Ben Affleck's Back & The Rom-Com Renaissance
Ben Affleck's Back & The Rom-Com Renaissance  
Podcast: The Nightly
Published On: Fri Jan 02 2026
Description: Josh Gondelman and Sophia Wilson Pelton spiral (gently) into their Roman Empires — from Ben Affleck’s back tattoo to the golden age of romance novels.What You’ll HearThe Perfect Sunday: Josh recounts an unreasonably wholesome day of stoop sales, karaoke, and ice cream — proof that friendship is the cure for all existential dread.Gone Girl and the Hat That Broke Hollywood: A deep dive into Ben Affleck’s refusal to wear a Yankees cap, plus stunt casting, phoenix tattoos, and why David Fincher’s chaos works.Romance Renaissance: Sophia reveals her obsession with Emily Henry’s connected universe, why “brooding but secretly nice” men always win, and how modern rom-coms might be due for a comeback.CHAPTERS00:00 Moving woes & dream apartments03:00 Josh’s perfect New York day05:00 Friendship is beautiful06:00 Gone Girl: the Mets hat myth09:00 Ben Affleck’s phoenix years12:00 Gillian Flynn and the art of the twist15:00 Sophia’s romance reading era18:00 The Easter eggs of Emily Henry20:00 Rom-com droughts and hope for the futureFor the fully immersive, phone free light + sound experience, learn more at hatch.co. Follow us on TikTok @hatchpodcasts and YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.