# No Jobs, No Ladder, No Relief — Except, For Some, a Cigarette

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ankler-agenda-5321489/no-jobs-no-ladder-no-relief-except-for-some-a-cigarette
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ankler-agenda-5321489/no-jobs-no-ladder-no-relief-except-for-some-a-cigarette.md
Podcast: [Ankler Agenda](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ankler-agenda-5321489)
Published: 2026-04-02T07:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/AMI3898427111.mp3?updated=1775098564
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/AMI3898427111.mp3?updated=1775098564
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ankler-agenda-5321489/episodes/no-jobs-no-ladder-no-relief-except-for-some-a-cigarette
Duration seconds: 1861

## Resource

Sean Penn, puffing away inside the Beverly Hilton at the Golden Globes. Kylie Jenner, with a cigarette dangling out of her mouth, on the cover of Vanity Fair. Nurse Dana, taking a drag on The Pitt. Smoking is back — both IRL and on screen — just as Hollywood’s shrinking career ladder leaves many millennials feeling stuck and a stressed-out Gen Z, inheriting the collapse, searches for connection and release. Editor, writer and former pack-a-day smoker Degen Pener joins Elaine Low and Sean McNulty to explain what’s driving young Hollywood workers to light up after talking to young industry workers outside clubs across Los Angeles — and what Gen Xers like him and Sean make of it. Plus, Elaine and Sean debate which generation really has it worse in today’s business — and whether boomers are to blame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ankler-agenda-5321489/episodes/no-jobs-no-ladder-no-relief-except-for-some-a-cigarette/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/ankler-agenda-5321489/no-jobs-no-ladder-no-relief-except-for-some-a-cigarette.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.