Las Culturistas Culture Awards to Make Television Debut on Bravo After Years as a Quirky Podcast‐Based Spectacle

2 August 2025

Co-hosts Bowen Yang, left, and Matt Rogers pose together at Las Culturistas Culture Awards on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Since 2022 Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang have hosted the Las Culturistas Culture Awards as a live parody celebration at New York theaters but on August 5 the event will air on Bravo and Peacock for the first time ever representing a milestone in both their careers and for pop culture commentary at large.

What began in 2016 as a bedroom podcast featuring two friends riffing on celebrity gossip and cultural phenomena evolved into a full‑scale annual ceremony by 2022 and now moves from intimate audience to national television with the backing of Lionsgate and Bravo, signaling how humor, satire and niche fandom increasingly shape mainstream entertainment.

Rogers, speaking via secure Zoom from California, emphasizes that bringing the show to Bravo felt natural because “we center fun and that kind of made it a really natural home,” leading to a broadcast that mirrors the tone of both Las Culturistas and the streamer.

Instead of award categories based on critical acclaim or artistic merit the winners are tongue‑in‑cheek and deliberately absurd; past honors include Most Iconic Building featuring the fictional Lumon headquarters from the TV show Severance, Best Title for the Next Bridget Jones among fabricated suggestions such as Bridget Jones to Terabithia, and a Lindsay Lohan in Parent Trap award for Twins Excellence with a nod to a nonexistent character Robyn the Riddler’s assistant alongside Michelle Pfeiffer and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman contenders.

These timely in‑jokes are meant to expose how seriously the entertainment industry treats awards while undermining the very idea that any one performance or structure can truly define culture, turning every winner into a spectacle in itself rather than a trophy of prestige.

Rogers admits that the appeal also lies in the ongoing fragmentation of pop culture noting that podcasts allow for deep dives and genuine conversation rather than manufactured prep for mass consumption. He says that if listeners hear they are discussing something it’s a subject they actually care about reflecting audiences’ desire for authenticity rather than hot takes on trending headlines.'

Guest stars over prior years have included icons like Michelle Obama and Lady Gaga while awards acceptance speeches have featured taped cameos from Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Alan Cumming and others. That pedigree makes the televised version feel less like a novelty and more like a celebration of modern fandom that refuses to treat culture as a hierarchy.

Filmed in July 2025, the fourth annual iteration of the ceremony includes video packages, red‑carpet commentary and spotlight moments crafted around Rogers and Yang’s riotous hosting chemistry. Despite their individual success in acting and comedy the pair say they remain committed to the podcast as a low‑pressure creative outlet for sharing obsessions, frustrations and loyalty to the ridiculous.

The broadcast comes at a time when traditional youth developmental platforms like the Teen Choice or MTV's Movie & TV Awards are defunct and media executives argue audiences respond best to irreverent alternative content. The Las Culturistas Culture Awards thrive on this shift, offering a form of recognition that feels intimate yet performative, enthusiastic yet self‑aware.

This evolution also reflects generational shifts in how culture is consumed. As Rogers explained simply, “there are 15 podcasts about anything” and creators must focus on what genuinely strikes them which then resonates in equally niche and adoring fan communities. Their show embraces this ethos by amplifying the best, worst and most delightfully weird facets of cultural awareness without pretension.

Television insiders predict this move could attract a young, socially engaged audience that gravitates toward irony and inclusivity rather than aspirational awards ceremony glamour. Bravo’s history of elevated camp entertainment aligns neatly with that approach, making this transition feel both organic and strategic.

Guest presenter lineup has not been fully disclosed but sources hint at cameo appearances from past awardees and surprise stars capturing the same hilarious, queer‑friendly tone the hosts have cultivated over years. Whether intentional or accidental the timing also positions the awards as mid‑year pop culture checkpoint signaling which moments voters, viewers and podcast fans consider Cultural Realness for 2025.

Local media coverage leading up to the premiere highlights the excitement among longtime podcast listeners many calling themselves “The Kayteighs” or “Publicists” while industry watchers see a test case for how podcasts can translate live satirical formats into packaged anthologies without losing intimacy.

Rogers sees the awards as a tonic for everyone exhausted by the heaviness of entertainment news and ready for something that celebrates small wins seriously while also making fun of every bit of it. He jokes that if culture needs love sweet love it also needs to watch an Oscar‑winning actress and a Real Housewife present an award together while riffing on Oprah if possible (Oprah, u up).

Some critics outside the fanbase argue whether such parody has staying power on traditional linear TV but the producers and hosts contend that interest lies not in permanence but in disruption making a cultural statement wear a ribbon of camp so amusing even the audience bows in delight, not confusion.

With its short run time of 90 minutes styled like a glam‑punk version of a real award show the broadcast appears primed for streaming repeat viewing and clip‑based social virality. Behind the razzle of fishnets and viral jokes lies a clever strategy: culture has changed, taste is fracturing, and recognition does not have to be solemn to matter.

The Las Culturistas Culture Awards television premiere on August 5 feels like a litmus test for podcast‑to‑TV culture programming and an exploration of whether satire can thrive beyond digital airwaves. For fans who grew up quoting their favorite lines and engaging in "rules of culture" declarations the payoff is real. For mainstream viewers it offers a solid reminder that the best way to critique culture is to love it a little too much with glitter, inside jokes and theatrical absurdity.