Celebrity Memoir Book Club: The Go-To Podcast for Celebrity Memoirs

Published: June 16, 2025

Comedians Ashley Hamilton and Claire Parker have taken the literary world by storm with their popular show, Celebrity Memoir Book Club. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the duo discussed their podcast, which has become a go-to destination for those who want to stay up-to-date on the latest celebrity memoirs without having to read them themselves.

The Concept

Hamliton and Parker, who met while working in comedy in 2017, initially launched a podcast about Britney Spears before turning the mic on their own lives in We're In a Fight with Claire and Ashley. However, following the boom of celeb memoirs, the two turned their sights on the literary world.

"For a long time, celebrity memoirs had been something that an 80-year-old would put out," Hamilton tells PEOPLE. "Suddenly, Jessica Simpson was putting out a memoir. Mariah Carey had announced a memoir. We were like, 'Oh, this is such an interesting way to get back into the pop culture games.'"

"We wanted to hear what people had to say about themselves and then judge them for that," Hamilton says.

The Podcast's Success

The podcast, which currently boasts a solid 4.5-star rating, has become a hit among listeners who want to stay up-to-date on the latest celebrity memoirs without having to read them themselves. Hamilton and Parker say that they're always on the hunt for someone who's culturally relevant, but care even more that the subject has an interesting story to tell.

"What we've learned is an A-list celebrity is not always the most interesting celebrity to cover," Hamilton says.

"The celebrities that make you go, 'Well, what does she have to say? Or what is he even writing a memoir for?' — Those end up being the best books," Parker adds.

Favorites and Wish Lists

Hamliton and Parker's personal standout memoirs include Danny Trejo's Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption and Hollywood, Viola Davis' Finding Me, and Cassandra Peterson's Your Cruelly, Elvira.

"[It] was really refreshing to read a perspective on life from somebody who divorced her husband in her 60s and then became a lesbian in her 70s>

They also have a few celebrities they're dying to get a memoir from one day, like Nicolas Cage.

"He would just tell his truth in a way that would be quite damning but scintillating," Parker says.

"He's been in the wings of a lot of people's memoirs," Hamilton adds. "A lot of people have a Nick Cage story. And so I would love to hear it from him."

Looking Ahead

Although the live shows have come to an end, the cohosts will still delve into all of the hot new memoirs on their podcast and keep the conversation going too.

"We really walk the line of what even is a celebrity," Hamilton says. "Sometimes, someone who's entered the zeitgeist in a very specific way has a memoir, and those are ones that a lot more people than you'd expect are very curious about."

New episodes of Celebrity Memoir Book Club" drop weekly, wherever you listen to podcasts.