Club Shay Shay: "Romance Is Dead! | Truth After Dark"

Date: February 16, 2026
Host: Paul A. Pierce (The Truth)
Co-host: Azar

Episode Overview

This episode of Club Shay Shay, "Romance Is Dead! | Truth After Dark," dives deep into modern dating dynamics, the evolving concept of romance, and gender expectations in relationships. The hosts—ex-NBA star Paul Pierce and co-host Azar—debate whether romance has truly died among the younger generation, the blurred boundaries between "bare minimum" and "princess treatment," celebrity relationship scandals (especially the Cardi B-Stefon Diggs situation), and cultural perceptions of women’s attitudes. The conversation is straightforward, lively, and unfiltered, balancing humor and realness throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Is Romance Dead in the New Generation?

• Pierce opens, “I think romance is dead, like with the new generation. That's just the new generation.” (03:03)
• Azar counters by questioning if even the “old school” are still practicing romance, noting some men just know the idea but don’t act on it (03:11).

Quote:

"You gotta be with an old school to know." — Paul A. Pierce (03:00)
"Are the old school doing it?…Are they lighting candles and running baths and doing rose petals? Yeah, they are." — Azar (03:11)

2. Celebrity Relationship Scandals & Gendered Double Standards

• The ongoing drama between Cardi B and Stefon Diggs is dissected—Azar details how Diggs flaunted his new baby and baby mama at a game, embarrassing Cardi B, and how the internet and celebrities like 50 Cent trolled him (05:57–06:40).
• The hosts debate culpability and emotional consequences:
  • Pierce says, “She knew what it is when she got into it… Like, yeah, I got all this going on. You wanna fuck with me? All right. This is what it is.” (07:13)
  • Azar highlights how women often think they can handle messy situations, only to find themselves hurt once emotions deepen (07:47).
  • Both agree that men often deflect responsibility: “Women, just get your own shit cracking. Get with someone who wants to be with you, love you.” — Azar (09:40)

Notable Moment:
Azar vocalizes the pain of public embarrassment, while Pierce asserts that status doesn’t shield anyone from being treated as “work.”

"Just because you a celebrity, that don't mean you work. And it looked like she was some work." — Paul A. Pierce (10:01)

3. Actions vs. Words in Relationships

• The conversation pivots into whether to trust what people say or what they do. Both agree that actions are the real indicator.

"Don't listen to a man's words. Listen to his actions. ... You can't fool my eyes." — Paul A. Pierce (13:52–14:20)

4. What is True Romance?

• Pierce contends that romance is in the rare, out-of-the-ordinary gestures, not the daily routine:

"Romance is doing the things you don't normally do. Because when it's every day, it's not romance." (18:46–19:51)

• Azar values “the little things”—thoughtful acts tailored to her needs, showing attentiveness and care (22:32–23:08).
• Both bash the idea that expensive gifts or flying someone out is romance—true romance is about effort and thoughtfulness (24:51–25:18).

Quote:

"If it costs money, a lot of money, that's not romance. Romance is thoughtful." — Paul A. Pierce (24:51)

5. Bare Minimum vs Princess Treatment (29:03+)

A rapid-fire game where Azar reads out common gestures and the hosts debate whether each is bare minimum or “princess” treatment:

• Opening the car door: Bare minimum (per Azar), possibly princess treatment (Pierce) (29:04–29:33)
• Good morning/good night texts: Bare minimum (31:18)
• Walking her to the door: Context-dependent, but often bare minimum (31:29–32:05)
• Random flowers: Azar sees as bare minimum; Pierce says could be princess treatment, but only if it requires real effort (33:44–34:37)

Notable Moment:
Azar emphasizes consistency:

“Don’t introduce me to a vibe you cannot maintain. Honey, I’m not tripping off the door opening thing ... but I think flowers are nice... every woman likes flowers.” — Azar (36:11)

6. Gender, Double Standards, and Cultural Perceptions

• The hosts discuss why Latina women’s anger is called “spicy and sexy,” while Black women’s anger is labeled “ghetto.”
  • Pierce’s take: “If you do it in public, I don’t care what race you are, that's ghetto.” (67:13)
• Azar calls out the unfairness Black women face in both love and societal judgment (69:16–70:59).
• They agree Black women are the most loyal, often overlooked group in relationships (71:16–72:05).

7. Social Media & Relationship Boundaries

• Should you like “thirst trap” photos if you’re in a relationship? Both say it’s disrespectful and should be taken seriously.

"Men have to put ourselves in the woman's shoes more… Truthfully, that's really disrespectful." — Paul A. Pierce (73:31–74:49)

8. Navigating Red Flags & Commitment

• Advice for knowing the difference between a rough patch versus the wrong person:

“You have to start looking at the red flags. The red flags are going to tell you everything.” — Paul A. Pierce (74:58)

• If someone “acts like a boyfriend but says he isn’t ready”—Azar and Pierce both say leave:

"If that's what you want, get what you want, girl. Move on." — Azar (77:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trust and Actions:
  "You could fool me by what you say to me, but you can't fool my eyes."
  — Paul A. Pierce (14:01–14:20)

• On Romance:
  "Romance is like something different that you don’t normally do… It was romantic and sexy... Doing the things you don’t normally do."
  — Paul A. Pierce (19:19–20:28)

• On Double Standards:
  "Black women be going through it culturally. Black men be putting black women through it so hard… Black women are the most loyal women."
  — Paul A. Pierce (71:16–72:05)

• On Consistency:
  "Don’t introduce me to a vibe you cannot maintain."
  — Azar (36:11)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 03:03: “Romance is dead in this generation” — opening theme
• 05:57–07:13: Cardi B & Stefon Diggs relationship drama
• 13:52–14:20: Trusting actions over words
• 18:40–20:28: Definitions and personal examples of romance
• 29:03–39:00: Bare Minimum vs Princess Treatment segment
• 66:39–72:05: Cultural double standards about women’s attitudes and loyalty
• 73:31–74:49: Social media “thirst trap” etiquette in relationships
• 74:58–77:55: Identifying red flags and commitment talk

Overall Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is candid, sometimes contentious, but always authentic. Paul A. Pierce brings “old school” bravado and humor, while Azar offers sharp, modern insights, especially on women’s experiences. They challenge each other and the audience to reevaluate what romance really means, stress the importance of consistent and thoughtful gestures, and expose hypocrisy in dating expectations.

For anyone wondering what’s wrong (and right) with modern romance—and how men and women really feel about the rules—this episode is a must-listen.

For more episodes, follow Club Shay Shay and tune in to Truth After Dark for more unfiltered relationship debates.