A. Material, has been steering that platform since March. Stevens is dedicating time to book projects, while Metcalf continues work on his own writing. Despite attempts to reconfigure the show without all three hosts regularly present, Stevens said the group felt it would not be the same without their established dynamic.

Slate’s editor in chief, Hillary Frey, emphasized the unique chemistry among the trio as crucial to the show’s success, noting that it would be difficult to maintain the program with a different lineup. “Going out on a high note felt right to all of us,” she remarked.

“Culture Gabfest” launched within months of the original iPhone release and several years ahead of Apple’s dedicated podcast app, positioning it as an early influencer in the rapidly growing podcast landscape. Alongside its sister program, “Political Gabfest,” which remains active, it popularized a conversational style featuring friends unpacking current cultural and political events.

The format followed a consistent structure of three discussion topics followed by personal recommendations, allowing in-depth analysis of diverse subjects such as the Marvel cinematic universe, reality television, peak TV, and social media trends. The show also hosted numerous live events, including sold-out performances both domestically and abroad, and developed a loyal audience through annual listener-driven episodes like the “Summer Strut” music feature and year-end call-in specials.

Listeners praised the podcast not only for its cultural insights but also for the hosts’ thoughtful and respectful exchanges, even when they disagreed. Mercy Davison, a 17-year listener and director of zoning and planning in Normal, Illinois, credited the show with enhancing her own ability to articulate ideas and engage in civil discourse.

When Metcalf, Turner, and Stevens were first hired by Andy Bowers, Slate’s former executive producer of podcasts and the creator of both Gabfests, they did not know one another. Over time, their weekly Tuesday recordings became a regular fixture, offering audiences not only cultural commentary but also glimpses into the hosts’ personal lives as they navigated milestones such as marriages, parenthood, relocations, and loss.

Metcalf attributed the show’s longevity to the hosts’ genuine interest in each other’s perspectives, highlighting the importance of thoughtful, engaged conversation in creating compelling content.

Slate’s head of audio, Mia Lobel, confirmed that the end of “Culture Gabfest” does not signal a broader change in the company’s audio strategy. The “Political Gabfest” continues, and Slate has recently expanded its cultural offerings with podcasts like “ICYMI” and “Death, Sex & Money.”

While the trio will no longer produce episodes together regularly, Turner indicated potential collaborations in the future, including a culture podcast planned by L.A. Material later this year, with hopes that her former co-hosts might appear as guests.

For now, the hosts are adjusting to the absence of their weekly routine. Stevens reflected on a question frequently posed by listeners: “What are my Wednesdays going to be like now?”—a sentiment likely shared by many devoted fans of the program.