The Gossip Game
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Female hip-hop reporters fight sexism and each other.
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What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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What's the Story?
THE GOSSIP GAME is a reality series that follows a group of female media personalities who report on the New York urban music scene. It stars Kim Osorio, the editor-in-chief of The Source magazine, broadcasters like Hot 97 FM's radio host K. Foxx, Power 105.1's Angela Yee, and Sharon Carpenter, a reporter for Russell Simmons' Global Grind website. Up-and-coming freelance pop culture writer Jasmine Waters, a.k.a. Jas Fly is also featured. Rounding out the group are bloggers like Candace "Ms. Drama" Williams and Vivian Billings, known as NYC Gossip Girl. From interviews to gossip reports, these women must compete against each other to be the first to report on the latest and greatest news as well as the darkest and dirtiest secrets of the people in an extremely patriarchal industry.
Is It Any Good?
The Gossip Game reveals how difficult it is for women to professionally succeed in the urban music scene, and highlights some of the things that these women do to get their stories, including hyper-sexualize themselves, put up with sexual harassment, and create uncomfortable relationships with artists and other reporters in order to get their latest scoops. However, it also shows how these professionals view their work as women in field, especially when comparing the work of traditional broadcast journalists and those who are making a name for themselves through various online media formats.
Like any reality series, The Gossip Game features a fair share of catty behavior among the cast, who find themselves having to interact with each other at various media events as well as obviously staged social settings. Adding to the show's entertainment value are the brief-but-frequent appearances of various media and hip-hop personalities like Russell Simmons, Macy Gray, and Funkmaster Flex, just to name a few. But it also shows that while this field of work poses a fair share of challenges for women, there are those who are able to navigate it and be successful at it in their own right.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what messages this show expresses about women. What challenges does it show the women facing? How do they treat each other? Are these women role models for others who want to work in their industry?
What exactly is urban music? What kinds of stereotypes exist about the urban music culture and the people who are a part of it? Do you think it is the media that perpetuates these generalizations? What are some of the empowering messages that come from this culture?
TV Details
- Premiere date: April 1, 2013
- Cast: Angela Yee, K. Foxx, Kim Osorio
- Network: VH1
- Genre: Reality TV
- Topics: Music and Sing-Along
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: June 1, 2023
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