You Didn't Hear This from Me

(Mostly) True Notes on Gossip

By: Kelsey McKinney

Length: 8 hrs

Publisher's summary

“Gossip is the only cultural tradition I care about, and Kelsey McKinney has written its Bible” – Samantha Irby, #1 NYT bestselling author

A delightfully insightful exploration of our obsession with gossip that weaves together journalism, cultural criticism, and memoir, from the host of the massively popular Normal Gossip podcast.

Can you keep a secret? It’s harder than it seems – after all, it’s only human to thirst after the juicy updates, jaw-dropping stories, and idle chatter that we typically collect over drinks with friends. No one knows this better than Kelsey McKinney, who has always loved gossip wholeheartedly, with abandon, and sometimes to her own detriment. But the more time she spent collecting and sharing and thinking about stories as the host of the blockbuster Normal Gossip podcast, the more her concept of gossip began to expand.

In YOU DIDN'T HEAR THIS FROM ME, McKinney explores the murkiness of everyday storytelling. Why do we think we’re entitled to every detail of a celebrity’s personal life? Why is gossip considered a sin and how can we use gossip for good? And how do we even define “gossip,” anyway? But as she dishes on the art of eavesdropping and dives deep into how pop culture has changed the way we look at hearsay, McKinney also hopes to capture the heart of gossiping: how enchanting and fun it can be to lean over and whisper something a little salacious into your friend’s ear. With wit and honesty, McKinney unmasks what we're actually searching for when we demand to know the truth – and how much the truth really matters in the first place.

©2025 Kelsey McKinney (P)2025 Grand Central Publishing

Critic reviews

“Gossip is the only cultural tradition I care about, and Kelsey McKinney has written its Bible. I cannot wait to gossip about this book with everyone I know for the rest of my life. KELSEY IS THE REAL GOSSIP GIRL XOXO.”
—Samantha Irby, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wow, No Thank You. and Quietly Hostile

“A beautiful, expansive ode to the joy of information exchange. An ode that, like the practice of gossip itself, can be all at once inviting, tender, enlivening, and rich with humor, complexity, and an abundance of joys.”—Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There's Always This Year

“Come for Kelsey McKinney’s alluring voice, stay for her brilliant insights about words, secrets, gender, shame, pop culture, and technology. McKinney is not only our generation’s most beloved raconteuse, she is a rigorous and deeply thoughtful writer who can quote Emily Dickinson and Doja Cat on the same page and make a reader feel both delighted and challenged to come along for the ride. You Didn't Hear This From Me is cogent and sharp, and I will be whispering around town about it for a long time.” —Amanda Montell, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Magical Overthinking