Rapping & Sh*t (with Jonica Booth)

Summary

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Furious Thoughts Podcast: "Rapping & Sh*t" (with Jonica Booth)

Host: CAKE MEDIA / Fury
Guest: Jonica Booth
Date: June 9, 2026

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Episode Overview

This lively and deeply personal episode of Furious Thoughts reunites host Fury with Jonica Booth—actor, comedian, and known to some as “Blu” from Bad Girls Club, yet more recently beloved for her role as Chastity on HBO’s “Rap Shit.” The conversation spans Jonica’s unconventional journey into acting and comedy, her experiences on “Rap Shit,” reflections on identity (including bisexuality and Blackness), lessons from reality TV and growing up in St. Louis, and her current creative projects. Listeners are treated to candid reflections, humor, and several behind-the-scenes gems from both “Rap Shit” and Jonica’s evolving standup career.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Who is Jonica Booth Today?

• Typecasting & Identity:
  • Jonica is frequently recognized as “Blu from Bad Girls Club,” though she wants to be known more for her expanding body of work: “I just be like, I'm Chastity from rap shit… Ms. Davis on Peacock. I'm naming different stuff… It was beautiful. It was what I needed for that time.” (00:00, 26:22)
• Persistence Beyond Reality TV:
  • “It felt like, wow, I'm doing this… I wanted everybody to know I am not taking this for granted… I respect y'all enough that I'm about to go learn. I'm gonna learn as much as I can because I care.” (07:30)

Auditioning for “Rap Shit” and Becoming Chastity

• Landing the Role:
  • Jonica’s path to “Rap Shit” included an unconventional move: DMing Issa Rae and a casting director after feeling overlooked—a risky, brash move (with weed-fueled confidence) that ultimately helped get her noticed.
    • “I sent a video work… And I just talked my shit… Next day, my manager hit me… casting sent you back. They sent some notes back. And I said, what? Where they come from?” (02:29–04:20)
• On Preparation & Notes:
  • The feedback she received taught her to stretch beyond her tomboy persona, getting gritty and “ugly” for Chastity. “I went in as Jonica… tomboy, basketball player… this role was rugged Chastity. I had to put some braids in. I didn't brush them… get grungy.” (04:53)

“Just give me an opportunity… Only thing I want is a chance, right?”
—Jonica Booth (06:35)

Life, Grief, and Work Ethic on Set

• Personal Loss:
  • Jonica lost her brother just three days before filming; worried it would make people think she wasn’t capable, she didn’t tell the crew until filming after Labor Day.
    • “I lost my brother… I was so scared… that they would think I wasn't capable to do the job. So I didn't say nothing… I just wanted to show up.” (07:30–08:43)
• Immersion & Learning:
  • She watched Issa Rae on set, changing her own habits to match the pros. “Especially Issa, because she's an actress as well… For me it was like, no. I see somebody that's great… and they drinking a gallon of water. I'm drinking me a gallon of water.” (11:49)

Comparing Chastity: Representation and Impact

• Queen Latifah/Cleó Parallels:
  • “Chastity is not Jonica, no. But Jonica also feels like a piece of Queen Latifah inspired by… She did what she wanted in such an elegant way, so organic, poised, unapologetic.” (13:56, 14:26)
• Character Arc Wishes:
  • Dreaming Chastity’s next steps: maturing, thriving independently, and eventually rekindling with Mia and Shawna on more mature terms. (15:26)
  • “You have to prove to you… the moment she matured and realized, you don’t have to show them, you have to show you, she would have started thriving.” (15:48)

Favorite Scenes and Comedy Behind the Camera

• Shooting Drug Scenes:
  • Favorite scene was the one where the characters were high: “They was on. Waiting on the drugs to hit… that was probably my favorite scene. Working with Dom, Dominic Perry and Brittany Jefferson.” (18:16–18:33)
  • On portraying being high on coke: “Don’t try to Google how to do coke… calling all my friends that I know have done coke before… they all trying to act, ‘I’ve never did coke.’” (24:12–24:46)
• Nailing the Monologue:
  • The emotional monologue was another favorite: “I was ready to shoot it… once you remember the lines, now I can play. Now I can act. Now I can feel.” (20:06–20:34)

“I said, this is a. I have to do this. Right… For me, it was like, I just need to make sure I know all these lines.”
—Jonica Booth (20:18)

• Improv & Set Environment:
  • “They allowed you to play… the writers want to see what you can do… and then they'll pull you back if need be. We got lucky.” (19:22)
• Comedic Chemistry:
  • “Whenever y'all were all together in a scene, I knew… it would just be so rewarding to see what you might come up with… it just seemed like y'all were having fun. It felt like we really all was friends.” (18:47–19:12)

Reality TV Reflections and Legacy

• Bad Girls Club to Acting:
  • Still approached as “Blu,” Jonica wants to be recognized for more: “It's so crazy to me how many people see me to this day. Are you blue from bad girls? … I'm Chastity from rap shit. I did the show Ms. Davis on Peacock.” (26:22)
  • On reality TV culture: wishes shows like Baddies had consequences for fighting, not just constant brawling. Credits Bad Girls Club for giving her an entry but wants the industry (and youth) to know there are real-world repercussions. (28:46–30:29)

Identity & Bisexuality

• On Bi+ Erasure:
  • “Why can't they just be what they say they are? … I'm very private with my personal life… I’ve always said I was bi, obviously, because I am… and the biggest thing that I hate the most is when I am seen with… a guy, someone will come up to me and be like, I thought you like girls… Yeah, but I like this nigga right now.” (32:06–34:19)
  • Representation: “We're in [the LGBT] in the front. We didn’t even come after the T… We been established…” (34:19)

Childhood and Growing Up in St. Louis

• Dreams & Realities:
  • “Where I'm from, we knew you can go places, but, like, n wasn’t going places… It felt not possible… All we hearing about in St. Louis is Nelly and Tina Turner. I don't sing or rap. So… that was the biggest news that we had.” (37:22, 48:33)
• Race, Policing & Trauma:
  • Jonica recounts being brutalized by police at 17 and how it changed her life’s trajectory by getting her kicked off the basketball team and out of school activities, leading her toward entertainment. (40:00–42:53)

“It really changed the trajectory of my life. That moment changed the trajectory of my life.”
—Jonica Booth (41:21)

Stand-Up Comedy Journey

• Serendipitous Start:
  • “I did not… I literally say, I finally just said, God, use me… But, I said, God, since when you want me to host?… But that's how I got into comedy.” (55:22)
• First Gigs, Nerves, Respect:
  • “Comedy is so different… acting, you can send your reel over; comedy, you have to prove yourself every night… It’s a different rush. And when you get respect doing that… it’s so dope to me.” (58:47)
• Open Mic Lessons:
  • “...You get so much confidence… so many people suck. For real? And it'll make you be like, ah, I can go suck just as good as them.” (59:12)

Favorite Jokes & Show Moments

• Genuinely Funny Improv:
  • On set, Jonica improvised during the “high” scenes: “I was like, I'm more of an informed type of person… formation, formation…” (66:34)
• Unforgettable Jokes:
  • “Some thirsty Chastity got, I know she got a Gatorade in here somewhere… It didn't make sense. But it was so funny to me.” (62:54, 63:13)
• Writer’s Room Fun:
  • Fury shares: “One of the funniest parts… is when Shawna has this dog. For whatever reason you felt like that is not your dog. You hollered that…” (50:00)

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Quotes & Memorable Exchanges

• “I respect y'all enough that I'm about to go learn. I'm gonna learn as much as I can because I care, you know? So I wanted that to be seen…” —Jonica Booth (09:50)
• “You don't have to show them, you have to show you, you have to prove to you.” —Jonica Booth (15:48)
• “Don't try to Google how to do coke. If nothing's gonna come up… I called all my friends that I know have done coke before and they all trying to act. 'I've never did coke. I don't do coke.' And I'm like, I don't got time for y'all to judge me.” —Jonica Booth (00:00, 24:12)
• “Comedy, you have to prove yourself every night… And people in the comedy world really don't even know you… The crowd, the audience, they don't know you. And that's so dope to me, because it's like, oh, I'm about to… Y'all about to get to know me.” —Jonica Booth (58:47)
• “Acting, you can send your reel over; comedy, you have to prove yourself every night… it’s a different ball game, and it’s a different rush.” —Jonica Booth (58:47)
• “We're in [the LGBT] in the front. We didn’t even come after the T… We been established.” —Jonica Booth (34:19)
• “I love the speed bumps. I love the roadblocks… now I'm no longer like, guess it ain't gonna happen. Now I'm like, you making this difficult… I'm okay with the detours.” —Jonica Booth (79:58)

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Notable Timestamps

• 00:00–00:58: Jonica reflects on public perception and her police encounter as a teen.
• 02:29–04:20: Story of her unconventional “Rap Shit” audition via DM.
• 07:30–08:43: Managing grief while filming Season 1 of “Rap Shit.”
• 13:56–14:26: Queen Latifah character influence.
• 15:26–15:48: Vision for Chastity’s character future.
• 18:16–19:14: Favorite “high on drugs” scene on “Rap Shit.”
• 24:12–25:50: Researching for Chastity’s coke scene.
• 26:22–28:22: Reflections on “Bad Girls Club” legacy and reality TV differences.
• 32:06–34:19: On being bisexual and challenging erasure.
• 40:00–42:53: Teenage police brutality incident and life impact.
• 55:22–58:47: Path to standup and transition from commercials.
• 62:54–63:47: “Gatorade” joke discussion and inside jokes from the series.
• 79:46–80:32: Accepting detours and non-linear career progress.

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Current & Upcoming Projects

• Stand-Up Comedy:
  • Jonica is now performing stand-up and hosting her own shows. “I'm doing a show…June 30th at the Hyper Something… I'm excited.”
• Picture This (Hooray):
  • Hosting a unique comedy-interview show where guests draw while being interviewed. “I'm having so much fun doing that show.”
• Film—“Maid of Dishonor”:
  • Upcoming indie movie with Emily (from Schitt’s Creek), Theo Rossi, described as a “gay film” with a stellar cast.
• Comedy Outlook:
  • Pursuing more comedy, hoping for a new season of “Picture This,” and open to future voice acting projects.

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Closing Sentiments

• On Legacy and the Journey:
  • “I said yesterday, I said, it's not a matter of if for me. It's a matter of when and how I'm gonna get there… When you have as much drive and ambition and faith over fear, then you can't do nothing but make it.” (78:43, 79:05)
• Love for Community and Representation:
  • Both speakers highlight the importance of seeing Black joy, queer identity, and authentic, unfiltered storytelling on-screen.
• Gratitude & Affirmation:
  • Both Jonica and Fury close with affirmations of their friendship, mutual respect, and excitement for what’s next.

