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Megan Freeman

Welcome! I’m Megan😊
I’m an independent journalist and editor with roots in Cal Poly Pomona. Feel free to check out my work below!

Don’t forget to subscribe to my Substack!🤗 Head over to my “Contact” page for more details.

My Latest Work

Please Stop Playing Detective

We, as a society, need to talk about something that’s increasingly forcing its way across the internet: the rise of “TikTok detectives,” otherwise known as strangers who insert themselves into people’s final moments or investigate mysteries behind individuals they don’t know. While this might not seem like an obvious problem, I believe the general public should acknowledge it, not only for themselves but for their community. It is crucial to understand how and when that line blurs, potentially d...

The Modern Campfire

Whenever I write, something is on the TV. Whenever I go to sleep, the TV’s on; lately it’s SNL Vault. Sometimes I tune in; sometimes I want it around. I still can’t cleanly put my finger on why, though. Is it because I keep coming back for David S. Pumpkins, and secretly have a question? Is it Kenan Thompson’s comforting, funny nature not only on “What’s Up With That?” but as himself? I think it’s something much deeper.  The weird ritual I have of clicking into the vault, seeing Christmas videos...

The Blueprint in Rhinestones

Imagine that it’s 2006 and you’re sitting down about to get ready to watch your favorite show, Hannah Montana—but there’s something different, or rather someone. Big blonde hair, glamorous acrylics and a comfort you can’t quite place, something you’ve never felt with someone you’ve never met.That, of course, was because it was Dolly Parton. Now, that’s how I got introduced to Dolly, and every time since, she’s made me feel the same. An unexplainable comfort, a guiding light, sometimes wrapped in...

The Big, Hairy Purple Monster and Me

COVID ruined it. What, you ask? The last pieces of fabric that loosely tied me to 19, then 20 then 21—those years did a number on me. Still, I’m nostalgic today—why? There’s something so uniquely bittersweet about one’s late adolescence and early adulthood being marred by thousands of deaths daily due to a vicious disease. Civilians and politicians alike turned people’s final moments on this earth into debates about vaccines and conspiracies. To combat this, I did my due diligence: I wore my mas...

When a Black Woman’s Pain Becomes Content

This is a message for women who have been there—any woman who is navigating their way back to their own power, whatever that looks like. It’s a message for one beautiful, truly deserving woman who may need just a moment to exhale, right here, Nevaeh Williams, the expectant mother of rapper Blueface’s child. Nevaeh and Johnathan, better known as Blueface, first met in 2021 at his studio, where Nevaeh was invited. They began to date on and off, mostly kept private until Blueface’s release from pri...

Why Are We So Obsessed With People Who Commit Horrible Crimes?

Hybristophilia—some may be familiar with the name; others might exhibit it without realizing. The term generally refers to romantic or sexual attraction to people who have committed crimes. It can manifest in “groupies”: flocks of people, mostly women, seeking a connection with criminals, searching for a spark in their eyes. Rock stars have them, sure, but so do serial killers.But hybristophilia is not the same thing as ordinary true-crime consumption. So why does true crime—and, at its most ext...

mxdwn's Top 10 Shows of 2024 -

2024 ushered in a TV year free of any industry-halting delays. No pandemic. No strike. But, ramifications from those cultural shifts and the bursting of the peak TV bubble found a new word to define the year: contraction. The need to save impacted what shows were greenlit and canceled as the TV business continued to morph.

Playing it safe, nostalgia remained king as studios, networks, and streamers relied heavily on established IPs or formats. While some found success (Apple TV’s Presumed Innoc...

'Critical Role's' Sam Riegel Divulges He Is Recovering From Cancer -

Sam Riegel (Sofia the First, Redline), most well known for his voice acting in Critical Role as Fresh Cut Grass, has announced that he is recovering from cancer. A video was posted by the Critical Role YouTube channel, titled “It’s Been A While,” in which Riegel said he was recovering from oropharyngeal carcinoma, a type of cancer that disrupts the tongue, tonsils and soft palate.

Riegel divulged that he had undergone surgery in which they took a part of his tongue and removed his tonsils, alon...

Jessica Biel Aspired To Leave Hollywood If Drama Series 'The Sinner' Was Not Sold

According to Deadline, Jessica Biel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) opened up about her battle with getting her thriller series, The Sinner, sold—it even led her to want to quit Hollywood. Biel recently sat down for a podcast interview with The Bright Side, where she discussed the series securing its home on USA Network, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination and an Emmy win.

Deadline notes that Biel stated, “Doors did not open at all, even being in the business for so long. “I’ve had this pr