An interview with pro wrestler and dentist Britt Baker

This issue is about Britt Baker, D.M.D., cooking with condoms, Dunkinflation, and how to pair beer with steak.

Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. Would Like to Kick in Your Teeth — And Then Fix Them For You

In a kayfabe sense, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., the former Women’s World Champion for pro wrestling upstart AEW, doesn’t stray too far from the norm. After all, there have been wrestling plumbers, wrestling garbage men, wrestling accountants, wrestling monks and even other wrestling dentists (the infamous Isaac Yankem, DDS) before. What makes Baker different, though, is that her Doctor of Dental Medicine designation is no gimmick. She is very much a real dentist, who continues to practice on the days she isn’t performing as one of the top female wrestlers in the world.

In that way, the Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania native is a throwback to pro athletes from a bygone era who had to supplement their incomes through ordinary off-season jobs. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, for instance, used to sell suits, while Yogi Berra doubled as a hardware salesman at Sears — and occasional waiter — when the Yankees weren’t winning the World Series. For Baker, however, dentistry isn’t a way to boost her meager earnings — she does quite well for herself wrestling — but because she loves it as much as she loves competing in the squared circle. It turns out that her spiritual calling is violently knocking out your teeth and then politely reinserting them.

I recently caught up with Baker to discuss the looks she got when she told her fellow wrestling trainees that she was also studying to be a dentist (and vice versa); what she would do if she had to pick one career over the other; and why a broken wrist made it impossible for her to pull teeth.

Far-Right Agitators Are Using Anti-Pride Violence to Strengthen Their Cause

On Sunday, a small group of men wearing Proud Boy gear showed up at the public library in Sparks, Nevada, ready to protest a “Drag Queen Storytime” event. They were prepared with signs that spread conspiratorial rhetoric about LGBTQ people and claimed the drag storytime was “sexual extremism” and “grooming.”

Officers with the Sparks Police Department were there to observe the protest, and left shortly after it began, according to NBC News4 and Fox 11. But some time after law enforcement departed, one of the protesters allegedly pulled a gun and walked toward the library, sending children and adults running for cover.

It’s still unclear whether the man who brandished his firearm is being investigated, let alone charged, but the incident was a textbook example of the kind of violent intimidation that emerged throughout a month of Pride activities in 2022. These confrontations live on via social media, spread and encouraged by a mass of far-right believers who now see LGBTQ rights as the newest existential struggle in their war over culture and identity — and for extremist agitators, every incident is propaganda to inspire copycats and lone wolves.

This DIY Back Shaver Is a Killer

Steve Carell Has Always Just Wanted to Blend In

Beloved by his peers, adored by audiences, the unassuming film and television star doesn’t hog the spotlight or have much interest in showy roles. But sometimes that modesty can be a limitation

We’re Now in the Dunkinflation Stage

Dunkin’ used to be the only place you could get a meal for $5, but now you’re lucky if your coffee alone costs less than seven bucks

A Very Hot, and Very Bothered History of the Sauna Suit

For more than a century, its manufacturers have made numerous overheated claims — from the suit’s ability to ward off illness, to how easily it can burn fat. But in recent decades, its usage has become much more life and death

Erectile Dysfunction Might Be a Literal Death Sentence

New research has once again demonstrated that if you’re having persistent issues with getting it up, it’s not just your sex life that’s in danger

Elvis Presley Isn’t the Subject of ‘Elvis.’ We Are

The Baz Luhrmann drama is told from the perspective of Presley’s unscrupulous manager Colonel Tom Parker, which underlines the secret theme of so many artist biopics: Our fascination with being in the proximity of greatness

No, Those SCOTUS Address Memes Aren’t Doxxing

Their addresses are already publicly available through the same means yours is

Lifetime’s Newest Reality Show Combines the Worst Parts of Dating with the Worst Parts of Having a Roommate

In ‘Five Guys a Week,’ five guys move into a woman’s home and compete for her love. Who on earth would voluntarily sign up for this torture?

Why Depression Can Wipe Your Memory Clean

When you’re depressed, it becomes increasingly difficult to remember things, especially happy memories. And if that wasn’t enough of a bummer, certain antidepressants that improve your mood can make your memory even worse

How a Generation of Male Sluts Have Found Themselves in ‘Gilmore Girls’

For them, it’s not so much a TV show, but a mirror in which Luke, Jess, Dean and Logan’s sluttiness is also their sluttiness

The Inventor of the Graham Cracker Was One of the Great All-Time Buzzkills

Thomas Graham, the namesake of the half cookie, half cracker and the man who spent a lifetime railing against any food that brought taste, flavor or enjoyment to the table, would get no pleasure at all in the amount of pleasure graham crackers
have provided over the last nearly 200
years

Prophylactic Kitchen Nightmares: The TikToker Cooking With Condoms

The mysterious Russian man, who goes by the name Bigman, cooks popcorn, poached eggs and artificially flavored jams in his rubbers — because why not?