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For Fans and First-Time Listeners

This episode is a must for anyone interested in the realities behind building a multifaceted entertainment career from scratch, especially as a queer Black woman. Jonica’s journey is full of both laughter and pain, authenticity, and hustle. The chemistry with Fury guarantees handfuls of quotables, behind-the-scenes insight, and inspiration for anyone dreaming of breaking out of a box—no matter how the world thinks they should be labeled.

Transcript

[Jonica Booth]

It's so crazy to me how many people see me to this day. Are you blue from bad girls? Cause I just be like, I'm Chastity from rap shit. I did the show Ms. Davis on Peacock. I'm naming different stuff. Like, it was beautiful. It was what I needed for that time. But they don't know I really was studying. I was studying that scene. First of all, don't try to Google how to do coke. If nothing's gonna come up, then I'm calling all my friends that I know have done coke before and they all trying to act. I've never did coke. I don't do coke. And I'm like, I don't got time for y' all to judge me. Hey, the police slammed me when I was 17. One sat on my head, one sat on my back, one set on my legs. And so it was kind of hurtful to watch the school turn they back on me. They kicked me off the basketball team. You know, it really changed the trajectory of my life. That moment changed the trajectory of my life.

[Fury]

Well, damn, folks, am I excited about today. It's a rap shit. Link up, relink up, if you will. Today, off your sides, I have one of my absolute favorites. Okay? She's an actor. I hate actress.

[Jonica Booth]

I think the word is so stupid and pointless. For what, like, why? We are one.

[Fury]

A comedian, an icon. And some of you may know her as Friend of the Bad Girls. Jonica Booth is in the house with me today. Also known as Bloom.

[Jonica Booth]

Yes. That was a cute. You threw that. You sprinkled that in just now at the end. Uh huh. Let's get to it. Very.

[Fury]

Oh, my gosh. I'm so happy to see you.

[Jonica Booth]

So happy to see you.

[Fury]

I'm always happy to see you, man. So I got. We have to talk about rap shit. We have to talk about rap shit, man. So early working on rep shit and like being so lucky to be a part of, you know, writing out these characters and sort of trying to bring them to life in our head. And auditions come through and they're telling us who gets the part. And I see you and I'm familiar with their face already. I didn't know that you was, you know, acting. You was in la. I didn't know any of that stuff. But immediately I was like, work, let's see where this goes. You see what I'm saying?

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah.

[Fury]

What was the audition process like for you for the role of Chastity?

[Jonica Booth]

Ah, very fairy. Okay, so, boom, I auditioned for it, right? My manager, shout out To Cheryl cma. She, at the time, she sent it to me, and I do it. I don't get nothing back. But at this point, I'm. You know. You know the world I come from. So I do not recommend you guys try this. This is not gonna get you in the industry. Do not do what I did. I was feeling myself one night, and I sent Issa a dm. And I sent one of the casting directors that I remember on there a dm. Now, it wasn't just like a regular dm. I sent the video work, you hear me? I had smoked a little weed. So I'm like, feeling myself. So I'm on my way out and I had. Did something. I had a hat to the back, and I felt like. I thought about the role. Mind you, this was in, like, January. I had auditioned, like, maybe a month and a half prior. So I thought about the role and I. And my camera was self. Because I did a self tape for a commercial. And I looked and I just talked my shit. I probably. I don't know what I said. I do remember saying to the casting director, like, you know what? I ain't never won in bingo. So I didn't expect to get the role. I was like, but I should have got a call back, like, at the minimum, you know what I'm saying?

[Fury]

And.

[Jonica Booth]

And I said so much shit. I was talking shit to Issa. It wasn't nothing bad. It was just like, I don't know who y' all gonna pick, but I better pick. You know, I better feel like they better than me and da, da, da, da. And I'm just going in the next day. The next day, my manager hit me and said, so weird. Surprisingly, casting sent you back. They sent some notes back. And I said, what? Where they come from? You know, at this point, I'm nervous. Cause I'm like, damn. Did they. This before the scene thing is on the dm, you know, that was new.

[Fury]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

This was before that. So it was like. I'm like, did they see it? Did they not? I called my friend Joy. She like, bitch, I said I should delete it. She said, bitch, don't delete it. They seen. She's like, they had to see it. And I'm like, I gotta delete it now. I'm nervous. You know, I was on my bully

[Fury]

when I sent it, right?

[Jonica Booth]

But now I'm sitting here like, why would I do that? That is so unprofessional. They're gonna hate me in this industry. I gotta go delete east at this point, you couldn't delete back then, right? You know, I was trying to try to delete it, and I'm just like, yes, it is. It is what it is. I get the notes, and that's when I really start understanding acting. And I really wish casting directors just sending you notes, but I know they can't for everybody. Right?

[Fury]

Right.

[Jonica Booth]

But them notes helped me because I went in as Jonica, as a tomboy, you know what I'm saying, as basketball player. And this role was rugged chassis. I had to put some braids in. I didn't brush them, you know what I'm saying? I did get ugly, get grungy, you know what I'm saying? So did the notes. And then. And this how I knew as I'm waiting, I. They told me Issa wanted to, well, you know, hooray production, whatever. They wanted to see me in via Zoom. So I'm like, okay. So I'm waiting. And I waited probably for like 30 minutes on Zoom, just waiting for them to come in. And the casting director DMed me. That's how I realized. She seen my DM. She DM me and said, one second, they're a little behind. And I said, oh, shit. She seen it, you know, okay, so it worked. But then I'm not in the business of trying that all the time. Issa didn't see it until I booked the role.

[Fury]

Word. Amen.

[Jonica Booth]

I booked the role. We ended up going to. She took us to dinner, me and the other leads and the showrunner at the time, the first director. And she posted us a picture from the night, you know what I'm saying? We took a picture that night. The next day, she said, oh, my God, I wish I would have saved this video. Cause at that time, you couldn't even go back and save stuff. And I said, and I'm so glad you're not able to save it. But that's the. I'm so glad. But it made me feel good to know that I got chosen because of my work.

[Fury]

Right?

[Jonica Booth]

Like, that really felt good. Cause I'm like, it wasn't because of nothing else. Cause even throughout the. When I booked and throughout the process of, like, you know, acting now, Issa was like, I didn't know you was on Bad Girl. You know, she was finding stuff out as we went, and it was just like, damn, that's what's up. Cause I don't. I don't want to. I don't be wanting nothing handed to me.

[Fury]

Right?

[Jonica Booth]

Just give me an opportunity that's what I said. Just let me. Give me a chance, but don't give me nothing. Just give me. Only thing I want is a chance, right?

[Fury]

And I want to say that that was one of my favorite things about you on set was that it was clear how serious you took that job. And I mean, on time. Know the lines. You know what I'm saying? Improving. Funny ass shit, grateful as fuck. Know everybody name. Like you were locked in. You took it very, very ser. And on the other end of that, you portrayed like a fan favorite role. Like what? The character that essentially became the fan favorite. So what was it like coming on, coming out on the other side of like season one and seeing yourself, seeing Chastity and seeing people's response to it. How did that feel?

[Jonica Booth]

Gosh, it felt like. It felt like, wow, I'm doing this. You know, sometimes we don't enjoy the moment and the present. And it was very hard. Cause I was dealing with a lot at that time. And like, mentally I was checked out. So me focusing on my lines was because I was dealing with, like, family stuff. And I didn't want that. I didn't want no one to think I wasn't capable, you know, even, you know, I lost my brother right there three days before we filmed. So I was so scared. I didn't tell anybody what happened. I was so scared that if anybody knew before we started filming, that they would think I wasn't capable to do the job. So I didn't say nothing. That's the reason I never said nothing. And then I waited. We went and filmed. I was like, no, I'm gonna feel something. I'm leaving here for something. So I said, I'm finna film something before they find out. Thank God that we filmed for three days and then we left for Labor Day.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

So that. That saved me because when we. I got to film and be on, like, now I'm doing it. And I'm like, now they see I can do it. I never said nothing. They found. People found out because I posted it on my Labor Day weekend. We just had. That's when we had the funeral.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

And everybody looking at me come back and I'm thinking, yeah, yeah, I already did a scene. I did a scene so everybody can leave me alone. No, but. So I was like hyper focused on making sure I knew my lines, making sure. I just wanted to show up. I didn't want. Because I felt like, you know, you feel seen. I felt vulnerable. I felt like people knew what was going on in my personal life. I felt exposed, and I didn't want it to ever be like, oh, well, it's because. Oh, it's because. So I overworked. I knew other people's lines. I knew the lines before me and after me, because I was just like, I want to make sure I get it. And above all, I was excited. Yeah, I was excited to be there. I was excited to. To have this. Rob's excited to have his job, and I wanted everybody to know I am not taking this for granted. I know what it takes to be here. I know that people have been grinding for 20 and 30 years. You get what I'm saying? And I don't want no one to even. Even playing the role that I played. I'm not a stud. You get what I'm saying? So I didn't. I didn't want the stud. You know how you watch something and you like, they should have just got a real gay boy. They should have just got a real. You know, And I'm like, I wanted them to know. No, I respect y' all enough that I'm about to go learn. I'm gonna learn as much as I can because I care, you know? So I wanted that to be seen. So when it. After the show, when I got off, you asked, well, how did I feel? I'm like, it felt like, oh, damn it. Translated. Yeah, that's what it felt like. Oh, like, okay, I did my homework. Like, it worked. Like, I got an A on my test. You know, I study. It's like, I got an A on my test.

[Fury]

So your growth as well through. Because first of all, that. That and that mentality that you have, it is clear for everybody there. It probably comes clear to people who are watching at home. But regardless of all of the stuff that you have going on, personally, outside of that, it's a very invaluable trait to be able to come in and just through working and showing up and all of the things that you did, have people go like, oh, she's grateful to be here. She's excited. She loves this job because there are many people who show up and do their job adequately. But it's like, girl, do you want to be here? You know what I mean? Like, on and off camera, specifically. But day one, it's like, oh, yeah, she's here to do this. She want to do this job.

[Jonica Booth]

I'm so glad. It's like, I don't know what's. So. It feel good to hear that, because feel what I said. I was so happy. I wanted everybody to Know, like, nah, whatever happens, I appreciate this opportunity. I want to be here. It was to the point I'm going to tell you how much I was paying attention. You know, crafty is crafty. Crafty. It was so much stuff, you know, my castmates. I want a latte. I'm coffee people getting stuff that they probably never would get, you know, so my first few days, I'm craftying it up, right. I started seeing Issa and Syreeta with a gallon of water.

[Fury]

Yes.

[Jonica Booth]

And I'm like, why they not. Why they not getting the crafty? You know, like, it's all this stuff. But I was watching them, especially Issa, because she's an actress as well. And I was watching actor. Actor. No, I was watching her like, I'm like, oh, she's not new to this and she knows how important it is for her body to be healthy and for the camera. I stopped, I started eating clean. I started. When I started getting my food, I would be like, just veggies and protein. Because I'm like, even though I'm not as seasoned and who knows how, you know, she operated her first few days, but, you know, once she arrived. But in the actor world, you know, on the scenes. But for me it was like, no. I see somebody that's a great. That's an icon, that's phenomenal in this industry and they drinking a gallon of water. I'm drinking me a gallon of water.

[Fury]

Right.

[Jonica Booth]

You know, so it was motivating. So that's how I was paying attention and just understanding the job. It was so much. I didn't know I was so green.

[Fury]

I didn't even think about that too. Like the water thing. Because now that you say it, girl, you should. You at work 13, 14 hours in the high, inside, outside, you never know. Yeah. Be hydrated so you can stay on 10 of your toes.

[Jonica Booth]

I need caffeine. I didn't need that. I need water. And then I start second season, I was like, I looked first season, I said, I'm about to go lose some weight.

[Fury]

Yeah, we went there.

[Jonica Booth]

We went, yeah. I was like, I gotta lose some weight.

[Fury]

Your growth as an actor as well was just like so inspiring. By the end of season two, everybody like us on set, folks at home were like, look at blue. Look at this girl acting like locked in.

[Jonica Booth]

I would hear you. You better act.

[Fury]

Yes.

[Jonica Booth]

I said, honestly.

[Fury]

But would you say that you and Chasity are the modern day Queen Latifah and Cleo? Cause Chastity is not Jonica.

[Jonica Booth]

Chastity is Not Jonica, no. But Jonica also feels like a piece of Queen Latifah inspired by. You know what I'm saying? Cause Queen did what she wanted to do in such a elegant way. It's so weird, that organic. It was so organic and poised and unapologetic.

[Fury]

That's right.

[Jonica Booth]

But it wasn't disrespectful. It wasn't in your face. It was like her rap was. But when she just. Everything she did, she set the tone. If I had to say Modern Day, I would. I would.

[Fury]

I would too.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. If I had to say Modern Day,

[Fury]

yes, I would too.

[Jonica Booth]

I feel like Chastity has so much more to give tv. I feel like Chastity was cut short. Everybody see me and be like, man, you know, it's funny because I can talk about Chaz, I can compartmentalize that. So people would be like, oh, they did her wrong. And I'm like, uh, yeah. But Chastity kind of wasn't, you know, somebody came with another opportunity. And in business, you gotta, you know, a part of me get it. I said, but I would've loved to see what Chastity did about it. You know, it's an untold story.

[Fury]

So we have some ideas, but I'll ask you this. If you could map out the next year of Chasity's life, what would it look like for you?

[Jonica Booth]

Ah, if. Okay. If I could map out the next year of Chastity's life, I think Chasity would have matured a lot. She was a bit immature, but I think. I think being dis. Her feeling disrespected. Just cause you feel disrespected don't mean you were, you know. And I think people forget that.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

So I think her feeling disrespected was the fuel that she needed. And I do think her and Mia and Shawna would have parted ways and Chassis's fuel would have been, I gotta show them. I gotta show them. And I think the moment she matured and realized, you don't have to show them, you have to show you. You have to prove to you, she would have started thriving. I think her and who did she meet with at the end? The one that poured the liquor. Oh, yeah. Got his character name.

[Fury]

Me too.

[Jonica Booth]

But him. I think her and him was gonna go off and do some things, but I think at the end, Jack, Chassis would end up being by herself and getting a new artist. And I do believe her and Mia would have rekindled their relationship. Her, Mia and Shawn. I think they would have rekindled their relationship from a mature space. And everybody would have threw some apologies out and, like, we good. And they would have all been at the top together, and then they would have been back as a team, all three of them.

[Fury]

I like that.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. Yeah. You know me. I'm a. That's some cotton candy. That's the fairytale version. I would have wanted them to be back together. That was a good.

[Fury]

I think we would have all wanted to see them back together. But I think the. The way that you explain that is perfect, because they were still growing up. All of them were growing up as young women, but they were also growing up as, like, professionals and those things. They were in the mud together in the mud. You know what I mean? So.

[Jonica Booth]

And that's why chassis felt slighted. Like, we was in the mud together. But people gotta understand, sometimes you got. Sometimes just. Cause you in the mud, you know, you coming out the mud. If people really are loyal and they rock with you, then trust them to go that way. Trust them to go over there and get what they get from over there and then come back and get you.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

But people don't. It's like, do you really trust that this your friend? Cause if we in the mud together and somebody come get you and they leave me, all right, I'mma tell you to go. Because we both know what we want. We both know the goal. And if the goal is coming for you, you. You love me. If I truly believe that, then I'm not worried. Go ahead. Cause guess what? You gonna do? You gonna come get me.

[Fury]

Did you have a favorite scene to shoot?

[Jonica Booth]

Yes.

[Fury]

What was it?

[Jonica Booth]

I loved shooting the scene where they was on drugs.

[Fury]

I knew you was gonna say that. What a night.

[Jonica Booth]

That was probably my favorite scene.

[Fury]

It was fun.

[Jonica Booth]

They was on. Waiting on the drugs to hit. Like, I remember all that. Like, that was probably my favorite scene. Working with Dom, Dominic Perry and Brittany Jefferson. I was like, that was. That was. Yeah, that was it.

[Fury]

Whenever y' all were all together in a scene, I knew because again, you. Y' all got the, like, room to play a lot.

[Jonica Booth]

Yes.

[Fury]

And come up with stuff. And so it would just be so rewarding to be able to see what you might come up with and how it was ping pong. And it just seemed like y' all were having fun.

[Jonica Booth]

It felt like we really all was friends.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

Like, we been in. We know each other for real.

[Fury]

Yes.

[Jonica Booth]

So it was like. That's why I say it was so phenomenal being on that set and low key. It Tricks you. Because every set is not like that.

[Fury]

True.

[Jonica Booth]

They allowed you to play.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

You know, the writers want to see what you can do. The showrunner, the producer, everybody want to just. They allowed you to. Yeah. And then they'll pull you back if need be.

[Fury]

Yeah, we got lucky.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah, we got lucky. Cause after that, I end up filming other stuff, and I'm just like, oh, one, two, take. Okay, cool, Cool, cool, cool. But that was probably. And of course, the monologue, that was one of my favorite scenes.

[Fury]

Oh, man.

[Jonica Booth]

That was my favorite.

[Fury]

Oh, man. That touched so many people. And, like, that monologue, specifically watching that and going through that whole journey was like, man, look at y'.

[Jonica Booth]

All.

[Fury]

She outta here.

[Jonica Booth]

See? Do you know the reason it was one of my favorite scenes was because I know how much I was ready to shoot it.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

Like, we will be shooting another scene. And I was studying this scene.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

Cause I said, this is a. I have to do this. Right. And it wasn't even. I didn't know it was gonna be what it was for me. It was like, I just need to make sure I know all these lines.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. You get what I'm saying? Cause once you remember the lines, for me, it was like, now I can play. Now I can act. Now I can feel.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

You know, And I remember Brooklyn had asked me. Brooklyn was someone that worked on set. And she had asked, shout out to Brooklyn. Yeah, shout out to Brooklyn. She had. No, I had told her. I said, you know, my castmates had asked me, how do I keep crying on each tape? And they were like, are you thinking about something? I was like, no. I said, I'm thinking about what I'm saying, and it's sad. Like, this is hurtful like that. And Brooklyn said, the fact that you're that in tune with your emotions. She was like, everyone can't do that.

[Fury]

No.

[Jonica Booth]

And I thought everyone did it. I'm like, this is not. Everybody cry.

[Fury]

It's like, that's a gift. Like that. It's like a dude I didn't know. Like, even some of the greats can't just do that. You know, being able. Two things. Being able to cry on cue because you're locked into what you're saying. And then also to ace a monologue, like, a lot of Academy Awards were, like, acting awards that bitches got that off of the strength of a monologue. Hello. So it was just like, okay, you can do. If you can, like, put the work into memorizing a monologue, knowing what it means, the emotion behind it. The meaning behind it. And then every take, you could cry every take.

[Jonica Booth]

And it was funny because I had to look one cut. She said, how are you doing this? I said, I studied, like. And when they say cut, I'll be like, okay, okay, I got it. You know, I'm talking to everybody. Then they say, we're gonna shoot again. And I'll go. And I'm like, y' all ready? All right. But I have to think about when you really. When I was thinking about what I'm about to say and how this person feel. It doesn't matter if I felt like Chastity was in the right or the wrong. I knew what she was saying and how she felt. And that's on the opposite side. It's like, just. Cause you don't feel like you hurt somebody, listen to them. Because, you know, that might not be your intentions, but you can't control how something lands.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

So I was like. Even though I truly don't know if I felt Chastity, you know, I understood the other side. However, Chassis was hurt, and I'm chassis, and I have to deliver this, so I need to deliver. From where she's at, acting didn't know it. I did not know. I'm telling you, I'm like, yeah, I do what everybody do. I felt what she was saying. I just cried.

[Fury]

Like, I mean, I'm sure, like, there are a lot of actors that approach it exactly that way, and many people have different methods, but the fact that you were just. It just speaks to how serious you were about this and taking that shit seriously. Not everybody can do that.

[Jonica Booth]

And I didn't know until I went to Village after, like, I normally do. And everybody was back there. Issa's manager was back there. And everybody was just like. And I'm like, what? You know, I'm treating it like another scene. I'm like, what? They was just like, I'm just seeing everybody, like. But they don't know. I really was studying. I was studying that scene. And the scene where Chastity had did coke, that was a hard scene for me, but I was excited to do it. That was so lovely, that scene.

[Fury]

There was a specific line that you had when you went up to the bar. And I think it was when you first interact with Mia and Shawna again, and they, like, realized, something's off. And you said something like, my part.

[Jonica Booth]

When she said, what shoulders? She said, shoulders, movement. I said, what shoulders? Like, I was so nervous to shoot that. That was my first scene back. And I was like, why Would y' all give me this hard scene? Do you know, first of all, don't try to Google how to do coke if nothing's gonna come up. I was on YouTube. I'm like, nobody is posting how they do coke. Like, how do people do coke? Then I'm calling all my friends that I know have done coke before, and they all trying to act. I've never did coke. I don't do coke. And I'm like, I don't got time for y' all judge me. Hey, all the coke can't phone a friend.

[Fury]

Okay, I have 30 seconds. What's the answer?

[Jonica Booth]

What's the. How do you do it? Yeah, so I'm trying to figure that out. But when I did that scene, that was the first time I said, just let loose. Do whatever you feel. That's why for me, learning the lines was so important, because once I knew the lines, I can be free the days I would come, and I'm like, still trying to make sure I had the lines. I'm putting myself in a box because I can't play.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

But when I knew them lines, I said, I'm finna. I'm finna go.

[Fury]

That coke bit was so funny, too, because I've watched a lot of film, I've watched a lot of television where a character is high on any blank drug, and I'll be like, ok, so you just kind of, like, went silly. Is that specific to this drug? Cause lots of drugs have different reactions. Specifically coke. I see a lot of characters who do coke and muffin, and it's like, so you just went zany, Your character, for real? I was like, oh, she high like that? She's not drunk. She is high on a stimulant.

[Jonica Booth]

That's not. That's not liquor. That's not tequila.

[Fury]

That's an upper.

[Jonica Booth]

That's upper. That was one of my favorites to shoot.

[Fury]

Okay, so let's switch gears for a bit. You mentioned it already. The club.

[Jonica Booth]

The club, the bad girls you mentioned.

[Fury]

So listen to me. That was so long ago, and you've done so much since then. I forget that you were ever on that show, you know?

[Jonica Booth]

I want to forget.

[Fury]

Do you?

[Jonica Booth]

I can't do. You know, no matter. It's so crazy to me how many people see me to this day. Are you blue from bad girls? Cause I just be like, I'm chastity from rap shit. I did the show. Ms. Davis on Peacock. I'm naming different stuff, like, so. But no, it was beautiful. It was what I needed for that Time

[Fury]

when the show came out, I did see a lot of comments and reactions from people who were familiar of you from then. But all of the comments that I saw anyway were like, oh, my God. They were excited to see that you had moved on to acting and things like that. So was it nice at least to have the reaction from people in a completely different sector of tv?

[Jonica Booth]

It was beautiful.

[Fury]

Cheer you on.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. Cause they feel good. It feels good. Especially coming from a show that controversial, you know, and then, you know, now congrats to Natalie and Zeus and stuff. They went off and did Baddies. I seen something today, actually, that said blue should go on baddies and somebody coming up under and said, blue ain't going on no damn Zeus. So it's just funny hearing what everybody else have to say. And those that say that I feel seen that, they seen my elevation. Not saying that those. The other Bad Girls Club people have an elevation. These.

[Fury]

I have some friends from.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah, Lo Lo, One of my best friends. We just talked to her yesterday. Literally, that was one of my best friends. And that's why I said everybody elevated in their own way. And it's no slight. The reason why I say that I can't see me going on Baddies is because it's not baddies. It's that I don't want to do reality tv. You get what I'm saying?

[Fury]

And you're better than.

[Jonica Booth]

That's why I said I let everybody else comment.

[Fury]

I'm putting your words.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. That's why I say you are you at the end of the fucking day, Fury. But, yeah, I was like, I just don't want to do reality. After touching scripts. I really enjoy tapping into characters. And, yeah, I just enjoy. I enjoy that I'm not going to fall.

[Fury]

Like, I don't watch that shit. My main thing I would say between and like, my constant criticism of Baddies isn't just that it's like controversial and fighting or whatever. We watch Bad Girls Club to see girls knock each other over here, you know, Baddies is different. And this is what I've said. I wish that that show had consequences for fighting on Bad Girls Club. If somebody hit each other, whatever, they would be producer, come in. Well, you have to pack your things. And so, yeah, we watched it for that. But at least from the production side, although it was exploitative, they still presented it as, we can't just let y' all fight. You have to go home. So what that also did was, from a story standpoint, it created all of these memorable hijinks that people would get into with somebody they didn't like that didn't involve fighting, throwing a bed in the pool. You want to do other hot sauces. Yeah. You want to do other stuff. So you are fighting all of the time until you got. So I feel like they need consequence, you need consequences, rather than just genius. Oh, I don't know none of y'.

[Jonica Booth]

All.

[Fury]

But who want to fight?

[Jonica Booth]

Who want to fight? Because I heard the fights is what get seen. Yeah. And I feel that way. And I also was going to talk to kids after I did bgc and I would be like, y' all do know that out here when you fight, you fighting. Somebody can die. So I was talking to the kids about some like that. Like, I don't think y' all understand. The reason why somebody will pop off in that house is because they know security coming. Exactly. They know production coming. They know I only really gotta fight for about 3, 2, 30, 20 seconds they coming out here, you know, so

[Fury]

you get stuff checked. You know what I'm saying? They make sure ain't nothing. Right.

[Jonica Booth]

I said, so that's the message I hate that it sends to the, you know, the kids that watch the youth and they outside at clubs like they on baddies, but it's like, ain't nobody coming to save you.

[Fury]

Right.

[Jonica Booth]

This can go on forever.

[Fury]

Right? Your security is the police.

[Jonica Booth]

Exactly. Your life. Ain't nobody getting locked up over here. You going to a hotel if you fight to.

[Fury]

Right.

[Jonica Booth]

I wish those messages got, you know, presented more. But I don't watch. I haven't watched baddies. I watch whatever clips be on social media, but just watching. I haven't watched it, but I see a lot of fighting. And I. Until you just said, I was thinking, like, man, I hope they do more like, than just go on here and fight. But you. Right. That's actually genius. Get them a consequence so they can be a better show. Like, you know, but I don't want to get kicked out.

[Fury]

Right. So they're like leaning into the girls having music careers and performing and stuff now.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah.

[Fury]

Which is a nice change of pace. But they still busting each other on the head on stage and stuff. I'm just like. If you would just be like, every fight you get into, we cutting a thousand dollars or whatever off your check.

[Jonica Booth]

Yep. Let's try. We want to. I want.

[Fury]

Try not to fight.

[Jonica Booth]

I want to see what it looks like to have some self control. Let me. I want to see what the worst one on there look like to have some control. Like, I don't want to lose my thousand dollars. You want to see them just shaking and doing well, do whatever the fuck you got to do. Yes, That's. That's genius. You need to call it inferior.

[Fury]

I would never. I'm joking.

[Jonica Booth]

Would never.

[Fury]

I want to know. Yeah, like, you're openly bisexual. Have you ever. I'm sure you have experience, like, weird energy around that identity or telling people that you're bisexual, like, by erasure. I'd be so tired of like. Because I have many experiences. I'm not. But I have many friends. I know people. I've dated people who are bisexual. And even us, like, gay, queer men be like, oh, no, they just gay. Or oh, no, they're just DL or oh. And I'm like, why can't they just be what they say they are?

[Jonica Booth]

Why? Why can't they be what they say they are? I feel absolutely. It's so funny because people, as soon as I got off BGC and like a 26, 27, I started dating this guy and somebody. People find out lonely because, you know, I'm very private with my personal life. And people will find out and be like, I thought you was a lesbian. And I'll be like, why? Why did you think that? Because you said it on me. I used to tell people, I would give you $1,000. I would give you a $500,000 if you can show me where I said that I would give you whatever you want. And nobody can present it because I'. So it does. And it gets tricky and people feel away. But I've always said I was bi, obviously, because I am. And I might not even if I don't date a guy for 10 years. You get what I'm saying? It's like, when you do, it's like, what I thought she was you dating a guy now. But it's like, so what? And if I don't date a girl for 10 years, the biggest thing that I hate the most is when I am seen with. Let's just say I'm out with a guy, someone will come up to me and be like, I thought you like girls. And I'm like, yeah, but I like this nigga right now, right? Like, I'm with this nigga. Yeah. Like what? Or if I'm with. If I see some niggas that I know and I'm. They was like, what? Like, I knew, but damn, I thought you. It don't matter what you thought. Like, it doesn't matter. You know what I'm saying? So I Do get tired of that whole situation. But at this. I'm older now. It's like I'm used to all of it. And I don't know why people act like bisexual is such like a. We're a part of the lgb.

[Fury]

The. It's right there.

[Jonica Booth]

We're in there. We're in the front. We didn't even come after the kill bitch, right? We came up in the front. Like, lgb.

[Fury]

She's right there.

[Jonica Booth]

That's what I'm saying. So it's like, let us live math

[Fury]

in it and stuff now. 1, 2, 3, plus, plus, like, we

[Jonica Booth]

y' all the newest. Yeah. I don't even know what's going on back there. What nerd y' all don't know? You got your nerd. I was talking y' all over here asking me what's up with the bee. Hello, bitch. We been established.

[Fury]

Happy Pride.

[Jonica Booth]

Happy Pride month.

[Fury]

Okay, so tell me about your experience growing up in St. Louis. And by the way, we fully wrote St. Louis into chastity. Cause we was like, girl, that accent ain't going nowhere.

[Jonica Booth]

Hey, look, I asked east in the beginning. I said, I found out Camellia was from Florida. I said, okay, I gotta call you more so I can start getting what y' all be. Jit. Jit. I say, jit, okay. You know, I'm learning little Miami shit. Little Florida shit. And Issa said, where you from? I said, St. Louis. She said, Chastity from St. Louis now. And I said, okay. Woo. Woo. Because I was fighting.

[Fury]

We love accent. Anyway, that it was not. And it ended up just being really lovely for the character. So that, like, moved there and had this song. And your uncle. My.

[Jonica Booth]

I love the uncle.

[Fury]

Oh, God, he was so fun.

[Jonica Booth]

I love the uncle. Yes. He was amazing.

[Fury]

I ain't killed niggas since 06. He fucking up my street.

[Jonica Booth]

Oh, oh. Then that's. When you seen Chassis was really a sweetheart. You didn't want to see a fight go down. I was laughing at them knocking Chastity tooth out. I said, why would they knock Chastity tooth out?

[Fury]

Oh, the tooth.

[Jonica Booth]

Why you didn't fight in the writer's room? Why you didn't fight for Chastity to keep her tooth?

[Fury]

Let me tell you something directly on camera. And I don't care if I get in trouble for this. I did.

[Jonica Booth]

You did?

[Fury]

I did. It was a group choice, okay? Now, I ain't going to say who voted for who or for what. Chris said, I wanted the tooth to be stuck.

[Jonica Booth]

Like, I was like, what the fuck?

[Fury]

Like, so then, was she just gonna be toothless?

[Jonica Booth]

I was like, for how long? And then childish. Two childish Capricorns, Issa and Serena, I come to set that day. They over here like, you finna get your tooth knocked out today? And I'm just like, I did not know. Yes. I think I got a video of they was. You finna get your tooth knocked out today? And I'm like, I think y' all did this on purpose.

[Fury]

Oh, my God, we had so much fun. I legit was in that room. Like, I don't want the tooth. Cause that's my episode too.

[Jonica Booth]

It was your episode.

[Fury]

They were dead set. And I was like, you up here.

[Jonica Booth]

Like, I didn't write. I didn't write that. I did not write a tooth out.

[Fury]

I really wanted the tooth to stay. But yes.

[Jonica Booth]

No, it was cute. It was perfect.

[Fury]

But yeah, yeah, but St. Louis, how was. What was your life like?

[Jonica Booth]

St. Louis, you know, I talk about this, and we're around the same age. We are the same age. So you understand that life from no social media to having social media. You get what I'm saying? So where you from?

[Fury]

I'm from Miami.

[Jonica Booth]

You from Miami. Okay. Where I'm from, we knew you can go places, but, like, n wasn't going places. You get what I'm saying? I can't. It sound crazy, given how much access and how much we see nowadays on our phones. But we weren't. We. We didn't think we could really just go places like that. And I knew LA exists. I knew we could get on a plane. But what nobody said, it felt so far away. It felt so far. It felt not possible.

[Fury]

Yeah, I get that.

[Jonica Booth]

So especially without social media, like, we didn't. Coming from that world, I don't think y' all understand us 80s babies. We truly like seeing so much, so pride. So growing up in St. Louis, I'm told that, you know, what do you want to do? You want to be a nurse? You want to be a doctor? You know, I'm limited to the things that I can do. And I'm seeing this stuff on, and I'm like, oh, that's cool. I wish they came to St. Louis. That's what I'm thinking. I wish they came. Wish they came here on Disney and let us try, you know, But I'm not thinking it's possible. And I hooped, I played basketball. But my parents did. Told me what they knew. You get what I'm saying?

[Fury]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

So growing up, I just played basketball. I went to school and I knew that I had to go to college. That's all I knew. I was always. I was the first black homecoming queen in the district. Word. Yes, I was. Okay, miss homecoming. You know what I'm saying? I've never been to a predominantly black school. And that throw people off. Never. I've always been my kind. Three years old, I've been around nothing but white people.

[Fury]

I think my high school was like half and half.

[Jonica Booth]

It was half. I wish I did half.

[Fury]

You were good enough. Guess what? Half. I stayed on.

[Jonica Booth]

What happened?

[Fury]

As black as ice.

[Jonica Booth]

Really. I didn't have a choice. You know, I'm talking about people. No.

[Fury]

Yeah. I chose that.

[Jonica Booth]

My graduating class was like 500 people. I had a big school and maybe like 15 or 20 of us was black. So to be the first black homecoming queen in the district was like, whoa, huge. That was. Yeah, that was major. And I had gotten just hooping. I was supposed to go to. I had these big plans for basketball. Even at looking at the women dominating right now in basketball, it's like, I wish we had this opportunity.

[Fury]

Yeah, it's huge.

[Jonica Booth]

All this stuff is huge. That's so far fetched from my. From the little. From younger Jonica. You know, I got in some trouble. I don't really think I got in trouble, but had this happened while social media was out, people would have been like marching for me. I got into. The police slammed me when I was 17 and in the mall, like slam. Three white cops slammed me. One set on my. I probably weighed 120 pounds. One set on my head, one set on my back, one set on my legs. And my mom ended up fighting a case. And they were wrong. It was literally the city of St. Peter's versus John and Caboot. And they. I was the DARE officer. You know, I'm this popular black kid in this area because I grew up in this area. I've never been anywhere else. So it was kind of hurtful to watch the school turn their back on me. And the. The district, they kicked me off the basketball team. You know, it really changed the trajectory of my life. That moment changed the trajectory of my life. And they expunged my records, so you can't find any of my. Like I used to get speeding tickets or something like that and have a little mug. And my friend, dad was a police officer, so I purposely didn't go to court. And then they'll pull me up like, we gotta lock you up. I'm like, call Emanuel. You know. So then I go To Emmanuel. Like, bring it to me. I go take my mug shot. And then I'm sitting here hanging out with you. So I had these, you know, careless young speed and tickets running light, stuff like that. And to go to jail, take a mug shot and get released, something like that all the time. Because I'm. That's how I was. My new license or whatever, if you can't find out one. Because after that major incident, my record was expunged. That was the agreement they would. My mom said, I want her record expunged. I want this to stop her. And she used every. I think she. To give me a good lawyer. And the police was wrong. So they agreed to that agreement. But it was just like. That shit was traumatizing. Yeah, it was traumatizing. And my trajectory changed because I wasn't playing. I'm waking up, kid. You not the naacp. They downstairs. They downstairs in my living room and interviews. I'm talking to all these people, the news stations. And it was just like, now my numbers are dropping, my grades are dropping. I'm just. I'm young and stressed and traumatized and embarrassed, you know, nothing more. So embarrassed of anything. And because of that, I went to a smaller college, end up getting my degree. And then after that, that's what I was like. That's how I ended up on reality tv. You get what I'm saying? Because it was like, I'm in this. I was in the system because I wanted to go in Real World.

[Fury]

Yeah. I wanted to go Shout out to Real World.

[Jonica Booth]

Shout out to Real World. That's why I was in the system. I didn't. Please know. I did not sign up for Bad Girls Club. I wanted to go on Real World like everybody else. And I found the papers and I'm like, oh, shit. This how you get on. I've been trying to get on Disney since I was 7. I finally see somewhere I can sign, and I was in a system of oxygen. So they sent Beauty Mari or something. They sent over for bgc. And I said, no, you always gotta get you a gay best friend. My gay best friend, Fred, my boy, he was like, uh, you finna do this? And da da, da, da. He filled out all my stuff. He recorded me. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have went. Cause I'm like, I'm not going on there. I never watched it.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

Had I watched that show, I probably wouldn't have went, yeah. And that. That is crazy, because when I got there, I'm like, what? They fighting? What's going on around here. Like I didn't know what to expect. I just knew I did what my family said. I graduated college. I'm the first one in my family to graduate. So now I can go do what I want to do. Growing up there, it was just. I had a great childhood. I had my dad, I had my mom. They was divorced, but my dad was my basketball coach. He was. You get what I'm saying? So I had a. My life was more so it was fairy tale. Because I thought everybody. Life was like this, you know what I'm saying? And I'm looking around like y', all, y' all didn't get a car at 16. You know, y' all didn't. I'm getting. I had everything I wanted and I had everything I needed.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

And I had. I have an amazing support system. My grandparents, my grandmother. Like I have. It's so crazy because one of my grandmothers, we just celebrated her 95th birthday and I thought, everybody, yeah, shout out to grand. I thought, everybody, Grandma get to 95. And you don't, you know. So these things that I'm going through, like, I had a great family. So being home was just surreal. I remember my mom asked me when I was like 17, was I gay? And I wasn't. And I was like, no, just cause I hang with gay. Cause I play basketball. I was. All my friends was turning gay. I'm like, what's up? Why y' all gay? Why y' all staring boxers now like I'm watching panties go to box boxes in the blink of an eye.

[Fury]

I know that's right.

[Jonica Booth]

Like what's happening? You know, I said, just cause all my friends gay don't mean I'm gay. And she ain't asked after that. She should have asked. But after that update, you should update it. We should have audit. Yeah, but I didn't know that until I was like 20 something though.

[Fury]

Yeah. So it's funny that you say like what you said about LA and seeing ourselves and stuff, because I remember watching like Wild and Crazy Kids and all that and being like, I can do this, I want to do this. But yeah, I knew about planes. I knew that Los Angeles was a place, but it, it felt like another planet.

[Jonica Booth]

It felt like we had.

[Fury]

It felt impossible.

[Jonica Booth]

It felt like you had to get invited, right? And then it was like, man, wish all that come here, right?

[Fury]

And I mean today, obviously, with social media, like if you're eight month old, baby make a funny face, they'll put him on Disney, you know, like it's all you need is the numbers and stuff, which. No complaint. It's just there was a time where that ease and access and even understanding of how to. How to enter.

[Jonica Booth]

You could just say how to.

[Fury]

Yeah. How to. Period.

[Jonica Booth]

Literally, how to. Cause we knew. We. Who was gonna tell us, right? Because our parents didn't know. Like, we really. We really got it out the mud. Whatever we're doing, We. We've. Like, I. I feel like. I feel like I'm behind.

[Fury]

I feel like I do, too.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. And I know. And I know you do because you're. We're the same age. And the only reason we feel that way is because had we known what we know, we would have came if we would have left. Like, I didn't know. Once I realized I was like, oh, I can step over here. Okay. And then I'm not. You know, I'm scared. But I'm also at that fearless age. Like, I'm scared of what's out there, but I want to go see.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

You know, even now, people. I don't even do roller coasters and stuff no more. They like, I'm not fearless no more. I said I was fearless back then. I'm scared of needles. I don't want no tattoos. I don't know how I got tattoos. I don't know none of this. I was young and fearless. Now that I know, it's like, I'm different now. But I really wish if I can get something back from my childhood, I want to be fearless again. I would want to be fearless. But I do know when we feel that we feel behind, and it's because now seeing the opportunities that these kids have, it's like, if I had that, I probably wouldn't have went to college for you. I wouldn't have went. I'm gonna be honest with you.

[Fury]

Same.

[Jonica Booth]

I wouldn't have went. Cause for what? For what? I got a cute little certificate. I could have made five of those.

[Fury]

Look, some debt for some loans, some

[Jonica Booth]

waste of time for what we didn't know. So I being. And that's the. I'm from the Midwest. So it's like, at that age, we don't know that it's possible. Nobody's doing it. All we hearing about in St. Louis is Nelly and Tina Turner. Shit, I don't sing or rap. So, yeah, Nelly got on. I was like, oh, Nelly is rapping across the world. You know, that was the biggest news that we had of my. That I'm growing up, everybody playing sports. Like, nobody was like, me.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

Nobody was. I didn't even know it was possible.

[Fury]

Yeah. So we just made it away.

[Jonica Booth]

We made a way and figured it out.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

And now we here especially being. I tell people it's tears. You know, you got obviously gender and then race. But then unfortunately sexuality is in this category. So to be like in the community and left, you get what I'm saying? Or making something. It's like a lot of odds are against. Are against us. That's what they try to show you.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

But once you get out here, you realize, no, it's people that fuck with me.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

It's people like me out here.

[Fury]

The people who waiting for me.

[Jonica Booth]

Who's waiting for me? Yeah, they looking. It's people that's looking for me.

[Fury]

Looking for me.

[Jonica Booth]

That's crazy how much we just didn't have access to.

[Fury]

Yeah, well, I knew that you were funny from like, from the get go. Seeing you in your own individual comedic sense flourish on camera was lovely. It's funny that you mentioned the episode where everybody's high, you know, the conversation. One of the funniest parts of the episode to me is when Shawna has this dog. For whatever reason you felt like that is not your dog.

[Jonica Booth]

That dog back.

[Fury]

You hollered that and the. And the. The crackhead that was over by the car when you came back with the wheel. Yes. He was trying to take the wheel out. Everybody was cracking up. Everybody was cracking up.

[Jonica Booth]

Don't let the nigga take my wheel. Yeah.

[Fury]

When you came out to la, were you already like training in comedy or performing comedy?

[Jonica Booth]

I came to LA cause I had invested in my sister esthetician business. Mobile esthetician. I came to help her push this damn business. I didn't come here with. I thought I had money. I probably came out here with like $10,000. I was like, I've got money, I'm going to LA. That shit was gone. I don't know what I came here to do. Help her push the business.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

And I didn't want to come here. I was scared. I didn't think I can afford it. I didn't think I could make it. I was like, listen, Tiara, check this out. Come to Atlanta. I got what everybody in Atlanta got, a townhouse. I got three bedroom townhouse. I was like, come, I got a room for you. Everybody got. At that time, everybody had a townhouse. I like, I got me one. Come stay with me. You could your business kaboom. I don't want to go to Atlanta. My sister, I'm like, all Right. All right, fuck it. So I remember March 8, 20, 20, 17. I. Yeah, 17. I drove. I drove out here. I thought I was doing something. Drove my little Jeep Cherokee, I hit the road.

[Fury]

I don't know how y' all did it.

[Jonica Booth]

Listen, came out here and I'm like. I left my three bedroom house to stay on her couch. And I'm like, okay, what we gonna do with the business? Do you know that this motherfucker told me that she was moving to Atlanta? After I had uprooted everything I said,

[Fury]

I said, baby, I don't think you're gonna make it. I don't think you.

[Jonica Booth]

I called my mom, said, ma, get your daughter. Get your daughter. Cause how she. I uprooted my life, you know? And I didn't want to come here. I did not want to come here. But that's why you let God, man.

[Fury]

Yeah, God.

[Jonica Booth]

God puts you on.

[Fury]

I said, girl, this is exactly.

[Jonica Booth]

This is where you're supposed to be. Cause now I'm here.

[Fury]

And you were afraid. God said, I got something for you. Let me play in your face real quick. So you just got a business.

[Jonica Booth]

Yep.

[Fury]

And you love, you love.

[Jonica Booth]

Come on, come on, come on over here. I'm gonna get you over here. And I get over there and now she leaving. I said, you just gonna leave me? And I'm like, what I'm gonna do? But I didn't wanna go back. Cause you know, you tell n I'm leaving, you don't wanna do the Walker shade. Facts.

[Fury]

Goodbye, big facts.

[Jonica Booth]

So I did my big exit and I'm like, I can't go back, right? I can't go to St. Louis. Cause I did my big exit.

[Fury]

I'm gonna be back there.

[Jonica Booth]

Like, jonica came back. Huh? I see.

[Fury]

How was the West Coast?

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah, it wasn't all that. I was like, fuck that. So I'm like, I'm gonna stay. And then everybody kept saying I had a commercial face. So me again. Kids, do not do what I did. I paid about $72. I remember I paid $72 for this PDF file online. I don't know how I found it. I paid for this file and it gave me every agency in LA contact.

[Fury]

I think the kids are probably already doing that.

[Jonica Booth]

Listen, I think I. Yeah, kids probably should do that. But I solicited myself to about 20 to 50 of them. And one wrote me back, buckwall, Buck Wall, commercial agent. And I was just like, here go my pictures. I don't even. It's so funny. Cause my message probably was so like, who is this ghetto motherfucker? I said, hey, what up? Where it is. Word is I got a commercial face. So check my pictures out.

[Fury]

Where it is.

[Jonica Booth]

I got a commercial face. My agent. My agent, Rick Ferrari. I'm with him to this day.

[Fury]

Nice.

[Jonica Booth]

He called me, he said, I love your pictures. And da, da, da, da, da. And he signed me, and that's when I started booking commercials. So I was like, all right. I do commercials. I go to Buck Wall's office to talk to him. And the. Whoever, Ms. Buck Wall, she comes in, I meet her. I'm talking to them. And we're in this glass. You could see us. That's all. I'm gonna just say that. Next thing you know, my manager. I mean, yeah, my manager, commercial agent asked me, do I wanna. This guy want me to do standup? And I was like, what? And he was like. So then the guy, Mike Griffin, comes in. He say. He said, you were making everybody in that room laugh. He's seen it, I guess.

[Fury]

Okay.

[Jonica Booth]

And he was like, have you ever done stand up? I was like, no. He was like, what'd you do, stand up? I said, no. Like, no, that looks scary. Why would I do that? Who wants to do that? And I ended up taking his class. He told me to take a class named Lisa Sunset. And I took her class. Pretty Funny Women. That's what it was. And she taught us how to write. And it was a cool class. Crazy. The owner of the Lakers, Jeannie Buss, was in my class. It was like 10 of us.

[Fury]

Okay.

[Jonica Booth]

Not me and Jeanne. Cool. We all go out to eat after class. One time, you know, the bill come. I said, here. She said, I got it. I said, I figured you would say that. What are we doing? Like, why are we playing games on that receipt?

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

You own the Lakers. No, but that's how I got into comedy.

[Fury]

Wow.

[Jonica Booth]

I did not. Everything I'm doing, I literally say. I finally just said, God, use me. You know, what do you. What am I supposed to do? I surrender. I want to do whatever it is you put me here to do. And that's how things are happening for me. So I'd be just as surprised as everybody else.

[Fury]

God said, you don't remember that meme? I said, oh, I was gonna do that anyway. I was gonna do that anyway. Cause that's how I am.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. That's what I'm doing. Yeah, listen.

[Fury]

Cause when I saw the clips of you doing standup post rap shit, I was like, I know. That's motherfucking right. A as the standup comedian myself.

[Jonica Booth]

Mm.

[Fury]

I know what it is like. It is scary. It's scary, it's scary. But when you get up on that stage and you get started, what's that first laugh? That first laugh? It's like. It's like a dance. It's like a conductor. It's just, oh, okay. I can get energy moving through this room and send people home feeling like, ugh, I got something off of me.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. How's that been?

[Fury]

How's stand up going for you?

[Jonica Booth]

Actually, I'm doing a show, my first show that I'm gonna host. Like, that I'm doing with Ida. We're doing it. We're doing it June 30th at the Hyper Something.

[Fury]

Well, I'll be there.

[Jonica Booth]

You better.

[Fury]

I will be there.

[Jonica Booth]

I'm so nervous because I need you. Actually. We need to write.

[Fury]

Girl.

[Jonica Booth]

Listen, I. I do my write, all my own stuff. And it's so funny because all these, you know, comedians tell you how they do it and what they do, and they should go put it up on stage and see how I feel. I do my shit in the mirror. I'd be like, ooh, that was funny to me. I'm gonna get on the stage. But now I'm on the stage like that in here. Y' all should come to the mirror. It's funny. In the mirror? No, in the mirror, in the shower.

[Fury]

That's when it really was that bitch hit.

[Jonica Booth]

Nah. But yeah, so that's gonna be my first. Like, I'm gonna do probably. I think I'm gonna do 20 to 30 minutes. So I'm excited. You know, she do that. She been doing that. I just do like 10.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

Sometimes 15, 5, 7, you know, but I'm excited. I'm excited. And everyone just think I, you know, you killing this comedy thing. And when they come to my shows, people love it. I think I be in my own head.

[Fury]

Yeah, same you be in your head.

[Jonica Booth]

And here I am soliciting myself again because I DMed Gary Owen before when I was in Arizona. He cool. He is somebody that I like, genuinely love him. He wrote me back. I said, can I open for you? He said, send me a set. And I sent him a five minute set. He said, yep. And he told me what time. And I went there. His crowd was huge. I opened, I killed. Everybody acted like, oh, my God, who are you? And comedy is so different. I don't think people talk about it. Acting, you can send your reel over comedy, you have to prove yourself every night. Yeah, it don't I don't give a damn if he was funny yesterday. You have to be funny right now on this stage. These jokes need to hit, and it's just a different ball game, and it's a different rush. And when you get respect doing that. And people in the comedy world really don't even know you.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

That's like, they don't know. They don't know nothing about bgc. They don't know nothing about rap shit. Of course, you know, the comedians do. But it's like the crowd, the audience, they don't know you.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

And that's so dope to me, because it's like, oh, I'm about to. Yo, y' all about to get to know me. Yeah, y' all about to get to know me. And I.

[Fury]

You would just be there to laugh. So make me laugh is kind of the mission statement. Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

To laugh. And it's like, the beauty is for all y' all that want to be comedians, y' all should go to, like, these open mics, because you'll see so many people suck. For real?

[Fury]

Yes.

[Jonica Booth]

And it'll make you be like, ah, I can go suck just as good as them. Yeah. Like, even if I don't do good, I know I can go do just as good as them.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

That literally is what gave me my. Like, I went to the other thing, and I was like. I was so nervous. I'm like, nah, I don't want to do this. And I'm like, wait, y'. All. Y' all suck.

[Fury]

Open mic is a place. It's. It's. It's the breeding ground for comedy, for good stuff. Cause you go there expecting to hurt people's feelings and get your feelings hurt. It's where everybody kind of goes to try shit out, to be bad, to see what works. And most of all, when you go to many open mics, you know, it's so many comedians in the audience anyway, you gotta expect that they're not gonna laugh.

[Jonica Booth]

They're not thinking about you.

[Fury]

They not thinking about you.

[Jonica Booth]

They're thinking about when they get up there.

[Fury]

So if you go to an open mic and kill it, that says, okay, this set is ready to go do something.

[Jonica Booth]

Cause you didn't got the attention of people who's not even here to look at you. I've been there and been looking at the comedians, and I'm not even listening to them. I'm like, okay, I'm gonna say this. No, I need to do this before this. But clapping. You get what I'm saying. And that's why I said for all those that I have people that I want to try. I'm scared. I'm like, listen, go to the open mic. Yeah, you get so much confidence.

[Fury]

Look, so much confidence, so much humility. My first open mic, there was this older white lady who was sitting right in front of me, also a comic, and she was just face scrunched up the whole time, like she was trying not to laugh. And I was just like, okay, Trunchbull, what are you getting out of this? Like, what do you wrap it up?

[Jonica Booth]

Go to the back.

[Fury]

Like, yeah, get to the back. If you're gonna just crunch face, what

[Jonica Booth]

is doing in the front?

[Fury]

You want me to flop? And I refuse.

[Jonica Booth]

I refuse.

[Fury]

I flop.

[Jonica Booth]

And I'm finna make you laugh.

[Fury]

When you tell people that you're a comedian, do people ask you to tell them a joke?

[Jonica Booth]

Yes, bitch. Knock, knock. Get the fuck on. Like, what did you. What you mean, tell me a joke? Give me a quarter. Like, I'm a quarter machine.

[Fury]

You know what mine is?

[Jonica Booth]

What?

[Fury]

A comedian walked into a bar. They spoke to you. That's the joke.

[Jonica Booth]

They probably looking at you like.

[Fury]

And I'll be like, have a good day.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah, bye.

[Fury]

Funny, ain't it?

[Jonica Booth]

They be like, yeah, tell me a joke. I'm like, bitch, what you do for a living? Make me a sandwich.

[Fury]

That's what you do. Comedian is an occupation. Occupation, job, job, money. So how much are you going to give me for the joke that I'm preparing to tell you to tell you a joke? I take Venmo Zell, Cash, App, Grok.

[Jonica Booth]

I take ebt.

[Fury]

If you want to pay, right? It's an ATM around the street. Like, we could go, well, how you

[Jonica Booth]

want to do it?

[Fury]

I have a square in my pocket.

[Jonica Booth]

I'm not going to be just. That's a job. People say, tell me a job. You like, what, now I'm not funny? Now I'm rude to you? Cause I'm like, no.

[Fury]

And I'm over here looking at, like, Ham and Ralph's. I don't feel like being. There's no funny.

[Jonica Booth]

Ain't nothing funny. You see how much this ham costs?

[Fury]

Exactly.

[Jonica Booth]

This is the joke.

[Fury]

I haven't even looked at the eggs yet.

[Jonica Booth]

We're in the joke right now. Eggs, $11. Ha hee hee. Motherfucker, ain't shit funny right now.

[Fury]

The joke is that I'm about to play Klarna on these pancakes to eat.

[Jonica Booth]

Can I bill you every two weeks?

[Fury]

Leave me alone.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah, talking about a joke. Go to the gas station. Look at the prices.

[Fury]

Did you have a favorite joke on rap?

[Jonica Booth]

Shit. You know, I'm not gonna say it's my favorite, but I never understood it. And it makes me laugh. And that's some thirsty Chastity guy. I know she got a Gatorade in here somewhere. And I'm like, what is. Dude? What is the correlation?

[Fury]

I don't remember who came up with it.

[Jonica Booth]

Who came up with that? I was like, what? But it was so funny to me

[Fury]

because everybody laughed at that joke because it didn't make sense.

[Jonica Booth]

Brittany Jefferson, character throwing that Saturday. I don't know. It must be a Gatorade around here somewhere. Chastity Gay.

[Fury]

Chastity Gay. I know it's a Gatorader here.

[Jonica Booth]

I don't know where that came from. Is that a gay thing?

[Fury]

I guess it's like, oh, she gay. She a stud. So she must have some electrolytes in this bitch.

[Jonica Booth]

What does that mean?

[Fury]

It doesn't make sense. But I loved it.

[Jonica Booth]

I loved it. And I thought whoever wrote that was like.

[Fury]

And Britney's delivery was perfect too. Cause she was so bougie.

[Jonica Booth]

It was funny because I laughed in real life every time it was said. Cause I'm like, why is this here? Like, what does this mean? Like, chastity gay. I know it's a Gatorade around here. I'm like, did you have one?

[Fury]

One of my favorite jokes on rap shit. Oh, I can't think of one either.

[Jonica Booth]

That's why I said that one came to my mind.

[Fury]

That's the first one that came to my mind I did love. Oh, you know what? I'm not. I wrote so I don't feel like it's there.

[Jonica Booth]

But you're right. No. Cause you're funny. It probably was good.

[Fury]

I loved the back and forth between. Between Nelly and the rest of the girls when Shawna was over after the fire incident with Lord A.K.

[Jonica Booth]

mm. Yeah.

[Fury]

Spoilers. Go watch it. Give us some residuals.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah, it ain't no spoiler. I should have seen it by now. If you haven't, go watch it again. If you bored, sit it on there and put it on mute.

[Fury]

But when Mia's at home, we're at homegirls, and they come over and they start making, like, burn jokes.

[Jonica Booth]

I thought that was so disrespectful. And I laughed the whole time.

[Fury]

Oh, I gotta kick out of that. He real burnt for that when she called him Burna boy. Those were some of my favorites.

[Jonica Booth]

She said, I'm sorry. I'm gonna stop. That was the last one.

[Fury]

That was the last one. That was so great. I also loved when they were going back and forth about their bags in the episode where you were taking to the club.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah, that was fun. You know what just came to mind? When they was at the club and. No. When Nellie said, Shawna be rapping some conscious shit.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

That was always funny to me. And when Shawna came out, they called her a nun. That was a funny show. I'm sorry. It was so many. Now that I'm thinking about it, it was so many gyms. When she took that pamphlet in the club, when you.

[Fury]

When the girls had got robbed or whatever, Is that what happened? No, when they got in trouble, they had got thrown out the hotel, and they were waiting for you to come, and they like, is she gonna slap us? Well, she slapped us before. This is different. This is different.

[Jonica Booth]

She slapped us before. They was funny. All them my hoes was hilarious. Yeah, that was such a. That. That was a good.

[Fury]

Such a great cast.

[Jonica Booth]

That was such a great cast.

[Fury]

Everybody was so fucking funny.

[Jonica Booth]

I improv something that was funny to me. I feel like it ain't fair because I wrote it. It was my improv.

[Fury]

Go for it.

[Jonica Booth]

When I was high. And it was funny because I remember Issa was like, just talk before we come over there. And I'm like, all right. So the girl, she was funny, too. Her name, Jasmine. She came over and did the dance on me, and I was like, oh. You know, I had said, yeah, I don't have pets. I was like, I'm more of an informed type of person. I was like, formation, formation. Like, come on. Yeah. Like, I was like, I'm just saying shit. I was like, how many times are we gonna do this thing? Cause I'm running out of stuff to say.

[Fury]

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh, also, let's just keep talking about ourselves.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. I love us. What you mean?

[Fury]

I enjoyed coming out of that room after Shawna and her boyfriend broke up. Cause every time I came, I told that man I was about to call his mama. And every time I came out the room, I said something different.

[Jonica Booth]

You did.

[Fury]

And it was. It became a game for me because I'm like, I'm gonna say something so stupid this time because I want to hear them laugh in village.

[Jonica Booth]

That's how you knew when you would hear them. They probably was like this. Like, you said you were funny. You was funny. And I think it was dope how she put the ones you wrote, put you in the scenes, but you ate Yours up, you said. Oh, yeah. Oh, y' all want me to go? I got something for this.

[Fury]

A little something for you. That whole show, I really have to watch it. I haven't watched it in such a. In a while. Cause my feelings hurt.

[Jonica Booth]

My feelings are so hurt. But the other day, I turned it on. I put it on mute.

[Fury]

That's good.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. Because I like TV for light. I don't really watch tv. It ain't no slight, but it ain't no black people. I'm not seeing much. So, you know, I just.

[Fury]

We got, like, Olandria, that wasn't a black thing, just gave us a black queen.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. Just a queen. We have her. Yeah, we have a her and a him on almost every show, but we don't have a show do. That makes sense. Yeah, we have a her and a him. We're.

[Fury]

We're. We're.

[Jonica Booth]

We're in there. Yeah, but it's stuff. Just not stuff. Not stuffing.

[Fury]

And I love when we have shows that don't feel like they need to break the culture down for people outside of the culture to understand through dialogue or anything. We don't have to, like, put in any useless exposition. We can just speak the way we speak. We can have little Easter eggs and things that we get.

[Jonica Booth]

That we get.

[Fury]

And if you don't get it, carry on. Yeah. Or just. Yeah, move on.

[Jonica Booth]

Cause I watch so many shows that I don't. I don't understand the joke. But that's not my world. But I carry on and I finish watching the show. So we don't have much.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

And that's what hurts my feelings about rap shit being taken away. Because it was so. It was just real. It was so relatable for everybody. I feel.

[Fury]

And I feel like it was from Miami. I was like, no shit. Like no lie, Jonica. It was the one time I watched a scripted anything set besides moonlight that was set in Miami and black and felt like Miami, it was done right.

[Jonica Booth]

And you would only know that cause you're from there. So you like. No, this was done right.

[Fury]

That meant a lot to me. So to be able to see how everybody brought it together and watched the show and be like, oh, yeah, this feel like my town. My side of the town I grew up in. So rewarding. We got two seasons. Who knows? Maybe we'll get a movie or some shit.

[Jonica Booth]

We got to, man, Issa, I be looking at that. I'd be like, issa, don't really be running stuff back like that. I wish you was a running run. It back. Issa, just run it back. It was too. It wasn't supposed to be gone.

[Fury]

It really wasn't.

[Jonica Booth]

It wasn't. And that's really how I feel about it. Run something back. It was just. It was too good.

[Fury]

It was.

[Jonica Booth]

It was too good. And that's what I felt like. I even said I was like, if they would have canceled out the first season. All right, it was. But second season was so good. You gonna cancel after something so good.

[Fury]

We yet to have, like, the Moesha ending, though, where it's like, ooh, who was pregnant? Is Miles dead? Yeah, we get to have that forever.

[Jonica Booth]

Later, Mil.

[Fury]

But where was that going to go?

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah, we just. Yeah, it was so good. So you should watch it again and refresh your memory about all the greatness that you. That you like. Oh, you know, I was a part of this shit.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

You know, I watch it.

[Fury]

I want to talk about. Picture this. So good you be watching. Are you having fun? It looks like you're having a blast.

[Jonica Booth]

I'm having some. I was nervous at first, but I'm having so much fun doing that show.

[Fury]

So for those of y' all at home, picture this as like, a new comedy program through Hooray, where you sit down with guests, and y' all are, like, drawing while you're also interviewing.

[Jonica Booth]

They're drawing?

[Fury]

Yeah, they're drawing.

[Jonica Booth]

The guests are drawing, and I'm interviewing them. But it's not your typical interview.

[Fury]

Right.

[Jonica Booth]

It's like. And the funny part is, you're not. We just assume that people don't know how to draw.

[Fury]

Right.

[Jonica Booth]

These are talented. They drawing so good. And I'm like, oh, you could draw for real?

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

But it's. It's funny because everybody think they could chew bubble gum and walk, and they can't.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

So there's so many people that's drawn. And I'm like, why are you not answering the question? Why are you not talking to me? They're like, oh, then they'll talk. And then I'm like, why you not drawing? Why you're not drawing the picture no more? So it's such a fun show, and we're learning a lot about people, and it feels like a real conversation.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

You know, some people just have that ability. And, like, you like this. I don't even feel like we on the pod. I feel like we just talk. I feel like I'm talking to you, like, catching up with you, and that's what that feels like. And I'm getting that out of the people when I'M meeting so many dope people. I love the show Tell Me Lies.

[Fury]

Mm, yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

Did you watch that?

[Fury]

I've seen Tell Me Lies.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. So the guy, Brandon Cook, we just dropped his. His is currently. Okay, cool. Yeah. And it was. It's just dope to meet these people and talk to them from a different space. And for me to be hosting. Look, I'm telling you, I don't know what God want me to do. I'm just doing it. But I said, God, since when you want me to host? And, you know, I don't even like talking like that. You know, I don't even talk right all the time.

[Fury]

The way that he works is like, you know it's right. Because none of it feels. Feels disjointed or random. Everything that you've been doing feels like, oh, yeah. They're like, okay, yeah, I can see that. That makes sense. So I love this for you because, like, like you just said, it puts you in a hosting position, you know, but more than you getting to be on camera the way that you deserve to it, I feel like it gives a great balance of what you have to offer, because great serious conversation where you get to really, like, have your guests have these sort of introspective moments and whatnot. But then you know how to, like, throw in a good comedy thing here and then get back. That's the talent. Cause that Lil Rail shit had me.

[Jonica Booth]

I had to.

[Fury]

It was too dying.

[Jonica Booth]

I said, oh, blah. Because my thing is, we. It's getting. We gonna be serious, but at the end of the day, we're comedy. But I also don't want to take away the serious. It's like, I'm trying. I just be trying to find the space to do it while listening to you. And honestly, I take it back. I'm not trying to find it. It just comes to me, right? You listen to people.

[Fury]

I can watch you listening to what he was saying, responding to every name from Chicago that he's saying. And then when you got that minute, you said, what about Chief Keef and him being a comic too. His response where he was just like, fucking Chief Keef. Oh, blah. It was so funny.

[Jonica Booth]

Yes.

[Fury]

So I'm glad you having a good time on it.

[Jonica Booth]

I am. The producers, may Sal G Foot, they are phenomenal. We was struggling getting it going. Just like, you know, trying to create something so dope when you want something to be just as perfect as possible. I ended up going out there down the Hooray and sitting with them for hours. Like how we Gonna do it, you know? And all we knew is what we wanted to do, and we just had to sit together, come up with a concept, and they really. They. They took the lead. I'm glad they chose me. And, yeah, I love it. I love it. I'm having. Now that is something I'm genuinely enjoying doing.

[Fury]

Good. Yeah, I'm enjoying watching your shit.

[Jonica Booth]

Yes.

[Fury]

Okay, well, what would you say? What's next? Do you have any upcoming projects or desired projects you want to do anything new? I can see you doing, like, voice acting.

[Jonica Booth]

Everybody say voice. Do you know I can't stand this voice. When I go back and listen to something, I'll be like, ew, girl, shut up.

[Fury]

I hate my voice too.

[Jonica Booth]

You got a cute voice.

[Fury]

See, everyone else feels different.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah, I'm like, your voice. Cute.

[Fury]

When people who don't like their voice, it be like they be the only ones.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. I'd be like, girl, what is you talking about? I don't even know if I be looking at my whole videos and stuff. I feel like, girl, be quiet. But I just did a movie with Emily and Theo from Theo Rossi. They're the leads on it. Emily from Schitt's Creek.

[Fury]

Oh, wow.

[Jonica Booth]

She's phenomenal.

[Fury]

Okay.

[Jonica Booth]

They're all. They're Theo. All of them actually are phenomenal. Kaylin. I did. I met so many dope comics there. Peter. Everybody was just so good. But that movie, it's a. It's produced by. God, I can't think of her name, but it's. It's a. It's a gay film.

[Fury]

Okay.

[Jonica Booth]

So it's gonna be dope. It's an indie. And Maura was actually the DP for us, and she's on there. So it was just dope to even be in that environment and to do that movie and to be in a world even finding out how they got me. She was like, I was. Look, you were suggested to me about five times.

[Fury]

Wow.

[Jonica Booth]

And that feels. That feels so good.

[Fury]

It has. Feels so good.

[Jonica Booth]

Wait, who talking about me? You know? So it's like, you must be doing something right, Jonathan. So I'm excited for that to come out.

[Fury]

And

[Jonica Booth]

comedy. I'm doing this stand up. I'm taking that way more serious. And I'm waiting to hear. I believe it's a strong possibility. Like, I'm 80, 90% sure that we have another. We're gonna go back and do Picture this again.

[Fury]

Okay.

[Jonica Booth]

So I am excited about that. So, you know, just seeing. Just seeing what's in the works out here.

[Fury]

Working Hard like you always been, but leading with grace and with your heart. I love to see it. It's something so. There's just something so comforting about seeing us like our people, shining and thriving in a space because they deserve it, because they put the work in. I saw this clip from Colman d' Amigo a couple days ago where I think someone asked him, like, do you ever, like, look around at everything and go like, wow, I can't believe this. And he was like, no, I can't believe all of this, because I know that I put the work in. I know how hard I worked to get here. I knew what the goals were. So now that I have them, I know it's because I worked to get them. So, no, I don't feel supported.

[Jonica Booth]

Absolutely. I said yesterday, I said, it's not a matter of if for me. It's a matter of when and how I'm gonna get there. All I keep seeing, like, I see. I see where I'm going, but I'll. I'm as. I'm on my way. Oh, it's the Roadblock. It's. It's an accident. I gotta hit a U turn. I gotta take a different path. It don't mean I don't see it. I just gotta figure out how to get over there.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

You know, and I don't feel at this age, I put the work. I'm where I'm supposed to be. And honestly, like, I said, more feeling behind, if anything. But when you. I told someone yesterday in the same conversation, I said, when you have as much drive and ambition and faith over fear, then you can't do nothing but make it. It's just a matter of when.

[Fury]

Exactly.

[Jonica Booth]

I don't wanna make it. Like, what's that actor name? I don't wanna be like, get there when I'm like. I be like, God, don't y' all want me to get there when I'm, like, 70? Like, let me get there a little early, you know, so, you know, you kind of just wanna do it at a decent age. But I know it's gonna happen.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

You know, and like I said, I'm waiting to see, and I'm excited for the journey. I used to just work, work, work, but now I'm like, no, I'm excited. I love the journey.

[Fury]

Yeah.

[Jonica Booth]

I love the speed bumps. I love the roadblocks. I love the U turns. Cause now I'm no longer like, guess it ain't gonna happen. Now I'm like, you making this difficult. But I'm Gonna go. I'm gonna go this route because I don't know what happened. Cause again, if I didn't come to la, I didn't. You get what I'm saying? If I didn't take this route, I wouldn't be where I'm at, right? So now, because of that, I'm okay with the detours. Yeah, I'm okay with the detours.

[Fury]

Because the detour is not the end of anything. It's like, okay, I gotta go this

[Jonica Booth]

way, then they gotta go around. And I'm okay with that.

[Fury]

Last question. Why do you think people call that girl Chastity and not Chastity? Why do they have such a hard time.

[Jonica Booth]

Wait, call what?

[Fury]

They call her Chastity instead of Chastity?

[Jonica Booth]

Chastity. Chastity. Shit, nigga, you asking the wrong person. I can't talk. I probably call it Chastity and Chastity.

[Fury]

And I was like, there are two guapdad.

[Jonica Booth]

Call it Titty, right?

[Fury]

I'm like, you call her Titties. You call her Duke Duke.

[Jonica Booth]

You can call her anything. You could call it a nickname if you're struggling with Chastity. Chastity. Yeah, it was. How so? Say it again. Chastity.

[Fury]

Chastity.

[Jonica Booth]

Chastity.

[Fury]

We just say Chastity.

[Jonica Booth]

They say Chastity, right?

[Fury]

You know what? N just say Chastity.

[Jonica Booth]

N say Chastity, and then they just

[Fury]

spell it that way. You know what? Fine. Just watch it.

[Jonica Booth]

I don't really know that. Why? Because N can't talk. We can't talk. We say what?

[Fury]

We say what we want to.

[Jonica Booth]

We say what we want it to be.

[Fury]

Yeah. We say what we want it to be.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. My sister named Tiara. She called herself Tiara. I'm like Tiara. Well, she just spelled like Tiara. Well, Mama named you and Mama call you Tiara.

[Fury]

Tough. My name.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah. Like Tiara. So everybody is. Yeah. We just say. We say. How it come out for us?

[Fury]

Olive Gardens.

[Jonica Booth]

Olive Gardens.

[Fury]

Just one garden, babe.

[Jonica Booth]

I'm going Olive Gardens.

[Fury]

But there's multiple rest. It's Olive Gardens.

[Jonica Booth]

We can't talk.

[Fury]

We just say whatever the fuck we want to. We can't.

[Jonica Booth]

We say it with confidence and tell you you wrong and you wrong. Like, what you mean Olive Gardens? Olive Gardens. Like, how many gardens is it?

[Fury]

You got them on ear. Like. I'm not gonna argue with you about this. I love us, Jonica, I love you so much. Thank you for coming and doing the pod with me today.

[Jonica Booth]

You gotta come to my comedy show.

[Fury]

You couldn't you could not force me out. You could put keep this butch queen out like a mural outside the place. And I'll find a way.

[Jonica Booth]

I'm coming in.

[Fury]

I will be in the air vents.

[Jonica Booth]

Yes.

[Fury]

Like, I can't wait.

[Jonica Booth]

I'm gonna send you the ambulance and everything. Make sure y' all look out for that. The movie is called Maid of Dishonor that's coming out.

[Fury]

Especially that Drake album that just came out. Made of honor. Made of dishonor. Made of dishonor right on top.

[Jonica Booth]

Did a little something something does itself shout out to Drake album and Kendrick. I like everybody. I just like music. Guys.

[Fury]

Leave me alone.

[Jonica Booth]

Leave me alone. I don't want to choose. I don't want to choose. I don't want to choose. I like it all.

[Fury]

And we in la, too.

[Jonica Booth]

Yeah, like, I'll do it all.

[Fury]

Whatever you want.

[Jonica Booth]

No shooting.

[Fury]

Listen, y', all, thank you for watching another episode of Furious Thoughts. Make sure that you go to patreon.com giftier if you want more. Check the podcast out. Make sure that you like a subscribe and you hit that bell. That does something. I think it tell you when I post shit or whatever. Look, look it up. I'm 38 years old. I am yet trying. Okay? 20 years since I started this kid fury shit. Okay? I'm the same age as Twitter, so suck my ass. Figure it out. You click the things. All right, Love you. Bye.