Yvette Nicole Brown

Summary

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Teen Beat with Danielle Fishel – Yvette Nicole Brown

Date: May 6, 2026
Podcast: Teen Beat
Host: Danielle Fishel
Guest: Yvette Nicole Brown

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and hilarious episode of “Teen Beat,” Danielle Fishel welcomes actress, comedian, and all-around powerhouse Yvette Nicole Brown. Together, they revisit Yvette’s formative (and often awkward) teenage years, exploring her journey from singing hopeful in Cleveland to Hollywood favorite, and the wisdom and friendships picked up along the way. The two reminisce about adolescence, discuss the evolution of fame, unpack lessons from painful junior high moments, and celebrate the importance of kindness, resilience, and authentic connection. The conversation blends laughter with moments of genuine vulnerability, providing a roadmap for embracing your younger self and the embarrassing stories that shape us all.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Yvette’s Unlikely Entry into the Music World

[05:20–08:52]

• Yvette’s childhood love for New Edition led her to pursue Michael Bivins (Belle Biv DeVoe) as a manager.
• At 19, Yvette audaciously asked to sing for Michael after a Cleveland concert—a moment that landed her a spot in the “East Coast Family.”
• Full circle: Years later, she played Michael Bivins’ mother in the “New Edition Story” movie, despite being younger than him.
  • Quote: “We go from fan of New Edition to signed by Michael and on Biv 10 Records, to working as Michael's assistant when I first moved to LA, to then playing his mother in the New Edition movie. So I literally... it’s a full circle.” (Yvette, 06:34)
• “One for All” music video memories—shot in Houston, with Mary J. Blige’s debut album on repeat and high hopes for burgeoning careers.
• Yvette remembers the camaraderie and possibility: “Being around them... we all thought this was our beginning, you know, we were about to be shot out like a cannon.” (Yvette, 09:51)

Music, Fashion, and the 90s Vibe

[11:36–14:39]

• Yvette loves shoulder pads and menswear fashion. Excited by the return of 90s trends.
  • Quote: “I'm a fan of shoulder pads. A big fan. I'm in a tie in these family video. On a vest.” (Yvette, 12:01)
• Nostalgia for “hair and pants”—classic 90s style.
• On Community, music was a constant topic, especially with Donald Glover.
  • Yvette shares the origins of the “Childish Gambino” name: “At our Community table, we had the Wu-Tang … aggregator… That’s how he became Childish Gambino. Happened at the table.” (Yvette, 13:50)
  • Donald Glover’s relentless creativity impressed the cast: “He does everything like he’s running out of time… always creating.” (Yvette, 13:56–14:08)

Janet Jackson and Musical Inspirations

[18:22–20:46]

• Shared awe over Janet Jackson’s live performance and artistic legacy.
  • Quote: “She has perfect pitch... she’s a beast in the studio... and she’s humble and just regular.” (Yvette, 18:36)
• Janet’s energy at nearly 60: “She got the knees of a 35-year-old.” (Yvette, 18:36)
• Yvette’s musical heroes: Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Dolly Parton, and even KISS.
  • “I'm all across the board.” (Yvette, 20:46)

Teenage Struggles, Friendship, and Resilience

[20:46–32:37]

Finding Her Place in High School

• Yvette recalls a tough junior high, facing culture shock moving from Cleveland’s East Side to a more affluent suburb, feeling immediately out of place in hand-me-downs.
• By 10th grade, she “found a sweet spot—not the most popular, but also no longer the outcast.” (Yvette, 20:55)
• Strategy: “Collected all the other misfits and the underdogs. Everybody could sit with me.” (Yvette, 21:32)
• Questioning hierarchies: “Why do you get to say that you matter and I don't?” (Yvette, 22:06)
• Self-worth: “I don’t believe you… I think I’m great and I think these people with me are great and we’re going to go be great.” (Yvette, 22:16)

The Junior High Betrayal Story

[23:13–28:43]

• Yvette shares a painful memory: Writing a note to a crush, only for him (and a supposed friend) to humiliate her by sharing her note around the cafeteria.
  • “He opened the note in front of me… laughed at the note… and then he passed the note around the lunchroom.” (Yvette, 25:39)
• After fleeing to the restroom, she overheard others laughing about her. The instigating girl revealed the cruelty: “I can’t believe you thought he would ever like you. How dumb are you?” (Yvette, 26:48)
• Reflection: “Had I not had that lesson of how dark and mean people could be, I probably would have been hurt a lot more in life. But learning that at 12… taught me that everybody smiling in your face is not for you.” (Yvette, 28:12)
• Years later, she and the former bully are friends: “She’s lovely. I think it was just a child doing something that was unkind; maybe she had been treated unkind.”
• Danielle responds with a similar story about witnessing a crush’s casual cruelty, and how it instantly made him “hideous” to her.

Lessons on Compassion and Growth

[32:00–32:37]

• Yvette: “I’m so grateful that what is within me does not vibrate at the same level of that level of cruelty. That's horrible.”

Friendship and Keeping Connections

[36:19–38:05]

• Yvette has stayed friends with her high school sweetheart, Alan White, and others from that time: “If I get a good one, I keep them… Good friends are not, they don’t grow on trees.” (Yvette, 36:32)
• Danielle reveals her own sixth-grade friend group, all still in touch.

