Odd Lots · Friday, September 25, 2026
The traditional model of producing mainstream movie stars, akin to the 90s era, has seemingly come to an end, with fewer new global icons emerging. While stars from previous decades like George Clooney remain active, and a few new individuals like Taylor Swift achieve widespread recognition, the era of easily identifiable, universally known celebrities has faded, replaced by a more fragmented media landscape and localized influencer fame.
“So it's like there are still stars and there are people with millions of followers, but it doesn't seem like a new George Clooney has emerged, etc. Is that weird. That genuinely mainstream stars cultural production came to some weird end in the nineties?”
“The, the monoculture has definitely gone away. Uh, we, we still have a, there's a phenomenon here where you can be sitting in a restaurant and everyone in the restaurant is It'll feel like everyone else is like paying attention to someone and you don't know. You're like, what is the deal with that person? Like, who is that? People are going up and like getting pictures with them. You're like, should I do that too? Like, just in case.”