Women in space / Louise O’Neill on fame, fate and turning 40

Author Louise O’Neill is back with her sixth novel, Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone? It’s a gripping page‑turner about the dark side of the entertainment industry, focusing on child star twins Madeline and Chelsea, who grow up in the spotlight under the tight grip of their controlling mother, Erin. In today’s episode, O’Neill joins Róisín Ingle to discuss toxic celebrity culture, the treatment of women in the media and how these themes inspired the story. She also speaks about her own experiences of fame, why she believes in fate, and how life has gotten even better since turning 40. But first, Irish Times opinion editor Jennifer O’Connell joins us to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week, including the woman making history aboard the Artemis space mission and how an initiative in Northern Ireland is helping hairdressers spot signs of coercive control. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Women in space / Louise O’Neill on fame, fate and turning 40 is an episode from The Women's Podcast by The Irish Times Women's Podcast.

This episode is 1:09:22 long.

This episode was published on Apr 9, 2026.

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