On Talk Shows and the Art of Hosting

[38:05–41:10]

• Yvette loves talk shows, having grown up on Oprah, Donahue, Sally Jesse Raphael, and more.
  • “A talk show is a place where you get to find out about people.” (Yvette, 38:39)
• Secret to good interviewing: “If someone wants to provide a space and a spotlight for other people to shine, that's going to be a show you want to watch every single day.” (Yvette, 39:53)
• She praises Danielle’s skill as a host: “You are really good at this, kiddo. This is a delightful conversation.” (Yvette, 38:39)

Education, Purpose, and Being of Service

[41:10–43:18]

• Oprah inspired Danielle to return to school for psychology, wanting to be of service.
  • “It was the most interesting, fascinating, heart wrenching, and also this feeling of that’s someone who’s really of service.” (Danielle, 41:11)
• Yvette reframes Danielle’s current role: “You need to realize that every time you’re speaking and using what you learned, your psychiatry skill is not just used in a room... You’re using it now.” (Yvette, 42:05)
• Both find that their paths—whether acting, hosting, or teaching—are ways to encourage and support others.

The “Triple Crown” of Daytime Talk

[43:23–44:24]

• Yvette jokes about her “triple crown”—guest hosting The View, The Talk, and The Real.
• On which hosts would win in a steel cage match:
  • Suggests the “The View” hosts would have the edge: “They have that age behind them where they know how to sweep that leg… I think they would literally wipe the floor.” (Yvette, 44:24)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• [04:51] Yvette Nicole Brown: “Wow. That might be the best intro I have ever received in my entire life.”
• [06:58] Danielle Fishel: “From Mr. Bivins at 19 to playing his mom… What a trajectory of friendship.”
• [09:51] Yvette Nicole Brown: “We all thought this was our beginning, you know, we were about to be shot out like a cannon.”
• [13:56] Yvette Nicole Brown: “Donald does everything like he’s running out of time. So we did talk about [music], but it was something he was just doing, you know what I mean?”
• [18:36] Yvette Nicole Brown: “She’s humble and just regular… she’s just the best, and... she got the knees of a 35-year-old.”
• [22:16] Yvette Nicole Brown: “You can say I’m not cool… I don’t believe you. I think I’m great, and I think these people with me are great and we’re going to go be great.”
• [25:39] Yvette Nicole Brown: “He opened the note in front of me… laughed at the note… and then he passed the note around the lunchroom.”
• [36:32] Yvette Nicole Brown: “If I get a good one, I keep them, you know… Good friends are not, they don’t grow on trees.”
• [39:53] Yvette Nicole Brown: “If someone wants to provide a space and a spotlight for other people to shine—that's going to be a show you want to watch every single day.”
• [42:05] Yvette Nicole Brown: “Your psychiatry skill is not just used in a room… You’re using it now… every time you talk to somebody.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:32–05:20 – Danielle’s introduction and listing Yvette’s many credits
• 05:20–08:52 – Yvette’s music beginnings and Michael Bivins connection
• 11:36–12:39 – 90s fashion and “hair and pants” appreciation
• 13:39–14:39 – Donald Glover’s creativity and “Childish Gambino” origin story
• 18:22–20:46 – Janet Jackson concert/musical inspiration
• 20:46–23:13 – High school dynamics, being “in the middle,” and supporting underdogs
• 23:13–28:43 – Junior high betrayal story and lessons learned
• 36:19–38:05 – Lifelong friendships and high school sweethearts
• 38:05–41:10 – Talk show influences and the art of hosting
• 41:10–43:18 – How psychology, service, and entertainment intersect
• 43:23–44:24 – “Triple Crown” of talk shows; guest host steel cage match

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Summary Tone

Danielle and Yvette’s conversation is warm, self-deprecating, and deeply empathetic, laced with nostalgia and laughter. Both speakers share freely from their personal histories—often the most cringe-worthy and painful moments—to highlight universal themes of belonging, resilience, and the transforming power of kindness. The tone is generous and inclusive, capturing both the joys and awkward realities of growing up and finding your place in the world.

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This episode is a must-listen for anyone who has ever cringed remembering their teenage years and wondered if those awkward moments might just be the building blocks of a better, kinder adult.

Transcript

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Give me money for cigarettes. I'll never leave your bed. I stay the night. And one night weekend, two or three years. The kids are not alright. But that's okay. Cause no one here is Teen Beat.

[Danielle Fishel]

Hello listeners of Teen Beat. Or Teats. No, that doesn't sound like I hoped it would. So let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on that one. I am Danielle Fishel, the host of Teen Beat, a podcast where I sit down with interesting people with just one goal. To make them admit they were awkward teenagers. We all were. But some of us had to live those years out on television, experiencing puberty and childhood confusion in front of millions. So now is my chance to settle the score and force other celebrities to spill their guts and expose their upbringing's Funniest memories. The concept is simple. I gave you my childhood. It's time we hear yours. And this week I'm chatting with one of the funniest people in anything that involves a camera. Television, movies, cartoons, game shows, talk shows, award shows, after shows, probably dog shows. Anything she appears in or on is made infinitely better because of her involvement. You probably know her best as Shirley Bennett from the cult classic TV show Community, stealing scenes like some sort of charming pickpocket and leaving behind a path of memes like my favorite, donning her passive aggressive smile with the catchphrase that's nice. Or you know her as Helen from Drake and Josh or her Emmy nominated appearance on the Black lady sketch show. How about for movies like Zootopia 2 and somehow Avengers, Endgame. And here's some range she's hosted the View and the Talking Dead, which probably have more in common than we'd like to think. She won Celebrity Family Feud, but lost Celebrity Jeopardy, was signed to Michael Bivens and sang let's Hear it for the boy while dressed as a bird. Plus, she is also the only person in history to have appeared on both Real Housewives of Atlanta and and Critical Role Guys. She has done it all except appear on the Teen Beat podcast with Danielle Fishel. And we are taking care of that today because underneath all that talent and before the incredible achievements, she might be hiding an awkward teenager ready to share embarrassment with the world. So please welcome to the podcast this week's guest, Yvette Nicole Brown.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Wow. That might be the best intro I have ever received in my entire life.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wow.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I was like, did I do that? I did that. That was. That was awesome.

[Danielle Fishel]

Isn't it so great to hear your accomplishments read back to you in someone else's voice when you're just like, not really fully prepared for it? It's like, wow, look, I did all

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

that, especially when it's someone like you who's climbed the mountain. So it's really nice that you took the time to do that and to do the research and that was really lovely. Thank you very much.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, I am so happy that you're here, so honored that you're joining me today. You have truly done just in your career in the best way possible. It's really impressive. I want to start with the east coast family. Yes, you're Cleveland born and bred and yet somehow entered the Philly centric universe of Michael Biven's Motown Record Label, BIV 10. How old were you when you were signed to him? And how did you get connected to a member of Belle Biv DeVoe.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I was 19 when I met him. I'd been a fan of New Editions since I was 12. When they first came out in 83, I was like, that's it. That's my group. And they're up for the Rock hall of of Fame right now. So please vote. Everybody get out and vote for New Edition. So I've been an innie for lifer is what they call us since I was 12. But when I was 19, I was a sophomore in college and Michael was. Was, you know, talking about Boys to Men and another bad creation. And he was managing. And I'm like, I'm a singer.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

He's got to manage me. He's got to manage me. So I kind of stalked him after a concert in Cleveland. Jeff Dyson, his. His bodyguard helped me find where they were staying, and I. I stalked him. I was like, Mr. Bivens, may I sing for you? Mr. Bivens, may I sing for you? Mind you, Michael was maybe three or four years older than me. Mr. Bivens, what am I doing? I'm like 19, 22. So he finally let me sing for him and the next day called me and said, I want to manage you. And then I was in the east coast family. It was the most miraculous thing, but the craziest thing about my story with Michael. So we go from fan of New Edition to signed by Michael and on Bibton Records, to working as Michael's assistant when I first moved to la, to then playing his mother in the New Edition movie. So I literally. It's a full circle.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have that in here that I was gonna ask you. Did you. Playing his mother in the movie, was that something like you guys had stayed in touch and you were like, hey, let's work together, or did that just. Wow.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I mean, we had stayed in touch. Like, me and Michael have been in touch since I met. First met him. But we weren't like, it's not like we're doing a movie of our life. Do you want to play my mom? No. I auditioned at least twice with every other black woman of a certain age in Hollywood and just so happened that that's the mom I got. We all auditioned for Ra, right? And then they. Once they picked the. The mothers or the actresses they wanted, they then put us with the different New Addition member. And I got Michael from Mr. Bivins

[Danielle Fishel]

at 19 to playing his mom.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Playing his mom. And I'm still friends with his mom. I owe her a call. His mom is a Vibe. Shirley Bivens is a Vibe. He's a Vibe.

[Danielle Fishel]

What a trajectory of friendship. I. I love that.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

You were one of maybe 250 young adults he signed at the time, including, like we mentioned, another bad creation. Boyz and MC Brains was. Was it as fun as it sounds?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

It was the most fun because, you know, one. You know, you grow up in your dreaming. Like, I. I always wanted to be a singer. Even more than being an actress, I wanted to be a singer. So I'm already living, like, that dream just being around them. But it was also at the beginning of Boyz II Men, and Boyz II Men became a supernova. This is before end of the road, you know, so I got to watch them grow. And I just went to the amazing concert, New edition. Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton. Go see it if you haven't seen it. To be at that concert and know that everyone on that stage was my friend. Everyone on that stage, I have their phone number or have a memory with them, and to be able to celebrate all of them as they celebrated each other. You know, I just did a film, a lifetime film with Toni Braxton. She's like my sister. So it was like. It's just amazing. The full circle moments I've had. And I know you've had a few. Probably at your age, I'm a little older, but even when you get.

[Danielle Fishel]

When you.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

How old are you? Have you crossed 40 yet?

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah, 40. I'm gonna be 45.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Oh, my God. You're. You're a baby. But, like, once you cross over 40, it's like your life plays in front of you a thousand different ways, either through the children you're raising or the people you worked with or, you know, 30 years of a show. Like, all of that stuff, it just comes back in waves. And it's nice to still be alive to witness those wins and to correct

[Danielle Fishel]

and like you said, to celebrate those accomplishments of your friends who. It is rare to have a long career in the entertainment industry. So the fact that you can count on multiple hands, the people and going, look at you and look at you, and we're still doing it. It's such a great feeling. Yeah. My husband is a massive fan of the one for all music video you appear in. Oh, yes.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

That is the most random thing I've ever heard. Really?

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah. Big, big fan. What do you remember from filming that day?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I remember that we shot it in Houston. It is my first time going to Texas, and it was so hot. I Remember that? I remember just thinking that it was going to be a moment. And I think we all thought that this was our beginning, you know, it was not true for most of us, but we were like, this is it. We about to be shot out like a cannon. And one of my sharpest memories is I remember Mary J. Blige's first album, what's the 411? Had just come out. So we were on set listening to Mary J. Blige. And she. And I. I think she's maybe one year older than me, but I remember going, gosh, she's amazing. Yeah. I was 20. She was 21. Okay. And I was like, oh, this is so great. She's going to be a big star. Like, I just have snapshots of moments like that. And then just getting to spend the whole day with everybody in the east coast family was really wonderful. We did that day, and then the day we were recording and we traveled a bit and toured a bit with each other. So I have a lot of memories from being a teenager just chasing that dream.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, one of the very specific questions he wanted me to ask you is about Fruit Punch. The kid at the beginning of the song, he was dressed like Urkel. And then we never heard from him again.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

That was Ryan. That is Michael's cousin.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

His mom, Diane Bivens, was our road manager of the east coast family. And she actually is the first person outside of a high school teacher that told me I should pursue acting because I auditioned and stuff while I started auditioning during the east coast family, but I was still in Cleveland, so it didn't stick. But she's the one that put that in me. Besides my acting teacher in high school, Ms. Curry, she's the one that told me you could do this. So anyway, Ryan Fruit Punch was her son. And so I don't know that he ever had dreams of being a performer. I just think he was a cute kid. And Mike was like, come up out this. This. This manhole and, you know, start the song.

[Danielle Fishel]

He was like, all right, done, done. Are there any fashion trends from this day or from this specific time in hip hop and R and B that you would like to see come back. I can give you some examples. Like airbrushed overalls with one strap off. Starter jackets, biker shorts are kind of back. Like, we already have that baggy designer leather jack. Maybe even shoulder pads. Anything you're fond of.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I'm a fan of shoulder pads. A big fan. I'm a big fan of menswear. I'm in A tie. I'm in a tie in these family video. On a vest.

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[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I like a few French rolls and a little tendrils. It's a lot. Just some hair things that we might or may not want to bring back. And then also I. This wasn't in the video, but I always fly a flag for hair and pants. Oh, I love it. I love it. Not. Not an MC Hammer Hammer pants too much for me. But a little drop crotch, you know, it's a. It' wonderful garment.

[Danielle Fishel]

Absolutely. Especially in like a nice thin fabric. Breathable. Oh, yeah. Linen, Silk.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Come on, come on. There it is. There it is.

[Danielle Fishel]

So, on Community, did you talk music with Donald Glover? I feel like he was heavily inspired by the era. You grew up making music, and I was in a Donald Glover music video.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I feel like I know this.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, I was. I feel like I play. I'm in, like a dream sequence in one of his. In one of his videos.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I feel like I know this.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Did you talk music with him?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I feel like he would have had a crush on you as a kid, too. So I think that's why. Did he tell you?

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, I think maybe we. I ended up in the video because he had a crush on me.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I think. I think you did. I think that's how it worked out. We did. We. You know, a lot of us on the show are musical. Ken Jeong actually has a beautiful voice. I don't know if people know this about Ken Jong. He's an amazing singer and I think. And he plays piano, too. So we all had a lot of conversations. Donald was the most efficient user of time on the Community set. He created Atlanta. On off time, on Community, he created. He became Childish Gambino. At our Community table, we had the Wu Tang. I don't know what it's called, the Wu Tang aggregator or Wu Tang. It was this thing, this Wu Tang Clan thing, where you could find your Wu Tang name by using this little. Whatever this thing was. So we all got our names, and Donald's was Childish Gambino. That's how he became Childish Gambino. Happened at the table. We'd have a break and he'd be with his computer doing beats. Like he's always been just an efficient user of time.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

You know how they say in Hamilton, you know, why do you write like you're running out of time? Donald does everything like he's running out of time. So we did talk about it, but it was like something he was just doing. You know what I mean?

[Danielle Fishel]

He's Just constantly creating.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

He's always creating. He's one of. I've said this in other interviews, but he's one of the most creative people I've ever met. Never met Michael Jackson, never met Prince, So I can't speak on their level of creativity. But Donald can do everything creative. He can bake, he can dance, he can draw, he can knit, he can knit, he can dance, he does comedy, he writes, he sings, he raps. Like, he. Literally anything creative he can put his hand to and make it magic. So we saw that he would come in and go, I wrote this song. And it'd be a song that ended up on his album Camp. Like, he's just. He's a beast, right?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, I had a wonderful time with him. It was Clapping for the Wrong Reasons is the name of the video that I was in. And yeah, I remember also thinking that day, wow, he never really sits. He doesn't. He doesn't relax ever. Because, you know, when I was needed, I was there. And then when I wasn't needed, I was just like, relaxing. And he. When he was not needed in front, he was on something, he was working on something, he was writing something, he was just. He was go, go, go. But, boy, it was a really cool experience for me to see him in action.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I love that he's. Sweetheart.

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Danielle Fishel]

We saw each other recently, you and I both freaking out at a Janet Jackson concert. And I don't know about you, but I was absolutely blown away by how great she still is.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Listen, I love her so much and this is not news to anyone that's ever heard me talk about Janet like she's my number one. Like I think she's just first of all, she's very kind. I'm blessed to say that we're friends now. She's very kind, very loving, very supportive, very accessible. And then that's just her as a human being. But then you move to her as an artist and the fact that she has perfect pitch, the fact that she can stack vocals like her brother, stacked vocals. She's a beast in the studio. Jimmy Jam has told me stories of working with her and how amazing it is and she's humble and just regular. You know, she's just, she's just the best and she's, you know, coming up on 60 and you would 60 where that woman got the knees. She got the knees of a 35 year old. She be the Way she dances. My Lord.

[Danielle Fishel]

It was. It was really incredible. I mean, I. I went in having really no expectations because I didn't know, like, when was the last time I had seen her perform? And literally just kept looking around like this, really? And she sang the entire time.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

The entire time.

[Danielle Fishel]

I kept thinking, when are they going to put. When is she going to sit down to take a break? Nope.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Sang the entire time. Mike was on.

[Danielle Fishel]

Mike was on the entire time. Danced the entire time. Up and down the stage the entire time. Not even super long wardrobe changes.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Just. Just.

[Danielle Fishel]

She was just moving.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

No, she gave us a show.

[Danielle Fishel]

She gave us a show. She really did. Who were your favorite singers and rappers growing up? I know you mentioned Janet's your number one, so who else? Audition. Okay.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston. I can't believe Prince, Michael Jackson, and Whitney being gone. I just don't even know where to file that.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

And then I'm. You know, I grew up in the 70s and the 80s, so I'm A. You know, I like some 70s R B. I like some Shalimar, some DeBarge Switch. You know, I like when people were really playing instruments and really singing Heat Wave, Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross Baker. I mean, I could. My R B list is long. And then I also love, like, Dolly Parton. She's one of my favorites. Ronnie Millsap. I used to love country back when I was a kid, too, so it's everywhere. And then my brother loved Kiss, so I grew up listening to Kiss and loving Kiss. So I'm across. I'm all across the board.

[Danielle Fishel]

You're all across the genres? Yeah. You love it all. What was high school like for you? Were you. Were you an entertainer at your school?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

You know, I think I was. Junior high was rough. And when I talk about my embarrassment, it's gonna be a doozy from seventh grade. But by the time I got to 10th grade and I had my braces and. And figured out my acne cream, I think I found a sweet spot where I was not the most popular, but also was no longer the outcast.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right. You were right where everyone wants to be.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Right in that sweet spot.

[Danielle Fishel]

Coasting. Coasting, where nobody's paying any attention.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Danielle. I'm just. Listen, I'm the same way on red carpets now. When I get dressed for a red carpet, I'm not trying to be best dressed. Don't want to be worst dressed. I want to be right in the middle. Just ignore. Just ignore.

[Danielle Fishel]

People want to give you a good interview, but Nothing too clickbaitable.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Don't give me nothing.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right in the middle, Right in the middle.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Right in the middle. So I got to that sweet spot. And I think the reason I bodied that lane so well is that I have such a love for other people. So throughout school I collected all the other misfits and the underdogs. Everybody could sit with me, everybody could hang with me. So by the time I graduated, I knew everybody, you know, and that's, that's the best way, I think, to go through life. I, I, as a kid, after what I tell the story of when I was in junior high, I never understood who got to decide who was popular, right? Like why do you get to say that you matter and I don't matter? Why do you get to say that they don't matter? What?

[Volvo Advertiser]

What?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

You know, I'm not saying that you're not a great person, but why do you have to be greater than me? Why do you have to make me feel bad, right? So I decided I'm not. I don't believe you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I love that.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

You can say I'm not cool or I'm not, whatever. I don't believe you. I think I'm great and I think these people with me are great and we're going to go be great. And if you want to come be great with this, you can. But you're not going to make us feel bad about who we are because you've decided that we're not cute enough, tall enough, clear skinned enough, straight teeth, whatever. The thing is, I've never understood that. I've never liked it, never understood it.

[Danielle Fishel]

I feel very much the same way. But it is, it really, I think just comes from such a scarcity mindset. It's when people feel as though there's only one spot and, and if someone's going to claim it, it's going to be me. And I'm going to fight everyone else away from the one spot. And I, I, thankfully I just don't think in that way. And obviously neither do you. So tell me about junior high. Junior high I think is rough across the board. Cause I also did not have lovely junior high experiences. So what was junior high like for you?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Okay, well, let me say this. First I grew up in East Cleveland, which is the hood, and I'm proudly from the hood. And then I moved. My mom wanted a better life for us, so we moved to the suburbs. So it was like going from, you know, the inner city to like Beverly Hills. Right? We didn't have the Beverly Hills. Money. So we were still in, like, Wrangler jeans and hand me downs, but we were in a better school system. So it was culture shock for me. Getting there and seeing these girls with their hair freshly pressed, and they're in Jordash Ash and Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. And, you know, I'm in my brother's hand me down Wranglers, you know, or my cousin's hand me downs. So automatically walking in, I was targeted. Like, one of these things is not like the other, right? And so when I was. When I was in seventh grade, it was this guy I really liked. I thought he was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. Now I will not say his name because I do still know him.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I won't say his name, but I thought he was great. And there was a girl friend of mine. She's now a friend, but she was really mean to me on this particular day. Okay. She used to date this guy.

[Danielle Fishel]

Date exactly when you're 12. Yeah. They once looked at each other across the. Across the clock.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

They once held hands at recess. But she used to date him, and they had broken up, and she knew that I thought he was super duper cute. So one day she came up to me and she said, so and so likes you. And I said, no. She said, yeah, he likes you. And I think you should write him a note and ask him if he likes you too and you should give it to him tomorrow. And I was like, oh, my God, he likes me. Like, I never thought he would like me. So I'm talking to my friends and they're like, okay, well, you should wear this shirt. And one of my friend let me borrow her. One of my friends let me borrow her little earrings. I remember I had this black and white. I'll never forget the outfit. Black and white striped shirt with these. These poof. It was the 80s, right? And she gave me these spot. These plastic spiral earrings that were also black and white. So I'm ready. I got the outfit. Penmanship is on point. I'm writing the note. Dear so and so, I. I really like you too, you know. Would you like my number? I don't even know what I put the note. It's a blur because it was so traumatic. So I get to school and I have lunch. I either had lunch first or study hall first. I had lunch first, then study hall. So I go to lunch, and he also has lunch first and then study hall. And he's there. He is. Is gorgeous. Across the room. It's my moment. So I walk up he's talking to his friends. I walk up, I give him the note, Danielle. I give him the note listeners. And he said, what's this? And I said. And he didn't say it like, what's this? He said, what's this? And I said, you know, oh, looks so confident.

[Danielle Fishel]

She really never for a second did you think. Did you think maybe she's doing something to screw me over.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Oh, no. I thought, this is. This is a lovely thing she's doing. She sees the love is supposed to happen, and she's about to happen. So he opened the note in front of me, read the note. He laughed at the note. He showed the note to the friends with him, and then he passed the note around the lunchroom. And the bottom line was, how dare she think that I would ever. So I, of course, am face on the ground. I scurry out of there. I've never scurried in my life, but

[Danielle Fishel]

I scurried, scurried that day.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I scurried out of there. And I got to the bathroom. Cause I didn't want to go to Study Hall 2. I went to the bathroom, pulled my feet up on the. On this things, locked the door, in the stall, just like, okay, what just happened? Like, I couldn't process. I was 12. I couldn't process that level of cruelty. I did not understand because again, I'm the one that's like, everybody can sit with me. So I don't understand going out of your way to harm.

[Danielle Fishel]

Correct.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I've never understood. So I'm in there, and then people are coming in, girls are coming in, and the only topic is me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Everyone's laughing because your feet are up. They don't even know you're there. So they're just still talking about you. You're and all that.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

And you believe Eyvette was dumb enough to think, blah, blah, blah, just, oh, my God, he would never like her. I can't believe I. I die. I'm so embarrassed for her. So I then have to go to study hall, because lunch is over. I have to go to study hall, check in. I get in study hall, and I just put my head down on my desk, and I'm just like, I'm. I'm crying. It's bad. The girl that did this to me comes and sits in front of me, and she leans down and she goes, I can't believe you thought he would ever like you. How dumb are you? When I tell you, I was like, I do know that evil exists. And really, to this day, I'm grateful because I think now, had I not had that lesson of how dark and mean people could be, I probably would have been hurt a lot more in life. But learning that at 12 taught me that everybody smiling in your face is not for you. Now, she and I, life went on. And this is one thing I know about karma and how fair God is. As life went on, everything in life she wanted, I got everything. I mean, when we got to high school, a guy she liked liked me. The sorority I joined, she wanted to join. She didn't get into that sorority. She loves. A lot of the artists that I love, that I'm now friends with were her favorite artists. She's never met them. Like, it's like. It's almost like God was like, if you gonna do something this nasty that somebody, don't bother nobody. You need to know loss through her. You now need to experience loss through someone you tried to take down. And she and I are friends now. Like, she's lovely. I think it was just a child doing something that was unkind, and maybe she had been treated unkind. Maybe. I don't know the reason, but we're friends now. I consider her a friend, and I've forgiven her 30 years ago. But that moment will stay with me the rest of my life. And thankfully. Thankfully, yes. That was a rough.

[Danielle Fishel]

That. That is rough. Yeah. And to. And you're friends with the guy still, too?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

The guy? I wouldn't say friends, but I know him. He now has reached out a few times because he has a magazine, and he's reached out.

[Danielle Fishel]

So now he wants something from you

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

to do his magazine. So, you know. And I'm thinking, not me. What. Why would you want.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know you made it very clear I should never. That you would want something for me. Right.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

So, you know. And I'm still kind to people. Like, I'm still. You know, I. If he hears this story, and he may. You know, he may not even remember because it was so. It was nothing to them. It was everything to me, you know?

[Danielle Fishel]

So I have a memory of the guy that I liked in junior high who was. I was in sixth grade. He was in eighth grade, and he was so cute. And I thought. I truly just thought, oh, my gosh. And he was. He was cool, and I wasn't exactly cool. And I just. I thought, oh, my gosh.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

This.

[Danielle Fishel]

I just kept. Every day was me daydreaming about how it was gonna turn out, that we were gonna end up being together.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Absolutely.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then in my theater class, there was a kid who had. I think the best way of describing it is probably. I don't know what he would be diagnosed with today or whether or not he had been diagnosed with anything at the time, but he was definitely neurodivergent and had some learning disabilities. And I saw the guy I have a crush on. It was another class. He had done, like, a big science project, like something with cardboard, you know, that opened up, and he brought it into the theater, and the guy I had a crush on asked to see it, and the friend opened it up and was kind of showing it off and was very proud of it. And the guy I had a crush on just started laughing at him and pointing at it and talking about how stupid he was and wow. My friend closed it and was then embarrassed that he had been so proud to share it and put it down on the floor. And then he went up on stage to do what he needed to do with theater. And the kid I had a crush on stomped Daniel, his project. And from that moment on, I was never able to see that guy as cute ever. He was. He was now hideous.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

And I, I, I think I was on stage at the time with the. And he saw it happening, and he was like, oh. And I lost it. I became like a bear.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah. I was like, how dare you? That's not yours. Like, just fully freaked out.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Good for you.

[Danielle Fishel]

And, and, yeah, so I. The thing that reminded me of that story was when you said, you know,

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

this person, this woman, this girl who

[Danielle Fishel]

you had thought was your friend, so much so it never even occurred to you that she could have been doing some. Like, even when he was like, what's this? You were like, of course. You know.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

You know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. You know what this is. And then when she came in and just showed you that evil, that's. It was like one. Take the mask off, and guess what?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I am.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm so grateful. Thank you. Thank you. Please, everyone wearing that kind of mask, please reveal. Take it off, please. And no matter what the outcome is, we are going to be better off for seeing you.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I just, you know, just hearing your story. Where does that come from in a child?

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't know.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

How does a child know to destroy a spirit like that, to clip wings like that? Like, I, I am so grateful. Like, when I tell people when someone does something atrocious and I don't understand, I go, I'm so grateful. I don't understand. I'm so grateful that what is within me does not vibrate at the same level of that level. Of cruelty. That's horrible.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Couldn't agree with you more. Couldn't agree with you more. I know most people are surprised to learn what OCD really is because pop culture has spread the idea that it's just about being super neat and organized, but that's not accurate at all. My husband has OCD and I can tell you it is so much more than that. Real OCD is a serious condition where you get unwanted, distressing thoughts called intrusive thoughts. They're stuck on repeat in your mind, often focusing on people or things we care about like relationships, identity or character, making them hard to ignore. And then you feel driven to do certain behaviors called compulsions to try to make the anxiety stop. This obsession and undying desire to make it go away can completely derail you for decades. Jensen ruined his own life and the happiness of those around him purely because he couldn't make the repeated worry go away. But he'd eventually learn it doesn't have to be that way because OCD is one of the most treatable mental health conditions. Once you get the right kind of specialized therapy. OCD needs ERP therapy. That's exposure and response prevention, which has proven to be the most effective treatment. Regular talk therapy isn't recommended and can actually make OCD worse. NOCD is the world's leading OCD treatment provider and all of their licensed therapists specialize in ERP therapy with NOCD is 100% virtual, covered by insurance for over 138 million Americans, and includes support between sessions so you never have to face OCD alone. To learn more about starting OCD therapy with no CD, go to nocd.com and book a free call with their team. That's n o c d.com Amazon Health

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[Danielle Fishel]

Did you have a high school sweetheart?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I did, yeah. I did. Alan White. We're still friends. Oh, we're still friends all these years.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love how many friends you have still from this time of your life.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I keep them, baby. If I get a good one, I keep them, you know, And I feel, I felt like first love you got, if you can. They haven't done something completely destructive. Yeah, you should hold on because that's. They have a cheat code for you that no one else does.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

And I remember, even for years, because Alan got married really young. I got married a year ago, so I got married very late.

[Danielle Fishel]

Congratulations.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Thank you. And he got married really young. So through the years we would talk every year on our birthdays. Through the years I was just like, why is there nobody for me? And he used to always say, cityvette, you're not a regular chick. So you're gonna require a guy that's not a regular dude. So you're gonna meet 20 guys in a year. Maybe one would be the right fit for you. And I suggest you wait for who that guy is. Only someone that knew me from the time I was 16 could say that to me at 25 or at 35 and have it resonate. You know what I mean? So, yeah, if I, I've got, I've got a set of girlfriends from high school and middle school that I'm still cool with. I mean, it's just good friends are not, they don't grow on trees. So if you get a good one, you hold on, you hold on tight.

[Danielle Fishel]

All of my best friends are still from sixth grade. Yeah, we were, we went from junior high straight through high school. There's about 12 of us. We're all still in touch. Of course, some of us are closer to others, like right We. Everybody's got their best friend, but we are all still in touch as a group. Get together for all of our wedd weddings and birth of children and, you know, random girls nights.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Absolutely.

[Danielle Fishel]

So couldn't agree with you more about needing to hold on to good ones. They're few and far between, aren't they?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Aren't they?

[Danielle Fishel]

You went to high school with Arsenio hall, which I feel like a few years apart. Okay. The same high school as Arsenio Hal.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

He's got me by a few years, but yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. Well, because I went to the same high school as the Menendez brothers, so it's. It doesn't feel as inspirational.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

That is quite as is.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't know if you want to

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

follow in there in those footsteps.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, no. Definitely not. Did you love talk shows growing up because you're so good at them? I feel like you only get that skill when you have been paying attention since you were a kid.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Absolutely. And I want to take time to give you your flowers. You are really good at this, kiddo. You're very. This is a delightful conversation. And when you're having a conversation and it feels like when you're on a podcast or interview and it feels like a conversation. Yeah. Not an interview. That's a good interviewer. You're doing a great job. So I want to make sure I say that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

That's so sweet.

[Danielle Fishel]

You're gonna make me cry.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

No, baby, it's so good. So good. I'm glad you're in this space. But. Yeah, I grew up watching Oprah, Phil Donahue, Sally Jesse Raphael. I loved Jenny Jones, Ricky Lake. I could name all of them because I like people. And a talk show is a place where you get to find out about people. So I was watching more to see what's going on in people's lives and. And, you know, see how life unfolds as a young person. And I think during that, I like wax on, wax off, Paint the fence, and Karate Kid. I was learning how to do it and the way you do it well. And this is why you do it well. You have to be interested in people. You have to want to know the ones that excel at talk show hosting. Because I feel like I'm a connoisseur of talk show hosts at this point. Yes. If they care more about themselves. And this is my moment to shine. Shine. It's not gonna be a good show. If someone wants to provide a space and a spotlight for other people to shine, that's gonna be a show you Wanna watch? Every single day.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep, every single day.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

So, yeah, so that's. I think that's the secret sauce. And it's not. I think sometimes they feel like you have to be a famous person to do it. Forgetting that Oprah wasn't famous when she got her show. Sally Jesse Raphael wasn't famous when she got her show. Doing the show well is what made them famous. So find people that like people that are honest about their own lives, and then you create a show around that person and you're gonna have a hit.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. I was the biggest Oprah fan. I watched every single episode. I loved it. And Oprah ended up being one of the reasons her show ended up being one of the reasons. I went to college late in life for psychology. I, you know, Boy Meets world ended in 2000, and I was 19 and decided not to go to school at that time. And then the way the industry works, I had a lot of years of struggling and not sure what I was going to do and didn't work for a long time and eventually got to be about 26 years old and realized I've been living off of savings that I made as a teenager and I have to work, but I may not ever get hired again. And so what else do I know how to do? What do I want to do? And I was watching an episode of Oprah where she interviewed a marriage and family therapist who specialized in children of divorce.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

And it was the most interesting, fascinating, heart wrenching, and also this feeling of that's someone who's really of service. And I was like, I want to do that.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

I want to be of service. I want.

[Danielle Fishel]

And I went to school for psychology and then got accepted for my master's degree in. At Chapman University. And my, I was. Was just, that's it, that's it. That's what I'm gonna do. And then the opportunity to do Girl Meets World came about in 2014, and I was like, masters, Girl Meets World. Once in a lifetime opportunity. I can get my masters later. And I still, I, I still maintain I will eventually have my masters and will use it in some way of being of service. But I, I still, every time I think about how I ended up going to school for psychology, which was such an amazing experience, I think that's only

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

because of opening Oprah, but also, this is of service, Danielle. So you need to realize that every time you're speaking and using what you learned, you don't have to. Your psychiatry skill is not just used in a room with a, with a couch and someone talking to you. Yeah, you're using it now. You're using it when you talk to people. You're using it when you support people and encourage people or you're there for someone when they're down. You're using it. So. So, yes, get your masters if that's what you want to do. But do not think that you didn't complete the mission because you did. And you might have did it so the. Because the Lord knew where you were going to be ultimately.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

So he needed you to get that, that undergrad degree so that you're ready to do this. Because this is psychology every time you talk to somebody.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, thank you. I appreciate it. I did not mean to turn this into a therapy session about me. I'm so sorry.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

No, I think it's great, but I think sometimes we have these things on the list and we don't even realize again, going to wax on, wax off. You have the skill, you're doing the job, you're in the space you're supposed to be in, even if it looks a little different. Like, I always thought that I'd be a teacher. I thought I was going to be an elementary school teacher. I love five and six year olds, first grade. And I'm a teacher. You know what I mean? Everything I do is trying to lead people to something that can make them better and encouraging people to be better. So I'm using, I'm doing it in a different space. It's not in a classroom, but it is what I do.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes, yes. And you're leading by example every single time you open your mouth.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Try my best.

[Danielle Fishel]

You have guest hosted what I'm calling the Triple Crown, the View, the Talk, and the Real. Let's say there was going to be a steel cage match between the hosts. Which show would win?

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Oh, that's a good question. It also depends on which set of views.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's go with Whoopi, Joy, Sunny and Anna Navarro.

[Yvette Nicole Brown]

Oh, well, I gotta go with, with, with those four women over now. I was gonna say the real. I was gonna say the real because Loni Love could go, Jeannie Mai could go and Adrienne could go. I think Tamera's too much of a lady. She would not involve herself in the cage match. The other three would tie their hair up and put some Vaseline on and get it done. But I think that Anna, Whoopi, Sonny and Joy, they have that age behind them where they know how to sweep that leg. So I feel like I gotta go with the view legs. I think that they would literally wipe the floor floor.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, listen, I, I, I am not gonna argue with you for sure. Listen, if I can sneak any more Bell Biv devoe talk onto my podcast, I am going to do it. So Eyvette will be back with me on Friday for a bonus episode of Teen Beat where we will chat some more and hear a listener's embarrassing childhood story in the form of a voice memo. So subscribe to the dedicated Teen Beat feed and that way you will never miss miss another episode. Plus, we're looking for more tales of teenage terror from you. So email a voice memo somewhere in the 1 to 2 minute range to teenbeatpod gmail.com and you might hear yourself on an upcoming show. Teen Beat is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel Executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman Executive in charge of Production Danielle Romo Producer and Editor Tara Subhan. The theme song is by Mark Hoppus. Yes, that Mark Hoppus. Follow us on Instagram teenbeatpod

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[Bowen Yang]

This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Research with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier Protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. 30 grams of protein gives you the fuel you need. It's not just for intense gym sessions, it's just life. With the wide variety of flavors from cafe latte to cake batter, it never feels boring. There's a flavor for everyone. I personally love the peaches and cream, but maybe you're a root beer floater cinnamon roll kind of person. Premier Protein empowers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite [e-mail] that's P R E M I E R protein.com or at Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers.

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