Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with One Click’s Jessica Wapner

Jessica Wapner is an acclaimed journalist with over a decades worth of bylines in publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times, Wired, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and Popular Science.

Her stories cover a wide range of science topics told through a human lens. One of them being The Deadly Internet Diet Drug That Cooks People Alive, which is the inspiration behind her new podcast, One Click.

Collaborating with actress Elle Fanning, Season 1 of the gripping docuseries investigates the deadly diet drug DNP (2,4-dinitrophenol), an explosive chemical originally used to make bombs in WWII. Now it’s being sold as a fat-burning pill and bodybuilding supplement on the internet leaving hundreds dead in its wake.

One Click features in-depth, heartbreaking interviews with family members and loved ones of the victims who were killed by this drug, the nurses and doctors who took care of them, and local medical examiners who tried to unravel these gruesome deaths.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Jessica about One Click and her transition into the podcasting space.

PC: One Click was inspired by your article, The Deadly Internet Diet Drug That Cooks People Alive. How did you first learn about DNP?
Jessica: I first learned about DNP while browsing some medical literature when I was doing research on warmth and body heat. I saw a reference to this chemical that was used as an explosive during World War I. It led to several deaths at the time. Those deaths were accompanied by high body temperature, and we talk about that in the second episode. It intrigued me. I was like, “What is this?” I learned it was something that people were taking for weight loss.

PC: What was it like expanding on this story and adapting it for a podcast format?
Jessica: It’s been so many things. One thing that it’s been is very fulfilling. Firstly, I’ve been able to work with an amazing team of people including Elle [Fanning] who is a wonderful collaborator and narrator.

It’s been a chance to explore a lot of different dynamics related to DNP that I approached in the article but wasn’t able to go into depth on. We were able to explore so many issues that are current and important. It’s not just about the chemical, it’s about the whole way that we think about body image.

It’s about internet crime and how that is managed. How do you do anything about it? It’s about how men deal with the pressure to be strong, to build muscle, and bulk up. It’s about how women deal with the pressure to be thin and where these pressures come from, why they exist, and why they have such a grip on us. It’s really important for us to think and talk about that. Hopefully, we’ve done it in a way that’s compelling with an edge-of-your-seat story attached.

PC: Elle reached out to you about turning this into a podcast. What was that initial conversation like? What has that collaboration been like?
Jessica: She had been sent the article and was very interested in it. When we spoke, it was great. We found that we had so many similar feelings about what more there was to this story and what we could do with it. She spoke really openly about the pressures that she experiences dealing with body image, not necessarily as a celebrity but just as a person in the world, like anyone else.

It’s been great collaborating with her. I feel like we all put the story first. We’re all interested in telling a great and meaningful story. That’s why we’re working together. Nothing gets in the way of that. We had a lot of fun. Our recording sessions are delightful and a welcome relief while dealing with a very heavy and often sad topic.

PC: The podcast also features families who’ve lost loved ones to DNP. How were you able to find these interviewees and build that trust with them?
Jessica: One person led to another. We get into it during the show, but the parents have been real heroes in all of this. We tell the story of the role they’ve played in doing something about this dangerous chemical by fighting really hard to bring attention to it, whether from the FDA, FBI, attorneys, or government officials, both in the US and UK.

Some of the parents were among the first people that I reached out to. From there, it led to other families. Some families didn’t want to speak. Some prefer to keep what happened private, especially when it was a young adult with their whole life ahead of them. But some wanted to speak because they don’t want other people to suffer the same fate. They feel that by talking about it, they can help prevent that.

Hopefully, I did earn their trust. They understand where I’m coming from and that we’re treating their loved one’s stories with respect. Potentially, for them, it’s the chance to turn what happened into something positive.

PC: This is your first venture into the podcasting space. Did anything surprise you about the experience? What was the biggest takeaway?
Jessica: The biggest surprise about the process of making a podcast has been the extraordinary team of people that I’ve been able to work with. That may sound like I’m feeding you a line, but it’s truly been one of the most rewarding work experiences I’ve ever had. The whole team of people—the director, several producers and editors, myself, Elle, her team—there’s no ego involved. There’s no hierarchy. There’s no possessiveness. Everyone is there to tell a great story. It’s been extremely fulfilling.

I have to remind myself to act professionally because we’re friends. It’s all been over Zoom, all working remotely, but it’s been such a fulfilling way to have a creative work life.

PC: The podcast is currently airing now. It’s been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Jessica: I hope all of it. It’s hard to say, but I do think that we are bringing front and center some issues concerning body image that we all live with. We’ve lived with it mostly silently. People talk about body positivity and companies use their ad campaigns to promote how everyone should be okay with their weight and things like that. But I don’t think there’s been a satisfying look at why we have this in our lives in the first place and why it’s so difficult to move on from and grapple with the problem. That’s perhaps a part of it. In episode 4, we do an intense dive into the history of the topic of weight and what society thinks about what women in particular should weigh.

When you look at it that way, it’s like what an absurd thought, what a weird thing. You’re born into this world and you grow up in a culture that tells you what you’re supposed to look like. That touches a nerve with people. There’s a ton of information that people don’t know about in terms of bodybuilding. There’s also a crazy story about how DNP entered the world after having been banned by the FDA—how it came back. That’s a crazy story. Who doesn’t love a wild ride of a story?

To keep up with Jessica, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Listen to One Click today.