PEOPLE in the '90s

Kenan Thompson & Our Best of the '90s Awards

Welcome to our bonus episode. It's an awards show special! You know the Oscars, Emmys, and Grammys. Well, allow us to present The Besties — a highly subjective (and voted on by two people) celebration of the '90s. Jason and Andrea wrap up season one of PEOPLE in the '90s by declaring the decade's best fragrance and sex scene, celeb workout video and supermodel, VH1 Divas Live performance, movie theme song, and other vital cultural touchstones. Then we bring on Emmy winner Kenan Thompson, who knows a lot about awards shows (he's up for two more Emmys this year) and the '90s. The former Nickelodeon breakout (Kenan & Kel) turned Saturday Night Live star (18 seasons and counting), he now also has his own self-titled sitcom. Kenan sits down with us and takes us back to filming the '90s cult classic Good Burger, standing in line outside clubs on Sunset Boulevard while Disney stars Justin and Britney were inside, and what it means to have a sitcom with his name on it today. Kenan also pays homage to the late Chris Farley and takes us inside his own "bestie" relationship with black-ish star Anthony Anderson. Oh, and he reveals who sends the dirtiest memes on the SNL text thread. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fabio

We got our man. Fabio seemingly fell to Earth in the ’90s fully formed, Italian beefcake on a clam shell: a 6-foot-3, 250 lb. model turned romance novel cover star (over 1,300 of them) turned I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter front man. He both defined the sexy-silly optimism of the decade and, in some ways, he never really left it. His hair forever blows in an ever-present breeze. If he was, as our cover back on Oct. 4, 1993 cover stated, the “prince of passion," he's now the king. After 43 emails, 11 phone calls, two public pleas on Instagram, and one promise to let him talk about how he sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber, Fabio sat down with us in person. And it was a lot: He tells us about sexy (and scary) times at romance novelist conventions, modeling for Gianni Versace, his Ferraris and butter money, why women loved him dressed as a pirate, if he’s had plastic surgery, his requirements for a girlfriend — and if that's why he’s still single. (Whew!) Oh, and remember when Fabio collided with a goose on a rollercoaster? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Darius Rucker (Whose Name is Still Not Hootie) & The Most Inescapable Things of the '90s

The Rachel. The Gap. Alicia Silverstone’s Aerosmith videos and Rob Thomas' hook on "Smooth." Sometimes, there was too much of a good thing in the '90s. On the cover of PEOPLE’s December 25, 1995 issue (our 25 Most Intriguing People of the Year issue): Hootie and The Blowfish. (Along with Jennifer Aniston and... Babe the Pig.) Darius had the biggest-selling album that year — "Hold My Hand" and "Let Her Cry" were everywhere — and on that Cracked Rear View CD case, the band rode the highs and inevitable lows of popular culture. The man has a lot to say. Darius drops by to talk about the influence of R.E.M., why Hootie & the Blowfish didn't get the respect they deserved, that "Hootie" Friends episode (and the shocking reason he wasn't on it!), the time he passed a “F- -k Hootie” bumper sticker on the highway, his groundbreaking success in country music, and his grudge against Tom Hanks. Oh, and remember bootcut jeans? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bill Bellamy & When MTV Still Told You What Was Cool

Real World, Daria, Choose or Lose, House of Style and The Week in Rock. (There were some videos too.) In the '90s, MTV was our media of choice — and, if you think about it, was Instagram before Instagram. The network set the pop agenda, told us who was cool and what to wear, introduced us to reality television (and Jenny McCarthy — shoutout to Singled Out!), and broke the biggest news in pop culture and music, like the death of Kurt Cobain. Nirvana’s front man was on the cover of PEOPLE April 25, 1994 issue and, over at MTV, Bill Bellamy was in the middle of the music industry. Bill joins us to pay homage to Cobain, who he interviewed at the MTV Beach House shortly before the singer's suicide in 1994. He sticks around to dish on his '90s life: coining the term "booty call" as a stand-up comic; his "did-they-didn’t-they" relationship with Janet Jackson; early Britney Spears; and appearing in a Tupac Shakur video. Oh — speaking of MTV — remember when Carmen Electra married Dennis Rodman? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rosie O'Donnell & The End of Those Trashy '90s Talk Shows

Jerry Springer and Ricki Lake. Sally Jessy, Maury, and a few Steves. The other Mark Wahlberg. There was a lot of talk on daytime TV in the ’90s. And even more gasp-inducing, can't-look-away insanity: “You are the father!” reveals, surprise drop-ins from exes, strippers, club kids, and daughters begging moms to “stop dressing like me!” Then, exactly 25 years ago, came The Rosie O'Donnell Show. Before signing on, the comedian and actress had insisted upon “no trash” and promised to create a safe space for both kids at home after school and celebrities on the talk show circuit promoting movies. The original “Queen of Nice” (Ellen wasn't the first) joins us to talk about her favorite guests on the show, moments she’d do differently today, the day she was handed a check for $25 million, that Oscar night she was mistaken for Kathy Bates, and if she’ll ever bring her show back. (And, obviously, we discuss Tom Cruise and Madonna.) Oh, and remember when Batman’s suit got nipples? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices